Home What did you do to pass the time during labor?

[Peepa]

I''ll be getting epidural and I''m guessing for hours I''ll just be waiting for the time to pass.
So I want to know, what do you gals suggest I bring with me to keep me occupied?
Mags? DS? Laptop? Can I use laptop in hospital room?

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 8/4/2009 1:51:59 PM
Author:Peepa
I''ll be getting epidural and I''m guessing for hours I''ll just be waiting for the time to pass.
So I want to know, what do you gals suggest I bring with me to keep me occupied?
Mags? DS? Laptop? Can I use laptop in hospital room?

Oh my God - Sleep, please sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

 

[somethingshiny]

The first 26 hours were mostly walking, yelling at DH, walking, bouncing on the ball, walking and peeing. After the epidural, it was SLEEPING!!

I brought books, games, magazines, etc. All I really wanted was chapstick and my legs lotioned.

 

[Peepa]

I love PS and its members. I know I can always get good, honest advice.

 

[qtiekiki]

My labor progressed pretty fast. The 1st hour (before I got the epidural), I was just trying to manage the pain. After the epidural, I was just chatting with DH for a bit. Then all these thing happened, and I didn't really have any down time. I get the IV and also pitocin augmentation to get my contractions more regular. Shortly after my OB broke my water when I was 9cm dilated. The nurse started doing the perineum massage. And then it was time to push. All of that happened in 4 hours.

We did have a laptop and Nintendo DS, but didn't have a chance to use it.

I say bring something that doesn't require a lot of attention b/c you are most likely paying most attention to what's going on.

ETA: The 20 hours I was laboring at home, I slept, ate and was reading on PS.

 

[mrssalvo]

magazines, movies (if you room has a dvd player), my hubby brought his laptop but I didn''t bring mine.

 

[Shoopy]

Tgal took the words right out of my mouth. Sleep!

Once LO arrives, you''ll want to be well rested since you won''t see 6-8 hours of sleep for a very long time. Plus, I found that the epi made me feel really sluggish. You''ll want that energy to help push.

 

[curlygirl]

Even with an epidural, your labor could go pretty quickly so you may not have time to really "do" anything, plus you'll be so pumped up about what you're going through that it'll be hard to focus on anything else. I agree that sleep is probably your best bet--it will be the last time you'll get a decent rest for a looooong time!!

 

[MustangGal]

The time actually went by way faster than I thought it would! I took a book of short stories (didn''t think I''d have enough attention span for a regular book), and we had the TV on in the background. DH had a wordfind book he was working on. And then MIL, BIL and DH''s grandmother showed up (they live 4 hours away, so started driving when we went to the hospital), so I got stuck "entertaining" them. I didn''t really want any family there, and thought the baby would be out before anyone arrived. Oh well, MIL really felt someone should be there with us. At least they went to the waiting room when they did the epidural, and didn''t come back until the recovery room after the c-section.

 

[D&T]

sleep sleep sleep. After the c-section of my first DD - I was so out of it, I couldn''t remember bfing her... DH had to keep waking me up! and hold her up to me

 

[snlee]

If you can, sleep!

 

[packrat]

Another recommendation for glorious sleep!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

When I wasn''t pushing I was sleeping.

 

[Pandora II]

Sleep! I was shattered by the time I got the epidural 40 hours in!

DH brought his laptop and played online poker throughout - which was fine as husbands are pretty useless during labour to be honest.

 

[mrssalvo]

i''m surprised at all you gals who could sleep. I couldn''t sleep during any of my labors even with the epidurals.

they are right though, sleep if you can.

 

[waxing lyrical]

Take a shower, get in the birth pool, walk, acupuncture, get a massage from DH. At least, these are some options for me. I precip, so by the time I realize or know I''m in labor it''s just about done or almost done.

I''m really considering having an acupuncturist there for the birth. I''ve been told it''s really relaxing. We shall see.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I sort of felt like I was entertaining. I went into labor early and delivered at 36 weeks, 4 days so it was unexpected. I called my DH first and then my mom - so they were there right away. Then my dad and sister showed up and a bit later my best girlfriend came. I remember there was a What Not to Wear marathon on TLC so I watched that. I was too excited to sleep. Once I started pushing I kicked everyone out except for DH and my mom.

 

[Blenheim]

I didn''t really feel good if I was stationary, but things that I did that could have been done from bed:
--post updates on PS

--read birth stories to psych me up
--watch Arrested Development
--listen to music
--SLEEP!

As for what I did do to pass the time during labor, I went grocery shopping, went to the library, took the dogs on a walk, did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, went on another walk, hung out on my exercise ball and in the birth pool, "danced" with DH quite a bit (where I hung off of his shoulders and swayed), and slept when I could.

 

[purrfectpear]

OMG, this just reaffirms how truly miserable my 31 hours of back labor were

I think I just moaned, puked, cursed alot, begged for a c-section, puked, asked who was the sadist that invented pitocin, told the 200 lb. nurse if she straddled me and pushed on my tummy one more time I''d drop kick her out the window, puked, politely mentioned to DH that eating a smelly burrito in my room was cause for divorce, begged for a c-section, puked, had convulsions.....did I mention I puked, accused the doctor of graduating from a correspondence course, and 2 days later had a blessed c-section?

I can''t believe you guys were able to sleep during labor. Color me jealous.

 

[sbde]

@ home i just ate a bit and lay in bed timing contractions on a website, chatting with my sister and friends online

when things got a bit more painful we went to the hospital and i got my epi. i tried to sleep but couldn''t so we just dimmed the lights in the room and hubby and i talked for the next 3-4 hrs and i ate ice chips which were for some reason SO appetizing at that point. it was nice

definitely sleep if you can!