Aaron and I are hoping to deliver Baby T au naturale - meaning sans pain meds, sans hormones, sans medical interventions. I was a bit intimiated by the whole birthing process at the beginning of my pregnancy, but we have been reading lots of educational materials, watching birth videos (who knew Netflix had so many baby documentaries?), and talking to folks about their birth experiences. I am feeling good about labor and delivery, even though I realize I cannot control my body. As my body goes into autopilot, I will trust it and trust in my ability to deliver a healthy baby. The birth process is beautiful and natural, and I want to embrace it, pain and all. I want to develop the confidence and courage needed to successfully deliver. Most of our first-timer friends have had really long labors (over 20 hours) and laboring after 40 weeks, so I am expecting something like this (but, of course, hoping for a quicker one!).
We are now in the process of learning about birthing methods and pain management/relaxation - no final decisions yet. We will be developing a birth plan, hiring a doula (any suggestions?), and talking to our physician practice about policies on respecting the parents' wishes for the birth. We decided to learn as much as possible this month and start practicing positions, Kegels, coaching, etc. Aaron is also getting more comfortable with everything; at first he said he didn't think he could be anywhere but at my head, but now he is saying he might watch and take a larger role. I guess if you see enough natural birth videos, it wears you down ;). He'll be a great coach! I'll keep you posted on other labor decisions.
Here is a good post I recently read about natural birth, if interested.
(P.S. 26 weeks and Baby T is moving a lot. You can actually see my stomach move and bump as T moves, kinda crazy. I've been feeling great, just a little stressed lately. I also had my first Braxton-Hicks today!)
6 comments:
Angela, congratulations on your first Braxton-Hicks! I didn't have a SINGLE contraction until I was in labor at 10 days after the due date, so I'm kind of pumped that your body is already starting to flex its muscles!
If you two are seriously considering a doula, I would highly, highly recommend Jo Garrett, who was our doula. I can't say enough about how awesome she is. Call me if you'd like to discuss it further or get an idea of what she does. I have nobody to compare her to, but I loved the way she helped us to have as close a birth experience to our ideal as possible, and she had absolutely no agenda of her own. She was strong, calm, and helpful throughout the entire process, and she really kept our group together throughout my marathon labor... let me know if you'd like her number! XOXO
If you were close to Seattle, I would recommend Aaron's Aunt Saundra. In the past she flew to other states to help with labors, but her ticket was included in her costs. They had her once and wanted her back after they moved. If you want to just talk to her about anything, she has tons of experiencing with the birthing process.
Love, momT
You can totally do this! I can't explain to you the amazing feeling of giving birth naturally. I've done it both ways. When I gave birth to Maggie, the feeling of empowerment and accomplishment was overwhelming. It's very personal and really doesn't affect how you feel about the baby, but the adrenalin rush and euphoria you feel when you feel the birth is second to none.
Don't worry about long labor stories, either. With Michael, I was in labor for 3 hours, with Keagan, it was 2 hours, and with Elijah, I just happened to be at the hospital when I went into labor with him. It was a good thing, too! Labor with him lasted 17 MINUTES! And I had two out of three natural. It's much easier to birth naturally, and it's a better recovery too!
Hugs, Marti
I would recommend going to the Women's Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill, if you aren't already. They are very experienced and helpful.
Also, my husband said he didn't want to cut the cord, but after having been through the whole labor thing, when the delivery occurred and the midwife offered to have him cut it, he stepped right up with no hesitation at all. It just wasn't a big deal anymore.
LOVE your post - its super refreshing. Bo and I like to think of things that we would say to ourselves 5 years ago that we would never believe... one of the things on that list is that I would deliver our babies naturally. It wasn't even a question in my mind that I was going to get drugged to the max when giving birth. For some reason women love to tell horror stories about labor, so I thought it had to be the worst feeling in the world.
Then about 10 weeks before Brodie was due, something changed for me. I can't quite pin-point what it was, but doing it natural seemed right. I realized that Heavenly Father created my body to perform this act and there was no reason for me not to trust what was supposed to happen. Still the fear of the pain I would be feeling was nerve racking... but get this... I didn't even know I was in labor until my water broke because even though I was feeling some pain, I thought it had to be way worse then what I was feeling to be in labor - all based on what women were telling me. Thank goodness my water broke because I wouldn't have known it was time to go to the hospital. When we did arrive I was already 8cm, 100% effaced and was like... what!? I can totally do this then!
I'm not going to lie - the pushing is painful and there were times when I would tell Bo that I didn't think I could do it... of course though, you can. And now that I am pregnant again I can't wait for labor! I'm actually looking forward to it - as weird as that sounds. It is the most amazing feeling in the world, and I'm not so worried about the pushing part, 'cause ya know, things are a little more stretched out. I would suggest trying to get a birthing stool. I don't know if your hospital has one of those, but I really wish I had one. There was a woman next door who got there before me who took the only one at the hospital, so I couldn't use it (oh by the way she didn't deliver her baby until 12 hours after me and she got an epidural, so she should have shared) I ended up doing some pushing on the toilet (I know, sounds gross, but the baby isn't going to fall in) since the stool wasn't available, and it really worked for me. Check out other delivery positions too... squatting worked for me too, until I got so tired pushing that I was forced to be more on my back (which is the worst position) with Bo and the nurse trying to lift me up.
Anyways, I'll close my novel, but seriously, it is super empowering and you are programed to be able to handle this. Just listen and trust your body and Aaron is going to be amazed by how strong you are. The looks that Bo was giving me were priceless as our son came out into the world.
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