by Sabrina Garibian posted in Pregnancy

Labor can be messy, and loud, and scary.
My last labor was nothing like that. My husband slept through my last labor and it was awesome.

When I checked into the hospital to deliver our third baby, it was for an unexpected, unplanned induction due to some complications. I got hooked up to the monitors, the residents there that evening came by to introduce themselves and check me out, and then I just, well, hung out. I watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians, junk I would only watch in labor. I ate ice chips and texted my friends and family. My husband alternated between working and napping. I loved it.
I loved that my husband napped through my last labor, and here's why:

I got to labor without speaking, something I didn't value the first two times I went through it. Going through the contractions alone, knowing he was there if I needed him but that he was sleeping through it, felt really good. I could grit my teeth, or breathe slowly, or focus on the TV show without ever saying a word. My husband is so, so supportive, but my contractions were something I needed to work through alone. I tend to feel more emotional and weak when someone is witnessing me feeling pain, so the contractions felt easier for me when I didn't have to read my husband's pained expression as he watched me working through them. He was well-rested when it was time for me to push, so he was 100 percent present and ready to watch over our newborn once she was bor...