My First Unmedicated Birth Story! #1
Hi my beautiful friends, I've missed you all! In continuation of our Unmedicated Birth series, I felt it only appropriate to share my own unmedicated birth story! My goal is not to “scare,”or “brag,” but rather to encourage and show you that it is possible to have a positive med-free birth! Telling this story never gets old, so grab some coffee, sit back, relax, and read about one of the most challenging, yet rewarding days of my life!
It all started on Wednesday, April 5th, 2017…five days before my "due date!" I woke up at 3:44am with a sharp pain in my lower back, similar to intense period cramping. When that same pain came around again eight minutes later, I knew it was the start of contractions! Of course of all the nights to be working overnight, my husband was working...(Aren't they always when we need them? Haha!) I excitedly started my contraction timer app on my phone, and found that they were consistently 8-12 minutes apart! Showtime, baby! I knew it wasn't Braxton Hicks contractions because those seemed to tightened my uterus without any pain. The contractions that woke me up were discomforting enough to prevent me from sleeping! (Oh, I almost forgot...you should know that I had mentally prepared my mind to view “pain” as “discomfort” during my labor. I never wanted to acknowledge the word "pain” since I believed that term would only promote fear and tension! Instead, I wanted to downplay everything including any "discomfort!") I showered and got ready to "rest" since this was the beginning stages of labor! I practiced my breathing from the Bradley method…deep into the stomach, not the chest, releasing it vocally out the mouth. I found vocalizing out the mouth worked best to keep me focused during the contractions!
Once my husband arrived home a few hours later, I greeted him at the door, freshly showered, dressed, and had a big smirk across my face! This was all very odd to him since at 7am I'd normally still be sleeping! "What are you smiling about?," he asked returning my smirk. “I think I'm in labor!," I told him giddily. We both couldn't stop giggling together! What crazy ride were we both in for?…Are we seriously about to meet this baby and become parents?? It was all very surreal!
As consistent contractions passed…it became official! I was in labor! My plan was to do most of my laboring in the comfort of my home. (Most first-time moms have a reputation of laboring longer then second and third-time moms. Therefore, I was told not to go to the hospital until my contractions were consistently 4-5 minutes apart for at least an hour!) I grabbed my list of labor techniques, (which you can read about in my previous blog post), went in and out of my tub, and was up all night with contractions. They eventually went back to twelve minutes apart, Ugh! (You'll later find out why this happened!) My husband was by my side doing counter pressure massage on my lower back with every single contraction which brought me great relief! This included me waking him up every good seven minutes so he could get ready to massage my lower back, and relieve my “discomfort” throughout the night! I labored nonstop at home into Thursday and Friday morning.
As we approached Friday, my mom really pushed me to go the hospital. By this point, my contractions were between 3-5 minutes apart, I had labored 48+ hours at home, and we wanted to check on baby's heart beat, movements and such. My husband and I took the very bumpy/uncomfortable 15 minute drive to the hospital, and after my cervical check, I was told I was dilated to a six! "I was a little more than halfway there!,” I thought to myself. I was super relieved and dilated far enough to be admited to my labor and delivery room! Wanting some relaxation, I hopped into my lavender scented tub, ate popsicles and ices, (Yummy, don't mind if I do!), and had my birth playlist playing low in the background so I could mainly focus on my breathing. "I can do anything for 60 seconds," I reminded myself.
They monitored our baby's heart every twenty minutes with a doppler. Thankfully, I had been drinking so much water that I was deemed “hydrated enough” to completely forego an IV or hep-lock! This meant I could be needle-free and have unrestricted movement throughout my labor and delivery! After three hours in the tub they noticed that our baby's heart beat would dip on certain contractions. They decided it was best for me to get out of the tub and wear an intermittent fetal monitor to better monitor his heart. They checked me again to make sure I was progressing and I was only at....A SEVEN. This was very discouraging, especially after passing three hours in the tub! I was told that even though the tub and shower help relax your body, they can actually delay progression, and in some cases stop contractions. I had no idea! At this point in my labor, I didn't want to go into the tub because "it felt good…” I wanted PROGRESS! My midwives told me that changing positions is best for progressing labor. (Maybe if I had done more of this, I would've progressed quicker at home? Maybe not?! Who knows! One piece of advice I would give to a pregnant mama reading this is to get super familiar with different laboring positions in advance. Then, you can try each of them during labor to see which one relieves most of your "discomfort!")
Okay, back to my story! I decided changing positions needed to happen to get this baby out, and it needed to happen FAST! I went from sitting on the yoga ball with my hubby putting counter pressure on my back for an hour, then standing and swaying with counter pressure for an hour, and then hands and knees on the hospital bed with counter pressure for an hour, or so. Repeat, repeat, repeat! I even started to color in my adult Scripture coloring book, which really did distract me from the contractions. (Attempting to carefully “color in the lines” kept my mind distracted and busy. It also helped to color the encouraging verse, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!” Philippians 4:6)
As my husband was applying counter pressure I noticed my contractions strengthening and my exhaling getting higher pitched and “shriekier.” My midwife instructed me to moan and groan in low tones because that would release tension and aid in baby progressing downward. High moaning was a big “tension holder.” I incorporated low moaning into the release of my breathing, and it felt great! A bit later, I felt a strong urge to....(We're all adults here, right ladies? Haha)...I felt a strong urge to poop!! "Not now!!," I thought. I asked my midwife/nurse what I should do, and she laughed as she said, "That's not poop, that's the pressure from the baby's head!” They asked me if I felt like “my vagina was on fire,” or like I was gunna “poop a bowling ball,” but I didn't feel that way. My body was just involuntarily pushing. (Kind of gross analogy, but if you've ever thrown up, and you feel that uncontrollable urge while doing so, this is an accurate comparison!) Later they noticed my breathing and exhaling was getting way more intense. (I will admit it was getting intense, but I NEVER even thought of asking for an epidural. I just never made it an option-unless of course it was a serious medical need.)
Me and my icie! Still smiling, but clearly getting way more intense!
At times I forgot how to breathe and had to ask my husband, who by the way was AMAZING, to breathe with me!! This helped incredibly! We had never been so connected! The entire labor/delivery experience was such a beautiful example of team work, and he was by my side helping me through it all. We never took classes, I just researched a ton, read a book on the Bradley Method, and explained what I really needed of him. He was a natural!
With all my talk of pooping, they checked my cervix again, and just like that…"YUP, YOU'RE DILATED TO A TEN!," they said..."Let's get on the bed and have a baby!" THIS was the most shocking and least prepared moment for me of my entire labor and delivery! In that moment, I realized that I didn't do any research on pushing, or what to expect. (I successfully corrected this with my second unmedicated birth that you will read on Thursday, and it made the BIGGEST difference! I highly suggest researching “Fetal Ejection Reflex” to better prepare yourself for this moment.) I requested to push on my hands and knees, so they let me climb up onto the delivery chair to get into my desired position. My water bag was still in tact and so strong that each time I attempted to push, the bag of water kept preventing baby from coming. They requested I get on my back…MY LEAST DESIRED “PUSHING" POSITION (Gravity is working against you when you push on your back)…to break my bag itself, and allow baby to be able to pass! After they broke my bag, I ended up pushing on my back for an hour just to get baby’s full head of hair out! My husband's constant coaching was so adorable! (He basically parroted everything my two midwives were saying to me…That's hot!!) Even with my two midwives coaching me, all I could stare at was him...it felt like we were in our own world together! It was beautiful...I may have screamed "I cant!!" several times, but that's how they say you know you are getting close to the end! They were right! A few more pushes and BAM…there he was!!! Our little man, 6 lbs 12 oz, 21 inches long, born at 11:49pm on Friday. From start to finish, it was a total of 56ish hours of med-free labor...and it was SO worth it!
Now for the TMI details: I didn't tear externally at all! I had a mild abrasion inside and two two-stich tears near my labia. Pitocin is routinely offered to everyone after birth as a precaution to limit bleeding, and help deliver the placenta. They kept telling me my bleeding was shockingly minimal so I kindly denied the pitocin, and my placenta came out naturally! (I didn't even feel it!) They asked if I'd like an ibuprofen, but I had so much joy/adrenaline numbing the pain, that I declined. Maybe I was crazy, but I thought to myself,"I just labored for 56+ish hours, and pushed out a baby unmedicated…after all that, taking an ibuprofen doesn't feel necessary, haha!"
The aftermath of birth was magical! Baby and I did skin on skin for an hour and a half which was amazing! I was so thankful to have accomplished my goal of birthing med-free that it really kicked off my body into recovery. After giving birth, I was walking, using the bathroom, and showering independently. I preferred to sit on an inflatable donut ring due to my slight internal tear, but I still felt incredible! As long and difficult as labor was for me, it was no walk in the park for my husband either, and the whole process drew us even closer together! I thank God for His constant provision and comfort throughout my laboring as I felt closer to Him too! With my husband by my side, and our baby boy finally joining us, the pain was no more. There was nothing, but JOY!!
“I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born.” Isaiah 66:9
Pack your chapstick ladies!! Unmedicated childbirth is no joke, but this is proof it can end in smiles!
Thank you for allowing me to share my unmedicated birth story with you! It's a day I'd do over and over again for the sweet baby boy I got in return! Stay tuned for Thursday to hear my second unmedicated birth story! Let's just say it was completely DIFFERENT for multiple reasons, and just thinking about it makes me laugh out loud in disbelief! You seriously have to come back to hear that one! Was my unmedicatedweed birth story similar to yours?? Let me know! Have a beautiful Tuesday!
Cool, Calm, and Collectedly Yours,
