Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for August 29, 2014
August 28, 2014
August 30, 2014
Transcript:
Jimmy: Okay, now where int he book do you want me to look? Jennifer: I think it's... um... Chapter Seven. Jimmy: "This time the contractions are not going away. True labor is identified by regular contractions which become increasingly stronger..." Jennifer: That's it! Ooh! Jimmy: That's it? What do you mean, that's it? Jennifer: That's what's happening, Jimmy... unhh! Right now... Could you go get the doctor? Jimmy: Oh, my God! Jennifer: Thank you.
Most women have plenty of time, even though it seems more dramatic to claim otherwise. With my first (and only) child, labor was 4 hours, and that was considered very fast, for a first child. And once labor starts, you tend to be more than ready for it to be over, though lots of us also benefited from the wonders of the epidural, which helps a great deal. I won’t go into all the gory details, but the way it goes is generally not at all the way it is portrayed in literature, movies, comic strips, etc. Funny how they act like a woman has to push. Of course, that helps, but really, that baby is coming out whether you push or not. Most of the time, they tend to kind of deliver themselves, ready or not, here they come!