Because it can seem like forever until you get to meet your little one.
My Labor Story
There are plenty of things that I admittedly forgot about my kids growing up. I wish that I remembered all of the details about everything, but I’m human and I forget. But both of the kid’s births? I remember all the details. You can read about Blake’s crazy arrival to the world, and today I’m super excited to share a little bit about how Branden made his debut.
Both of our children went past their due date, but Branden was the longest — he wanted to stay in my belly an extra week. I saw my OB on a Friday to discuss options, decided to be induced the following Tuesday as one out of every four women is induced, which has the goal of a normal vaginal birth and typically follows the same process your body would go through naturally. Saturday morning, few days before my induction, I thought I went into labor. Upon arrival at the hospital, I was told labor wasn’t real and the contractions were just latent and sporadic and my cervix was closed. I almost gave up and went home until the nurse ran out and told me that there is a room available and I may start my induction today. Whoop Whoop!
While I was waiting to reach 10 cm, the doctor left the hospital to go to a wedding. When he returned I was immediately ready to push. Without any time to waste, he threw on some hospital scrubs over his very fancy tuxedo and baby Branden entered the world in what I say is the fanciest way possible.
5 Ways To Pass The Time During Labor
Waiting is one of the hardest parts of labor, so I wanted to share some of my top tips of ways to pass the time and things to do when you’re waiting for your baby to arrive.
- Shop online
I think we can collectively agree that online shopping tops most of our lists. And also, your brain will be twirling whenever you’re in labor thinking about everything you accidentally forgot to put on your baby registry. While I was in labor with Blake, I ordered a last-minute bouncy chair, groceries (because…NYC) and a few nursing tees. This probably helped me pass the time the most.
- Write a letter to your new baby (and any other siblings at home).
When I was pregnant with Blake, I wrote a letter to Branden about how excited I was for him to be an older brother. And to pass the time during labor, I wrote a letter to her, too, about how excited I was to meet her. This was a really beautiful memory for me because it gave me an opportunity to write something really heartfelt during one of the most emotional and powerful moments of my life.
- Watch a movie you’ve really been looking forward to seeing.
THIS. Save your shows and movies that you can’t wait to binge for during your labor and it will help you push through, mama!
- Take a long hot shower.
I did this during both of my deliveries before I left for the hospital. I just stood there, let the hot water wash over me and enjoyed how good it felt – until the really painful contractions started.
- Walk.
Getting up and walking around the hospital — if you haven’t had an epidural, of course — does wonders for not only getting through the pain but passing the time.
Of course, a huge part of me wanted to add things like sleeping and diffusing essential oils, but in all honesty, sometimes those things are just really hard to relax enough to do while you’re in labor. It’s important to be as prepared as you can possibly be, and fill any downtime with things that help get you through those tough moments!
XOXO,
Allison
