How did you feel about pregnancy & childbirth?

[mommy2be]

I understand that every woman has different experiences with both pregnancy and childbirth... Also, that one pregnancy might be very different than another for the same woman.

 

The media and other women give you all of these ideas about it... How many of you were surprised by how different it actually was compared to how you expected?

 

I personally, was pleasantly surprised... I had a wonderful pregnancy and quite enjoyed being pregnant. I only had very minor complaints, and was in no hurry to be done with it. My labor and delivery was also not very bad at all... and I did it 100% natural. I'm just wondering if I just had really bad expectations, or if mine was just easy, or what...

 

Has anyone else wondered this? I know we had a thread not too long ago about how labor & delivery are portrayed in movies... and some people were offended... so, this is not a competition, and each woman is entitled to feel however she would like about it! My mother was a screamer and thought labor and delivery was very hard. I just either had an easier time, or had an idea of how bad it would be... I don't know... haha.

 

So, what was it like for you in comparison to what you expected? :confused:

 

:bigear::lurk5:

Edited September 15, 2009 by mommy2be

[Carrie12345]

I hate pregnancy. I love l&d. If science ever finds a way for there to be surrogate deliverers who don't have to carry a baby for 9 (10) months, I'll do it!

[Aggie]

Andy Joy...don't read this, ok?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had the exact opposite experience you did.

 

Of the 3 pregnancies, I felt good about 4 months of the second. I had "morning" sickness every day, all day, save those 4 months. Every day I threw up at least once. Every day.

 

I couldn't stand most scents....food, colognes, detergents, etc. made ms even worse.

 

I had long (36, 18, 24 hr) labors and ended up with 3 c/s. The epidurals didn't work until they cranked them up right before surgery. I felt every contraction.

 

The first epidural gave me a spinal head ache and I had to go back and get the patch within the first week.

 

My second delivery, I lost, according to my ob, a "****-load" (his words) of blood. My blood pressure dropped so low that my dh didn't think I would make it out of the OR alive.

 

Of course, I was an older mom and not in the same shape I was in when I was in my 20's. I wish I had done more homework on epidurals...if I knew then what I know now I probably wouldn't have had them.

 

But...it was all worth it.:001_smile:

[Calm37]

I am one of those people that LOVES C-sections. My first was 36 hours of labor and my second 24.

 

With my third I had a C-section because of some previous surgery. I went in at 8 and had a baby by 9! Then they let me stay four days in the hospital! Very willing to have another one after that.

[BamaTanya]

#3 brought anemia. That pregnancy was tough, but just because I had 2 children to keep up with and I was so exhausted. AND I was still working then.

 

#5 and the pregnancy was tougher. I was heavier and had a harder time with breathlessness. And the homeschooling responsibilities had grown . . .

 

L/D were similar. Slight differences, of course, but all progressed normally. The first 2 were caught by nurses as they came quickly, but the dr didn't let that happen with 3-5. :)

[KS_]

My pregnancies weren't really awful - I didn't have morning sickness, but did swell a lot with my first and for the last 3+ months, had carpal tunnel symptoms in both hands because of it (so couldn't tie my own shoes, it was very difficult to write, I waddled everywhere and walking around the grocery store wore me out). With the second, I started swelling again but thankfully was able to find a homeopathic remedy that was very effective, and I remember being out pulling weeds in the yard on my due date (both dc were born 12 days after I was "due").

 

Both labors were very long (40+ hours and 37 hours) and although I was expecting pain, I wasn't expecting the extreme length or ending up with a c-section the first time. The pain would have been much easier to deal with for a shorter time - but after hours and hours and hours, it starts to wear on you and mess with your mind. I was hoping for a better/shorter labor the second time around, but I went into labor the same number of days past my due date and had similar labor lengths. Delivery was a piece of cake for me - the last part went very quickly and was so easy compared to the labor.

[elegantlion]

Love the end result, my precious son turns 12 today. :D Pregnancy was horrible, I was so emotional, my poor dh treaded lightly and feed me ice cream to appease me. That was after one full month of being on the couch because I was sick. I felt in charge of absolutely nothing for the entire pregnancy.

 

L&D was worse as scar tissue from a previous surgery sent me into labor 3 weeks early. I was in labor for 3 days before I had a c-section (fully opened, not just the bikini scar) and then was in the hospital for another week. Ds was fine, but I was not awake until hours later. Dh was the first one to hold him.

 

So 12 years today at about this very hour I was getting ready to go into surgery. That's one of the reasons we have one child.

[Pretty in Pink]

Labor and delivery is hard work, no doubt, and it hurts like the dickens to be sure! But it was really about what I expected.

 

There are things I enjoy about pregnancy but it is physically challenging for me. I have crazy heart palpitations and dizzy spells when I'm pregnant. I voted that it was hard.

[mommy2be]

Interesting... so far the results seem to be pretty even... Hmm

 

My pregnancy (one baby thus far) was fine. I actually lost weight, so it was good to me. I did have the very sensitive smell issue... it made me sick sometimes. I did have some morning sickness. A lot of things I did not have an appetite for. I got painfully bloated very easily. By my due date my legs and feet looked like an elephants legs and feet though... lol. I think I just convinced myself that I was having a wonderful time and it was great! All in all though I really couldn't complain about much. I knew it wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but I did enjoy the experience.

 

Labor was about 16 hours of actual contractions, but went quickly when it came time to push. He was a little guy so it was fairly easy...

[Word Nerd]

My first labor and delivery was awful. One of those stories that I could terrify expecting moms with if I were one of those kind of people. In theory, I was ready to have another baby several years later, but when I saw the positive pregnancy test, I started crying and shaking. I was more afraid of delivery with my second than with my first. Thankfully, that pregnancy and delivery were rather mundane. The second delivery was such a completely different experience that I started laughing right after she was born because I couldn't believe it was so easy in comparison.

[Desert Rat]

Both pregnancies were awesome. No sickness with #1, only 2 months with #2. Both labors were under 8 hours with only 3 pushes each, natural with no pain meds. I was discharged the following day. With #1 though my episiotomy stitches didn't take and I had a really hard 3 months of healing. But that wasn't part of the poll. :o

[Julie in Austin]

I am one of those people that LOVES C-sections.

 

:iagree:

[caitlinsmom]

Pregnancy is simple for me. I have very little issues and am only uncomfortable for a short time. No big deal.

 

Labor/delivery sucked though. Not because it was so scary and hard but because I was pushed into every single thing I did not want. I was ignored and thought stupid because I didnt want an epidural, a million hands in places they shouldnt be etc. My first pregnancy ended in a c-section because of interventions (this was proven in my medical records) and I have endured more c-sections since. This is the part that has been a nightmare for me. Recovery has been a nightmare and now I have health issues because of it.

 

The thing that irks me to no end, is there has never been a real medical issue for me to have an c-section (for any of them) it was all for convience sake (or hospital protocol) and now my health is compromised because of it.

 

Off my soap box now....pregnancy is great delivery and recovery suck!!

[Aubrey]

Pregnancy stinks. I'm 5'3", & my babies on avg. are 9lb. I get sick, uncomfortable, cranky, & ginormous.

 

L&D--people really like that? I mean, really? I had 4 babies naturally*, & the first time was so painful I could barely get to the car. I was throwing up so much, dh had to pull over on the way to the birth center (only 20 min away). But baby was born in 3 hrs, from start to finish, & I've heard that that's why it was so...traumatic, lol.

 

Worse, though, was the lack of experience w/ other people having babies. The only person I'd talked to was my mom, who said she was clipping coupons while she was in labor. Later, I realized that that must have been because of the epidural.

 

But it was ok after #1 was here because I realized it would only get easier after that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:lol:

 

*Not that I'm against natural birth. I mean, I did have all 4 that way, & the rest of the deliveries weren't nearly as bad, but I didn't *like* it. That's insane. (I'm speaking non-judgmentally, just from the perspective of the experiences I've had, lol.)

[SilverMoon]

Sign me up for the labor/delivery sans pregnancy surrogacy club. I do not enjoy pregnancy, and labor/delivery* was what I expected. ~shrug~

 

(The * disclaimer is only applicable for the last three deliveries, as the first two were cesarean. There is no "prepared for that" IME.)

[Tree House Academy]

Bot pregnancies were not fun at all - for different reasons. 1st baby I got REALLY huge (for me at the time), and was sick from day one until delivery day. Second baby, I got even more HUGE, didn't lose the weight easily, and my body HURT the whole time. I was miserable.

 

Delivery. Hmmm...I had short labors. 1st birth I pushed for 2 hours and then was cut a 4th degree episiotomy, signed papers that if my child had brain damage, it wasn't their fault, and proceeded to have my child suctioned into the world. 2nd labor and delivery were easy as pie, I laughed the baby out...so it wasn't bad at all. However, the first birth had damaged my pelvic floor muscles and the second pregnancy made it worse. A few months after delivery, I had major bladder issues. Not fun.

[silvermine]

Yea, I have my kids in spite of pregnancy and childbirth. Mine were annoying and difficult, though not so life-threatening. Just... long and obnoxious.

 

All day nauseua and throwing up for months, followed by months where I would have hours of braxton-hicks every 5 minutes... it really makes it virtually impossible for me to run a house/kids/job/whatever. 9 months is a long time to let everything fall apart. :P By the time I have the baby, the place is in shambles, and it makes that part even harder.

 

But I'm in the middle of being pregnant with #3. :) I love my kids, and this is worth it, even if I really really really don't like it.

[Heather in OK]

It was much easier all around than I expected.

[Carrie12345]

:lol:

 

*Not that I'm against natural birth. I mean, I did have all 4 that way, & the rest of the deliveries weren't nearly as bad, but I didn't *like* it. That's insane. (I'm speaking non-judgmentally, just from the perspective of the experiences I've had, lol.)

 

Lol. My family thinks I'm insane, too.

I don't know how to explain it. Labor and delivery is like a high from me (and not the icky kind of high I get on iv drugs!). I find the whole thing fascinating and amazing and exciting.

 

I would probably be a midwife if I people would promise to give birth during regular business hours. ;)

[~Tara~]

I do not enjoy being pg. I'm sick, cranky, miserable, irritable, hateful, emotional and did I mention cranky? Ugh. Poor hubs.

 

Labor was, I guess, close to what I imagined. It wasn't a breeze, by any means, but it wasn't horrific either. I manage labor well enough.

 

I wouldn't say I'd sign up for that pregnantless labor/delivery LOL But, I manage.

[Tutor]

My first pregnancy was great! Loved it! Labor and birth - totally unexpected and difficult. Hated it.

 

Each pregnancy has gotten progressively worse and each labor and delivery has (generally) gotten easier. My last (4th) pregnancy was very difficult... made even more difficult by getting whooping cough at 3 months that lasted 3 months. Birth was wonderfully easy and joyous.

 

If I could have the combo of my first preg. and last l&d, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. As it is, we would be happy to discover I was pregnant again, but prefer to adopt to grow our family at this point.

[chaik76]

Hated it all.

[Veritaserum]

Pregnancy has its good points, but with some of them I was sick for about 6 months. That wasn't so great. :glare: I enjoy giving birth. I use hypnosis (Hypnobabies) so I'm comfortable without medications. It's awesome! I love feeling so connected to the experience and so in tune with my body and my babies. I had an epidural with my first and while the no pain was great, I didn't like the side effects. I was thrilled to find a way to give birth comfortably without the baggage that often comes with an epidural. :)

[daffodil]

I loved pregnancy and had two amazing birth experiences, natural childbirth both times.

[jewellsmommy]

After jumping through hoops for 3.5 yrs just to get pregnant, I was so thrilled to be pregnant. I even told my irl best friend that if I so much as whimpered to slap me.:001_smile:

 

I actually loved being pregnant. I remember remarking how awesome it was that I could feel my hips seperating. It was so cool, but people thought I was crazy. I did have heartburn and nausea the whole time but I got used to it.

 

Labor would have been tolerable if I had been allowed to walk more. I walked for the first few hrs (my husband had the nerve to complain that his feet hurt from walking, can you believe that?!) Anyway, a bunch of stuff went wrong. I had to have pitocin which made the contractions sooo much worse and after 15 hrs of labor I ended up with a c-section.

 

Needless to say, I wasn't expecting that!

[yellowperch]

I love being pregnant and have each time.

 

My births have been lightening fast and the recoveries easy, especially the last one.

 

I've had great luck so far. Let's hope it holds....

[SquirrellyMama]

I can't say I enjoyed the pregnancy but it was uneventful and had 0 complications. My first L&D was not fun but only lasted 8 hours. The other two were great and lasted around 7 and 4 hours. I was ready right away for another one because I enjoyed having cable, room service and a nursery :001_smile:

[6packofun]

I hate being pregnant but love the results. lol I don't dislike it because it's "hard", though. It's annoying to me, as was breastfeeding (all 5-6 weeks of it, LOL). I think both are great and yet I have this annoyance with not feeling like myself in my own body (or maybe sharing it? a selfishness, I'm sure, :tongue_smilie: ) and feeling out of control as my body balloons and changes! I ate fairly well, with occasional cravings and binges just like everyone else, but gained and gained and got very depressed. Not a fan of going to the dr. either.

 

All but 1 of my pregnancies had issues of some kind ranging from gestational diabetes, pre-term labor, a placental tumor, plus the bed rest and doctor visits and crap that goes with all that. It really is a miracle that I did it 7 times and have 6 children. LOL!! I really wanted children. :)

[Rosie_0801]

Pregnancy sucked. Both times. So much so, that if we ever get pregnant again, it'll be a serious failure of contraception because neither of us want to do that again. Gestational diabetes sucks, and the pregnancies would have been crappy enough without that. Maybe I'm wimpy, I don't know. *shrug*

 

I didn't know how to vote on the labour and delivery question, so I didn't. My first delivery is not on my list of fun things to repeat. It was an induction and forceps birth, but I still came out feeling positive about it. I suppose the labour was interesting in an uncomfortable sort of way, and the actually delivery was one of the m ore unpleasant experiences of my life. A person should not be dragged out of another person using a pair of oversized salad tongs! And the obstetrician should definitely not pull against the contractions.

 

My second labour was also an induction, and was badly managed. The actual delivery was over so fast there wasn't time to find anything to complain about though! Second stage was a mere 9 minutes! I do not feel positive about that, and it took about 6 months for the flashbacks to disappear. I still don't like to think about it, but at least the thoughts aren't jumping into my head by themselves anymore.

 

Rosie

Edited September 15, 2009 by Rosie_0801

[Dawn in OH]

I didn't answer the poll. I had mixed feelings.

 

I don't have very difficult pregnancies, in fact, I've seen plenty of women far more uncomfortable than I am during pregnancy, but I don't care for being pregnant.

 

I've had 3 deliveries with minimal pain medication, no epidural, etc, and it wasn't awful, but I hate doing it. I'm pregnant again and dread that day. I don't want to do it again honestly. The nurses always told me that I did great and they had never seen such easy deliveries, but I don't like to do it.

 

Maybe if I weren't currently pregnant and nauseated I would have a better attitude.

 

I love the babies though. I am dreading the sleep deprivation though. I need my sleep.

[littlebug42]

I HATED being pregnant (except for the feeling of the baby moving). I was miserable with the first. Could barely walk the last six weeks because of her placement on my pelvic bone. My second daughter was worse. I was hospitalized 3 times in the first 12 weeks because I could not even keep water down. I lost so much weight in both pregnancies that my weight was the same to only 1-2 pounds heavier at delivery than when I got pregnant.

 

That being said, I had very easy labor and deliveries. Both had to be induced for different reasons and I did have epidurals (only after 17 hours in labor with #1 and immediately with #2). #2 came out so fast though that the doctor just barely made it to the hospital. Dilated from 4-10 in 30 minutes and never pushed once. She pretty much just shot out on her own. If I could just do the labor and delivery parts, I would have many more children. Unfortunately, I would have to endure the pregnancy part too and it is a lot longer.

[Dirtroad]

First preg. was scary & exciting... delivery was awful & doctor evil!

 

Second preg. was okay... deliver was beautiful & doctor and nurses were magnificent... deserve sainthood!

 

Third preg (now at 36 weeks) is hot, huge, uncomfortable, tiring, frustrating, exhausting (shall I continue).... hope for great delivery b/c still using wonderful doctors and hospital from secong preg! Did I mention that my toes look like vienna sausages, I wear a big strap to support my huge belly, baby may be over 10 pounds, and I constantly have to go to the bathroom.... but I haven't gained any weight... one silver lining! he he

[myfunnybunch]

I had to check all of the choices. Pregnancy and childbirth were all of those things for me. Better and worse, harder than I'd hoped and easier than I'd feared, even when I knew what to expect. :)

 

Cat

[Audrey]

Liked pregnancy. Would rather be flayed alive than go through a delivery like that again.

[MamaT]

I do not enjoy being pregnant. I am not one of those women who just get pregnant in the middle; I get pregnant all over. I have never had morning sickness, just a hunger that will not be denied. I woke up in the middle of the night so many times and have to have a MEAL, and I couldn't wait for my dh to finish eating so I could eat the rest. I gained about 60 lbs. with each pregnancy, and I am 5'1" and normally about 105 lbs. I always lost it within about 2 months of delivering though.

 

My first pregnancy was twins and I lost one at 5 months. I got toxemia toward the end and had to be induced. After 22 hours of labor, I had a c-section.

 

I tried a V-BAC with my third and after 21 hours of labor had my 3rd c-section.

 

My 2nd and 4th were scheduled c-sections.

 

I get so big that I do not enjoy being pregnant and my deliveries were no fun either.

 

I was holding my baby girl in the middle of the night when she was about a week old and wondered why I hadn't enjoyed this stage as much with my previous 3 (she was child #4). She is adopted and I realized that I wasn't trying to recover from a c-section! I could feel well and enjoy her.

[jplain]

I loved both of my pregnancies that resulted in births. (I didn't particularly enjoy the ones that ended in miscarriage though. *sigh*) Both pregnancies were uncomplicated, and both of my kids were born at home.

 

I didn't enjoy the first birth, but I survived it. I think my childbirth prep course, which was based on the book Birthing From Within, did an excellent job of preparing me for what to expect.

 

The second birth was a breeze. Piece of cake. I could do that once a year, no problem. But I think I'm getting old enough now that I'd have a lot more aches and pains and complaints during pregnancy, so I'm not sad to be leaving the childbearing phase....

[IsabelC]

My pregnancies were pretty meh... Not as bad as what some women experience, but not great either. Actually the first one was OK, but they got worse with the second and third baby, and I'm not keen on going through a fourth pregnancy.

 

You didn't have an exact option for my labour and delivery experience, which was that it was wonderful, as I had expected. (I would love to have another labor and birth if I didn't have to go through a pregnancy beforehand and deal with the first few weeks of breastfeeding afterwards. I would like labour, birth, then skip to a 3mo baby lol)

Edited September 16, 2009 by Hotdrink

[LibraryLover]

For me pregnancy is neat between 12 weeks and 30 weeks. The rest, you can keep. I loved knowing I was pregnant, but after a bit it just gets old! I just always wanted the sweet *baby*!

 

I had terrible all-day sickness for 12- 16 weeks during all of my pregnancies. I did have a late m/c at 16 weeks, which was terrible.

 

I had all of my bio babies at home with a midwife, the last UC. My births were fast (8- 16 hours) intense and and painful (one was 7 Ct in in 45 minutes. Ouch!) They were wonderful births, if not so easy, and we were never separated. I nursed all of the children for a few years, and I feel blessed to have had such empowering births.

 

However I do think pregnancy gets old fast after 30 weeks. lol I am impatient and *just want the baby*!!!

[Garga]

I hated (hated!) being pregnant. I was miserable the entire time. Constant discomfort and pain. Constant. And I complained about it non-stop. Non-stop. I got on my own nerves complaining about it. DH is a saint for listening to it for all those months. A woman once said to dh in passing, "Well, you don't really know what it's like to be pregnant." And DH said with great fatigue, "Oh, yes I do."

 

Childbirth: I went to Bradley classes and they lay it all out for you. They let you know in great detail what it's really like, so I was prepared. Had natural childbirth with a midwife. It felt as horrible as I expected, but I was prepared and was able to handle it. Amazing (amazing!) high after giving birth. Was floating on a cloud. Was ok with going thru it all again, so got pregnant again.

 

The 2nd time around, it was the same as the first, but my endurance is gone. I don't want to do this a 3rd time around. I would be pretty upset if I found out I was pregnant now. I really don't want to do this again.

 

Then bringing the baby home! My dh and I didn't want kids AT ALL for the first 9 years of marriage--because we knew that caring for a baby would be TONS of work and not a lot of fun. And guess what? Caring for a baby is TONS of work and not a lot of fun! BUT, we didn't realize how much we would LOVE (love love love!) our babies.

 

So, in the end, that love totally won out and I'm glad I have my little sweeties.

Edited September 16, 2009 by Garga

[LauraGB]

I didn't mind being pregnant. I had the nausea for a while in the beginning, but never actually threw up - that kind of stunk...it would have been better just to throw up and move on. After that, though, around 5 months I think, I had PUP. That was miserable! Again, it didn't last long. And it was kind of fun at the end when I would turn side ways at the grocery store and scare the children and mothers behind me; I am fairly petite, but I birthed some gigantic twins. From behind, I didn't look pregnant, but when I turned sideways, I was ridiculous! The gasps and covered mouths got old quickly, however and I stopped going places the last month or so (not to mention my belly protruded so far I couldn't actually maneuver behind the wheel of the car for a good few of the last months).

 

Delivery was not something I care to do again. But not because of pain, exactly. I was induced on Dec 17th, but sent home at the end of the day because nothing happened. Induced again on December 28...contractions here and there, but no big deal. I never dialated past 3 cm, so on the morn of Dec 30, I had an er c-sect. I had a reaction to something they gave me and nearly died. So, yeah, that part was no fun. And not being able to feel anything past my chest for about 12 hours was too scary to want to repeat again.

 

I think I was given 2 in one shot because it must have been known I would only do this thing once.

[brehon]

Each of my pregnancies was very difficult, especially with my work. Try climbing into and out of an ambulance at 38 weeks. (My firemen had to push me up into the box several times. :glare:) I was nauseated with all 4 pregnancies for varying lengths of time, but, with nr 4, basically from the time the HPT read (+) until I delivered him. Can we just say that my normally low levels of sympathy for many of my patients decreased to the point that my partner (dear man) ordered me not to talk to patients after midnight. And what makes this really funny is that he's normally the really grouchy and unsocial one. And poor dh - having to put up with me. Man deserves canonization. ;)

 

Each of my labors was very fast -- longest one (kiddo nr 1) was just under 3 hours. My dh was convinced each time that he was going to have to catch a baby as we had a minimum 25 minute drive time from our house to the hospital. Well, that's not quite right. Nr 4 was induced (and I would NEVER do that again!) because I was almost 2 weeks late and suffering from advanced progesterone poisoning :tongue_smilie:. The pit started at ~8a, but I didn't deliver until almost 6p. And, get this, I was not laboring during that whole time, even though my doc kept upping the dose. I didn't begin active, productive labor until 15 minutes before the wee tyke was born. Nurse ended up catching him.

 

Funny labor story -- with nr 2? nr 3? (who remembers) I was placed in a room that apparently had a leak of some sort in the bathroom. So, there I am contracting and about to deliver when the nurse comes in and says, "Oh! You're not supposed to be in here. The bathroom has a leak. We'll have to move you. Can you just get into that wheelchair?"

 

Me: {contraction} [voice that is not my voice, but comes from deep within me somewhere] "Are you *&^%$#@ kidding me? I'm about to deliver." {contraction} [same Poltergeist-esque voice] "I promise I won't even look in the bathroom AND I. Am. Not. {contraction} Moving."

 

Charge nurse comes in, takes one look at the situation, and wisely decides that I should stay in that l&d room. Baby is born 3 minutes later.

[ummix3]

I loved being pregnant and was utterly shocked with some of my labors and especially deliveries...I chose the last statement. I have four girls 10, 8, 7, 5. DH and I talk about possibly having more and honestly the whole thought of me going through the pushing stage makes me think twice. I envy those women who say they push once or twice and the baby is out. I rather have one more hour of horrible contractions than a longer than desired pushing stage (and may God not test me with that!).

 

That being said I love pregnancy and being pregnant. I had my four girls at home with a midwife. The same midwife who stars in the documentary film by Ricki Lake "The Business of Being Born" (Cara Muhlhahn) She's just every bit as cool as she is in the movie and an awesome midwife. If ever I would to get pregnant it's her I would call. I also personally prefer homebirth for myself over anything else even though my labors tend to be long at times. I think one reason for the long labors may have been that I was possibly hypothyroid at the time and did not know it therefore making me sluggish, especially at the time of labor.

 

Michelle

Edited September 16, 2009 by mLeroux
needed to add something

[swellmomma]

I dislike both but the end result is so worth it. I have difficult pregnancies and am considered high risk (6 m/c, 3 preemies). I have issues with preterm labour, last pregnancy I bled for more than 1/2 of it. The past one was the hardest on me, hyperemesis for the first trimester, bleeding and preterm labour for the remainder until I delivered early.

 

My labours themselves go very fast, my last was born in an ambulance, so at least that part is over quickly. My 3rd and 4th were a breeze to recover from, so that part is good.

 

In the end though, I have been willing (and continue to be) to take the risks and the discomfort, and problems and continue to have more children. For me at least I still think the benefits (another child) outwiegh the risks(m/c, and preterm labour). The only thing that I do take into consideration and is why I have spaced the kids the way I have is postpartum depression. I have battled that each time, and do consider that a higher risk than m/c or prem when deciding to have another.

[Amber in SJ]

I think swellmama and I have the same pregnancy experience. I despised evey second of it. When I saw that postive test with our 4th I smacked dh on the arm, hard. I spend the first 4-5 months vomiting. Not morning sickness where you throw up in the AM then get on with the day, but full on vomiting 12-15 X a day and sometimes in my sleep. They gave me the drug they give chemo patients for nausea but I couldn't keep it down. The next drug (in suppository form *shudder*) made me so sleepy I couldn't keep my eyes open for any length of time. Not exactly helpful when parenting other small children. I don't like to take drugs of any kind while I am pregnant, so after the first pregnancy I learned to keep plastic bags and wipes handy at all times and just live my life as the perpetual puke machine. For example, a trip to the grocery store when I am in early pregnancy would go like this:

 

Decide to go shopping & make a list

Throw up while putting on shoes

Throw up on the way to the store

Get cart & go into store

Throw up somewhere between the produce department and the dairy aisle

Barely make it through check-out

Throw up in the parking lot

Return cart

Throw up on the way home (the motion of the car did it every time)

Throw away all the plastic bags I used during the outing

Collapse on the couch and concentrate on being perfectly still

 

My mom had the same type of nausea. I have vivid memories of her picking me up from ballet and having to stop the car to throw up. She never had to tell us when she was expecting. Both of my sisters are the same way. It is something of a bonding experience. Bonding over barf.

 

Interestingly, it was the nausea that allowed me to know which pregnancies were going to "take." I had several miscarriages between viable pregnancies and I was not sick. That made for a different kind of pain as I spent those weeks not feeling sick, but knowing the pregnancy wasn't going to hold. One of those made it to 15 weeks.

 

The nausea ended at about 20 weeks. Just when I thought the worst was over, the contractions would start around 22 weeks. Yep, pre-term labor and bed rest. Bed rest sounds good until you have lived it. It is awful. I am short (5'2") so there was also excruciating heartburn. I won't even mention the heart racing and dizzyness with the occasional blackout.

 

I have never been delivered by my own doctor. I am always meeting a stranger as he gropes around like he is Jim Henson and I am Cookie Monster. We went for the epidural the first time because I didn't know better, for myself. It didn't work. My water had broken so I was on the clock and they gave me a wide open drip of pitocin but it only made my contractions come faster & more painfully. It felt like I was in transition for the entire 12 hours, and the recovery was miserable. For the next three deliveries I told the doctor & the nurses to stay away from me until the last minute possible. Those deliveries were much shorter and less painful. The recovery without drugs was a million times better for me. The degree of tearing made a difference in the recovery, too.

 

I had severe post-partum depression with babies #2 & #4 and that was totally unexpected. I don't have that kind of trouble in my non pregnant life so I was not anticipating it at all. I was terrified I was going to hurt the baby. That was it's own kind of misery. I love the newborn stage. I love nursing. I love being a mom, but I just can't go through that again. As much as I have baby fever and ache to have another, I just can't and remain sane. I don't think Dh would remain sane either.

 

All in all I think I will take labor & delivery over pregnancy if for no other reason than it is over quicker.

 

Amber in SJ

[joannqn]

Pregnancy and I don't get alone well. I get hypermesis every time. Fortunately, though, over the counter medicine works really well for controlling that for me. Even with that, I don't like being pregnant. Then there's the delivery. Three out of four of my children have been born at the hospital...all have been planned out of hospital births. The first was a transfer after a very long stalled labor. The last two were induced after being 15 and 9 days late because I didn't have enough amniotic fluid. NOT the births I had hoped for.

[chaik76]

I am one of those people that LOVES C-sections. My first was 36 hours of labor and my second 24.

 

With my third I had a C-section because of some previous surgery. I went in at 8 and had a baby by 9! Then they let me stay four days in the hospital! Very willing to have another one after that.

I love C-sections too!

[eternalknot]

 

Has anyone else wondered this?

 

So, what was it like for you in comparison to what you expected?

 

I am one of the older kids in a large sibling set, plus an even larger extended family. People were always pregnant and having babies during my childhood, so I think I've always just grown up with a pretty accurate idea of what it could be like (for better and for worse). Our family has always just been born at home, but my older sister and I chose to have hospital births with our firstborns. In that sense I was VERY unprepared, and the experience was NOT AT ALL what she and I had expected it to be (based on what had witnessed growing up).

 

I don't particularly care for pregnancy, even though mine resulted in no complications or inconveniences - life just went on as usual, but with the added bonus of having a handy place to rest my plate when I ate on the sofa :) I don't dislike pregnancy either, I guess it's just something that "is" to me. No strong feelings either way.

[KidsHappen]

Pregnancy was good to me, no sickness, mood better than normal and other than some back and feet pain towards the end physcially pretty easy. Apparently I am built to be birthin' babies. Labor not so good. Delivery was not so bad. My labors were very short (3 and half hours) and my babies very big (9-10.7) but I knew I could get through them because I knew the baby would come and the pain would end. Breastfeeding also good to me but the aftermath not so pretty. Where is that plastic surgery thread again? :tongue_smilie:

[Orthodox6]

Each pregnancy differed from the others, save for the commonality of throwing up lavishly for the first two tri-mesters.

 

I had no expectations, so everything was "new" with the first time.

 

The next-to-last pregnancy was the smoothest of them all. The birth is what makes me still tempted to destroy the doctors.

 

As for the last pregnancy, that was our miscarriage -- thus the heartbreaking end to my "career".