Labor Stories

I love labor and delivery stories. Every story has the features of an exciting docu-drama — the inklings of early labor, the wondering of “should I call the doctor?”, “should we just wait or go ahead and go?”  The thrill of the birth and the flood of emotion that follows. Then the calm after the storm as everyone, including baby, begins the process of healing and resting up from the experience of labor/delivery and settles into the new life of being a family.

One of my favorite labor stories comes from my friends, Glen and Laura.

Glen and Laura

They have 4 kids. When baby #4 was due, they had lots to arrange for when Laura went into labor – the other kids had to be taken to where they were going to stay and then they had about a 30 minute drive from their home to the hospital where she was supposed to deliver. With three prior birth experiences to draw on, Laura knew her body and was able to easily identify the signs of early labor, which put into motion the plan they’d created. Around noon, she told Glen, “it’s happening, we need to go ahead and get to the hospital.” So they loaded up the kids, their bags of clothes and stuff they’d need for a few days at grandma’s, the suitcase for the hospital and headed out. They dropped off the kids, said a prayer and headed into Houston to the hospital, where her OB/GYN was expecting her.

Turned out Laura was a little further along in labor than she realized and long before they reached the hospital, the contractions became stronger and closer together. The drama increased as she panted through contractions while Glen raced through Houston traffic to get to the hospital in time. She’s yelling, “the baby’s coming”, he’s yelling, “wait!”  When telling the story later Glen said, “I knew I was in trouble when she took off her jeans.” Ended up, that baby was born IN THE CAR. In the hospital parking lot. Glen caught the baby. The emergency nurses came out to the car to help and everything came out okay in the end.

Every parent has a story to tell. Every baby comes into the world with flair and a little drama. Every family is changed forever with the addition of a new member. Every new parent has a new skill set to learn.

How about you, what’s your baby story?  

If you are expecting, in the adoption process or have a brand new baby in your family, I’ve got a course created just for you ~ check it out! It’s the Quick Start Guide for Newborns.

 Until next time,