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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I got up out of bed with my first 'real' contraction. I knew with the strength of the contractions, these were different than the Braxton Hicks contractions that I had been having through my pregnancy. I remember the excitement of waking my husband to let him know we would be meeting our little girl soon! I went into labor one day shy of my 'due date'. I was scheduled to be at work the morning I went into labor. Thankfully, I have been blessed to be able to make my career working from home as a registered nurse case manager specializing in resources for patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. I remote-logged into work from home. I was able to set up my out of office email, email my supervisor to let her know I was in labor and set up my voicemail for my patients between contractions. I didn’t know how the pain of labor would be or how I would react to it. I remember pre-apologizing to my husband in advance for things I might say while experiencing pain, but I found that even in much pain, I didn't lose control of my words or lash out at anyone. I was surrounded by love and support and felt very thankful for this the entire time.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I think my biggest challenge was initially making the choice to change providers to help me achieve natural childbirth. This was something that I prayed long and hard about and with which I struggled. I have been a registered nurse in different settings including the hospital, and I knew I wanted to have natural childbirth with interventions ONLY when necessary. I felt like I would face challenges trying to achieve natural childbirth in the hospital setting. The hardest thing for me was making the decision to switch from the care of my obstetrician to a midwife in the middle of my pregnancy. I loved my obstetrician, but she was set on inducing labor at 40 weeks or prior. I knew with this being my first child, I would likely go into labor naturally a little past my due date (in reality the baby came one day prior to her due date). I have always been thankful for medical interventions when they are necessary, but I feel very strongly about not intervening if things are progressing normally. I think ‘going natural’ is the easiest way to give birth; although I have not experienced anything else to be a good judge of this. During my pregnancy, labor, and delivery, I trusted that birth is a natural process for which the body was miraculously designed, not something to fear, but a normal process that brings with it the blessing of children.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I read so many books to help me prepare. I had resources from nursing school including a Maternal-Newborn Nursing and Women's Health textbook that I referred to from time to time. I enjoyed reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, Natural Childbirth The Bradley Way, Week-By-Week Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth, What to Expect When You're Expecting, and the Bible to name a few. My husband and I attended a Christian natural childbirth class. I feel the most helpful thing that I did was to rely on Christ. I trusted that no matter the outcome, God's love, and grace are sufficient in all things. I surrounded myself by a supportive team of people including my husband, mom, and sister. My husband was with me the entire time. I don't know what I would have done without him by my side. He struggled with me through contractions supporting me through them and enduring them with me. He prayed with and for me throughout labor.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised by how fast everything went. My labor started at 3:45 AM in the morning, we made it to the birthing center a little after 7 AM, and our little girl was in my arms before 9 AM. We were all back home as a family before lunchtime on the day she was born. Our little girl was healthy and alert. When I placed her on my chest, she matched my breathing, which I thought was so remarkable. I had read about skin to skin contact and the importance of this in the regulation of respiration, but I had never witnessed it in action. If I took a long deep breath, she did the same. I was thankful to be able to place her on my chest and to know that immediately, she was already learning from me. Children are such a blessing and gift from God. God's love and grace have always abounded in our lives, but oh how love grows! In the trenches of life when we are vulnerable; these are the sweetest moments where love grows, where diamonds are formed, where gold is refined, where we truly, deeply rely on God and His provisions.
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Children are such a blessing and gift from God. God's love and grace have always abounded in our lives, but oh how love grows! In the trenches of life when we are vulnerable; these are the sweetest moments where love grows, where diamonds are formed, where gold is refined, where we truly, deeply rely on God and His provisions
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I surrounded myself with a supportive team of people. My husband was with me the entire time. He prayed with me and for me throughout the labor. When I arrived at the birthing center, I was already in transition. They placed me in a warm jetted tub, which helped me relax. My midwife also took the time to pray with me and my family during labor. I felt surrounded by love and support. This helped me get through each contraction. Not all pain in life is 'bad'. Sometimes the body has natural processes that are uncomfortable, even painful. I think it is a fallacy that we sometimes believe that pain indicates something is 'wrong' with the body and needs to be numbed. The pain of labor was something that I didn't want to numb. I wanted to feel it, work through it, and be present in the moment.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I was in disbelief that she was actually here and that we were finally meeting her in person for the first time! We had prayed for her, and she was truly an answer to our prayers. I was so relieved to hear her first cry! I felt so blessed that she was healthy. I was exhausted yet energized all at the same time. I felt so much love for her and my husband at that moment.
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What did you name your baby, and why?
We named our little girl Ellie. Ellie is of Hebrew origin and means 'God is my light' or 'God is my candle'. That is my prayer for our little girl - that God will always be her light.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Read as much as you can to make educated, informed decisions regarding the care of you and your precious baby. There are so many situations where medical intervention is necessary, and I thank God that it is available to us when needed. Know what you want out of childbirth, labor, and delivery, and make choices early on in pregnancy that will best allow it to play out, but be willing to change your path for the health of you and your baby. Even with my natural childbirth, I still had interventions like an episiotomy and I needed Pitocin after the baby was born to help my uterus contract due to postpartum hemorrhage. Every birth, every mama, and every baby is important. No matter how we welcome our babies into this world, each baby is a precious gift. Whether born in a hospital, birthing center, at home... with an obstetrician, midwife, unassisted... with medication, without medication, by surgical intervention or not... I had amazing natural childbirth and I attribute this to our gracious heavenly Father. I surrounded myself with a supportive, competent birth team. My advice to anyone wanting a natural childbirth experience is to trust in God and His provisions. His perfect, complete love casts out all fear. Surround yourself with people who are willing to pray with and for you. God answers prayer. I am proof of this.
