Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer is hosting a meme to share your child birthing experiences in honor of Labor Day…get it LABOR Day.  Who am I kidding, of course you get it!  Now, on to the show!

How long were your labors?

The Bean: Never went into labor – Okay, I know I’m risking the ire of every other woman who has spent hours in agony birthing their child(ren), but I never got far enough into my pregnancy that I actually went into labor.  Personally, I feel that the nearly 6 weeks The Bean spent in the NICU after she was born is probably an even trade-off for not experiencing labor pains.

How did you know you were in labor?

The Bean: See above – We knew it was time for delivery when the perinatologist said, “The placenta is damaged.  She’s not getting nutrition and therefore not growing.  We need to get her out.”  It’s a nice feeling when your body bails on you and your child.

Where did you deliver?

The Woman’s Hospital of Texas.  I wholeheartedly tell everyone, “Go there!  They are wonderful!”

Drugs?

I had a spinal due to the fact that The Bean came via C-section (see below).

C-section?

Yep.  No labor.  No vaginal childbirth.  No direct nursing (But 14 months of exclusive pumping).  No bringing my child home with me.  I missed all the “normal” things that go along with birthing a child.

Who delivered?

Two of the wonderful perinatologists in the practice that accepted me after my OB sent me to Woman’s Hospital following a week’s stay at another hospital in the city.  She told me later, that she sent me there because she knew The Bean was going to need a good NICU and that theirs was great (She was right on both counts).  I spent a week and a half at the second hospital trying to keep The Bean cooking as long as possible and really got to know the staff on the antepartum unit in that time.  After my section, I specifically recall the nurse asking the doctor what room he wanted to send me to after the surgery.  His matter-of-fact-why-is-this-even-a-question reply has always stuck with me.  “Send her back to antepartum.  She knows them over there.”  He knew that a first time mama who had delivered a preemie needed whatever stability she could get even if it meant spending my last 3 days in the hospital with people I’d only known for a week and a half.  That’s the kind of doctor you want.

Despite the fact that her birth wasn’t “perfect” or “normal,”  I can truly say that I’ve found blessings in it all, and The Bean, herself, is the biggest blessing of all!

If you want to play along with this meme, cut and paste the questions into your own blog, and head over to Shannon’s post to leave your link.