Overdue Times Two (Parenting Aus)
It’s funny. I’ve had two kids but I have no idea what it’s like to go into labour! Not naturally anyway. With both pregnancies I had to be induced at 41 weeks. You can read the story of my two overdue arrivals at Parenting Australia this week. Here’s a teaser…
Most of us spend a considerable amount of time during pregnancy thinking about labour. First we dream about it, then we think more seriously about it, then we panic about it, then we realise there’s no going back so we’d best come to terms with it! I imagined my waters breaking. Or I imagined waking my husband in the middle of the night saying, “This is it Honey…” I imagined timing contractions and working out when would be best to head to the hospital. Instead, we calmly packed my bag into the car and drove without a sense of urgency. I waddled into the maternity ward, stopping and smiling for a photo on the way. We checked in at reception and then sat in a waiting room for a couple of hours before being settled into a bed. Prostaglandin gel was applied and my husband was sent home to get some sleep. I lay there, wide awake, alone, wondering if labour would start. Not at all what I imagined.
Jump over to Parenting Australia for the rest of my story. Anyone else out there had a similar overdue experience??
My first two were both induced, first one because of complications, second because I was 41 weeks. I still went through labour but my contractions were pretty intense and labour only lasted 1 hour for each of them. For my third that was natural and when labour started, I was already driving to the hospital for an appointment which was a very good thing as the drive to the hospital takes an hour. And once I arrived my third one took only 15 more minutes before he came out.
I have never experienced labour either – 3 sections!
janmary, n ireland´s last blog ..Signs of the times
My daughter was induced at 41w4d and the labour was AWFUL – 22 hours and lots of intervention. Sounds pretty similar to your first story – prostagladin gel, then waters broken, then drip, then epidural and ventouse. My son was threatening the same, but at 40w5d, he came naturally. My two labours were like chalk and cheese. My son was delivered in under 5 hours from start to finish – no pain relief and no intervention (apart from a couple of stitches). If I had never had my daughter’s labour, I would be one of those people who say “oh, childbirth, it’s not THAT bad!” But, I know it certainly can be THAT BAD!
Julie´s last blog ..The joys once shared…