Labor Day....

In honor of Labor Day, I am posting on, well.....labor! I got this idea from Rocks in my Dryer
That picture was taken just after my water broke on the elevator, nurses were scrambling for a mop, the pastor grabbed a wheel chair, hubby got the camera.

So here goes...

How long were your labors?

Kid # 1: 39 hours
Kid #2 : 36 hours
Kid #3 : 1 hour

How did you know you were in labor?

Kid #1: Water broke
Kid #2: Excruciating pain every 3 minutes for a few hours.
Kid #3: Scheduled C-Section, but my water broke on the elevator at the hospital.

Where did you deliver?

At the hospital where the people who know what they are doing are. I wouldn't think of doing it anywhere else.

Drugs?

I didn't want drugs. But when you are in that much pain for that long, you are begging everyone around you to just make it stop. If my labors were 6 to 8 hours like some, no problem. But try 39 or 36 hours and see how exhausted you will be. I didn't do pitocin to speed up anything, we have a "no pitocin" theory in my family. I ended up with a spinal block for the first, an epidural with the second child which totally stalled my labor, and another spinal block with the third.

C-section?

Oh yes. Actually I am getting quit good at C sections. After the first 39 hours of labor with The Oldest child, the sheer exhaustion of it all, I had only dilated to 3. The doctor comes in and asks me if I am finally ready to try the pitocin, I told him that I wanted the baby out immediately...and demanded a c section. No problem.

With The Middle child, I labored all day, went to a Support the Troops rally in labor, went to the hospital that night, labored some more, and finally the next day, when dilation stalled at 6 for several hours, I knew it was time.

For The Little, I just went ahead and scheduled the C Section, called my best friend in MN and told her when to come. She was scheduled to be delivered on St. Patrick's Day. But as I said, my water broke on the elevator that morning at the hospital....and I thought that I was going to deliver her vaginally right there in the pre-op room because the doctor that was supposed to perform the C-section that morning was stuck in traffic. The anesthesiologist (put that word on your next spelling test!) was asking me all kinds of questions about allergies, and I could barely answer the questions because the contractions were so close together.

Who delivered?

Doctors. I love doctors.

The Oldest and The Middle were both delivered by a wonderful Christian Man who left his church service on both Sunday mornings (13 months apart) to attend to my delivery. And he praised God with me in the delivery room after they were born.

The Little was born at a military hospital and was delivered by a really nice man. The delivery room was almost like a party because we were all cracking jokes, and the meds made me feel so loopy that instead of feeling nervous, I was feeling like a comedian. All that were attending the delivery got a hearty laugh when I gushed how much I LOVED my anesthesiologist, that I couldn't feel a thing, and that pink was a great color on him.

This is my last baby. I am tired and do not wish to have any more. I feel the Lord has blessed me enough times. As a matter of fact, I typed this whole post one handed...The Little still latched and napping on my breast. If God chooses to bless me with another? I will start praying for octopus arms.