Since i bothered to write down my experience, i thought why not share? I apologize in advance if you find this to be too much information for you.

WARNING!!!THIS THREAD CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF LABOR AND CHILDBIRTH, SQUIRMY MEN BE WARNED!

Wednesday, 14th December 2005.

I woke up that morning with a feeling of anticipation. I was already 4 days overdue and had waited anxiously everyday for the last three weeks for my contractions to start ( I had imagined every possible scenario, from going into labor in church during one of my pastor’s rousing sermons, to being alone at home and causing my husband to have an accident rushing home to me). I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for weeks and was getting really tired of the emotional roller-coaster that I was on. My anxiety was heightened by the fact that my mother had taken to calling me everyday to ask if I was in labor.

That morning, I was on edge because my doctor had decided to induce my labor – I was scheduled to check into the hospital that evening. I spent the whole day puttering around the house, checking and re-checking my bag to make sure I had everything I needed. Finally it was five o’ clock and my husband and I left for the hospital.

At the hospital, I was quickly checked in and a nurse came in to explain the procedure to me. In lay terms, they were going to insert a string thing into my uterus to soften it overnight and then come in at 7 a.m. the next morning to give me the medicine that would induce my labor in IV form. The nurse also mentioned that on rare occasions, the string thing actually caused labor to start all by itself; it could also cause me to have cramps. A friend had informed me that I would not be allowed to pee for 6 hours after the string thing had been inserted so I had stopped eating and drinking at 12 noon to avoid any additional discomfort. Secretly, having peed every hour for the last four months, I wasn’t sure I could last that long regardless. I was therefore glad to hear, on getting to the hospital, that I only needed to suspend my bodily functions for an hour.

I was put in a room, an IV of antibiotics was started (because I was strep B positive), and I was hooked up to a machine that would track my contractions and my baby’s heartbeat. At about 7 p.m., the string thing was inserted into my uterus. I am now convinced that except for maybe a colonoscopy, there is nothing more uncomfortable than being induced for labor. Picture a whole hand shoved into your “you-know-where” while a big watermelon is in the way and you can imagine my discomfort during the process. At this point, my husband started fidgeting, for reasons beyond my comprehension – considering that I was the one enduring the shove past my watermelon. He asked if it was okay for him to go home and come back in the morning. My mouth said “sure, if you want to”, but my mind said “make one move and you’re dead”. Obviously he heard my mind, because he decided to stay but his nervous pacing made me wish I had sent him home.

About ten minutes after the insertion, I started having cramps. I had elected not to have an epidural, and my husband counseled that I should wait as long as possible to have pain killers, so I decided to bear the pain for a while. After an hour, I was itching to go to the bathroom; at that point another nurse came in and told me that I had been misinformed; I actually had to wait two hours to ease myself.

At 9 p.m. I finally got to go to the bathroom. I was then allowed to eat, which was extremely good news to me at this point because I hadn’t eaten in 9 hours. I eagerly feasted on stewed beans and bread, which we had brought from home (I had been admitted in the same hospital before, and I had tasted the food, hence my preparedness). By 10 p.m., the cramps had become almost unbearable so I asked for pain killers. To my chagrin the nurse asked me to wait for thirty more minutes so that the antibiotics could run its course first. By 10.30, I was groaning in pain. The nurse advised me to go to the bathroom first so that I wouldn’t have to stand up while I was receiving the pain killers. At this point, I made another profound discovery – labor pains get worse when you stand up. It took all my will power to walk to the bathroom and sit on the toilet seat. As I began to do my business, I was overwhelmed by the urge to throw up. Out came the pot of stewed beans I had woofed down earlier. Now, if you’re not from Nigeria, you may not know what stewed beans looks like but I can picture all the Nigerians reading this cringing as they imagine a bathroom floor overflowing with regurgitated beans. It briefly crossed my mind that I should feel remorseful for creating additional work for the hospital staff but by then, I was in too much pain to care.
When I got up from the commode, my husband made me stand over the sink and splash water over my face, one, two, three times. I finally snapped at him to leave me alone because I needed to lie down – the first of many sharp remarks before the night was over.

I finally got the pain-killers and drifted off into oblivion. Actually, scratch that; I drifted off into partial oblivion because ever so often I woke up groaning. My husband, who passed the time playing computer games on a laptop he had brought along, would then interrupt his game to hold my hands for a few minutes and say “breathe babe”. I had refused to attend Lamaze classes. I didn’t think I needed classes to learn how to do something that I’d been doing for twenty eight years of my life. So in response to my husband’s urges I relied on my instincts and just took deep breaths and let the air out slowly. I found that the deep breathing actually helped to minimize the pain.

I must have fallen into a deep sleep though, because suddenly around 1:30 a.m. I felt my husband shaking me and talking to me. Or at least I think he’s talking to me because his mouth is moving but I can’t seem to understand what he’s saying. Six years ago, I was in an accident and had to be operated upon. Three days after the operation, I was still sleeping off the anesthesia – I tend to overreact to any drugs that make me sleep. Anyway, after repeating himself about five times, I finally understood what my husband was saying - “wake up, it’s time to push”. I looked around in a haze and saw my gynecologist and several nurses examining me. The doctor started to talk to me but I could barely make out her words. Two nurses held up my legs and then I heard the words “push at the next contraction.” It turns out pushing a baby out is exactly like going to the toilet – only more intense. Three contractions later, my baby is screaming her lungs out. Ironically, that’s when I started to cry. My insides felt like something massive had just been violently ripped out of me (which it had). I was incredibly fatigued too. My husband held me and comforted me for a few minutes and then went to look at the baby – a girl – who cried for thirty minutes non-stop – a harbinger of things to come.

Finally my baby was put in my arms. I had heard it commonly said that the minute you hold your baby in your arms you forget the pain of labor and an emotional bond is immediately formed. I’m ashamed to say, it didn’t happen that way for me. I was glad to have her, but I had no overwhelming motherly feelings when I held her. That came later, as she and I got closer.

Still in a medicine-induced haze, I vaguely heard the doctor telling me that I had some tears and she would have to stitch me up. She then proceeded to poke me with a needle for another fifteen minutes. At this point I’m ready to sleep off and can barely stand the prodding and poking going on. I was sorely tempted to give my doctor a good kick in the head. Eventually, it was all over and I was wheeled along with my baby to a private room, where I promptly fall asleep and stay that way for about 7 hours. The picture my husband took of me in my sleep told the whole story – my head was rolled back, my mouth wide open, my hands and legs sprawled all over the bed. I had just survived a once (or twice, well maybe thrice) in a lifetime ordeal – a picture is truly worth a thousand words!

Wow, Consultant, thanks for sharing. When did this happen? How is your daughter doing?

felt uneasy reading your experience.i praìse your husband for staying through.how old is the babygirl

Elizabeth is now 3 months old and doing great. She was born on the 15th of December last year.

hey consultant! congratulations! i wish u and ur baby and husband the best!

Your story is totally awesome!!!! i loved every detail of it!!!!
for the past few days, i've been wondering how loud i will scream during my own time.
did u scream? how loud? did u almost rip ur lungs out screaming?

Big ups to ur husband o! he did a really good job. big ups!

once again congratulations!!!!!!

i think i'm going to film my birthing. what do u think?

Hi Rolly. I didn't really scream - perharps for lack of energy. It was more like agonized groaning. We did try to film the birth but the nurse who held up my leg stood in front of the video camera (and my husband was too distracted to notice), so all we have is a tape with some ethereal sounds on it!!!!

wow!!!!! i love ur story anyways!  

i thinking screaming is unprofessional _{i want to be a doctor}   but i dont care    i'm gonna scream my lungs out!!!!   i just pray that i wont have to do C- section.

what do u think about CS? i think its really gross but some women dont have choices right?

Hey Rolly, sounds like you're pregnant (though i hear it's rude to ask). From what i've heard about CS, most of the pain occurs AFTER the birth. I have friends who had to have a CS and they had really bad pains in subsequent weeks. Methinks it's something to avoid if you can.

No oooooo!!! i'm just thinking ahead! i'm 16 but i love stuff like that

Yes i think so too. my aunt had it and she couldnt get up for about 2days. but some women actually choose to have CS. i think its better to have a tear than to have CS.

If u dont mind, pls tell me, the sewing, poking and prodding, did it hurt? did u actually feel the needle going in and out if u? _{just want to be prepared}

Hmm! Deep questions for a 16 year old. Well, i actually wasn't supposed to feel it but for some reason, the local anesthesia didn't work too well.
There's no need to fear though. It's the nature of pain that we forget it once it's over. It definitely hasn't put me off having more kids.

i dont think i will put me off thanks tho

Also if u dont mind, how did u feel when she was moving inside u?
i'm sure it was a wonderful feeling
i think i'm gonna be happy all through my 9 months
and i'll try to look my best. u know i heard _{and saw some with my eyes} that most women are ugly when they are pregant.

Rolly:

i don't think i will put me off thanks tho

Also if u don't mind, how did u feel when she was moving inside u?
i'm sure it was a wonderful feeling
i think i'm going to be happy all through my 9 months
and i'll try to look my best. u know i heard _{and saw some with my eyes} that most women are ugly when they are pregant.

While beauty might be in the eyes of the beholder, I dont agree that pregnant women are ugly. Pregnant women have this glow about them, not only are they more beautiful( except maybe if they are sick during pregnancy) but pregnancy also makes women very very Hot in my experience.

My wife was so incredibly sexy and pretty and beautiful when she was pregnant, and feeling my baby moving while in her tummy was such a feeling that its practically impossible to explain it.

Labour was a wonderful experience. I was there right from the beginning till my son was born. Men need to experience what labour is like if not for anything other than to ensure that their wife doesnt go thru it too much(one word- birth control). Anyhow, seeing my son come out was such a wonderful experience. Every man should go thru it at least once.

i totally agree with u!

my husband will see stars if hes not there

whatchamacallit!

i shall be there from start to finish. Methinks since i was there when the whole show began 9 months ago, it would be interesting to finish the rest of the movie.

When will i get married and have a baby?

***Congrats on your baby Girl***

What an awesome experience! I'm so impressed.

Your story was great. But just reading made me a bit nervous about the pain and such. Your husband asking to go home made me laugh out loud! I can't believe he asked!

I try not to think about actually giving birth b/c I want to do it naturally and I know it will be painful. Were you "tired" of being pregnant by the time you were past due? What did you say they give you for the pain? An epidural? Or like Tylenol 5 or something? When did you change your mind on the natural birth? I got confused on that part.

I heard on the Discovery Health Channel that when doctors have to induce a birth (for whatever reason) the contractions are more "violent" (I mean that in a polite way). Did your doctor or nurses tell you that? Another thing, did you feel like there was a lack of privacy? I hate the idea of lots of people seeing me naked when I'm too tired, pained and pregnant to do anything about it.

**********Congratulations***********

Were you "tired" of being pregnant by the time you were past due?

Hi Chinani,

I was definitely tired by the time i had the baby. I had heard that first babies usually came early so i woke up every morning the last three weeks expecting the baby to arrive. Plus everytime i called someone, they thought i was calling to tell them that the baby had arrived. Add to that the strain of carrying the baby, the constant going to the bathroom, swollen feet. Okay, i should stop scaring you. Once it's over, you forget it all, really. Trust me.

What did you say they give you for the pain? An epidural? Or like Tylenol 5 or something? When did you change your mind on the natural birth? I got confused on that part.

I had elected not to have an epidural but definitely wanted painkillers. But i waited for as long as possible to get them. My mum is a midwife and she told me that if i started taking painkillers before i was fully in labor, i would need to keep getting stronger and stronger doses to manage the pain. Unfortunately i don't know what they gave me (It was intravenous) but boy was it good!

I heard on the Discovery Health Channel that when doctors have to induce a birth (for whatever reason) the contractions are more "violent" (I mean that in a polite way).

It's true.

Another thing, did you feel like there was a lack of privacy? I hate the idea of lots of people seeing me naked when I'm too tired, pained and pregnant to do anything about it.

Now that made me laugh! Not only will you be too tired, pained and pregnant to do anything about it, you will be too tired, pained and pregnant to care!

Don't worry, it's not too bad, and like i said before, it is the nature of pain that we forget it, once it's over.

Just komin across this thread. From all I've heard, child birth is nice xperience for most women {some have decided not have a kids since they can't stand the pains}.

@ consultant
I've heard from many ppl that pregnant women are always very Hot, pls tell us 4rm xperience is this true? {pls no offence}

Oh dear God, the pains women go through. I loooooove your story Consultant, pretty impressive the way you handled most of the pain. I know my self too well and would be a totally different person when i'm in labour(future husband beware, u've been fore warned!!!! ) I'd scream, I so would, I mean I already do that for the least painful things.
I had to ask though, were there any more name callings at your husband during the"push" stage? I've seen so many movies and that's the point at which the poor husbands get the worst insultst ever. I must admit that's pretty funny, not that I'd do it on purpose or anything.
So if i read correctly, you did have a C-section right? or no? and just out of curiosity, what causes one to be over due? I'd hate to be.    I am looking forward to my first birth experience, It should be exciting(afer the pain is gone that is). Just the tought of conceiving another (tiny,innocent, cute, adorable) life would set me in a euphoric mood for a while, so maybe my husband need not fear afer all.
I was laughing at the part where your husband read your mind and decided against leaving, I'd want my husband to be in the delivery room with me, and if he made an excuse to leave? He'd be toast !!!  Hopefully, he'll be there with me for all (2nd,3rd,4th ) birth expereinces.
Congatulations on the birth of your baby girl  and I wish you the very best on your voyage through motherhood(which i know is even more tasking than the original child birth)

One more thing, seeing as it is very important to me that my husband stays with me during my labour preiod, I had read that husbands find their wives less attractive after seeing her give birth and women were actually adviced agaist insisting that their husbands be there with them. I'm not buying that no way!!! So I just wanted to know (this might entail asking your husband and hopefully he'll be brutally honest) how true that is, not that it'll change my mind or anything because i've pretty much got my mind made up on that issue. If it's usually the case, then i'll just have to work on my staying sexy after child birth, I mean what else can i do? really!!

ojd:

Just komin across this thread. From all I've heard, child birth is nice xperience for most women {some have decided not have a kids since they can't stand the pains}.

@ consultant
I've heard from many people that pregnant women are always very Hot, please tell us from xperience is this true? {please no offence}

Bad boy, from all that long epistle that was what you saw to ask?? . Yeah, aint nobody as Hot as a pregnant woman cos the body chemistry is going all haywire and contrary to old wives tales, making love during pregnancy CANNOT in any way harm the baby(ies).

jogego:

Bad boy, from all that long epistle that was what you saw to ask?? . Yeah, aint nobody as Hot as a pregnant woman because the body chemistry is going all haywire and contrary to old wives tales, making love during pregnancy CANNOT in any way harm the baby(ies).

@ consulant good story, i loved it fro mthe begininng to the end and congraulations


@ men and women

will you have sex during the pergnancy stage y or y not I heard it makes labor easier

is that true

So if i read correctly, you did have a C-section right? or no?

No

and just out of curiosity, what causes one to be over due?

Noone knows exactly. It could be genes though, cause my mum was overdue for three of her four kids.

I had to ask though, were there any more name callings at your husband during the"push" stage?

Actually, no. Though i did snap at him on a few occasions. But i'm generally an even-tempered person so it wasn't too bad.

I had read that husbands find their wives less attractive after seeing her give birth

Well, not in my case. On the contrary, my husband was very proud of me.

Yeah, aint nobody as Hot as a pregnant woman because the body chemistry is going all haywire

Actually, it could go either way. Some women are totally turned off when they're pregant but i won't tell you what happened in my case.

that story was totally awesome and breathtaking

bt sumthing still scares me, the PAIN and agony of having babies, it actually wana put me off bt heyy, we get used to it!,

when u push, dont u feel out of breath like omg! and u sweat?

Consultant:


Well, not in my case. On the contrary, my husband was very proud of me.

That's good to know

Consultant:

Actually, it could go either way. Some women are totally turned off when they're pregant but i won't tell you what happened in my case.

now u got me curious!!!

Congrats Consultant!

Pregnancy and child birth has been my biggest fear in relationship. For some reason i can't explain, i don't feel comfortable in presence of pregnant women. I find them very repulsive(i'm sorry if this sounds rude). I lost one of my good girl friends because i mentioned that she would have to go stay with my/her mom when we get married and she became pregnant. Is something wrong with me or do other guys feel the same way?

Ynot:

Congrats Consultant!

Pregnancy and child birth has been my biggest fear in relationship. For some reason i can't explain, i don't feel comfortable in presence of pregnant women. I find them very repulsive(i'm sorry if this sounds rude). I lost one of my good girl friends because i mentioned that she would have to go stay with my/her mom when we get married and she became pregnant. Is something wrong with me or do other guys feel the same way?

@ ynot

U'll have to get used to it. I used to be the same way until my sister got pregnant and I started seeing wat they {pregnant women} go through, my feelings towards all pregnant women changed to pity.

We {guys} should start appreciating our women and show more respect. Meeennn!!! e no easy ooo

@Consultant

nice story. Very Informative and Educative. A lot of lessons to learn. I guess since your Husband had a computer closby, he should have gotten a webcam somewhere in the corner to capture live-sceens.

Cant wait until i get married and my wife gives birth, (hey, slow down man, one thing after another.) hahahaha
-the girl first, the proposal next, i do next, honeymoon next, then wait 9-months, and out pops a naughty boy. wowowowow, somebody dial 911!!
Got an idea anyway - Live coverage, thats it.

-----
My own problem is that I always fall sick when I go to the hospital, i mean, I was not sick before, but suppose I with friends go to greet/cheer up a sick friend/someone admitted into a hospital, man, the next day/couple of days, im totally down. In fact, right from the Hospital, i begin to feel dizzy, has happened several times, thats why Ive resolved not to visit the hospital for any-reason. Usually, im hale and hearty as a stone. I really don't know why, anyone has any reasons/ideas?

I had heard it commonly said that the minute you hold your baby in your arms you forget the pain of labor and an emotional bond is immediately formed. I’m ashamed to say, it didn’t happen that way for me. I was glad to have her, but I had no overwhelming motherly feelings when I held her. That came later, as she and I got closer.

I've read a lot of books on easing women for childbirth. Most women expect to feel a rush of "mother love" when they first hold their babies. That's just an old-wives tale. Like other humans, you come to love your baby over time. Some women even consult a psychiatrist to find out if anything is wrong with them [as tiny an issue as this often leads to post-partum depression]. Don't worry - it's normal.

Oh and Congrats .

Men, if I come back to this life again (if there's anything like that) I'll gladly remain a MAN. What with all these things women pass through at childbirth, chei! I no fit bear that kain pain o.

Women, I hail una o. Una dey try. Erm, er, Consultant, you don try. Well done.

wow! U R STRONG. i think i will prefer to have an operation in order for the baby to be brought out, because with this story of yours child birth is aint. Pls dont make me scared

operation? oh my God!!!!! i would not even think about it. seems scary. i would like to do it natural even though i have tears. i cannot bear the thought of giving birth through operation.gives me shivers _*shivers*