Eating Dates Helped Jill Achieve Her Fifth Home Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

I was 8 days past my due date and woke up to a strong contraction around 4:30 AM but was able to go back to sleep. When I got up around 7:00 AM, I had a lot of bloody show and started having pretty strong but irregular contractions. If I sat or laid down the contractions would stop until about 6:00 PM. Then they were coming around 5 minutes apart and getting stronger no matter what I was doing. At that point, I was like ok, this is really going to happen today.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

This was my fifth planned natural home birth. I don’t see it as challenging to go natural. That’s just the way it has always been for me.

What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?

I am a firm believer that eating dates do great things for labor and delivery! I read up on it early in my pregnancy and started eating them faithfully at 36 weeks. My baby weighed 11lbs. 1oz. , a full pound bigger than my previous biggest baby and this was the easiest labor and delivery I ever had. My midwife was shocked at how soft and stretchy my cervix was. And I only had to push 3 times.

What surprised you about your birth?

How fast I went from not knowing if I was actually going to have a baby that day too, holding her in my arms! I sat down on my couch around 7:30 PM and had a strong contraction that lasted 5 minutes! After that, I knew I should probably not move around too much without my midwife being there. My husband called her and told her she should probably hurry now as I was pretty sure it would be soon. My family all beat her here and we were all sitting around the living room talking and watching tv while I continued to contract about every 3 minutes. My midwife got to my house and I went into my room and she checked me and I was fully dilated and effaced. My water bag was still intact so she broke it and I had a baby with the next contraction at 9:54 PM.

Birth is something our bodies were made to do. Just go into it knowing that you can do it and tell yourself to relax and let your body do its job and before you know it, you are holding your new baby.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

I walked through some of the contractions but my best strategy is to just relax and let my body do what it’s supposed to. It eases the pain to loosen up and not fight against the contractions.

How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?

It was absolutely amazing! She is our 5th child but only our 2nd daughter. Our 10-year-old daughter had been praying for a sister for years so when she was born and the midwife said it’s a girl the whole room erupted in cheers!

What did you name your baby, and why?

We named her Evangeline Grace. I had heard a song while I was pregnant about a little girl named Evangeline and just fell in love with it.

What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?

Eat dates! And don’t worry about the pain or that you can’t handle it. Birth is something our bodies were made to do. Just go into it knowing that you can do it and tell yourself to relax and let your body do its job and before you know it, you are holding your new baby.