Jack's Birth Story

I know it's not Wednesday- but I wanted to get some more good birth stories out there- so here is an extra one!

This is a great hospital natural birth of a first child by a determined mom.  Next week we will have the birth of his sister!  I love how this story shows that a determined strong mother can have a natural hospital birth if she speaks up and sticks with it.


Enjoy!

I went to the doctor on Friday and at 40 wks, 2 days I was dialated to 3 cm, 50% effaced and -2 station.  The doctor stripped my membranes during the exam which wasn’t pleasant but not too painful either. 

At about 9:45 that evening I began having contractions that were 20 minutes apart.  I wasn’t too concerned because that had been happening to me all week.  I’d have an episode of regular contractions for a few hours and then they’d taper off.  Not thinking I was in labor, I went to bed and slept fitfully.

I couldn’t take being in bed any longer and got up about 3:45.  My contractions picked up to 10 minutes apart.  Jason was a bit skeptical when I told him I was in labor.  We got up and did some last minute preparations for the hospital, packed the car, showered, etc.  We called my mom (she’s training to become a doula) and I continued to labor at home.  Jason and I walked around the cul-de-sac and I did lots of swaying and “labor dancing” to alleviate my pain.  By 5:00 my contractions were 5 minutes apart. 

My mom arrived around 6 and we left for the hospital around 6:30.  Let me say that the drive was torture!  Having to sit still through the contractions was really difficult and made the pain much worse!  When we arrived at the hospital my BP was elevated in triage so they had me lay down which was no fun either.  When the nurse checked me at about 7:15 I was 4-5 cm, 90% effaced.

They got me settled into my LDR room and I continued to labor med free.  The rocking chair and warm compresses were my best friends!  A little tip… if you’re planning natural child birth then STAY OUT OF BED!  The pain was so much better when I was moving around.

The doctor (not mine as it was a Saturday and he wasn’t on call) came to check me at 9 and I was a “loose 5”.  He wanted to break my bag of waters but I convinced him to wait another hour.  He came in about 10:15 and I was now a 6, again wanted to break my water and I convinced him to wait one more hour to see how I progressed.  Well, as I was moving back to the rocker from the bed after being checked, my water broke on its own!  Yay!  About 20 minutes later I began to feel lots of pressure and had the nurse check me.  I was an 8!  20 minutes later, I was complete.  That transition business is no joke.  I went from 6 -10 in 40 minutes… fast and furious! 

I pushed through 4 contractions and Jack came right out!  I was given a small episiotomy as I was told I was tearing toward my urethra.  Other than that, everything went according to my wishes and the whole experience couldn’t have been better.  Jack was born a big 8 lbs, 14 oz, 19 ½ inches long.

Note:  I wrote this birth story before I was part of the “birthing community”.  Now that I look back on Jack’s birth I’m frustrated about how much I had to fight to have the birth I wanted.  Praise the Lord that I’m so bull-headed.  I don’t know that every woman could have the kind of birth I had in the facility in which I delivered.  It took a lot of saying “no”, over and over, and over again.  About a year after Jack was born I decided to become a doula and am so glad to have had my eyes opened!  -K

Natural Birth and Chiropractic

My husband is a Chiropractor, and recently has switched over to Upper Cervical Chiropractic.  I obviously, am a natural birth nut, teach Bradley, and basically try to convince people I am right!  Despite any disagreements in our marriage, one thing we agree on is the amazing ability of the body to do its job.

The Amazing Human Body

We were talking last night about real Chiropractic.  There are all kinds of chiropractors out there, practicing seemingly endless kinds of Chiropractic, from AK docs who hardly even adjust to the basic Diversified chiro.  Nathan, my hubby is probably on the other end of things, he only adjusts the first two bones in the spine, C1 and C2.  He genuinely believes that the body has an amazing ability to heal itself.  He just opens up the channel so that the body can fix itself, he doesn't really heal anything- just lets the body do it on its own.

Think about that for a minute- because it is very different from traditional medicine.  The body wants to be well.  It can heal a cut, a burn, a cold, a broken leg.  It can digest food, cool itself, and beat your heart all without being consciously told - it knows what to do.  Some Chiropractors call this the innate intelligence.  It is your body's inherent ability to do it's job without instruction from outside of it.  A real chiropractor just opens the channel, by adjusting the atlas and lets the body heal its own disease.  It is not just about pain- it is about healing and wellness.

Now think about traditional medicine and how it looks at the body.  Your blood pressure is high- take a pill to lower it.  That one doesn't work- thats cool- take another.  Feeling depressed- take a pill.  Bad knee- well-the body doesn't last forever- get surgery- we can fix it.  Backed up- take a laxative.  And around and around we go.

What is wrong with this outlook?  It comes down to looking at the human body like it is flawed.  It colors every aspect of traditional medicine and it makes for an outside in approach rather than an inside out approach.  Instead of letting the body that knows how to work, heal itself, we give it pills or surgery to fix its imperfections.


What Does This Have To Do With Childbirth?

Everything.  If your doctor or midwife thinks that the human body is flawed and needs help, if they think that your body and your birth are nothing more than an accident waiting to happen, it will change the way they view labor and birth.  It will change the way they treat you.  It will change your entire birth experience.

Do you think I'm kidding?  I heard of a doctor in Dallas, who refereed to a c-section as a "vaginal bypass".  He actually thought that the female body had a design flaw.  He was a friendly, funny guy, but he did mostly c-sections.

You need to know how your care provider looks at the female body and the beauty of birth.  If they think it is dangerous and you are not capable of doing it on your own most of the time, you have a problem.  It does not matter how nice they are.  It does not matter if they are funny.  What matters is if they actually believe that women are designed to birth babies.  They must believe that birth is inherently safe- with occasional emergencies.  They must view themselves as lifeguards in this beautiful dance rather than a savior in a white coat with a shining scalpel.  They must believe in birth and believe in you and your body.  Too bad chiropractors don't catch babies....
But there are all these great gals called home-birth midwives.

Guest Birth Story: Unassisted Home Birth After 2 C-sections

Our guest birth story this week is kind of exciting!  A friend of mine recently had an unassisted home birth after two c-sections and one hospital vaginal birth.  For info on unassisted birth you can click here.  Basically, some women choose to birth without an attendant, midwife or doctor so that they can experience birth with just themselves and their family without any outside fear or interventions.                                                                                                                                                                                            January is also an outspoken advocate for vaccine education, intact baby boys, upper cervical Chiropractic, and attachment parenting.  She blogs weekly on her husband Brandon's FAMOUS Upper Cervical Chiropractic blog The Atlas of Life  and you can read about her entire unassisted pregnancy journey on her personal blog here  She is also currently studying to be a Chiropractor, a longtime dream of hers.

Good luck to you January!  I am sure her passion will take her far.  Here is her amazing story:

  Everyone has been asking for our birth story. I was so excited that I was going to write it all out and post it right away. Every time I opened up a fresh, “add new post” page, I became frozen. When the baby was a few days old, Brandon and I were watching a movie that was kind of emotional. When it ended I began to cry and some feelings came out (this happens a lot post partum!).

I realized that my birth was so special and sacred this time that I can’t just post it, details and all, on a blog for the whole world to read. It was too intimate for that. If you haven’t had a natural childbirth, you may or may not understand. I didn’t before this birth. And I even had a VBA2C last time, but it wasn’t intimate and natural!

So, I apologize if this is a let down. I am going to share how the birth went, but the details and beauty of it I am keeping to myself. If I know you and begin talking to you and feel comfortable sharing details with you, then I will, but not like this…on the internet!

Here is an overview. It still seems like I am sharing a lot, but there was so much more!

My labor was 20 hours long, beginning Tuesday morning at 9 am after nursing my 20 month old. This is very short for me in comparison to my last 2 labors. It was perfect actually. I labored on my own all day. Brandon took care of the kids. I did whatever felt natural. I layed down a lot and rested, ate, went potty, etc. The contractions were about 5 minutes apart all day.

I just relaxed like I had practiced with all the prodromal labor I had for weeks previous. I visualized and practiced positive self talk (to myself.) It was amazing to just give over and relax. My labor was NOT painful at all. It could have been. I really learned with this birth that it is mostly mental. It’s not about tolerating pain, it’s about giving over to the process of birth and having no fear!

Once all the kids were in bed and asleep (about 9 pm), I layed down with Brandon and we rested. I labored between my bedroom like that and in the kitchen leaning over our high counter. I received a text from my friend Tiana and saw it was around midnight. At this point things were picking up more. She was the only person I told I was in labor. A lot of people called me that day actually. I was on their radar! We didn’t want anyone to know we were in labor. Tiana just text me at the right time, I guess, and I felt better after texting with her.

All day I groaned and moaned through my contractions. I was getting a little more vocal and tired in the early hours of the morning. I started to question things. I realized I must be getting close to transition. This is when Brandon’s support really helped. He prayed for me a ton and talked to me and would help center me. This is also when I realizied that I had to COMPLETELY give over so I didn’t stall my labor like the last two times.

I finally got in the tub. After Brandon and I prayed and talked, I mentally went into myself. You know how you see or hear of women being SILENT, that was me!!! I just went into the contractions and after a few of these, my water broke in the tub. It was so cool.

I got out of the tub and was having a hard time relaxing. I was getting shaky and kinda questioning my sanity! LOL. On the flip side of that though, I also told myself that I was in transition. I knew what was going on. I continued to trust in birth, trust in God and trust myself. I believed in my body and knew everything was OK. The baby was moving all throughout my labor (she was high and working herself into a good position) and I never once felt I would need to transfer. What faith!

I got back in the tub and went back into myself. I got silent again. After a while, my feet starting getting numb, so I got on hands and knees and it was INTENSE. I got out of the tub and went potty. All of a sudden the contractions were super intense! I couldn’t continue being silent. I worked really hard to breathe through them, but I was pushing too! I couldn’t believe it because the baby had still been high.

Our 20 month old woke up and she and Brandon watched me as I breathed and pushed. There were only 6-7 contractions like this. After about 3, we felt and her head was in the birth canal. After about 2 more she was crowning and in one more contraction she slid out into Brandon’s waiting hands. I birthed her standing in a half squat. It was amazing. The details of this part are so emotional and beautiful. This was just a quick summary. For this blog though, I will share that we were ecstatic and of course in a “we did it!” excitement. She was purple and took a minute to pink up. She was just so quiet. It was extremely peaceful. Our 20 month old was yelling “BABY! BABY! BABY!” and loved it. Brandon announced she was a girl.

I birthed the placenta easily and we had to work a bit to get my bleeding down. This was the first time my body gave birth with NO INTERFERENCE! I continued to have faith and my body got the hang of it. After getting all cleaned up, Brandon, myself our 20 month old and baby bonded. No one to poke, prod and place fears on us. The older 2 children woke up a few hours after she was born and were so happy we were home. Our oldest cut the cord about 3 hours after the birth (we had promised her she could). Our son was ecstatic because he was right…she was a girl!

It has been an amazing experience, to say the least. Being in my own home with my
family and bonding with our new baby has been relaxing. No trauma, no outside interference. Just birth.

Induction: The Root of All Evil

The bible talks about the love of money being the root of all evil, but the more I learn about maternity care in the US, the more I think that in obstetrics, the root of all evil is actually labor induction.

How

Generally induction is started with the drugs pitocin or cytotec or some other kind of prostaglandin.  There are plenty of "natural" ways to induce too.  I always find it slightly riduclious for somebody devoted to the natural process to try to "naturally" induce themselves - but maybe I am a purist.

Anybody who has ever had both an induced labor and a naturally occuring one can tell you that a natural labor is generally much less painful, more comfortable, and easier to handle.

Why

There are seemingly countless reasons for a woman to be induced, big baby, small baby, toxemia, convenience (for her or her care provider) past due, and so on and so on.  It seems to me that a doctor who really wants to induce can find a "medical" reason if he wants too.

Sadly, all these add up to many inductions, probably far far more than are acutually necessary, more epidurals, more horriable birth stories, more c-sections, and more fear of birth.

And - if you manage to avoid the induction, good luck trying to avoid induction agents to "speed" up your labor.  They are so widely used that most hospitals today seem to see most every mom getting pitocin at some point in her labor.  If I never hear the phrase "I was handling my labor fine until they started the pit..." again it will be too soon.

 (When I interviewed nurses at the two closest hospitals to me in N Texas, they both had induction rates over 90% - and c-section rates 45% or higher- I think this is pretty accurate in many parts of the country but it varies everywhere I go.  ACOG claims that only about 20% of labors are induced which I find absolutely laughable.)

What Happens to You

Should you choose to be induced know this- even if you avoid pain medications your labor will no longer be natural.  In nature, labor starts when the baby is ready to be born, in an induction, it starts when your doctor says it does, probably on a Tuesday.

You will have continious fetal monitoring and all that goes along with it (restricted movement, ultrasound exposure, and people staring at your printout instead of you).

You will have an IV and all that goes along with that, namely, restriction of movement.

You will labor in the hospital if on pitocin, rather than in the comfort of your home.

You will be taking drugs into your system for which little or no research on their effect on the human fetus has been done.

Than Again.... Maybe Induction Isn't the Problem

When I started this I was thinking of how I really believe that induction is one of the great evils in obstetrics today.  So many of the horror stories that I hear about birth start with an induction or the introduction of a labor induction agent into a naturally occuring labor.

But when I think about, why are all these inductions REALLY happening?  Could it be because of money?  The money that can be saved when you know exactly how to staff a hospital because most of your labors occour between 9 and 5 Monday through Friday?  Could it have something to do with the fact that women who are induced almost NEED pain relief that costs 1000's of dollars for each one of them?  Could the encouragment that doctors get for induction have anything to do with the increase in c-sections they see after the induction (and the increased profits that go along with a c-section rather than a vaginal birth)?  Might hospitals be OK with induction rates because they know that they will have NICU's full of tiny babies that have difficulty breathing and need to stay longer, be given oxygen, tests and drugs to stay alive?

Maybe the Bible was right, the love of money is indeed the root of all evil, even in obstetrics.

Spiritual Birth

I recently had somebody ask me about the  "birth high."  I think they were interested because it sounds kind of fun to have this natural "high"- like it was some kind of harmless acid trip.  I did not know how to answer.  Yes- at the end of a natural birth, when the baby finally is here- there is a fantastic feeling, sometimes called a birth high or a birth orgasm.  It is so much more than this though.  Birth can be a spiritual experience. 

Maybe part of the reason I think this is because I am already religious.  But there is something magical about this experience.  At the moment of birth you are so close to the other side of this life and the next that the emotions are overwhelming.  Is this just hormones and endorphins?  I am sure that is part of it.  But I am convinced there is much much more. 

Birth is the act, the experience that brings a new life to meet us.  If you believe in God- then you must know that this is a moment so precious and sacred.  The first breath and the last breath on this earth are sacred and tender experiences. 

Why?

I am sure people wonder why I care so much about natural birth- and this is why.  I want to fully experience this moment.  I know that I will only have it a few times in my lifetime.  I know that it will require sacrifice and hard work, maybe even some discomfort or pain.  But I can not imagine missing it. 

I do not do it for the "birth orgasm"- I want to be able to feel that moment fully when I am so close to life and death that I can touch it all around me.  It would not be worth giving up some of the discomfort to miss this overpowering moment.  Believe me, I have understood why women get an epidural.  I feel my labors too!  I have understood why women get induced- I go overdue and I get uncomfortable and I have plans too!

But believe me when I say you don't want to deaden any of the sensations of birth if it means that you will miss even a tiny bit of this moment.  Birth is not just a physical passage, a way for that baby to get out of your body.  We don't just go natural because it is the best thing for the baby or because we want bragging rights.  I have my babies this way because birth is a spiritual experience beyond anything I could describe.  Allow yourself to experience it if you can.  It is worth it.  It is unforgettable.  And it is one of the most tragic things I can think of when a woman has this experience that can be spiritual defiled and turned into a horrible memory that she would rather forget.  The fact that so many women are denied this experience because of a system based on money and convenience and fear and liability makes me sick inside.  It makes me angry.  It makes me want to scream and change things and make them better. 

You can have this experience.  I believe that every woman is intended to have it if at all possible.  Thank goodness for technology when it is needed about 4% of the time.  Get rid of it when it is not. 

Our First Guest Birth Story!

I am excited to be sharing a birth story to day from a friend of mine from when my hubby was in Chiropractic college.
I love her story because it shows that a woman can have a natural birth even if she does not follow the textbook idea of laboring for 15 hours and pushing for two with her first baby.  It also shows how important the birth place we choose is and the support of a good care provider who will go the distance with you.
Enjoy!
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A Marathon Birth
Most of Tuesday  was spent going through the early stages of labor consisting of contractions every 5 to 10 minutes.

Around 8 PM we finally decided with our midwife, D, to come to the birthing center. Once we got there we found out I was only dilated to a 2 1/2. The midwife sent us home to hopefully get some rest through the night.

After being home for a few hours, my contractions started to intensify; so we made the 25 minute drive back to the birthing center. At around 12:30 AM we discovered that I was dilated to a 3. We were somewhat discouraged with the lack of progress.

We spent the night at the birthing center. I spent most of that time laboring in a tub. It was during this time that I understood why so many women decide to go the epidural route. I somehow made it to the morning with the help of my husband.

Around 7:30 AM, D let us know that I actually made progress and was dilated to a 7. It was at that moment, I knew I could make it through the rest of labor. It was a relief to know I was progressing.

I continued through the day dancing to Bob Marley, taking a couple of relaxing showers, drinking lots of water, and moving through contractions.

Close to 3 PM I started the pushing phase.

Around 6 PM, our midwives, D and G, informed us that we may need to transfer to the hospital because I was not making much progress. Thankfully, mine and the baby's vitals were great so that was not a concern. While D worked on contacting her backup doctor, I worked on pushing.

A little after 7 PM, I had actually made enough progress that it would not be possible to transfer and D said we were staying!

 After pushing for 5 hours in almost every position possible our little baby emerged. D handed me our baby and Husband announced that we had a sweet boy.

At 8:15 PM, Baby Boy entered our world weighing 7 lbs 2 oz. and 21 in. long. As I held our boy in our arms, all I could say and think was "We did it!" Birth is truly a miraculous event. I felt so empowered by this marathon birth.

Collecting Birth Stories

Positive Birth Stories

I have been thinking a lot lately about the power of good birth stories. Every time a woman reads a positive uplifting birth story we create a little bit of change in the world. I don't know about you but as a stay at home mom I want to do something positive in the world every day. 

So- this is where you come in! Send me your positive birth story and I will try to post it. I don't care where you had your baby- just as long as the story is a positive one. We want to give women the confidence and power to birth in peace.

If you want me to link to your own website I will happily do it.

Looking forward to learning more about you and sharing your stories!

You can e-mail it to me at mamabirth09@yahoo.com

If I get enough stories coming in I will use Wednesday as birth story day.

Create the change you want to see!!!