Taking Notes

The day your baby is born is a pretty big day—one of the biggest of your life!  You may think you’ll never forget a single minute of it.  Time during labor is an interesting thing.  It’s as if you enter a time warp.  Minutes may seem to drag on forever, especially those 90 second-long contractions, but the hours may seem to fly by.  If it is possible, take notes during labor or assign a support person the job of taking notes.  Women find that there will be a few things during labor that they remember vividly, such as the way they are made to feel or how they are spoken to.  But there are plenty of things they may not even be aware of as they are so busy with the process of laboring.  Taking notes can help a woman to be able to reflect on the experience accurately.  It is important to note the time of things.  Record the time and result of each exam for labor progress.  A woman may wonder how long she was in the tub, when the pushing began, who was in the room for delivery, what she did during each phase of labor, the first words she said to her baby, etc.  It is also a good idea for a woman, and man for that matter, to record their impressions soon after the experience.  Each perspective will be helpful for an accurate accounting of the birth experience and may provide as a valuable tool in the future to detect possible patterns and preserve the memories of one of life’s most amazing experiences.  Take notes!