Reading Affirmations, Yoga Practice And Prenatal Chiropractic Care Helped Cordelia Achieve Her Natural Hospital Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

I was 41 weeks and 5 days pregnant and was beginning to become discouraged and anxious about the possibility of having an uninduced birth. I had spent the past 2 weeks trying to naturally induce using red raspberry leaf tea, dates, clary sage, sidestepping, long walks, massage, pineapple, sex, a yoga ball, spicy food, and just about anything I could think of to get the baby moving. That night, I had gone to the library, and decided to walk up and down the stairs over and over again in order to kickstart labor. Then, my partner spent some time massaging acupressure points on my feet and ankles. I had also made a soup with lots of oregano and basil. By 10 pm I was having contractions that were about 8 minutes apart. I immediately decided that we should go to bed - labor could last for days. Yet, by midnight I was still unable to sleep and we decided to get out of bed, light candles, diffuse lavender and create our home birth sanctuary. Baby was coming today.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

By going natural I could feel what I needed to do in order to move things along. However, it didn’t make it easier for me to actually do those things because they were often the most painful. Anytime I would go to pee, the squatting position caused labor to progress rapidly but the contractions were so intense that I had to force myself to do it, and override a great deal of pain.

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

I read affirmations, practiced yoga, and received regular prenatal chiropractic care. While I wasn’t able to read affirmations or practice yoga neither during labor, this allowed me to be present in the place that I was. The affirmations pushed down negative back talk and gave me a sense of determination and strength. The yoga helped me to intuit positions that would help me deal with the intensity of contractions. Chiropractic care put baby into a position that made naturally delivery easy, and I believe is the thing that prevented me from having any tears or needing to receive any stitches. Finally, having a close and intimate relationship with my midwife and doula prepared me for birth. Because I had gotten to know and trust them so well, I had faith in their faith in me. It pushed me to keep going when it seemed like the contractions would never stop.

What surprised you about your birth?

I intended to have a home birth. While I labored at home for about 17 out of the 20 hours of my labor, a series of surprises led me down a slightly different path. While in transition, my midwife checked me and found that I was 8 cm dilated. I was ecstatic. But at the same time, she was concerned because my temperature was teetering over 100 and the baby’s heart rate was high. Then something really surprising happened. My midwife was checking baby’s heart rate with a Doppler when my water broke all over the machine and the living room. The Doppler made a terrible fizzing sound and the water looked murky like it had meconium in it. The midwife looked at it more clearly and noticed that it was particulate. We decided to go to the hospital in case of a possible infection - and there I encountered more surprises, the first surprise is that I could handle a hospital transfer without running prey to the cascade of interventions that I feared. I arrived in triage and was fully dilated! I was surprised to find that my mom was about to arrive when she was initially planning to arrive after the baby was born. She got to my room just in time to aid with pushing and surrounded by a team of women determined to see me succeed I pushed out a baby without the aid of induction drugs or pain medicine. I was then greeted by a (literally) huge surprise - a beautiful, 9 lb 1 oz, baby girl.

It gave me knowledge of natural induction techniques that allowed me to carry my pregnancy until my baby decided to come, without the aid of medical induction drugs. It made me confident in my ability to successfully produce milk for my baby, in a sleep deprived and exhausted post-labor state.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

I found that massage, affirmations, changes in position, and verbal support was enough for me to power through labor.

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

It was as if all of the pain never happened.

What did you name your baby, and why?

Colette Aviva Eddy. Colette after the French lesbian writer made to write under her husband’s own name, and Aviva because she was born in spring.

How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?

It gave me the tools necessary to advocate for declining interventions after the birth including the Hepatitis B vaccine and Vitamin K. It instilled us with confidence and knowledge about how labor progresses and how to calmly labor at home through the ebbs and flows of natural labor. It gave me knowledge of natural induction techniques that allowed me to carry my pregnancy until my baby decided to come, without the aid of medical induction drugs. It made me confident in my ability to successfully produce milk for my baby, in a sleep deprived and exhausted post-labor state.