Seeing A Chiropractor Helped Kelly During Her Car Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

I started having contractions at 7:00 am and we left the house headed to the hospital at 7:40. I still wasn't sure if I was in labor or not until about half way to the hospital as the contractions got more intense and were only about every 2 minutes apart.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

I had a very quick labor and ended up giving birth in the car on our way to the hospital. Even though it was my third child, I still had a second degree tear. It took a while to get everything situated when we finally got to the hospital and then for my doctor to come see me, so it was about 2 hours after giving birth by the time I got stitched up. It was very painful waiting those two hours and was hard to concentrate on my new baby.

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

I went to the chiropractor! My first two births were very long , but my third was only 1.5 hours! The only thing I did different with my third pregnancy was see a chiropractor, so I think the fact that my pelvis was well aligned was the reason for the super quick delivery.

What surprised you about your birth?

How fast it went. My labor was only 1.5 hours from my first consistent contractions to the time he came out. We didn't even make it to the hospital, my husband delivered him on the side of the road with my wide eyed toddlers watching from the back seat!

Since my husband and I were by ourselves, we were pretty scared, but after the baby started crying and we could see that everything was okay, we were so relieved and proud. We were just laughing about how fast and easy it was and that my husband was able to deliver the baby himself.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

A heating pad on my abdomen.

What position did you end up delivering in?

I gave birth in the passenger seat of our van, so I was half standing and holding myself up off the seat.

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

Since my husband and I were by ourselves, we were pretty scared, but after the baby started crying and we could see that everything was okay, we were so relieved and proud. We were just laughing about how fast and easy it was and that my husband was able to deliver the baby himself.

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

See a chiropractor, I think that was the biggest thing that helped me compared to my other two medicated births!