If you’ve been in labor and given birth, you’ve probably discussed your experience(s) with friends and family multiple times. It’s only natural to talk about one of the most life-changing events you’ll ever experience. Earlier this year, we invited readers of the La Leche League USA Facebook page to tell us their labor and delivery stories.

Click here for the original Facebook post. We’ve selected a number of those responses to highlight in this week’s blog.

For some of our readers, their labor experience took them by surprise, such as for Megan W., who was not even aware that she was so close to having a baby.

“With my first baby, I showed up to my obstetrician’s office for my regular appointment. I told him I was having a few contractions. He checked me and said, ‘I think you are going to have a baby today!’ It turns out I was eight centimeters dilated, and my doctor sent me directly to the labor and delivery unit. He later told me I freaked out his nurse; she thought I was going to deliver in the office!”

Connie C. remembers being told by a nurse that she was too “cheerful” to be in labor.

“I was in labor on Labor Day, 31 years ago, with my fourth baby. Labor started early in the evening, contractions started increasing, and I left for the hospital about midnight. There was a huge thunderstorm that brought in several others in labor. I was told that I couldn’t really be in labor since I was so cheerful. The nurse checked me, and I was about seven centimeters dilated. Our son was born about 5:30 a.m.”

Kati M. navigated public transportation after her doctor convinced her that she was going to have her baby sooner than expected.

“I was at what was my last day of work, 16 days before my due date. I had been walking like there was a bowling ball in my pelvis for weeks and was just feeling done. I thought I had a leaky bladder and decided maybe I should leave early and give the doctor a call. I took the metro home and stood for the whole ride so I wouldn’t pee on a seat. I called the doctor, and she told me to come in ASAP. She sounded dead serious, so I swung by home, grabbed my hospital bag, and headed over. I was 4.5 centimeters dilated. It was a full moon and an impending snow storm. I never had regular contractions, even with pitocin, and got to nine centimeters, and then the pressure was so bad, my cervix started swelling shut. It was after 10 p.m. and the operating room was open. I spent the night in post op because there were no beds in the maternity ward.”

Courtney S. went into labor earlier than expected after being involved in a minor accident. Thankfully, both she and her daughter were fine.

“I was 37 weeks pregnant. I had been to my 37-week appointment the day prior. I was not dilated. I was not at risk for going into labor early. On the way home from work, I was hit by a city bus. It was a fender bender. It took two hours for the transit police to respond. I was dismissed from the scene after they took my statement, and I drove to the hospital. They looked me over in the trauma ward and then sent me to labor and delivery to check on the baby. I was having contractions and dilating. The stress had sent me into early labor. I had my baby girl three weeks early via c-section at 12:15 a.m.”

Juanita K.’s baby was born prematurely and had an extended stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

“I delivered a two-pound, 13-ounce baby at 28.5 weeks. My husband had Covid, so he couldn’t be there when the baby was born and missed the beginning of the NICU stay. We had a 75-day NICU stay, and I pumped breastmilk in the NICU. We transitioned away from pumping to breastfeeding at home. Our son is currently two years old and still nursing.”

To wrap up this blog post, Michaela B. shares a bit of musical humor that she recalls during the birth of her first child.

“I was due on Labor Day with my first. A few days later, I notified my midwife that I might be in labor. She had been at another birth, so I walked to the kitchen and offered her coffee in between contractions. Later, as baby was crowning, I laughed and said, ‘This can’t be what Johnny Cash was talking about!’”

Editor’s note: Johnny Cash has a hit song called “Ring of Fire”. The ring of fire mentioned here refers to the burning sensation many birthing parents experience while their baby is crowning.

New Beginnings would love to publish your birth story! If you would like to share your birth experience in a future blog post, please contact Kylie at [email protected].

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