The following questions were conceived in the waiting room of a hospital last week. I came up with these questions while a friend was in the process of pushing a baby out of her and I thought it was important to know a few things, even if it is 5 ½ months away. I can’t skip ahead in my pregnancy book and I’m still stuck on month 2 and it’s boring there. I peaked at the labor and delivery chapter and shut it quickly. So now I will get to my list.
Labor and Delivery Waiting Room Questions
Dear Stork, I’ve recently found out that you do not in fact deliver the baby to their parent’s home. I was shocked and slightly unnerved. I have a few questions that maybe you can answer. If you can’t answer them, perhaps you can refer me to someone who can honestly answer them.
1. When or how far along do they give the epidural?
2. What if the epidural wears off?
3. What are preparations for the bed I’ll be in like for the birth and cleanup of afterbirth grossness?
4. What is the afterbirth like? How much is there? How long does stuff come/leak/ooze out?
5. What is it like when the baby is halfway out of the body and you’re in between pushes?
6. What happens if you “rip” and what are the complications?
7. This is a premature question since I’m asking about actual labor, but… what do you do with them once you get them home?
Eagerly awaiting your response,
Nervous-wreck mother-to-be
Better you than me. Just sayin'.
ReplyDelete1. 6 centimeters
ReplyDelete2. it won't
3. they pull the bottom part of the bed away and consistently have absorbant pads underneath you ( picture puppy pads)
4. it looks like a kidney, just don't look and tell Miguel the same. You won't see the blood/ other stuff
5. it feels just like pressure from the epidural - if it were natural, they describe it as the ring of fire
6. you get sewn up. It's not bad because all the nerves are dead and again, the epidural is there
7. You are on your own, thankfully, you are in the hospital at first. :~)