Top 10 Least Helpful Things to Say to a Woman in Labor
(While I’m snuggling my newborn, I’m delighted to share this guest post by Audra from Rediscovering Domesticity.)
It’s baby time around Simply Rebekah! I recently gave birth to my third – an unintentionally natural birth. Since this birth experience was much more intense than my last two epidural births, I got to thinking about what was and wasn’t helpful to hear while laboring.
Thanks to my facebook friends, I bring you:
The top 10 least helpful things to say to a woman in labor!
10. “But honey, the ball game is on!”
9. “It’s not really pain you’re feeling. That’s just pressure.”
8. “Can you please not scream so loudly? You are frightening the other patients.”
7. “Oh my – this chair is REALLY uncomfortable!”
6. “Why are you screaming? The monitor said that that last contraction wasn’t all that bad. Oh – wow! Now THAT contraction was off the charts!”
5. “It looks like the head is HUGE!”
4. “You’ll really regret not getting that epidural!”
3. “You know that name we agreed on? Let’s rethink that.”
2. While getting an epidural, “Don’t breathe – it’ll make the needle slip!”
1. “I know you’re 10cm, but try not to push. The doctor is finishing a c-section right now.”
And… one bonus one!
“Try not to push. The doctor isn’t here yet. I COULD deliver the baby, but it makes for a lot of paperwork that I’d rather not do.”
Ok – one MORE bonus one!
When I gave birth to my first child there was a woman in the next labor room who was screaming and swearing in Spanish at the top of her lungs. I asked the nurse what was wrong with the woman and the nurse told me “nothing wrong, she’s just about an hour ahead of you in labor”. Â I was so frightened of what was going to come in the next hour that I tried to get up and go home!!
Did you have anyone say anything particularly unhelpful while you were giving birth?
Audra blogs at Rediscovering Domesticity where she inspires moms to THRIVE. There’s no one way to do life, so let’s work together to reach across those parenting fences and lift each other up! You can find Audra writing about faith, parenting, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, green living, marriage, carseat safety, and blogging. Be on the lookout for some awesome giveaways and featured products as well!
This is being linked to Top Ten Tuesday with Many Little Blessings.
Oh I have to add to this list – the labor and delivery nurse was “cheering me on” (aka: nails on a chalkboard annoying!!) and shouting:
“Go for the Gold!”
Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me? Who taught you to say that??
I quickly followed that up with ” SHUT UP EVERYONE!!”
Never irritate a laboring mama… never!
I thought of you as soon as Audra submitted this post for me. Your story makes me shake my head in disbelief and disappointment every single time I think about it.
My husband said “This is going to be a breeze.” He was trying to be supportive because it was our 2nd child. Really I just said…”a breeze for who?!”
Can husbands ever say anything right during labor? 🙂
A lesson to all husbands: Never imply that labor will be easy or simple. Does pushing a HUMAN out of your BODY sound even remotely easy or simple???
Ha — yes to all of these! My husband actually told me before labor that he really wasn’t keen on me having an epidural. Although he was worried about the risks and I didn’t have one anyway — I still would have liked if it had been an option, LOL!
Oh, geez! It is awesome that your husband had some opinions on your birth and interventions, but clearly the timing of that discussion was a bit off! haha!
This list made me laugh out loud. Here was my favorite from my second (natural) delivery:
“The nurse was wrong. You aren’t ready to push yet; you are only at 5cm.”
*GASP* What!?!? Oh my word….
Terrible.
There is nothing left to say.
By the way, I’m a new follower from the blog hop 🙂
Loved this! And I actually did have the first bonus one said to me….talk about hugely annoying. I was ready to push and the midwife was almost there so they really wanted to wait. MISERABLE!
For my first birth the dr almost didn’t make it in time, but I think the nurse would have let me push anyway. She kept saying that she has delivered babies before. I’m not sure which would have been worse. Waiting for the dr or not having one there at all!
Oh, my, that’s so funny! I can laugh because I’ve had seven natural births in a hospital, and I’ve heard it all!
My favorite was number three when I said that the baby was coming and the nurses stood around saying she wasn’t coming, couldn’t possibly! Nobody believed me, except my husband. Finally I said, “Then what’s THAT?” and pointed to the crowning head. No doctor for that one. 🙂 I prefer it that way. 🙂
Haha! I guess it is always smart to listen to the mom!!