Sharing birth stories can be really therapeutic. Whether you’ve had a different experience than you expected and had to adapt your delivery plan or if labor felt empowering and magical, it often feels good to share with others. Previously on the blog, we compiled some responses from a discussion post on the La Leche League USA Facebook page. We had so many stories to feature that we’re back with part two!
Click here for the original Facebook post and here for Labor And Delivery Part I. We’ve selected a number of those responses to highlight in this week’s blog.
For our readers who have experienced multiple births, many had completely unique deliveries and locations for each birth.
Diane S. clearly remembers how her postpartum experience differed from her first to her third child.
“When my first son was born, we were four women in a large room with curtains between the beds. I had a pretty fast delivery for my first baby, but I had an episiotomy, so I was really sore and couldn’t move too easily. During my stay, a woman was wheeled in on a bed. She literally hopped off it and climbed in the bed next to me. I couldn’t believe she had just had a baby. I looked at her and asked, ‘Did you have a baby?’ She said, ‘Yes, it was my third.’ The funny part of my story is that when I had my third baby, I did exactly the same thing, and the woman in the bed next to me asked, ‘Did you have a baby?’ I said, ‘Yes, it was my third.’ Honestly, it really happened!”
The date on the calendar turned out to be a memorable part of the births of Antje P.’s first two children.
“With both of my labors, it all started with waking up at exactly 4:50 a.m., both on the second of November, just three years apart. Labor started at 7 a.m. with both babies.
Our first daughter was born 6.5 hours after that, and the second daughter 1.5 hours later. This gets even more special since our third child’s due date is also on the second of November!”
Both Colleen D. and Samantha H. had water births.
“My first baby swam up to me with a little guidance in my water birth at a birth center,” shared Colleen D.
Samantha H. chimed in, “My third baby was a VBAC born at home in the water!”
Law enforcement played a role in several of the labor and birth stories our readers shared. Both Anna H. and Jackie J. received police escorts to the hospital.
Anna H. recalled, “I live in a university town, and the hospital is right by the football stadium. I went into labor on the first home game of the season! The roads around the hospital were blockaded. My husband had to leave me in the car in the middle of the road with the emergency lights on to go find the police. They moved the blockade and escorted us right to labor and delivery. Our room had a great view of the scoreboard!”
“I got pulled over by the police for speeding on the way to the hospital. I ended up being escorted, and good thing because I was 10 centimeters when we arrived,” Jackie J. shared.
Katie L.’s due date fell on a festive day for many, and that’s exactly when her daughter arrived.
“I delivered my baby at home into my own hands after about five hours of labor. She was born en caul (delivered completely contained within the amniotic sac) on her due date of Halloween.”
Cassidy A. also experienced a fairly short labor before her home birth.
“I delivered my son at home in the bathroom! It was a three-hour delivery from start to finish.”
So many beautiful and different ways to bring a baby into the world. New Beginnings would love to publish your story! If you would like to share a birth, breastfeeding, or parenting experience in a future blog post, please contact Kylie at [email protected].
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
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Posted: January 16, 2024 by Yael Breimer
Labor And Delivery: Readers Share Their Birth Stories, Part II
Click here for the original Facebook post and here for Labor And Delivery Part I. We’ve selected a number of those responses to highlight in this week’s blog.
For our readers who have experienced multiple births, many had completely unique deliveries and locations for each birth.
Diane S. clearly remembers how her postpartum experience differed from her first to her third child.
“When my first son was born, we were four women in a large room with curtains between the beds. I had a pretty fast delivery for my first baby, but I had an episiotomy, so I was really sore and couldn’t move too easily. During my stay, a woman was wheeled in on a bed. She literally hopped off it and climbed in the bed next to me. I couldn’t believe she had just had a baby. I looked at her and asked, ‘Did you have a baby?’ She said, ‘Yes, it was my third.’ The funny part of my story is that when I had my third baby, I did exactly the same thing, and the woman in the bed next to me asked, ‘Did you have a baby?’ I said, ‘Yes, it was my third.’ Honestly, it really happened!”
The date on the calendar turned out to be a memorable part of the births of Antje P.’s first two children.
“With both of my labors, it all started with waking up at exactly 4:50 a.m., both on the second of November, just three years apart. Labor started at 7 a.m. with both babies.
Our first daughter was born 6.5 hours after that, and the second daughter 1.5 hours later. This gets even more special since our third child’s due date is also on the second of November!”
“My first baby swam up to me with a little guidance in my water birth at a birth center,” shared Colleen D.
Samantha H. chimed in, “My third baby was a VBAC born at home in the water!”
Law enforcement played a role in several of the labor and birth stories our readers shared. Both Anna H. and Jackie J. received police escorts to the hospital.
Anna H. recalled, “I live in a university town, and the hospital is right by the football stadium. I went into labor on the first home game of the season! The roads around the hospital were blockaded. My husband had to leave me in the car in the middle of the road with the emergency lights on to go find the police. They moved the blockade and escorted us right to labor and delivery. Our room had a great view of the scoreboard!”
“I got pulled over by the police for speeding on the way to the hospital. I ended up being escorted, and good thing because I was 10 centimeters when we arrived,” Jackie J. shared.
Katie L.’s due date fell on a festive day for many, and that’s exactly when her daughter arrived.
“I delivered my baby at home into my own hands after about five hours of labor. She was born en caul (delivered completely contained within the amniotic sac) on her due date of Halloween.”
Cassidy A. also experienced a fairly short labor before her home birth.
“I delivered my son at home in the bathroom! It was a three-hour delivery from start to finish.”
So many beautiful and different ways to bring a baby into the world. New Beginnings would love to publish your story! If you would like to share a birth, breastfeeding, or parenting experience in a future blog post, please contact Kylie at [email protected].
Supporting Breastfeeding Families–Today, Tomorrow, Always
Please consider donating to La Leche League USA.
Your gift helps support this blog and the website!
Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Thank you!
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