5 Things I Learned From Early Labor (as a First Time Mom)

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. The advice below is coming from a mother who went into labor eight weeks (two months) early. If you do go into labor early, call your doctor. Even if you only think you are in labor early, call your doctor.

When I went into labor eight weeks early, I was in denial. I had no hospital bag packed, we had absolutely nothing organized for the baby, and I hadn’t even had my baby shower yet. This meant I was totally unprepared to have a baby, so of course I couldn’t actually be in labor yet.

But I was!

I woke my husband up at 4 AM after finding blood in the toilet during one of my nightly bathroom breaks. I called my doctor’s office, not knowing if anyone would even answer. Some did answer, and they informed me I should go directly to the emergency room.

Once my husband was out of bed, we grabbed a few granola bars and water bottles to stash in my purse, and then we drove off into the night. That was not exactly the perfectly packed hospital bag I had imagined.

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Going into labor early taught me a few things, but here are a few of them:

1. Pack a small hospital bag as soon as you hit the third trimester. 

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have everything you want for your real hospital bag. I hadn’t packed anything, since I was waiting to get a few items at my baby shower (such as silver nipple guards and a nursing pillow). But going into labor before my baby shower, I wish I had packed something. 

All you really need for your hospital bag you should already have on hand: a phone charger, snacks for your support person, headphones, toothbrush and paste, a change of clothes for coming home, and an outfit for the baby. If you want to have a few things that are just nice to have, check out my post on what I wish I had in my hospital bag. You’d rather have a few key things than nothing at all. 

The hospital will provide all you truly need to have a baby, but you will want more!

2. Your birth plan might go out the window. That’s okay.

I am very Type A, so I wanted to follow my birth plan exactly even though I went early. No epidural, no pitocin. But I was done with the pain by the time I was 6 centimeters dilated. I got the epidural, which almost always means they use pitocin too. In the “golden hour” after birth, I wanted to hold him and maybe feed him too, but since the baby came 8 weeks early, he had to go straight to the NICU. I was lucky I got to hold him for even a second. My dreams of breastfeeding were nearly dashed as he learned to eat with the bottle.

I wish I could have had my plans executed exactly as I imagined, but the needs of your baby come first. Know what you want but be flexible to the needs of your body and your baby. In my case, holding my baby for an hour after birth could have been detrimental to his health. 

Heck, even my doctor’s plans went out the window. He thought he would keep the baby in me for another two weeks by slowing down the labor with drugs. It didn’t work! The baby was born just six hours after my water broke and the doctor told me they would keep it in.

3. Stay calm.

Things may not go as planned, maybe you don’t have the nicest nurses, but you will get through this. Try to go with the flow as much as possible. Labor may progress quickly, or it may take forever. You may be in a lot of pain (if you go natural) or you may take a nap in labor (if you get the epidural). You may have to make decisions you never dreamed of making. Try to be as calm as possible. It will all be worth it when you get to see your beloved baby. 

I do not know how my husband and I managed to stay calm throughout labor and delivery. Maybe we were too stunned. You would think it is hard to stay calm when the doctors tell you that your baby may not be able to breath on his own at birth (being so early). But the truth is, there is not much you can do in situations like this. Being calm will get you through it. Let it go and trust God. 

4. Ask your doctors and nurses any questions you have. Your notes app is your best friend.

Chances are your brain will not be working at full capacity while you are in labor or shortly after. Bask in the joy of holding that beautiful baby! But questions will come up in your head. After all, you have a whole human to care for now. 

Jot those questions down on paper or on your phone so that when the nurses and doctors ask if you have any questions, you can ask them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions either. They have information that can help you. 

5. Having friends and family nearby can be helpful when you are stuck in the hospital.

Depending on when you go into labor and where you live, you might need someone to run home and take the garbage bins out or gather your mail. We needed both. 

Most hospitals keep you for two days, so you might be able to get away without someone doing those tasks for you, but you don’t want to come back to a smelly house, overrun garbage, or garbage cans beat up from being outside and empty for a few days. 

We had someone pick up a few things we needed, since I didn’t have anything packed. My mother in law and my sister both ended up dropping things off for us while I was in labor too. It’s nice to have people around to lean on.

In Summary

Labor is quite the experience even if you don’t go early. Things probably won’t go according to your perfect plan, even though there is a lot of pressure to have a plan and to make sure the doctors know the plan. Just stay as calm as you can as you navigate this event in your life. Once it’s all over, you’ll be enjoying time with your baby before you know it.