Labor Stories
Even when not pregnant, I found accounts of other people’s labors fascinating. And thanks to the interwebs, there are tons of them out there to read!
Sarrible sent me this one the other day, written by Alice Bradley. She specifically warned me not to read the comments but that’s like me telling the dog “Hey, so I’ve got this steak that I’m just going to put right here on the floor and then I’m going to stare over there at the wall for a while, but you’re not supposed to eat it, ok?” But I’m going to warn you anyways, if you are pregnant or want to someday be pregnant, skip the terror-inducing comments.
Allie the fashion blogger who writes My Wardrobe Today had her baby this month and wrote about it here. It is also slightly scary, but everything ends well and her baby is ADORABLE.
Of course there’s also Dooce’s story, which might be from 2004 and is kind of long but still amazing. I’ve read it about a dozen times now, and will probably have the whole thing memorized by the time my own labor starts.
Anyone have more suggestions? Personal stories encouraged!
Awesomely entertaining. Although, Leta? That’s not a name I would give a pet cat.
Did you read the one Alice linked to at the top? Because damn. I think that was even funnier.
All the links are hilarious, but I have a feeling the telling of Baby E’s arrival will top them all!
@sarrible: Was that the NYC one, where she didn’t want to go because the hospital drills into your head that they don’t want you? Or was that the one where she thought she had to go and it was the kid coming out?
They’re all melding together in my head. I was heartened by whoever said she’s never been around babies or felt all that maternal, but when she saw her kid it was instant love. If I do decide to reproduce, I’ll keep that in mind.
OK, found another one. Man, this is addictive. What is this work thing I’m supposed to be doing again?
http://captainhambone.typepad.com/not_that_you_asked/2009/01/december–16-20081030am–dave–and-i-arrive-at-my-weekly-ob-appointment-it-is-a-tuesday-and-i-am–exactly-37-weeks-along.html
C-section birth, by the way.
It was the one in Vermont with the birthing tub and mooing. As a childless person I get a squicky feeling reading the stories that get into medical-emergency territory. Like, maybe I don’t need to know about cord prolapse. Ever.
Ooh, we’re not twins in this area. I am banned from reading birth stories, because every time I do, I flip out and tell Jon we aren’t ever having any children, ever. My mama-friends tell me that they will tell me all the real stuff after I’m already pregnant, because they figure by then it will be too late. (They came to this conclusion at a baby shower, when they were all raving about ice-pack underpants and I was like, wait, if my vadge needs an ice-pack after, I AM NEVER DOING THIS.)
Oh that first one made me laugh, cry a little and feel like I wanted to pass out all at the same time. I loved the randomness of Dan Rather in there!! My biggest fear is going into labor somewhere like the subway. Since I want to save most of maternity leave (if possible) for the post-partum period I also have this awful fear that I’m going to be AT WORK and go into labor.
I’m avoiding that C-Section one like the plague though!