Labor ...

              This is Samuel’s birth story.  A good friend of mine from high school asked me to tell her about my natural childbirth experience, so I typed this up for her, but I will share it with all of you. This is the miracle of birth.

This is my own experience with, thoughts of and advice concerning natural childbirth:

                My first nugget of advice is to allow your body to go into labor naturally, whenever that may be.   In Dr. Robert Bradley’s book, Husband- Coached Childbirth, he has written a whole chapter about this very topic.  He gives a great analogy that I will share; he is relating the apples on an apple tree to babies and their “due dates”.  It is common for an apple tree to have a few apples ripen early, and a few ripen a little later, but the majority of the apples would ripen in-between these two points.  It is the same with babies some “ripen” early, some late and the majority around the 40^th week of pregnancy.  Your baby will come when they are “ripe” and ready whether that is 36 weeks gestation or 44.  On that note, I would encourage you to do some research about inductions; their pros and cons, and how they can affect you and your little baby.   (Look up “Inducing Labor” or “Induction of Labor” in Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth and Husband- Coached Childbirth or visit www.fda.gov.)

Me during a contraction.

                I was actually scheduled for an induction, but thankfully, I went into labor on my own.  (The reason I was scheduled for an induction: my Dr. was going on vacation on the weekend I was “due” to deliver.  And the only reason I agreed to be induced was because I was so done being pregnant.)  Around 10:30 AM my contractions were stronger than the usual Braxton Hicks I had been experiencing the weeks previous.  But I was still not expecting anything real to happen.  My Mom was up for the birth and we decided to go walking to see if we could encourage the contractions along – it worked!  By noon I was unable to walk or talk through contractions.  I had to stop wherever I was and breathe through them.  I can’t remember much of what I was feeling at this point, other than I still wasn’t sure if I was in labor or not.  It sounds pretty obvious, right?

                My second suggestion is to take a childbirth class.  Such as a Lamaze class (which I took for this birth), Bradley Method class (I have only read about this method, but I would LOVE to take a class), or any other childbirth class that you feel would fit you and your desires for your birthing experience.  I would suggest, if you want a natural childbirth, to take a class that is not offered through a hospital.  You can find an independent childbirth class or a nearby birthing center or midwife.  The Lamaze class that I took was offered through a hospital near my home, and they made natural childbirth sound near impossible and you have to be a super woman to do it.  As a woman, pregnant with my first child, having no idea what to expect during childbirth, that was NOT what I needed or wanted to hear.

                My husband, AJ and I, with help from my Mom, came the conclusion that I was in labor.  Because this was our first experience with labor, we decided at this point to go to the hospital.  (This was a good idea because my labors move FAST- we didn’t know that at the time though.)  Once we got through all the mandatory paper work that hospitals have, and insist that you fill out and sign WHILE you are in labor.  Right there in front of them!  Anyway, we signed everything and they took me back to a labor room.  I changed into that special outfit you get to wear while you are in hospitals, and they hooked me up to a bunch of unnecessary machines and an IV.  It was now around 1 o’clock in the afternoon.  I had only been in the bed for about 5 minutes when my water broke.  I think that this was the point when it finally dawned on me that I was truly in labor- my baby was coming and they weren’t going to send us home.  When I came into the hospital I was dilated to a 3 and 90% effaced.

Me resting after a contraction and feeling uncomfortable on my back.

               So, my thoughts up until this point:  In the beginning my contractions just felt like Braxton Hicks, so I didn’t think much of them because I had been having Braxton Hicks for a while.  When my contractions did get harder and closer together, I felt like they required my full attention.  I remember no pain and that, I believe, was because I was composed and unafraid.  Remember, I was oblivious to the fact that I was even in labor.  My first memory of feeling any pain, I was in the hospital, on my back.

(See the second part of the story HERE.)