“When you change the way you view birth, the way you birth will change.” -Marie Mongan
“Just as a woman’s heart knows how and when to pump her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.” -Virginia DiOrio
Growing up, I knew one day I would be a mom. This is something I always wanted and showed interest in; I even envisioned having children early in life. I come from a decent sized family (one of five girls!) so I knew I wanted to have at least three or four children.
“You don’t have a high pain tolerance – you won’t be able to do it.”
“You have a small frame – you might need some help.”
“Why would you want to experience pain when you don’t have to?”
Those are just a few things people would tell me after mentioning that I planned to give birth to my daughter, naturally, at a local birthing center. Friends and family were unsure of my decision but something inside of me knew it was the right decision. See, I wanted a birth different than what you see portrayed on television. I wanted a relaxing, peaceful, and clean environment. I wanted to be comfortable and to have the freedom to do whatever my body needed me to do. I wanted to be surrounded by encouraging and thoughtful people. I wanted to know that those who surrounded me cared as much for the health of my baby as they did for my health. I didn’t know much about natural childbirth, but I intentionally made the decision to learn as much as I could.
I have since naturally birthed two full-term baby girls at my local birthing center. Below I share about those stories.
Now, let me preface our story by saying I fully respect everyone for their own birth story. I think it is important for each of us to share our stories so we can learn from one another.
With that said, the first time around, in preparation for the big day, I read some books and took some classes. I highly recommend the Bradley Birthing Method; this course provided both my husband and me with knowledge, practical advice, and hands-on learning. We left each session feeling as confident as we could and looked forward to the big event. It was the waiting and the unknown that made us a little nervous, yet, we trusted that everything would happen when it was meant to happen.
I took care of my body. I prepared my body for the most intense physical activity it would ever experience. I limited my sugar intake and eliminated caffeine. I ate mostly whole foods and drank lots of water. I took vitamins even when they made me gag. I went on walks daily and did many different types of stretches to get my body in shape. I did what I knew was best for our baby; that was all I could do.
Toward the end of our pregnancies, we didn’t rush things. We didn’t check for dilation at each appointment. We didn’t do things to induce early labor. It was a time where we knew we couldn’t be in control. We just let my body do what it needed to do.
We ended up laboring mostly at home where I was able to eat, walk, sit outside, shower, bounce on a birthing ball, and repeatedly warm a heating pad. FYI: Warm showers and birthing tubs are AMAZING while laboring. I couldn’t recommend them enough and would even consider them a MUST HAVE!
I trusted my body could complete the job it was meant to do. With the help of my wonderful midwife, I was able to successfully birth our beautiful baby girl. The thing that shocks most people is when I tell them she was born around 8:30pm and we were home climbing into our own comfortable bed by midnight. That was so nice.
The second time around.
The birth of our next daughter was very similar yet a little different. Leading up to her birth, she remained breach until the very last minute. I became nervous and concerned that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to have the birth I desperately wanted for her.
So, I prayed, visited my chiropractor, and completed many crazy exercises. I laid in an inner tube belly down and even did handstands in a pool just to convince my sweet baby to turn. She eventually did turn, and I was able to birth at the birthing center just like I planned! This time around, I wasn’t nervous at all about the unknown. I knew exactly what was coming. Instead, nerves kicked in as I approached the end.
I am extremely grateful for our experiences and for our beautiful girls. They are wonderful gifts from God and I am so thankful he chose them to be our little girls.
I wanted to share with you something that was important and valuable to me during this time. As with everything, I try to rely on the promises God has for you and me. Prior to both births, there were several Bible verses that I wrote out to refer to during those hard contractions. Words to remember. Words to live by. Below you can access a free printable. A gift for you to use during your own delivery. It is the perfect addition to your birthing bag no matter which type of birth you choose.
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