Let's Keep It Moving!

I just stumbled (sort of) on this amazing web site with some great articles and resources!

Giving Birth With Confidence

Here are some particular articles that I like:

Why Choosing "Free Range" Labor May Make Birth Easier

Birth Day, Your Way

My Own Birth Story

Monday night around 7:45pm, I thought I felt my water leak a little. I didn't want to jump to any conclusions in case it really wasn't happening. However, every time I would stand up or move around a lot, I would feel a little more. Eventually, I was pretty much convinced that it was amniotic fluid that was leaking... so around 9pm we called labor and delivery and of course they wanted me to come in. I wasn't too convinced I wanted or needed to go in yet because I wasn't having contractions (that I could tell) and I didn't want to sit in a hospital for hours and hours and have them try to talk me into Pitocin. We stalled for awhile and eventually made it in a little after midnight. They hooked me up to the monitors (after verifying that my water was indeed leaking) and I was having steady contractions, but I couldn't feel them. We tried to sleep, but I was super excited for the baby to come and anxious... so I didn't sleep much. Then around 2 or 3am I started to be able to feel my contractions. We continued to try and sleep (Dan was somewhat successful)... I just listened to music and my relaxation CDs and just... relaxed (but I was really happy and excited).

Things started picking up in the morning (who knows what time, time didn't exist at this point)... and I started to feel it in my back... a lot. No more laying down for me! If I did, it was painful. So I was up and moving. So long as I was walking and moving... I felt no pain, but I did feel, i felt a lot (of intense, overtaking pressure) which I had expected... I didn't know how I would feel, but I knew it would be work, and it sure was.

Finally, they could tell I was working much harder and were asking if I felt like pushing, but I didn't. Soon they decided to check my progress (for the first time). I was nervous for them to check me... I was starting to get really tired and I could just hear them in my head saying "You're at a 4!". But, I was at an 8! Even though my water had slowly been leaking this entire time, they said I had a secondary bag still in tact. I had a different nurse at this point and she was great. In between contractions I was even laughing, it was all a blur... but I remember the nurse saying "I can't believe you are laughing while you are in transition!" But, I was super tired, especially since I had been walking for who knows how long on top of being in labor. There were times at this point that I was getting less relaxed and less in tune with my body. I really needed Dan to bring me back down, and he was so good at it. I would definitely have been in pain if he wasn't there helping me, he was AMAZING. Things were intense and I was tired of standing, but laying down hurt... so the nurse put the bed in full sit mode and I knelt facing the back of the bed. This was nice because I could rest against the bed. The next contraction I had in this position... my water burst everywhere. It felt soooo goooood, such a release and bringing more pressure with it, I could feel it getting closer. I was in the zone though, and I didn't want to move for them to change the bedding, so I labored in wetness for who knows how long while I kept saying "I'm so tired" over and over again... Eventually I wanted to push and so I stayed pushing in this position. Then, they brought in the squatting bar for me to use and I did that for some time. To my dismay, from this position, I was staring directly at the clock. It was 1:10pm. About an hour later, I was too tired to even hold myself up at the squatting bar and I had to lay down, luckily, this didn't hurt my back anymore, but with my legs up, I kept getting charlie horses in my hips. Dan and the nurse would massage them out... aewnd we would all move on. At one point I looked up and noticed how bored the nurse and the midwife looked. I wanted to tell them "sorry it's taking so long!!!" I was getting frustrated too, it was about 2:30 or so. With each contraction I would push my heart out and in between each contraction, he would slip back in. In my head, I was begging for him to not slip back in and praying I would get a bigger burst of energy to get him out further, "This next one will be the one!" I would tell myself... but it wouldn't be. At around 3:10 I asked if I get getting any further. I was so tired that in between contractions, I would fall asleep and not realize it until I would awake to the next urge to push. The midwife responded that she was going to wait 4-5 more contractions since he was a "happy little guy" (his heart rate was perfect and so were my O2 levels this whole time... being relaxed helps!) and then talk about an episiotomy... "or we could just do it right now".

I looked over at Dan, hopelessly exhausted, I nodded and told the nurse to go for it and I am so glad that I did. They ended up cutting me twice and then when his head came out, everyone was in shock with how large his head was. Then when his shoulders came out... I felt a rip and I tore even further (3rd degree, thank you very much). And finally at 3:44pm, Arlo was born, placed right on me. All the exhaustion melted away and I was filled with joy and happiness, overloaded. It was over and it all felt so good.

I promise you this, I would do it again this way in a heartbeat. Never once did I even think of wanting drugs or any sort of "pain" relief. Dan was so good and kept reminding me that with each surge, Arlo was closer to being in our arms. He would massage my back and arms, hug me and hold me, and it was so helpful. It was the most work I have ever done in my life, but certainly not the most painful thing I have ever done. I am so glad I chose this way to birth my baby.

Natural Birthing Video Interview

a natural birthing resource

i have not read this book yet, although i want to! my mom let me know about it and thought it'd be good to share, and i couldn't agree more!



buy the book on amazon

or request it from your local library

Lisa & Aiden

On Friday around 12:30 my water broke right before going off to bed. At first there was a bit of a panic. My husband reassured me, "We have time, lets listen to rainbow relaxation." I then soon calmed down a bit, listened to the CD and used the breathing techniques. I was amazed within seconds I became relaxed, happy, and ready for my baby. After taking our time packing we left about an hour later when surges were closer together and gaining intensity. We arrived at the hospital relaxed, smiling, joking around and ready to have the baby. We were greeted by our 2 doulas who had gone to the nurses station prior to arrival and handed out several copies of our birth plan, one for each attending nurse. I soon went into a deep relaxation, so deep that I was asleep for a total of about 8 hours of surges. Literally asleep. During surges I was in an REM sleep. I felt sensations, but I felt no fear. I wasn't completely aware of my surroundings because people who were there, later on asked me "did you even know I was there?" I was so relaxed and ready for this baby. My body then had urges to push, I controlled the urges for as long as I could. Then when I felt I wanted to push I did. My midwife delivering told me that she had never seen anyone push like I had. I would breathe down the baby, then stop and relax and just smile and use breathing techniques. I was actually smiling! The nurses were amazed, and stated "Is she smiling?" "I can't even tell when she is pushing." With a few more birth breaths our beautiful baby was born with only an hour of breathing down. I awoke from my trance, and was so happy to finally be holding my baby. This was my first child, and my midwife and every attending nurse were very surprised that I had only first degree tears, given the baby was 8 pounds 12 ounces and 22 inches long. And I before I was pregnant was a 105 pound ballerina. I received so many comments from nurses and my midwife. "You are a pioneer woman!" "That was amazing! I have never seen any first time mom or anyone give birth like that!" and lastly my midwife says "You were very in tune with your body, you knew when you wanted to push, when you needed to do things without promptings, and most amazingly you did this all through relaxing and listening to your body's needs." I just have to say that HypnoBirthing has changed my view on child birth. At first I was very skeptical about HypnoBirthing. Like yeah right this isn't going to work for me. I had always been afraid of hospitals, blood draws make me pass out, I thought to myself how will I have a baby!? But as soon as I took the classes and realized childbirth is something that is a happy, joyful experience, not something to be afraid of or something that "hurts". And as I let all my fears aside and listened to how my body wanted childbirth to be like I could only put child birth in the same category as something that is joyous. I was walking within hours of having my baby, eating steak and potatoes and smiling. I have to say that my baby could not be a calmer baby. I would have to say that that is in result to a non-traumatizing experience for him. No pain meds, no unnecessary testing, no early cord clamping, no vaccinations, no injections. And most importantly the bonding experience because I requested 24 hour rooming, for the baby to be placed immediately on my bear skin, and for any tests to be done in my arms. I can not express the amount of joy I have received from this experience. How much this has changed my life, how much I feel it has saved my baby and made childbirth joyous.

power

"There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it."
-Sheryl Feldman

Share Your Story

Uplift us with your positive birth story!

We would love to hear your story! Tell us about what you did during your pregnancy/birth which contributed to your positive birth experience (whether it be music, yoga, walking, visualization, mind set, etc… anything you felt helped is important and worth sharing). Let us know how the process went. Include anything else you might feel is appropriate.

send an email to: courtney@courtneybphoto.com

(feel free to include a picture of you and your baby and/or family)