https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 21 May 2026 21:40:43 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204968 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 15:03:54 +0000 holdonforonemoreday 204968@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was not expecting 30 hours of labour then c-section with my first. The recovery was awful.</p> <p>With my DD I was not expecting to actually go into labour two days before my scheduled c-section. I was screaming through the contractions, they hurt so bad! (Epi with my first) They wouldn't give me anything for the pain before they took me into surgery. </p> <p>I was also not expecting such an easy recovery this time! It's been fabulous, only a week of painkillers, and a few days of slight incision pain. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204920 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:22:24 +0000 runsyellowlites 204920@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Only part that was unexpected was transferring to the hospital &amp; delivering DD in the hall on the way to the O.R.... Since I had assumed a cesarean birth once the transfer was decided. Otherwise, I knew natural labors can take days or even weeks of prodromal labor &amp; I was at home so whatever I felt I needed to help I did. It was actually better than I expected. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204720 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:08:58 +0000 skibobrown 204720@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Nope. My labor was completely different from any stories I had ever heard, so I was completely shocked. My contractions never got close together on their own... 3 days into labor, and my contractions were still usually only 10-15 minutes apart. I dilated to a 6 naturally that way before we finally gave in and started on pitocin. I had been planning a natural drugfree birth, but b/c of the long labor I ended up with all of the drugs in the end. At least I avoided a c-section, which I was really scared about! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204703 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:04:07 +0000 mrs. wagon 204703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am not sure what I expected, but I sure did not expect to end up getting 3 epidurals, and I definitely didn't expect to push for 3 hours with no crowning. I also did not expect the complications I got during recovery. I'm glad I was able to deliver vaginally though, despite the horrific experience. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204702 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:03:17 +0000 Mrs. Sunglasses 204702@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly I didn't know what to expect. But i defintiely liked my second birth (natural + drugfree ) to my first (induction + epi ) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204693 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:59:36 +0000 plaidpants 204693@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It was what I expected in that I ended up with a baby! But otherwise, it was surprises from start to finish. One pleasant surprise was that it wasn't as terrible as I expected! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204567 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:08:46 +0000 Honeybee 204567@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I was underestimating how tiring labor is, but otherwise, my birth was pretty easy with DD; with DS, I was hoping for something a little shorter, but it was almost exactly the same as my first!</p> <p>I have a college friend who had a very textbook birth with her first. She was expecting something similar with her second, but her entire labor (from her water breaking and very first contraction) to birth was only 40 minutes! Her husband delivered their daughter on their bed before the paramedics even had time to arrive. Talk about unexpected! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204496 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:42:47 +0000 Lindsay05 204496@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Way worse than I expected! I thought I would be able to breathe through the contractions for sure! I ended up screaming through them and ended up with the epi. Never ever experienced pain like that before! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204462 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:29:24 +0000 Andrea 204462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it went pretty much according to plan. I did not have to get induced, I labored at home for as long as possible, and I got an epidural when I got to the hospital. If I didn't have to push for so long, I would have been 100% happy, but all in all it wasn't too bad. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204461 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:29:20 +0000 Mrsbells 204461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No i was hoping to have a natural med free birth, but i went past due by 5 days, had complications with extremely low fluid so I had to be induced, the induction failed and I ended up with a semi-emergency c-section. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204454 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:27:46 +0000 irene 204454@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mine was a textbook labor - endured pain at home for 14 hours (and first half of it I wasn't sure if I was really in labor - I even told my husband to go to work in the morning). I had an iphone app to keep track of the contractions until they are 5 minutes apart (I don't know what I would have done without the iphone!). Went to the clinic to check and I was 5 cm dilated. Went to the hospital, got epidural, hours later I pushed, and the baby was out. The only thing was I was given pitocin (?) to regulate the contractions which I originally wanted to avoid, and the heart rate of the baby dropped at some point which caused me to panic. It was overall a pretty smooth delivery.</p> <p>Hearing all the horror stories, I guess I didn't expect mine would be such a smooth delivery! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204451 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:26:37 +0000 mediagirl 204451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not really. I had read so many birth stories that were scary that I thought I would have a scary labor, as well. The epidural was not as awful as I thought it would be and it allowed me to feel pressure so I could push at the right times. I didn't expect the vacuum or the meconium in my water, I didn't get to hold her right away or do delayed cord cutting and my husband didn't get to cut the cord. Overall it wasn't a bad birth, just not what I expected. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204440 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:21:03 +0000 chopsuey 204440@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My labor was what I expected for the most part. Didn't think I'd have to push for 2 hours, but that's about it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204339 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:41:54 +0000 autumnlove 204339@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No, it was different. I wanted to go into labor naturally but I was induced and ended up with an emergency C-section. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204337 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:41:03 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 204337@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It was totally different than I thought it would be. I went into it being very anti doctors, nurses, and hospitals (and bitter I couldn't have a home birth), and came out of it realizing that the medical professionals were really on my side! I had to be induced and was so scared of all the interventions it may cause, but I didn't even need any! After 8 hours of back labor I got an epidural (something I swore I would never do) but could still feel a lot, so the pushing went very smooth. I was up and walking within an hour! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/was-your-laborbirth-anything-like-you-expected#post-204329 Thu, 28 Jun 2012 09:38:25 +0000 Mrs. Bee 204329@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The vast majority of the time, moms tell me their childbirth experience was nothing like what they expected. That was true for me!</p> <p>I ended up with a c-section with Charlie, and I ended up with a VBAC with Olive even though I originally had a planned c-section! I also expected to labor for hours before heading into the hospital, but with both my contractions were pretty much 5 min apart from the start.</p> <p>So both experiences were the opposite of what I'd planned.</p> <p>What about you? </p>