Healthy Baby, Healthy Mom.
That is what’s important when giving birth! As much as I’m a firm believer in natural, unmedicated childbirth for myself, I know it’s not for everyone and certainly not in every circumstance! Sometimes intervention is needed to keep mom and baby healthy. Other times, it’s needed to keep mom sane. 
Regardless of how you end up birthing your baby, I would highly recommend knowing what you want and going for it! Being educated and informed of your options and all the risks involved will make you more confident and prepared when the time comes to have that precious baby.
Myra and I have similar birthing philosophies. Her story is a reminder that regardless of the outcome, we are in charge of our birth experience!
When I found out that I was pregnant back in May 2008, I was both elated and scared. Having grieved a miscarriage the year before, I worried that something might go wrong…
…I wanted to do everything I could for my baby’s healthy birth, so I came up with this mantra – “My Body, My Baby, My Way.” Spunky, huh?…
In finding “my way”, I did a several pivotal things which I highly recommend for new moms to consider.
- Research everything about various ob-gyns/pediatricians and birthing techniques.
- Don’t be afraid to change doctors if you are uncomfortable or even if something doesn’t seem quite right. I did – right in the middle of my pregnancy, and I’m so glad I did! I was open and honest with my new doctor. She respected my requests fully.
- Take Bradley birthing classes. They are amazing and will prepare you and your husband for natural labor and childbirth.
- Write a birth plan! I can’t emphasize this one enough. Whether you are having a hospital birth or a home birth, it is imperative for you to have a birth plan. My nurses followed my birth plan exactly. They let me labor MY way. They watched and encouraged. (A birth plan can help immensely if you have to be transported to a hospital during a home birth.)
- Stand up for yourself and your baby. Don’t feel like you have to just go with what your doctor says. Doctors are human. They make mistakes. Follow your “mommy intuition.” God gave it to you for a reason!
- Tell “protocol” to go fly a kite! Doctors and nurses do what they do 24/7. What they sometimes fail to remember is that every. single. pregnancy, labor and birth is different. They can’t all be thrown into the same identical mold – with the same identical “protocols.” Don’t hesitate to walk against the crowd and to request something different in your birth plan.
My baby’s birth ended a little lot differently than I planned. When my husband and I made our birth plan, we had no idea that I would be in labor for forty-six hours before Ridley would finally make his appearance. Yes, I was in labor for 46 hours…
Myra’s got the rest of her story, My Body, My Baby, My Way posted on her blog. Go see how her Healthy Baby, Healthy Mom birth ended and gush over photos of her sweet little boy!
What steps did you take to be prepared and empowered to give birth?
My first child was born in a little hospital where I was treated with personal care. I had a fabulous waterbirth. We moved to a larger city and I could not find a hospital that offered waterbirth for my 2nd child, so I planned a homebirth. I’m glad I planned it–she came quickly and would have been born at home anyway! It was wonderful to jump into that birthing tub and then leave the tub 15 minutes later with my baby and get in my own bed. My husband brought me a piece of pie. It was wonderful. Baby #3 was born at home too–another waterbirth. I know people laugh at birth plans, but we have followed ours every single time. Giving birth is such a beautiful experience–I don’t know why we’re all taught that it’s scary and terrible.
Note to new parents writing birth plans: keep it at one page. This is not the time to preach your viewpoint–your caregivers have their own viewpoint already. Keep it short and simple and there’s a higher chance someone will actually read it.
A waterbirth would be such a dream! I’ve settled for second best, though, when my hospital/birthing center allowed me to labor in the tub. I feel so much better when in water, and it really got my contractions going with our second baby.
Great advice on the short and sweet birth plan! I also think it is taken more seriously when a friendly, flexible tone is used.
I’m pregnant with my first now, and I’m doing everything I can to educate myself. I’m reading birthing books and birth stories. I’m learning about interventions so I can be educated enough to avoid them. And, after all my research, I decided to go to a midwife and freestanding birth center to avoid many of the problems I hear about at hospitals. We’re planning on taking a Bradley class, and DH will start reading “Husband Coached Childbirth” next week. I want to be as ready as we can!
Sounds like you’re off to a great birthing experience! I would love to hear what your DH says about “Husband Coached Childbirth.” We think the world of that book and the classes. So powerful for the two of us to work together to bring our babies into the world.
My labor plan included pitocin, an epidural, a lot of heavy breathing (both Bradley relaxation & Braxton breathing). I recently had my 4th baby. I only labored 6 hours (tops) for each baby. What worked for me (using pitocin to keep consistent contractions), isn’t what will work for the next. Knowing that…
Have an advocat!
My husband was my coach and took care of me, but it was my sister who was in charge of being bossy (telling the nurses what I wanted, reminding visitors to wash up or hurry up and leave, lol the good stuff!). This really helped me focus on the process with my hubby and vice versa (him on me/baby).
Interesting! That’s a new one for me. I’ve never heard of planning ahead of time to use pitocin.
I agree totally on the advocate. My hubby wanted to “do it all” and he was good at it
, and we really wanted it to be “just us” but I know many people have benefited with a doula or birth assistant/advocate.
I had one of those quickie, uncomplicated go to the hospital, get an epidural, have a baby and go home all within 24 hours type of births. This was exactly what I wanted. I admire those who go drug free, but I knew that my daughter was going to be an only child and I wanted to enjoy her birth as much as possible. As much as you can “enjoy” child birth, that is. Glamorous it isn’t! I read A LOT before the birth and had a reasonable knowledge of what to expect. Since I knew long before conception that I’d be having an epidural, my “birth plan” was pretty short. As it so happens, my daughter didn’t cry much after she was born so they took her from me right away and I didn’t see her or get to nurse her for a few hours. That’s life, though. Things don’t always go according to plan. Today she’s an incredibly healthy 8 year old and that’s all I could possibly hope for. I honestly think that many women go into the hospital with a huge chip on their shoulders convinced that all the evil doctor wants to do is give them drugs and/or a c-section just so they can resume their golf game. Maybe I have more faith in humanity than most, but I just went into the whole birth experience with an open mind. And like I said, in the end, I came home with a healthy kid and that’s all that matters to me.
I am absolutely frightened of an epidural or a c-section or a speeded-up-by-pitocin childbirth! Natural childbirth doesn’t frighten me and it’s been enjoyable every time. It’s so exciting!
It’s funny, how we all think we can handle different things, how different things frighten different people.
You and I must be twins separated at birth.
I don’t feel that way about my doc or nurses… but I do believe that they are so used to doing the 90% “routine” epidural/pitocin births that those of us who want to do it differently need to be advocates for ourselves. Not because they don’t WANT to help us, simply because they “go with the flow” unless asked otherwise.
What a great post! I think this is the single most important thing women can do, especially if they want natural births. I came down with severe preeclampsia, along with several other serious complications, at 38 1/2 weeks. The typical outcome in my scenario would have been an emergency (but unnecessary) C-section, but I had a natural, vaginal birth. Why? Because I made my wishes clear from the first pre-natal visit and because my doctor and doula were just as much advocates for a natural birth as I was. Especially if I or my doctor had not been clear about and committed to my birth plan, I would have gone straight to the OR.
Oh wow! I have no experience with preeclampsia, but I’ve heard it’s a nightmare…
@Amy, I think the scariest thing about it is how quickly it can develop –in just 24 hours, I went from being mildly hypertensive (with no other symptoms) to being in early-stage liver failure. It also often triggers other complications like low amniotic fluid and IUGR (underdevelopment of the baby), which is what happened to me. I’m just very, very thankful that it all happened so late in my pregnancy and that my doctor was willing to think outside the interventionist box.
For those who don’t know, this is the primary reason prenatal care is so important. Where good prenatal care is out of the picture (as in most developing countries), blood-pressure disorders are the number one killer of pregnant women and their babies.
I was disappointed with my first birth. I was in intense pain for SO LONG, and there was never any “birth high,” almost no sense of joy when it was all done. I was just so tired of hurting. So tired, period. And now I’m pregnant with #2 and somewhat afraid of a repeat. New midwife with whom I have a much better connection, and I think I’ll take the recommendation and do a Bradley’s class. I was at home and all natural with the first, ditto for #2, but this time I’m determined to enjoy the process as much as possible!
Any advice?
Every woman is different, so I don’t know how much help I can be. 1) Definitely take the Bradley class if you can, and take it as early in pregnancy as possible. 2) While you’re waiting on the class, go ahead and read Husband-Coached Childbirth (the Bradley Book). It has lots of great empowering information and relaxation advice. 3) Eat well for your baby and exercise. There are certain positions that prep our bodies and our babies for a “smoother” birth. 4) Labor in water as much as possible. I used the whirpool at the hospital a LOT.
I hope something helps you have a better experience this time!
Nothing could prepare me for natural childbirth, but I did it! My little girl is 3 months old and I am living proof that anyone can give birth naturally. It was definitely the hardest and most painful experience of my life, but so worth it! To know that my baby was perfectly healthy and alert at birth was all I needed to push through (literally!) You can read my entire birth story on my blog:
http://thevaccaropeanut.blogspot.com/2010/03/hannah-grace-has-arrived.html
It has all the details!
Thanks for sharing your story! On Labor Day this year, I’m going to host a Labor Story link up. Be sure to include yours!