I am three weeks away from my due date, and feeling a little nervous. I wish going into labor was more of an exact science. It seems everyone has a different experience as to when their water breaks or when they started contractions.

I just wondered if anyone would care to share any helpful tips or even their labor stories to help ease the anxiety for this first time mom.

First off, congrats!!! It's an incredible experience. I have 3 children. Each with a totally different labor. My first was 6 weeks early and spent 2 weeks in neonatal ICU. She was 5.7 in weight but just wasn't ready to breath. Today she's 13 never been sick and has about 3 inches on me. My water had just broke in the middle of the night. It was a bizarre feeling. I just heard a pop and then felt the water dripping. I had an epidural. They didn't give me alot of options then because she was going to a premie. My second came just 2 years and 5 days later. I was nervous wreck toward the end because I did not want her to be early too. She was right on time. My first labor lasted 6 hours and my second was about 3. I was one of the lucky ones. My 3rd was a bit different. I walked around 100% effaced for a week. I was 3 cmm dilated and still not really in labor. I finally just went in and told them to break my water. I had had 2 epidurals. They are a god send if your labor is long and hard. I definately am for them. However with my 3rd I thought my labor was going to fast and I wanted to try without it. Sure enough it was 45 min after they broke my water. I could not believe the diffence in how I felt afterwards. I could get up and walk and felt great. When I had the epidurals I had the headaches, chills and it took a couple of days to feel normal again. But like I said I had a very short labor! I nursed my first for 6 weeks. It was a struggle since she was a preemie but the doc told me it would save her life. Preemies will get out of the hospital 2-4 weeks sooner if they are breastfed. I quit because I had to go back to work and thought you were just supposed to do it for 6 weeks. My second I was bit more educated. I nursed her for a year. My third I made it 2 years! I can see the eyes rolling now. After about the 1st year you pretty much only nurse morning at night at home. It's not like your out trying get this toddler on your breast. That's a whole nother topic. I just beg you to educate yourself on your options. At least try and nurse. The colostrum babies get the first few days give them a lifetime of antibiotics. Anything is better than nothing. If you choose to bootle feed. ALWAYS hold your baby close, skin to skin. I remember right before the babies were born, especially my first I had a terrifying moment. I wanted to run! But once its over the only memories you have are of this beautiful baby you are holding. I'm so jealous I want another! You can find me on here if you need any help nursing. I know every trick in the book, and I'm not kidding.!

Oh yes and tips:
- Only have who you want in your room, don't let family invade unless you are comfortable. Give your husband a code word before hand. This will let him know when it's time to clear the room.
-Don't be afraid to yell and scream, it feels better. Don't be afraid to ask for help.
- Let everyone pamper you. You only get like 2 days of it. Make it worth it!
- Go on a couple of dates right now.
- Don't sit home. Get out and walk even if it's the mall. It won't hurt the baby one bit and will do wonders for your sanity.

I am planning to nurse, but I am not sure how long. I am just leaving that up to how I feel, and what mother nature has in plan for me. I am also planning on having an epidural.
I tend to worry a lot, and I imagine once I am there I won't really be worrying about the little things. It would just be easier to know when he is coming and to know where I will be when it starts. Luckily I haven't had any complications, but then I dont have any false contractions to compare real ones to.

Thank you, Asta, for sharing you stories. I think it is helping relieve some anxiety to listen to other people's experiences.

My first child I was induced because of having hard contractions but no progress. They induced me with a pill and then my labor started on its own. I was in labor a total of 12 hours. My advise to you is not to wait to long to get the epidural. I waited to long and felt the severe pain of the entire process.

My second child my water was broke for me. That is very painful. I did get the epidural on time. I didn't feel anything this time but I had too much medication in the epidural that my blood pressure dropped really low and I had to take medicaiton to raise it back up.

I would agree with Asta as to make sure you tell everyone up front who is to be allowed in the room and who isn't. My first labor I was in so much pain and I hadn't made arrangements on who can be in the room that there was literally 10 family members in the room while I was giving birth. The second time it was just my husband and me. It was much better that way.

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When it rains it pours... but when the blessings come they overflow!

ahhh Congratulations!!!

I agree with the above... I never got an epidural, thought I would be natural & brave ... stupid is more the word I think of now! Seriously, it was extremely painful and I didn't enjoy the process because it hurt so badly - I should have asked early on for an epidural. I was induced with pitocin and the contractions were hard and fast and very painful.

The next one, I wasn't induced so I thought it would speed up the labor with out an epidural and by the time I asked for one, it was too late.

If you can imagine Bohemian Nature woman giving birth in a field and screaming at the top of her lungs like a crazed rabid hyena - that would be me ( not quite the Madonna gentle birth I wanted to have LOL)

Anyway... my point is that I hope you enjoy it and cherish every moment.. it really is a miraculous event and you owe it to yourself to make is as wonderful for you as you can.

Let us know how it turns out...

I hope you do breastfeed - in the beginning it is so tough - just remember, it is hard but soon, you will be an old pro - I had the bassinet next to my bed and would just pick up the baby and feed him in bed, then change him and then put him back to bed.. that way I never fully woke up and could go back to sleep - they eat every hour and a half some days .. you can go anywhere anytime and not worry about formula, hot water, clean bottles, and the baby will have all the health benefits and the bond you will have is incredible .. I used to nurse in the malls, restaurant booths or wherever I needed to.. I was discreet and if I had to pull over somewhere, I always had food ready for the baby! I hope you can stick with it, remember, it will get easier each and every day.. you will be amazed at how little you will get done in the beginning - don't worry about trying to keep the house clean or cook dinner or even shower some days.. they take up all hours of your day in the beginning.. ask for help - ask you hubby to bring home dinner, ask him to help with laundry - babies are notorious for soiling every piece of clothing you get near them.. get a front Snuggly carrier if you don't already have one.. a baby swing and a white noise machine or ocean tape - babies love to be swaddled like a tight burrito ... they like motion and noise to emulate the womb... obviously I could go on and on.. I love babies.. call me - I'll come and help!

Good luck and fill us in!!

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" You've Been Thunder Struck ! "

Speaking of front packs, I had a baby sling. Most babies love these. They are bundled up right next to mom's heart. It's better than the front pack because it distributes the weight much more evenly on your back. You can walk around nursing and no one would ever know. Another benefit to nursing is it only takes one hand. I could nurse, talk on the phone and fix dinner all at the same time! They are a bit awkward to get used to but will last til the baby is almost a year.

Thank you all for sharing your stories, and for the helpful tips. I will definitely fill you in, it might be a few days after though.

Also thanks for the offer to help and the invitation to ask for help. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of friends around that have had babies, and my mother and sister in law did not nurse, so I am embarking on a new frontier to them. I took the breast feeding class and thought I was retaining a lot of the informtation, but just a little bit ago while I was reading some more, I realized I have forgotten some things.

Deaconess says they only allow the coach in the room during labor, so luckily I wont have to hurt anyone's feelings.

BTW Asta, I could not reply to you, it said your mailbox has exceeded the limit.

Not that big of a deal. Just push for several hours, and spit the baby out. I'm sure he or she will be a cute little thing. Get the ole epidural and you'll be fine. Won't feel a thing.

Ouch. That would be horrible having 10 people in there while you're giving birth. Sorry.

Congrats Zoedith. I'm really glad to hear the news. For those that may not know. Zoedith met her husband here on OKCTalk. I guess that's been our first success story!

Oops, didn't even realize I had messages in there. It's all clear now.

Well, my due date was last sunday, but the baby doesn't seem to want to come out. My cervix isn't thinning and his head isn't dropping, estimated weight is 9 lbs. So, I am wondering if anyone has any information or experiences with C-sections. They scheduled me for one today, but we decided to see what happens this weekend. Monday they plan on scheduling me for another one, and I don't think I can get out of that one, unless of course I go into labor before then.

My wife had our son by C-Section 18 years ago. She had the same problem that you are having. The baby was due, but he did not want to come out.

After dealing with my wife's blood pressure, it was decided to go ahead and have the C-section. I was in there the whole time. The doctor even offered me to get a birds eye view of him delivering the baby, however, I opted to stay by my wife's side.

There were no problems whatsoever, and we were blessed with a healthy baby. A C-Section does sound a little scary, but it is not as bad as one would think. The only problem my wife had after the surgery was her scar from the surgery. Everytime the weather changed, her scar would start aching, but a little iboprofen took care of that.

Best wishes for a speedy delivery

As a mother of four, I would be happy to share. It seems like almost every time, one seems to experience a sort of "false labor" about two weeks prior to birthing. I did with all four and I have also heard others talk about it. I will tell you one thing, though for sure. When it does begin, even if it is not intense, nature tells you, "This is it!" By then you are so happy to be getting it over with that you are mentally ready as well. There is no set time when water breaks. Sometimes it happens at the onset of labor, sometimes the Dr has to break it...at any rate, when it is broken, things begin to proceed fairly steadily. Now, unless you are quite the martyr, or you have fetal problems that you are aware of, take whatever they will give you to lesson the pain. If it was going to hurt you or the baby, they wouldn't give it to you. It's a much nicer experience if you aren't hurting so bad. And, every woman is different...some women hardly hurt and get through the process quite easily. Remember, tension is your enemy..anytime that you can relax, it will make things better..move around, walk while you still can, don't think that you have to lie in one spot. Watch tv, laugh, all the things that will help you relax. You know that saying, "All the pain goes away when you see your baby?" Well, It's true and it can be a beautiful experience if you let it. In these last few weeks, your harmones will play games with you. They will tell you that you aren't pretty, that you will never look nor feel the same about anything...well, take what your harmones tell you with a grain of salt, it's all that it's worth. Do you know what gender your baby is already? Be sure and keep us up to date, ok? And, good luck!

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Too old NOT to care

Grandma, they verified the baby is a boy a week ago last friday when we did the ultrasound to see how big he was getting. Tomorrow we do a non stress test to make sure he is still moving about which I could tell them he is. Movements have not been the problem.

Keith, the idea of a scar doesnt bother me so much....even though the itching seems annoying. I wonder what limitations I might have afterwards. The c-section idea seems really weird to me, but it is looking more like my only option.

I have had 3 children- the 1st was natural and the last 2 by C-section. Of course no one wants to go through the c-section. Not being able to look down and seeing the baby come out vaginally is a let down for some (it was for me)- but take it from me, 45 mins for start to finish is so much easier than hours of labor. The end result .....still a healthy baby that was not stressed from the labor and birth canal. The recovery time for a c-section is much longer but remember...the final result a healthy baby is still your goal. Make sure you give the legs a good SHAVING before hand because you wont be able to bend over and do it for awhile if you have the c-section. It is a little scarey to go into the operating room but try to relax and keep the focus on seeing your miracle born in just a few minutes.

Breastfeeding.....with my first, it was very diffucult. She didn't want to latch on and my mom convinced me she was going to starve so I gave it up and went to formula. (Very mad that I gave up so soon.) Sometimes it takes a little while for them to latch on and get the hang of it, but give the baby (and you) and chance to learn. They also have lactation consultants in the hospital to help you and the baby out at first. USE THAT HELP! It's so rewarding to be able to breastfeed, but if for some reason it doesn't work or you feel like you can't ....then please don't feel like a failure. Many women are not able to do it for some reason or another and you will still be able to bond with your baby!

Good luck!!!!

Oh, I bet you are ready! Take it easy this weekend. Go out with your husband, have a nice dinner ( something spicy) and enjoy your last weekend as a twosome. You know sex helps speed up things too sometimes. Wow, 9#'s! Your going to love that c-section. Keep us updated!

Well, as of today there is still no movement towards normal labor. So, it looks like I will have to schedule a c-section when we go in tomorrow. We did the non stress test yesterday. Baby is happy, heatbeat good, very minor contractions(which they say is just normal for the uterus but not indicatve of labor) and he is moving about wonderfully (could have told them that).

So possibly tuesday or wednessday we will be having a baby.

I did however watch a c-section on tv yesterday, it isn't looking as bad as I thought. I was under the impression that they cut muscle. Anyhow, we are getting pretty excited no matter which way he comes out.

Let us know how it all goes! How exciting!

In just a few days you'll be a mom and you won't believe how much love you will feel for this little guy...

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" You've Been Thunder Struck ! "

We're excited for you guys. Keep us up to date.

Do we have a baby yet??? Don't forget about us!

Let us know and if you need help, you know we will come -

PM me - I'll be there.

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" You've Been Thunder Struck ! "

Griffin was born at 7:55 am wednesday morning. He was 9lb 7 oz and 20 inches long. I will get a pic up as sson as I get some rest. We just got home.

Congratulations!! A healthy baby boy! How special -

do you need a babysitter yet?? Do you? Do you??

I love babies... can you tell?

Congratulations, Congratulations!!

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" You've Been Thunder Struck ! "

Congratulations!
If you need anything, coupons, baby clothes, anything, send me a PM, I have a 9 month old son and have held onto most everything!