Reading Mama Natural's Book, Staying Active, Drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea And Eating Dates Helped Violet Achieve Her First Home Birth

Video Interview With Violet

When did you realize you were really in labor?

I had contractions that felt like menstrual cramps on and off all day long, but I wasn’t sure if it was real labor. That evening around 9pm the contractions got very consistent and were beginning to get stronger, and when I timed them and saw that they were lasting 60 seconds each and were coming 10 minutes apart I knew labor was starting.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

Even as a teenager, I knew I wanted a completely natural childbirth when I had kids. Going natural fit my personality and priorities, so for me it was much easier than anything else would have been.

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

I read Mama Natural's book, listened to lots of positive home birth stories, ate healthy, stayed active, drank lots of red raspberry leaf tea and ate tons of dates the last 5 weeks. I think each of these things played a crucial role in my ability to give birth to a surprise breech baby at home with no interventions.

What surprised you about your birth?

I had such an easy pregnancy that I expected a complication-free delivery. However, after a long, hard labor that didn’t really make much sense to me, we discovered baby was breech. I had already been pushing for an hour and a half, and we were too far from a hospital for a transfer to be the right decision at that point.

Birth is a normal process our bodies were designed for, and, even if you face unexpected challenges, make up your mind beforehand that you can do this! Make sure you’re mentally and physically prepared for whatever your labor holds (even if you do end up needing an intervention), and trust God and the fact that you and your baby are “fearfully and wonderfully made” to go through this process together.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

Deep breathing and counter pressure got me through intense back labor much more easily than I thought was possible. While labor was the most intense and uncomfortable thing I have ever done, I coped with it so well that I never lost control, even in transition.

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

Holding my baby for the first time felt so unbelievable and amazing! It made everything so worth it 1000x over again.

What did you name your baby, and why?

We named her Esther Trinity because we believe that she will be a strong, courageous woman who is born “for such a time as this.” We chose her middle name to emphasize our Christian faith along with her first name.

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

Birth is a normal process our bodies were designed for, and, even if you face unexpected challenges, make up your mind beforehand that you can do this! Make sure you’re mentally and physically prepared for whatever your labor holds (even if you do end up needing an intervention), and trust God and the fact that you and your baby are “fearfully and wonderfully made” to go through this process together.