All Natural Labor- 9lb, 7oz baby
Finally I am getting around to writting my birth story. Our son is now 2.5 weeks old and napping so, I'm going to give the short version here. This is meant to inspire anyone that is considering having a natural labor. You can do it! Our bodies are made to do this and it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done.
At 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant, I went in for my regular appointment with our midwife. At 39 weeks, I was 1cm dialated and 50% effaced but, nothing had happened that week-except I lost my mucos plug. So, the midwife checked me at this appt. & now I was 2cm and 80% effaced. She asked me if I wanted her to strip my membranes. She told me that stripping my membranes could possibly do a few different things. I could start having contractions and go into labor, I could start having contractions and then they'd go away, nothing could happen or my water could break but, she said no one's water had ever broken for her before. So, I told her that she could go ahead and strip my membranes and then we'd just see what happens. Well, as soon as she started, my water broke! That was at 12:30pm. The midwife said I could go home and then come back to the birth center at 5pm.
My sister had came with me to that appt. and I had her drive me home in case I started having contractions in the car. We got home at 1:30pm and I started having some light cramping and didn't feel comfortable sitting down. We had lunch and I was busy moving around and getting final things done since I knew we'd be leaving soon to have this baby! Around 2:30pm, the cramping started getting more timable and I just stayed standing and breathed through each contraction. We spent the rest of the afternoon like this, moving around, getting things done but, pausing and breathing through contractions.
4:15pm came and we headed out to go to the hospital. When we got there, the nurse checked me and said I was 4cm. I told her I was going to have a natural labor and didn't want any meds or IV's. I got into the jacuzzi tub in our birth room at 5:45pm and it felt amazing. I just kept breathing through each contraction and never felt out of control. The key was to focus, relax and breath through each one. Since I started having the contractions, they were always about 2-3 minutes apart so, staying focused and breathing was so important.
In the tub, I drank lots of ice water and had some graham crackers to snack on. At 8pm, our midwife asked if I wanted her to check me. I said sure and she said I was fully dialated!!!! I wanted to believe her but, I hardly could and I cried tears of happiness. I never felt like I went through "transition". I expected it to be so much worse!
So, I got out of the tub and onto the bed. I started pushing just after 8 and Judah was born at 8:58pm. It was the most amazing thing in the world. The midwife told me to reach down and pull him out of me and there are no words to describe how great it was to be so aware and really "feel" the whole experiance. I had some minor 1st degree tearing.
Judah was 9lbs, 7oz and 21 inches long. I always prayed for a natural delivery and this was more than I could've ever asked for. I have so much more respect for my body than I ever did before and it's my happiest memory for sure. Yes, labor hurts but, knowing how to breath and stay focused the entire time is so important. Just don't get off track and loose control. I hope this encourages anyone that is thinking about having a natural labor. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Re: All Natural Labor- 9lb, 7oz baby
I'm about to cry because I REALLY REALLY want a natural delivery. You said it was important to breathe and focus...are you talking about lamaze breathing? What did you focus on? What do you think about? I just know I can do it...it's a mind over matter thing, but I can use all the advice I can get.
Thank you so much for sharing your story!
Great story! What an awesome birth!
The breathing doesn't have to be anything special, it just has to be something that you concentrate on and that works for you. We read about several different methods of breathing (lamaze, bradley etc) and I'm pretty sure that I just did something different that worked for me.
The breathing was just mostly deep in and out breaths and then some faster lamaze style breathing during the intense contractions. It really doesn't need to be anything special, just something that you're comfortable with and that you can keep up. Also, PRACTICE your breathing alot before you actually go into labor. As far as focusing went, I just focused on breathing in and out. I actually was saying "breath, breath, breath" or "in, out, in out" during contractions. It's good to not think about the contraction but, be focused on something else and the breathing worked best for me. Hope that answers your question.
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Thanks for sharing such a great story, congrats on your big baby!! I am 33 weeks pregnant with my first and we are planning a home birth. I feel like my husband and I have done a good job with practicing (the bradley method), we have visualized how we want the birth to go, but I still feel really anxious about not knowing what the pain will feel like and can I get through it?? I know I can do it but its still something weighing on my mind. Hopefully when I get close I will be ready to take on the challenge and finally meet our baby!!!