Friday, March 6, 2009

Getting Prepared


Every time I think about going into labor I think about the movie 9 months with Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, and Joan Cusack. The scene that stands out the most in my mind is when all four characters are in the delivery room together and Tom Arnold is videoing BOTH of the births while the women scream at him and Hugh Grant. The best part is that both women are in labor for all of 5-10 minutes! Now I know for the movie they couldn't take up an entire 12 hours to depict the whole birthing process...but they could have at least eluded to it! Movies make labor and delivery look like a piece of cake (the baby always comes early or right on time and in about 5 min)! Not only that but they make it VERY dramatic too like the fact that the woman's water ALWAYS breaks in public and if they aren't already at the hospital it takes an act of God to make it there on time!

These days the baby likes to make a debut about 1-2 weeks later. The mother is most likely having to schedule an induction, and they make it to the hospital WAY before they are in active labor. The water almost never breaks until labor begins, and most likely your doctor broke it. The movie neglects to show the 10-20 hours that you lay there wishing to die because you can't get an epidural yet (since that might slow down the birthing process)...AND what they neglect to show the most is when labor is deemed "unprogressive" and you are shipped to surgery for a C-section! Yes, what a piece of cake lol!



I know it doesn't always happen that way and some women have been very fortunate to have a short labor (like my friend Amiee). Amiee was a week late and had to be induced, but luckily she was only in labor for 3-4 hours. Now granted she never got to have an epidural because about the time the anesthesiologist arrived with it she was pushing! She tells me all the time that her natural birth (while she was not really planning on it) was great for her. She said right after she was finishing giving birth to Leith she felt fantastic! According to Amiee, and other women I have talked to on forums, you get a natural high after the baby is delivered, and you don't have to feel the sometimes yucky side effects of the epidural. I would LOVE to think that I could go without the epidural, but I'm definitely thinking I'm going to chicken out lol. I truly don't have a high tolerance for pain and I have a lot of anxiety. I'll keep my fingers crossed, and just maybe if I'm lucky enough to be like Amiee, I can have a natural child birth without having any say-so in it lol!

Over-all I have read enough material and watched enough vaginal and C-section births on YouTube to have me somewhat prepared for what I might endure. I have also visited the labor and delivery ward at Brookwood and met the staff (they are fantastic)! They showed me all of the equipment (and had to use some on me) and I went through a few basic procedures when I visited them with the stomach bug that I will be going through when I'm in labor. Also, Mom, my sisters-in-law, my cousins, my aunts, and my friends (who have had children) have ALL told me their birthing stories ranging from vaginal to C-section (even emergency births). So, having all that said, I think I am as prepared as I'm going to be and labor and delivery is right around the corner...and the best part is seeing my baby and holding him for the first time!

2 comments:

  1. I wonder what your story will be for all the other expectant mothers that come after you.

    Shawn will get here when he gets here and we will all be excited.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You'll do just fine. No two deliveries are alike and a lot of women like to tell horror stories about their experiences to young first time moms - makes them sound like heros in their own eyes. Just take it as it comes.

    ReplyDelete