Labor Stories

Everyone has a labor story! All 3 of my labors have been very different. Today baby girl #4 started a labor story of her own!

First, Abigail Jane. Abby was due on June 8, 2003. She was born on May 30, 2003, 10 days early. On May 29, I spent most of the day scrubbing baseboards and cleaning for our house to get appraised. J's sister Allie had planned her wedding for May 31, just 2 days later. Being 9 months pregnant, my mom was kind enough to treat me to a pedicure, so at least my toes would feel pretty. We had the pedicures around 3:00, and that night I woke up around 12:30 am to go to the bathroom. In the bathroom, my water broke! I wasn't sure what to do. I wasn't contracting. I wasn't in pain! I woke up J. We called the hospital, and they said to come in. I showered and packed my bag (I hadn't prepared one yet) all at a leisurely pace. I was calm and still no pain. At the time we had a house on South Mountain in Draper. At 2:00 am we walked out the door. I remember the sprinklers were on, and we got all wet. I also recall that I-15 was completely shut down for construction, so we had to take all the frontage roads until State Street all the way to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake.
We checked in around 2:30. Epidural around 8:00 am. Dr Macy stopped by at 9:30 am.
I was still only dilated to a 3. A half an hour later, I felt strong contractions, so I called for the nurse to see if I could have more anesthesia, and she checked me. The baby's head had crowned. Abby was born at 10:30 am.

Abby Jane
May 30, 2003
7 lbs 8 oz.
20 1/2 inches
10:30 am

Second, Kathryn Lauren. Kate was due on September 7, 2005. She was born August 21, 2005. 17 days early. August 21 was a Sunday. We had just moved into our house on Woodland Hills. The Sunday before, we had spoken in church. On this Sunday, we got all ready for church and I was contracting. I decided to sit on the couch and time my contractions. They were about 3-4 minutes apart. We opted not to go to church and to continue timing them. They continued. We called my parents and dropped Abby off on the way to the hospital. We checked in around 5:00. The contractions seemed regular enough to admit me. Kate was face up, so Dr. Macy had me labor on my stomach. As strange as it sounds, it is suppose to help the baby turn, and it did. They had a resident break my water! This was the most painful experience of my whole labor. (I am still convinced she didn't know what she was doing!) The closer we got to midnight, the more we wondered if this little baby would be born on August 21 or August 22. At 10:30, I was still only dilated to a 3. 20-25 minutes later, I could feel a lot of contractions again! The nurse came in and the baby's head was crowned. Kate was born at 11:04 pm.

Kathryn Lauren Derrick
August 21, 2007
7 lbs. 10 oz
21 inches
11:04 pm

Happy Mom and 3 day old sleeping Kate!

Third, Ella Elizabeth. Ella was due, September 27, 2007. Ella was born September 13, 2007, 14 days early. On September 11, I had a doctor's appointment. I was having a lot of contractions. They did a non-stress test and monitored me for a while. That night was Girl's Night Out. Melissa, MaryKate, and Krystelle took me out for Labor Inducing Pizza at Trio. They have a pizza with marinated mushrooms that is suppose to put you into labor. So out we went to try it out! I remember lots of back pain that night, and the yummy creme brulee. I went home and slept well. September 12, still tons of back pain, lots of contractions. We arrived at LDS Hospital at 10:30 pm that night. The labor and delivery unit was really busy. We had to wait over an hour just to get a room. Once we were in, they checked me. Only dilated to a 3. They had J and I go on a 30 minute walk to see if my contractions would start up. They did. We walked from LDS Hospital, up to 11th Ave and back. It was a beautiful Fall night! The whole time we walked, we stopped for painful contractions and to breathe. When we got back to labor and delivery they laid me flat on my back and the contractions stopped. They sent us on another 30 minute walk. Same story.....lots of contractions but they stopped when I laid on the bed to be checked. Still only dilated to a 3. They sent me home with a sleeping pill around 2:30 am, insisting that I wasn't in labor at 38 weeks. I slept.....11:30 am on September 13, I woke up hard with a VERY painful contraction. Still sleepy from the medicine I feel back asleep. 15 minutes later, I woke up at home again with a VERY painful contraction. I breathed it out and feel back asleep. By 12:00 I got up and out of bed. The girls were still at my Mom's. J and gone to work. I was all alone. I thought I should get some breakfast and maybe things would calm down. No! Worse! I sat on my ab workout ball, and stretched through contraction after contraction. Called J. Not sure what to do. The problem was, I was in a lot of pain, but I didn't want to go back to the hospital. They made me feel so silly for going in the night before. I couldn't possible be in labor. I decided to get in the shower. They always say if you get in the shower and they speed up, you are in "real" labor. I did. By then, it was too late. I knelt in the shower. I was in too much pain to get out. I crawled out of the shower, crawled to the phone. J said he would rush home to get me. It took me about 20 minutes to get dressed, pulling on clothes in between contractions. It took me another 10 minutes to crawl down the stairs backwards to the car. Screaming all the way, we drove 85 miles an hour on the freeway to LDS Hospital. Every bump, got an extra scream out of me! I still remember missing the light on N Temple and 2nd Ave and watching the timer count down how many seconds people had left to cross the street. I was ready to push and that was the longest light ever!!! We made it to the ER and J ran in to get help. A kind orderly grabbed a wheelchair and came out to help me. The problem is I thought the baby would come out if I moved. I inched to the wheelchair and he pushed the wheelchair, running, to the elevator and up the 4th floor. We arrived at the hospital at 3:21 and Ella was born at 3:29. 2 pushes! First push, broke my water, 2nd push, Ella was out! The amazing thing.....Dr. Macy made it and so did J!

Ella Elizabeth Derrick
September 13, 2007
7 lbs. 9 oz.
20 inches
3:29 pm

Fourth, Baby Girl! I had my 35 week appointment today. Since last Friday I have been having very painful contractions. J has made dinner the last 4 nights, and I have rested on the couch! Today I spent 3 hours at Dr Macy's being monitored with a non-stress test. They had me drink coke, sit and relax, zap the baby (don't touch my baby), etc. They concluded that I am at the beginning stages of labor and at risk for having a preterm baby. She gave me tributaline to take every 6 hours, to help slow and stop my uterus from contracting. Stay in baby, for a couple more weeks!