Continuing the birth story series today with a guest post from a wonderful friend of mine - Elizabeth.
Birthing Without Intervention: My First Experience
I’ve always enjoyed hearing and reading about other people’s
birth stories, but before I had a baby I never really considered what mine
would be like. I certainly never expected to be a mom who did it without any
intervention. In fact, I distinctly remember screaming at my husband in the car
on the way to the hospital, “Get me an epidural THE SECOND we get there!” Things did not go exactly how I planned them
to, but now I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.
Giving birth to my first child changed the way I look at childbirth, and it gave me confidence I didn’t know I could have. I chose a wonderful midwife for my prenatal care and she taught me a great deal about my body and its ability to nourish and care for my unborn baby. As it got closer to my due date, I got nervous about the possibility of delivering her without any pain medication. I was delivering in a hospital, so I never expected to not be able to have an epidural.
My labor started suddenly in the middle of the night and from the beginning my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. We headed to the hospital quickly because it was 45 minutes away, but before we left my mom had my husband gather a few supplies in case I had to deliver en route. Things were intense, and I didn’t have time to think about anything other than what was happening to my body. I was entirely focused on trying to breathe and staying comfortable while my husband frantically drove. I later realized that I was going through the transition stage of labor in the car. No wonder I was so hysterical!
When we arrived at the hospital the nurse gave me good news and bad news. I was already dilated to 9 cm; and that meant I could not have an epidural! I was shocked and terrified, but the midwife cared for me by putting cool washcloths on my face and neck and keeping the room peaceful. She had such a calming presence, and it was no different even in the midst of a quickly-progressing labor. I was able to stay rather calm as it got closer to time to push. That time came very soon. My midwife gently urged me to give it my all. But once I could see the baby’s head crowning I wanted nothing more than to push her body out (There was a mirror at the end of the bed so I could see what was happening). I pushed for only 30 minutes, and my daughter was born after a mere four hours of labor. My labor was intense, but I was able to manage the pain and never felt out of control or helpless. I prefer to say that I delivered my baby, not the midwife. It was hard work and actually quite loud because of my yells! I’ve had two more babies in almost the same way.
The best part was the minutes after she was born. The midwife handed her to me and I just stared, examining her every part and overflowing with adoration for this tiny being who I already knew so well. She was wide awake and latched on to my breast easily, and we spent an hour together before the nurses took her to be weighed.
The first time I had a baby I didn’t choose to give birth naturally. It was chosen for me because my labor was so fast. But once I knew that I could do it and have a peaceful, calm experience, I was confident in my body’s ability to birth a baby without the interventions that are so common in American hospitals. I am not a better mom because of how I gave birth; no one is. I am passionate about encouraging women to seek the right prenatal and labor care for them. I love sharing about my experience with a midwife and no interventions during labor and why it worked for me. Some people mistakenly assume that I have a problem with moms who choose to use interventions, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I am grateful that there are measures available to help women in labor, and some of these interventions are necessary to save the life of the mother or the baby, or even to relieve the pain of labor when it becomes unbearable.
The most important aspect to any labor and delivery is a healthy mother and baby. However a woman and her doctor choose for that to happen is an individual choice. I am thankful that I was able to have my babies without any interventions.
And I secretly hope I get to do it again.
Elizabeth is an Oklahoma transplant who blogs about her life’s passions at Finding Him Bigger. A stay-at-home-mom to three kids ages 10, 6, and 1, Elizabeth loves the Lord and knows that He is bigger than any struggle or challenge in our lives. She is passionate about encouraging and equipping parents, especially young moms, and hopes to one day make use of a counseling degree by working as a parent educator. Her greatest passions of mothering are natural childbirth, breastfeeding, and attachment parenting practices.
darling newborn photo courtesy of Bethany L King
