--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An hour later we were pulling into the…" description: "\"“An hour later we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. Sparkly and shiny from my hair and makeup job, I had to stop and bend over six times betw..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/ree-drummond-818_baby-boy_an-hour-later-we-were-pulling-into-the-h_923477.jpg" --- # An hour later we were pulling into the hospital parking… ![“An hour later we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. Sparkly and shiny from my hair and makeup job, I had to stop and bend over six times between the car and the front door of the hospital. I literally couldn’t take a step until each contraction ended. Within an hour after checking in, I…” quote by Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/ree-drummond-818_baby-boy_an-hour-later-we-were-pulling-into-the-h_923477.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/ree-drummond-818_baby-boy_an-hour-later-we-were-pulling-into-the-h_923477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/ree-drummond-818_baby-boy_an-hour-later-we-were-pulling-into-the-h_923477.jpg) > ““An hour later we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. Sparkly and shiny from my hair and makeup job, I had to stop and bend over six times between the car and the front door of the hospital. I literally couldn’t take a step until each contraction ended. Within an hour after checking in, I was writhing on a hospital bed in all-encompassing pain and wishing once again that I’d gone ahead and moved to Chicago. It had become my default response when things got rough in my life: morning sickness? I should have moved to Chicago. Cow manure in my yard? Chicago would have been a better choice. Contractions less than a minute apart? Windy City, come and get me. Finally, I reached my breaking point. It’s an indescribable feeling, the throes of hard labor--that mind-numbing total body cramp whose origin you can’t even begin to wrap your head around. After trying to be strong and tough in front of Marlboro Man, I finally gave up and gripped the bedsheet and clenched my teeth. I groaned and moaned and pushed the nurse button and whimpered to Marlboro Man, “I can’t do this anymore.” When the nurse came into the room moments later, I begged her to put me out of my misery. My salvation arrived five minutes later in the form of an eight-inch needle, and when the medicine hit I nearly began to cry. The relief was indescribably sweet. I was so blissfully pain-free, I fell asleep. And when I woke up confused and disoriented an hour later, a nurse named Heidi was telling me it was time to push. Almost immediately, Dr. Oliver entered the room, fully scrubbed and wearing a mask. “Are you ready, Mama?” Marlboro Man asked, standing near my shoulders as the nurse draped my legs and adjusted the fetal monitor, which was strapped around my middle. I felt like I’d woken up in the middle of a party. But the weirdest party ever--one where the hostess was putting my feet in stirrups. I ordered Marlboro Man to remain north of my belly button as nurses scurried into place. I’d made it clear beforehand: I didn’t want him down there. I wanted him to continue to get to know me the old-fashioned way--and besides, that’s what we were paying the doctor for. “Go ahead and push once for me,” Dr. Oliver said. I did, but only hard enough to ensure that nothing accidental or embarrassing would slip out. I could think of no greater humiliation. “Okay, that’s not going to work at all,” Dr. Oliver scolded. I pushed again. “Ree,” Dr. Oliver said, looking up at me through the space between my legs. “You can do way better than that.” He’d watched me grow up in the ballet company in our town. He’d watched me contort and leap and spin in everything from The Nutcracker to Swan Lake to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He knew I had the fortitude to will a baby from my loins. That’s when Marlboro Man grabbed my hand, as if to impart to me, his sweaty and slightly weary wife, a measure of his strength and endurance. “Come on, honey,” he said. “You can do it.” A few tense moments later, our baby was born. Except it wasn’t a baby boy. It was a seven-pound, twenty-one-inch baby girl. It was the most important moment of my life. And more ways than one, it was a pivotal moment for Marlboro Man.”” [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator describes overwhelming labor pain, the desperation for relief, and the emotional turmoil of confronting physical limits during childbirth. **In simple terms:** Labor pain is intense; relief is precious. Key Takeaway Seek support and pain management in labor. Themes pain childbirth desperation relief support Mood exhausted hopeful Type personal reflective When to use this quote - hospital labor - pain management - post‑partum recovery - emotional coping Key Concepts Physiological pain emotional resilience medical intervention Questions to Reflect On - What support helped you most? - How can expectations be balanced with reality? A Different Perspective Pain relief may mask underlying fear of childbirth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breaking point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-point/) [Hair and makeup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair-and-makeup/) [Midsummer night's dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midsummer-night-s-dream/) [Morning sickness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning-sickness/) [Swan lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swan-lake/) [Trying To Be Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-to-be-strong/) [Wearing a mask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wearing-a-mask/) ## Related quotes > [“An hour later we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. Sparkly and shiny from my hair and makeup job, I had to stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/an-hour-later-we-were-pulling-into-the-hospital-parking-lot-sparkly/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“We stayed all day long. We closed our eyes and paryed, which we had not doen together in a long time. The nurse came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mcmullan/we-stayed-all-day-long-we-closed-our-eyes-and-paryed-which-we-had-not/) [Margaret McMullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mcmullan/) > [Do not meet or overtake a patient who is moving about in order to speak to him or to give him any message or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/do-not-meet-or-overtake-a-patient-who-is-moving-about-in-order-to/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [“There was a knock on the door and another nurse came bouncing in. 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Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-ward/) > [Seeing my name in lights for the first time in the West End for the musical 'Windy City' was a huge thrill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-redman/seeing-my-name-in-lights-for-the-first-time-in-the-west-end-for-the/) [Amanda Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-redman/) > [Chicago is known as the Windy City, and Montana is called the Big Sky State, so I think that we should somehow combine the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/chicago-is-known-as-the-windy-city-and-montana-is-called-the-big-sky/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [“Studs Terkel was waiting for a number 146 bus alongside two well-groomed business types. 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That's such a great foundation right there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/butter-cream-and-bacon-that-s-such-a-great-foundation-right-there/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“More and more, I began helping around the homestead. I learned to operate my John Deere mower so I could keep the yard around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/more-and-more-i-began-helping-around-the-homestead-i-learned-to/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“I walked proudly out of the church, the new wife of Marlboro Man. When we exited the same doors through which my dad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-walked-proudly-out-of-the-church-the-new-wife-of-marlboro-man-when/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“When we arrived at the wedding at Marlboro Man’s grandparents’ house, I gasped. People were absolutely everywhere: scurrying and mingling and sipping champagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/when-we-arrived-at-the-wedding-at-marlboro-man-s-grandparents-house-i/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“What is it?” I asked, pasting a magazine photo of a football--found in an old Seventeen magazine spread--on my beloved’s collage. “Well, a bunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/what-is-it-i-asked-pasting-a-magazine-photo-of-a-football-found-in-an/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“When I arrived, I immediately saw the mother of an ex-boyfriend, the kind of ex-boyfriend that would make you want to look as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/when-i-arrived-i-immediately-saw-the-mother-of-an-ex-boyfriend-the/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“At times the differences concerned me. 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Our evening apart had made the heart grow fonder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/marlboro-man-picked-me-up-the-next-evening-exactly-one-month-before/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“I’ll send the nurse in here in a minute, okay?” Waste of time , I thought. “Okay, but…do you think there’s anything we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-ll-send-the-nurse-in-here-in-a-minute-okay-waste-of-time-i-thought/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“How come I wasn’t riding around in his middle seat? Was I supposed to initiate this? Was this expected of me? Because I probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/how-come-i-wasn-t-riding-around-in-his-middle-seat-was-i-supposed-to/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“I’ll see you in the morning. Oh, and hey…if I don’t answer the door right away it probably means I’m doing some weight training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-ll-see-you-in-the-morning-oh-and-hey-if-i-don-t-answer-the-door/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“Minutes later, we were back at the sliding glass door that led inside the house--me, leaning against the glass, Marlboro Man anchoring me there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/minutes-later-we-were-back-at-the-sliding-glass-door-that-led-inside/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) [Explore all 361 Ree Drummond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) ## More Baby boy quotes > [Michael Jackson has a new baby boy; no word yet who the father is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/michael-jackson-has-a-new-baby-boy-no-word-yet-who-the-father-is/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Birth: The first and direst of all disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/birth-the-first-and-direst-of-all-disasters/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“On my birthday, every year since I turned eighteen, she called me at twelve twenty in the morning to wish me happy birthday and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a-webb/on-my-birthday-every-year-since-i-turned-eighteen-she-called-me-at/) [T.A. 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I've been praying since I was fifteen years old and the doctor told me I was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-hughes/i-m-a-huge-advocate-of-prayer-i-ve-been-praying-since-i-was-fifteen/) [Cathy Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-hughes/) Browse all 107 Baby boy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“An hour later we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. Sparkly and shiny from my hair and makeup job, I had to stop and bend over six times between the car and the front door of the hospital. I literally couldn’t take a step until each contraction ended. Within an hour after checking in, I was writhing on a hospital bed in all-encompassing pain and wishing once again that I’d gone ahead and moved to Chicago. It had become my default response when things got rough in my life: morning sickness? I should have moved to Chicago. Cow manure in my yard? Chicago would have been a better choice. Contractions less than a minute apart? Windy City, come and get me. Finally, I reached my breaking point. It’s an indescribable feeling, the throes of hard labor--that mind-numbing total body cramp whose origin you can’t even begin to wrap your head around. After trying to be strong and tough in front of Marlboro Man, I finally gave up and gripped the bedsheet and clenched my teeth. I groaned and moaned and pushed the nurse button and whimpered to Marlboro Man, “I can’t do this anymore.” When the nurse came into the room moments later, I begged her to put me out of my misery. My salvation arrived five minutes later in the form of an eight-inch needle, and when the medicine hit I nearly began to cry. The relief was indescribably sweet. I was so blissfully pain-free, I fell asleep. And when I woke up confused and disoriented an hour later, a nurse named Heidi was telling me it was time to push. Almost immediately, Dr. Oliver entered the room, fully scrubbed and wearing a mask. “Are you ready, Mama?” Marlboro Man asked, standing near my shoulders as the nurse draped my legs and adjusted the fetal monitor, which was strapped around my middle. I felt like I’d woken up in the middle of a party. But the weirdest party ever--one where the hostess was putting my feet in stirrups. I ordered Marlboro Man to remain north of my belly button as nurses scurried into place. I’d made it clear beforehand: I didn’t want him down there. I wanted him to continue to get to know me the old-fashioned way--and besides, that’s what we were paying the doctor for. “Go ahead and push once for me,” Dr. Oliver said. I did, but only hard enough to ensure that nothing accidental or embarrassing would slip out. I could think of no greater humiliation. “Okay, that’s not going to work at all,” Dr. Oliver scolded. I pushed again. “Ree,” Dr. Oliver said, looking up at me through the space between my legs. “You can do way better than that.” He’d watched me grow up in the ballet company in our town. He’d watched me contort and leap and spin in everything from The Nutcracker to Swan Lake to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He knew I had the fortitude to will a baby from my loins. That’s when Marlboro Man grabbed my hand, as if to impart to me, his sweaty and slightly weary wife, a measure of his strength and endurance. “Come on, honey,” he said. “You can do it.” A few tense moments later, our baby was born. Except it wasn’t a baby boy. It was a seven-pound, twenty-one-inch baby girl. It was the most important moment of my life. 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