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Mom Is in Labor for 10 Days -- Oh My! (VIDEO)

by Mary Fischer on June 28, 2012 at 11:29 AM

Betsy CafeMom Studios

Do you have a definite birth plan in place? And if so, do you plan on having a home birth instead of checking into the hospital? If you do, then you'll want to hear about what happened to a mom named Betsy when her home birth visions didn't exactly play out the way she expected.

For one thing, she wound up being in labor for almost 10 days! She walked all over town and stayed active to try and get her baby moving, but nothing worked. And then when she finally thought she couldn't take it anymore, the weather took a turn for the worse, and she had to endure torrential rain for two days, making it impossible for her midwife to get to her house in the event that her baby was ready to be delivered.

She told Betsy to lie down on the couch, have a glass of red wine, and rest until the skies cleared.

To hear what happened next, take a look at the video clip below.

OMG. Can you believe how quickly that baby girl finally came once Betsy's water broke?! I guess it's only fitting that her baby showed up so fast considering just how long she had to wait for her arrival. And it sounds like even though she wound up being two weeks overdue, Betsy's home birth was everything she'd hoped it would be and more.

And I love how she said giving birth at home was like being at the Ritz-Carlton. That comparison makes home birth sound very appealing, doesn't it?

How do you expect your baby's birth to play out?

 

Image via CafeMomStudios/YouTube

Filed Under: birth stories, cafemom studios, homebirth, video

Comments

12
  • amanda
    -- Nonmember comment from

    amanda

    June 29, 2012 at 11:02 AM
    I was in labor with my 2nd for over a week before my water finally broke. She was out after an hour. I pushed for 15 or 20 minutes.
    I was in labor with my 3rd for 19 days before he was finally actually out. They broke my water in the hospital and I pushed for 20 minutes.
    Both got turned and "stuck" on their way out, or pushing times would be even less.
    My first was an emergency c at 35 weeks.
    It's called prodromal labor and it is miserable. I kept hearing how lucky I was because the "worst" part of labor goes so fast, however, I did not feel lucky being so uncomfortable for so long and having no idea when it was really time to go to the hospital. I kept getting sent home!
  • Eliza...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Elizabeth Lynch Garland

    June 29, 2012 at 3:07 PM

    She wasnt in labor for 10 days... just because you are dialated, doesnt mean you are in active labor! My 3rd baby was 2 weeks overdue, I went into labor all on my own naturally at 42 weeks exactly and the labor from start to finish was 4 hours, from first contraction to birth. Nothing at all wrong with my baby or myself either


  • Eliza...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Elizabeth Lynch Garland

    June 29, 2012 at 3:08 PM

    and isnt their a difference between prodromal labor and active labor? I know its miserable to be having contractions for so long, but unless progress is being made or your water breaks, you arent considered to be in active labor, right?

     


  • racha...
    --

    rachaelvalkyrie

    June 29, 2012 at 3:15 PM

    That could have been me had I not invested myself so completely in what most likely was not yet truly active labor with my 2nd.  Looking back on it, it seems it was prodromal and not real labor, but I stopped everything else and just focused on the "labor" which made it seem a lot more real.  I wish someone had told me to just lie down and have a glass of wine and relax, but I couldn't.  Had I done that I may have had the homebirth I planned on instead of exhausting myself and going to the hospital 36 hours in :-/


  • Emily...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Emily Taaffe

    June 29, 2012 at 3:20 PM

    Home birth is definitely not for me. I want a sterile environment when I give birth. I can understand the appeal, though. Being catered to sounds like a good deal to me! But I have two dogs and two cats and carpeting in the bedroom. No amount of vacuuming will make that place sterile enough for my liking!


  • Nicol...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Nicole Yanotti

    June 29, 2012 at 3:32 PM
    I was in prodromal labor for eight days with my first. I had mild contractions every 10-20 minutes for 8 long days. My daughter finally was born on her due date. There is a big difference between prodromal labor and active labor. The major difference is the pain level. on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most pain, prodromal is a 3-4, and active labor is an 11. Also active labor contractions are 5 or less minutes apart. Prodromal is more spread apart but never stop. Prodromal is basically prolonged early labor. Even though I had never heard of this until it happened to me, my Dr. assured me it was quite common. He also told me to have a glass of red wine and relax.
  • Robyn...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Robyn White

    June 29, 2012 at 4:15 PM

    I find it hard to believe she was in active labor for 10 days......that amount of pain would be almost unbearable.


  • Denis...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Denise Lewis

    June 29, 2012 at 4:27 PM

    i thought pregnant woman weren't supposed to drink alcohol


  • Savan...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Savanna Anderson

    June 29, 2012 at 4:27 PM

    ..I was in active labor for 2 weeks..and yes it was unbearable...by the end of it all I was in the fetal position on my living room floor and screamed at anyone that laid a finger on me.For this woman to go through it for just 10 days is still awful. I don't qish that pain amoung any expectant mom.


  • amanda
    -- Nonmember comment from

    amanda

    June 29, 2012 at 7:21 PM
    I was dilated to 5, 95% effaced, baby head engaged. Contractions 2 minutes apart, but they stopped progressing dilation at that point. No, they were not nearly as intense as the contractions after my water breaking, but still painful enough that I couldn't continue normal activities or sleep without medication.
    That was my personal experience with prodromal labor. I know I experienced it on the more extreme end, but I think any woman caught in the midst of it finds it frustrating and exhausting, whether it is considered "real" labor or not. My husband kept telling me to "just have the baby already", that didn't help much either :)
    I think there needs to be more education on the topic. It would have helped me get through more easily if there were!
1-10 of 12 comments

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