07 January 2008

Haunting words

I had occasion in a recent past life to have some conversations with an LCMS mother of five--not a big family homeschooler type, not a conscience-bound CSPP type, not a rich lots-of-babies-trend type--just someone who had vague independent misgivings about birth control and ended up with five kids as a result. Anyway. We were talking about L&D and her take on it was that one's piety during the event decreases with each child, which I found amusing (especially as she described her quiet prayers and singing during her first labor, compared with the angry shouting directed at her husband by the time 3 and 4 rolled around). But then she said that her last birth had been by far the best. I asked her why. "Easy," she said. "I finally took the epidural."

7 comments:

Dawn said...

I was thinking of you and this story today. Get out of my head.

Rebekah said...

mwa ha ha ha ha! I also know what you're thinking about right now (eating some chocolate chips).

Reb. Mary said...

"Quiet prayers and singing"?!

Rebekah said...

Believe it or not, it struck me as totally possible for this person. I'm rather a subdued one myself for such events. Much more maudlin than harpy. Too bad, because as we all learned from the Terminator, "Anger is more useful than despair."

Dawn said...

I find a lot to be angry about in labor but have thus far managed to keep it all to myself. I am, however, a certifiable pansy-A with two epidurals between three labors. Both my girls were OP. What a great way to begin our relationship.

If you can get the walking epidural and keep it to a really low dose it's not so bad. The full-blown epidural bites. But then, labor bites no matter how you slice it, what with it being a curse and all. . .

Rebekah said...

Well, OP's a bit of a different story. On the other hand, Bradley dutifully debunks this notion with a series of graphic photos of an inexplicably very skinny pregnant woman joyfully delivering sunny-side up. Looks positively transcendent.

Dawn said...

I resent the words "skinny" and "sunny-side up" being employed in a discussion of L&D. Now I'm angry. I guess I'll have to go take it out on a pan of brownies. ;)