Positive Birth Stories
Women can overcome the fear surrounding labor and birth by hearing or reading Positive Birth Stories. I have asked a number of my Bradley Method® and Prenatal Yoga students to write their experiences down to share with other couples. Most of these stories on my blog http://prenatalyoga.wordpress.com are stories of natural birth. A couple of them are not, but these mothers were able to turn their baby's birth into an empowering experience and bring their babies into the world in the best, safest, and gentlest way possible.
"Women need to hear positive birth stories. Sadly, women who have positive, transformative, challenging but amazing births usually don't tell their stories. They may think it's not normal, or may not want to make other women feel inferior. Women need to share their birth stories, both positive and difficult, and when they're difficult, we should examine why and what could have changed. These stories have the power to transform how society looks at birth, to dispel the myths and relieve the fear." Debra Pascali-Bonaro
Noah Quinn’s Birth
We've been in absolute bliss with our little Noah! Holy cow what an experience our labor was!!! But all so, so worth it and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! Contractions began around 730pm Saturday night. They were tolerable enough to make us unsure of whether or not it was actually labor starting. We definitely ignored them as long as possible, even sleeping for a few hours. By midnight, I was pretty sure labor was starting- they were getting more regular and stronger. By 2am I woke Brendan up and we started comfort measures, including sitting on the ball, rocking, showering, and taking a bath. The bath felt wonderful!!! (All this while, I was having increasing bloody show.) Unfortunately, around 3am I started vomiting and lost everything I had in my stomach. The vomiting continued to increase and by about 430am it was really becoming a concern. I couldn¹t keep down even a few sips of water. It was >> making the contractions much worse and we became concerned about my being extremely dehydrated. For this reason only, we left for the hospital at 430am. When we got to the hospital, I was still only dilated to 3cm (I had been at 3cm since my last dr appt on Wednesday.) They wanted me to walk the floor to see if labor would progress. It wasn¹t long until they realized that the vomiting was more of an issue than the contractions, as I was unable to walk anywhere without vomiting!! At this point I was throwing up with each contraction. They gave me an anti-nausea med and an IV for fluids only. We labored this way for a while, and eventually the midwife came in to see us. We had been there for probably an hour when the midwife decided to try to talk us into an epidural. She went beyond just offering and made it clear that it was >> her opinion that my body was likely not able to handle the pain, responding by vomiting, and that without an epidural we were in for ³a very long, painful day². She went on to explain that I was having back labor and that I was going to suffer very much. It was much more than an offer- she was actually pressuring us to opt for an epidural!! We declined- and Brendan and my mother stepped in- asking the nurse if the midwife had had a chance to read our birth plan. Both my mother and Brendan told them that the birth plan specifically states that no meds are to be offered and we expected this to be followed. On the nurse¹s next visit into the room, she rudely asked us why we hadn¹t gone to a birthing center instead!!! (UNBELIEVABLE!!!) The Heavens were on our side- it was nearing 7am and both the nurse¹s and the midwife¹s shifts were ending!! They were rather upset with us and after the confrontation regarding the birth plan, they never did come back in. The day shift came on duty and we were blessed with a very helpful nurse and wonderful midwife for the duration of our stay. Our midwife was supportive and convinced that we would just do whatever it would take to get the vomiting under control and we¹d be able to get thru the rest of the labor and birth as we had planned. She tried a few different meds, waiting patiently to see if each would work. It took hours and quite a few different meds, but we finally found >> one to be helpful and I was able to rest in between some of the contractions! We did allow them to start an IV for fluids because the dehydration was too much and I never was able to eat or drink during the labor as even a couple sips of water wouldn¹t stay down. The midwife was cooperative with capping the IV whenever I wanted the freedom to be away from the IV pole. She was also cooperative in the same way with the contraction and fetal heart monitors. They wanted me on them for 10-20 minutes per hour as long as everything looked fine. Even with all the vomiting, etc. they had no problem with me moving all about the room and doing as we pleased. They only asked me to get back into bed twice- both times were due to decelerations in the baby¹s heart rate, and they simply wanted me to get on my side and use oxygen for a few minutes to be sure that all was well. Brendan was amazing, never leaving my side. He and my mother constantly reminded me to rest, to relax, to breathe, and were >> constantly supportive and telling me how wonderful I was doing! Looking back on it, I am not sure who worked harder- me or them! >> Throughout the day, I labored, trying every different position we¹d learned about!! The midwife checked me every couple of hours. I progressed fairly well and was at 8cm by about 2pm. Transition started to kick in shortly after 2pm. The contractions were definitely more intense and felt as if they were one on top of another. I was stuck at 8cm for a few hoursŠ my water didn¹t break until probably 4pm, which was a relief when it finally did happen! Finally I was feeling the intense urge to pushŠ they checked me only to find out that I was ³almost there!² but that the lip of my cervix was stuck and the worst thing I could do right then would be to push! Again we used every single position possible during those couple hours of transition- and the nurse and midwife were bringing in every piece of equipment that had a chance at being helpful- the bar for the bed, a birthing chair, etc. I think at one point I was backwards in bed and climbing up the head of the bed! Lol. We used the candle blowing breathing techniques to avoid pushing, which was quite a feat because that urge was pretty strong!! This all went on for quite a while- until about 5pm, when the midwife helped move the cervical lip out and around the baby¹s head during a contraction so that we could start pushing! (She tried earlier, but it just wouldn¹t cooperate and stay back on its own.) We were lucky and pushing felt like a breeze after the full 15+ hours of labor! The midwife helped with perineal massage and telling me when to slow down and do gently pushes- she knew my fear of tearing. (I ended up with just a slight tear internally- just a stitch or two internally!) The pushing experience was actually exciting and only took about 30 minutes for our little Noah Quinn to make his debut! He was placed on my chest skin to skin immediately and was allowed to lay there indefinitely, until it was dad¹s turn to hold him. The placenta was delivered without pitocin, as we desired. It was an amazing, amazing experience! Thanks much to Liza for all we learnedŠ it gave us the ability to have the birth experience we desired! Jennifer, Brendan and Noah
Posted in Natural Birth Stories |
Ezra is born
What a wonderful blessing our little boy is! Ezra Grae was born on September 18 at 2:20am. 7lb 7oz, 19.5inches, and just under a 9 hour labor. Pre-labor So what an unpredictable birth story we have! On September 16th (our 10 year anniversary!) at around 8:00am, Tess' water broke. As I went in to work, I couldn't help the excitement that I had expecting our son's near arrival. However, Tess' body had other plans! That next morning, labor was still not with us, so we decided to start trying to induce naturally. We tried the tea, acupuncture, walking, stimulation, etc…, but no labor. So at around 2:00pm, we decided to call our provider and let them know the status. (hurry! The water broke. You have to come in!) Bad Doctor So we arrived at the hospital, and proceeded to be talked down to by our awful nurse and doctor ( Palomar Hospital, Kaiser). They immediately recommended Pitocin, and when we started to ask questions, they literally started making up things to worry about! I pressed them on the option of waiting (funny, they didn't bring that up without us asking), and they admitted that we could wait if we desired. So, after about an hour and a half of talking about it, Tess and I agreed to move forward on the Pitocin. Labor So, without going into a ton of details, once we started the labor, our Dr and nurse were replaced by the most wonderful people on earth. (Dr. Ching, Palomar, Kaiser, and Maggi our nurse) Couple of highlights: – Tess did wonderful and went unmedicated through posterior labor, and Pitocin! – The Bradley class, and the book Husband Coached Childbirth were life savers! – The back labor positions were perfect – Changing positions during hard labor was key – The emotional signposts were are guide, and they did not disappoint! – I got to catch the baby – Dr Ching allowed all of our birth plan (cord pulsating stop before cut, massage over episiotomy, baby to mother right after, etc…) Summary Tess and I both agree that we could not have done this without the Bradley class. I am so thankful that my skepticism about the whole idea of the Bradley method was totally unfounded
You are a wonderful teacher, and you helped make this experience so wonderful. We eagerly waited for this moment for the last 10 years, and this experience was everything we hoped for. Ben, Tess, Ezekiel, and Ezra
Posted in Natural Birth Stories |
Robin and Mike Baker’s Stories
Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000222 EndHTML:0000023182 StartFragment:0000002998 EndFragment:0000023146 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/LIZA/Documents/Microsoft%20User%20Data/Saved%20Attachments/My%20Bradley%20Boys.doc @font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }@font-face { font-family: "Segoe Print"; }@font-face { font-family: "DFKai-SB"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } My Bradley Boys By Robin Baker, the mommy My first birth experience was induced with pitocin, had a failed epidural, spinal headache, directive pushing, and continuous fetal monitoring as I lay in one position in the hospital bed. 8 years later I educated myself and found the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth. I knew I wanted a different experience than the first and this seemed like a great fit for my personality and drive to avoid induction and a cesarean section. My husband and I took the 12 week Bradley Method course and I also read other books pertaining to natural birth. We hired a doula, Rosie, and ended up using her for all 3 of our sons. Our first son, Jackson, was an answer to many prayers through shed tears. I had 2 miscarriages before his birth. It was very traumatic for us, and me personally since I had given my first son up for adoption. I thought, “what if I can’t ever have children? What if I gave my only son away and now can’t have any more?” I cried myself to sleep at night for months and months. My pregnancy with Jackson went well and I immersed myself in all things natural birth. My husband wasn’t convinced and went along with me with a slight attitude. I was 41 weeks 3 days when my labor started with spontaneous rupture of membranes at 1:30am. Contractions were 10 min apart for an hour and then 5 min apart. We were sure I was in labor at 3am and called the doula. Rosie arrived at 4am and the contractions were now 3 min apart, but I could still walk. I used the bath tub and shower mainly, and also hands and knees position during contractions as it relieved back pressure. Around 5 am I was barely getting 30 seconds break inbetween contractions and wondered, “is it time to go?” Rosie agreed and we started to slowly head out the door. I kept thinking of Jesus and saying His name over and over in my head to stay calm and peaceful. So far the labor had been very pleasant and calm. We arrived at the TriCity Hospital Emergency room at 6:20am. I sat in a wheelchair in the lobby waiting for an escort up to L&D and felt a lot of pressure in my bottom – the baby was definitely moving way down. The nurse in Triage was rude and made me feel panicked and irritated. She declared that I was “only a 4” and I should go walk around. I insisted that I was ready to give birth and I needed a room! They finally got me a room around 7am. I sat straight up in the bed wondering why my back felt like ‘the jaws of life’ were ripping my bones apart. Wasn’t it supposed to hurt in your stomach? I had lost my good, calm, pleasant laboring skills and started to complain. I was sure I was going to die and needed an epidural. Rosie started quoting scripture to me and I yelled at Mike that he needed to pray and talk to Jesus because I absolutely could not do this anymore. A little after 8am I needed to push and the doctor had not arrived yet. The anesthesiologist walked into the room and laughed, “I guess you don’t need me!” and walked right out. I pushed twice before the doctor came running in and I promptly told her that I did not want an episiotomy. This pushing stage was so much relief compared to the back pain I had for the last hour. I had about 2 minutes of rest in-between pushing contractions and it felt great! I was so happy I was having my baby and I did it drug free and without an induction! When the head came out the doctor was worried the shoulders were stuck so they made me turn my legs a certain way and had me push even though I didn’t have a contraction. Jackson Ray Baker was born at 8:30am after 7 hours of labor and just 30 minutes of pushing. We did it! We have a boy! He was a little blue and wasn’t crying so the nurses took him immediately and started suctioning his lungs. They cleaned him up and gave him to Mike about 20 minutes later. I’ve never seen my husband so happy and in love…with me and our new baby. He handed me the baby and as soon as I gave him quick glance (head, arms, body, feet, etc) I put him to my chest to breastfeed for the first time. I have never been so happy in my life. I praised God out loud and in my heart for giving me a perfect baby and a perfect drug-free labor. Our first Bradley boy was here, weighing a whopping 8 lbs 14 oz and measuring 21 inches tall. The doctor was amazed that such a small couple had such a hefty baby, and my perineum was intact. After this experience we told everyone that would listen about the Bradley Method. Now my husband was on board and a believer. It was a truly empowering, spiritual and wonderful experience. There were a few things I wasn’t happy with, mainly the Hospital itself, so we changed providers and hospitals. At this point I was confident I could birth at home or in a birth center, but our insurance didn’t cover it and my husband felt more comfortable going to the hospital. I was still nursing Jackson when we found out we were expecting our second son, Owen. When I was 3 months pregnant, Jackson weaned at age 14 months. This pregnancy was much different. I didn’t lay around and read pregnancy books all day, rather I could barely keep my eyes open while caring for a one year old. The boys would only be 20 months apart! I was very busy working part time and being a mommy, but was very excited to have a little brother for my son. At 40 weeks and 4 days, I had an appointment with my OB at 9am. I asked him to strip my membranes (in an effort to avoid induction) and I immediately started cramping. It lasted all day long and I tried to ignore it as I cared for my son. In the early evening it got more annoying and I told my husband that if it didn’t turn into labor I would never get stripped again because it was quite a nuisance. Early labor contractions started soon after I said that, around 5:30pm. We went along with our normal nightly routine of dinner and bedtime and I took a bath to see if the contractions would subside. They got longer, stronger and closer together so we called Rosie and let her know. We made childcare arrangements and kept laboring while taking care of Jackson. Around 8pm I had to concentrate through each one and this concerned my son a lot. He knew something was going on and wanted to stay very close to me. As I put him to sleep, Rosie arrived at 8:30pm. We laughed a lot while talking in between contractions and used the birth ball, massage, yoga poses, and the bathtub. For some reason I asked our doula, “how do I get the baby to come down?” She gave me some suggestions and we kept on having a good time laboring to music in the bedroom. At one point I thought to myself, “I better stop laughing or Rosie might think I’m not really in labor!” Around 10pm we decided to leave for the hospital, waters still intact, contractions 3-5 minutes apart. We arrived at Pomerado Hospital at 10:30pm and I was declared 5cm dilated. I got a hep lock and intermittent monitoring so I could labor in the big tub in my room. I felt the baby moving quite a bit and mentioned it to Rosie. It seemed like more movement in labor than I had experienced before. Intensity was picking up and I was moaning OOOOOOOOOwen. That was my birth chant, a low moan and little pleading for the baby to come. I started to feel like it was taking a long time (because my other births were rapid!) so the nurse did another exam and declared that I was indeed dilating more, but the baby was still high and needed to descend. I tried various positions and techniques around the room and then got in the shower. Around 1 am I started to feel pressure. I got excited and told the doctor I was ready to push the baby out! This is where my Bradley training really came in to play. The doctor’s exam revealed that I was completed dilated with a bulging bag of water, but that the baby was not only at a negative station, he was floating! WHAT? How is that possible? The doctor said it was very rare and that the safest thing to do was a C-section. I was having the urge to push but he said I could not push when the baby was not engaged in the pelvis. I’ve never heard such animalistic noises come out of someone before. I was tired and ready to birth and in a lot of pain trying to hold back pushing. In between each contraction I would weigh my options and discuss the risks and the benefits with the doctor. I wanted to make an informed decision about my care and the care of the baby, just like the Bradley class taught us. His concern was that the cord could prolapse if the water broke while the baby was not engaged, and I’d have to be put to sleep for an emergency c-section. He gave me 3 options: 1- c-section, 2 – epidural, break water and put in fetal scalp monitor, or 3-keep going on natural and see what happens, but remember not to push. After a grueling half hour of contemplating, I decided to get the epidural and break the water. I reasoned that if there was an emergency surgery to birth my baby I at least wanted to be awake for it. If I didn’t have the epidural, I would be asleep. However, there never actually was anything wrong. All fetal heart tones were perfect and I was fine. But he put the fear in me. My husband encouraged me to stay the natural course, but I was deathly afraid of missing the birth. The epidural was the worst part of the entire labor. The anesthesiologist was rude and wanted to be the hero instead of see me cry in defeat as I mourned the loss of my drug free birth. She dosed me for a c-section and I was numb from the chest down. It was very frightening as I felt I was suffocating, laying on my back, gasping for air. I wasn’t allowed to sit up until the meds were totally in effect. At 2 am the doctor broke my water and placed the internal monitor. Owen slipped right down into the canal at -2 station! Doc ordered the epidural turned OFF. Thank goodness. I was ridiculously numb and hated it. I pushed in my mind only because I couldn’t feel anything. I was shaking just like my first birth and my neck and eyes were straining something fierce. You just can’t use a numb body part so the strain goes elsewhere. Luckily the anesthesia only lasted about 30 minutes and my mind was clear enough to ask for the mirror. I got to watch as he descended and I tried to “catch” him but the cord was too short and wrapped around his belly. My husband had to cut the cord before they could lift Owen onto my chest, but I was so happy he came vaginally and my mind was lucid to make informed decisions. Owen Michael was born at 2:27am on April 3, 2007 after 9 hours of labor and 30 minutes of pushing over an intact perineum. I nursed Owen for 17 months and then 3 weeks later I was pregnant with Gavin. I was in great physical shape at the beginning of this pregnancy because I had taken up running the previous year. I continued to work out throughout the pregnancy and also did prenatal yoga during the last trimester. I visited my chiropractor very regularly, especially in the end. I reread our Bradley books and tried to mentally and physically prepare for a 3rd son. I had this feeling that although my labors had been getting longer each time, that this one would not. I was afraid of a precipitous labor, mainly due to childcare concerns. My Bradley instructor gave me instructions for emergency childbirth and I posted them on my bathroom wall. Just in case! My EDD was June 25th, 2009. So far all my babies came passed their EDD, and I figured this one would too. At 38 weeks 6 days I saw my OB. This time I did NOT ask for membrane stripping because I wanted to have some time off work without the baby. A few days later (Friday) I started cramping and having mild contractions. It woke me up in the middle of the night so I did laundry while timing them. At 4am I fell asleep on the couch, obviously not in labor. Saturday morning I went to my prenatal yoga class, took a nap, and then at 3pm noticed bloody show which continued every bowel movement. Frequent bowel movements had been happening all week. After speaking with my doula, we decided to go to our planned family BBQ and had a nice evening. Mild cramps and irregular contractions continued all day/night. I finally understood I was having prodromal labor. I spoke with my doula again that evening and we decided I should relax and take a bath. I took a Tylenol PM (at the OK by OB) and got better sleep than the night before, but woke every hour with cramps and to urinate. Sunday morning I woke up at 6am and started to cry out of frustration and exhaustion. It was father’s day! I sent my doula a text message telling her I was crying and fed up and she came over at 7:30am to comfort me. I was in the shower when she got there and told her I felt as if I was in transition, just without the pain and contractions. She said, “who knows, maybe you are!” I tried to feel my own cervix but felt nothing but mush. Everything was soft and squishy, so I figured I wasn’t able to reach the cervix. We had breakfast and gave my husband his Father’s Day gift at 8:30am. The contractions are not bad, not lasting long, infrequent, and not regular at this point. I am convinced we need to go on a serious walk to get this party started! Rosie used her doula wisdom and her rebozo to try and get the baby in a better position. The giggling felt great but the pain was still shooting right straight out in front of my belly instead of low down in the pelvis. It was annoying me and didn’t feel right. Rosie and I left to go for a 2.3 mile walk from 9am to 10:20am, while Mike stayed with the boys. It felt GREAT to walk and I didn't have to stop with contractions except to slow down a little. We had good conversation, water, a few pictures, and a nature pee in the forest. I used a technique my Bradley teacher taught us – walk along the side walk with one foot on curb and one on road, and then switch legs. By the end of walk I am very happy the pain is pointed down, it finally feels right and like it might be true labor, but I’m still not sure. At 10:30am Rosie prays in the car before we park, asking the Lord for real contractions, bring the baby quickly, even this afternoon! Literally 1 minute later I have my first REAL labor contraction! Yeah Jesus! I walk in the house and can not handle the kids there, so I call my sister and Mike leaves at 10:45am to meet her and drop them off. He said he'd be home in 1/2 hour. Rosie starts to time contractions because she can tell I'm working now by the sound of my moan. I get in the warm bath and “BEE breathe” through contractions and am still in good spirits. At 11:30am I tell Rosie that we need to leave now, and we might have to leave without Mike. It wasn’t very painful at all, I just had this feeling we had to get going quickly. I got out of the tub and blow dried my hair as my husband showed up. As we were getting ready to go I would stand and sway back and forth through contractions and started to feel pressure in my bottom. I’m very happy it's finally the real thing and send a text message telling everyone we are on our way to the hospital! The contractions are from 3 to 5 minutes apart, somewhat still irregular, and lasting about a minute or so long. Mike called the doctor at 11:50am to let him know we were on our way. We arrived at the Pomerado Hospital emergency room at 12:25pm. They can see I'm working and when I say I feel bottom pressure and that this is my 4th birth they hurry to get us upstairs to the birth floor very quickly. It is impossible for me to sit down in the wheelchair (doesn’t feel good!) so I opt to walk on my own. The contractions are very close now and I stop to sway each time. Rosie went through the fast food drive thru to get lunch for Mike and herself, so she is not with us yet. Around 12:30pm we arrive in my room and I go straight to the toilet to urinate. I have strong urge to bear down and a lot of bloody show, so I tell the nurse, "we need to hurry!" as I get stuck there. She helps me to the bed and does a vaginal exam but is not sure what she is feeling so asks another nurse to check. The second nurse says, “there is no cervix, that is just a bulging bag of water!” They are calm and sweet and hurry with antibiotics for GBS. I lay on my side, close my legs, and try not to push…2 contractions later, Rosie arrives and I announce that I'm complete and waiting for the antibiotics and the doctor. She praises Jesus and helps me blow through the urge to push. The Doctor arrives and calmly tells me to make it through 3 more contractions so the antibiotics can finish and then I can sit up. I joke and ask him if he was trying to make my husband deliver the baby. We all laugh and hear that the baby is perfect on heart monitor. The antibiotics finish and the doctor sits me up and breaks my water (it wasn't in my birth plan but it felt so good, I was glad he did it!). He checks me and says that the baby is still transverse and a little high so it might take a few pushes. He is very calm and doesn't put on his medical gown – he is wearing his golf shirt still. There was a break in the contractions and I got to rest for a few minutes. The nurse stepped out of the room and then a contraction came….and so does the baby! I was not expecting it so I didn’t even push with the contraction. I just let out a little toddler like cry, “owie owie owie!” and the baby is born. Everyone is stunned!!! Me especially. I had no idea you could birth a baby like that! I felt like I ripped in half because of the rapid birth, but luckily my perineum was intact. The Doctor says, “what a sweet delivery Robin. It's because you are healthy and very fit. Good job! What a nice Father’s day.” Gavin Edward was born at 12:57pm, 2 1/2 hours after first real contraction and one push. He weighed 7 lb 7 oz and was 20 inches long. I love birthing and all it entails. I am an empowered woman that wants to help teach others that they can have empowering and life fulfilling birth experiences. I believe in the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth and that doula care is essential to having a satisfying birth. I believe that my experiences and passion for women can help make a difference.
Posted in Natural Birth Stories |