Taking Mama Natural Birthing Class, Listening To Home Birth Podcast And Staying Healthy Helped Annie Achieve Home Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

My water broke first in the afternoon on Monday at 4:30. I hadn’t had a contraction yet at that point. I thought I peed!! I called my midwife and she confirmed that it was indeed my water that broke. I didn’t have my first contraction until about 9:00 that night. They were really mild. I was able to sleep through them and I got a really good night sleep that night. I woke up the next morning on Tuesday with still pretty mild contractions. My midwife came to check on me about 10:30 AM even though my contractions were mild but my water had already ruptured. The baby was sunny side up and I started to have terrible back labor. My midwife had me do the “Miles Circuit”, which is a series of exercises. Starting with my chest on the floor and hips up and open wide on my knees to get the baby out of my pelvis. I did that for about 45 minutes several different times. Then after each time I did some left side lying and then some walking. It was tough! But the baby turned to the anterior position and my back labor went away! My labor got harder after that. It was about 5:00 PM by then. Contractions were much stronger and closer together. I knew I was in active labor by then.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

Trying to convince other people why I wanted a natural birth. My sisters and mom all had natural births before me. My mom had all five of her kids at home, so I knew I always wanted a natural home birth. It was not hard for me to decide for myself. But telling other people I wanted a natural birth (not even a home birth, we kept that to ourselves) made them think I was crazy for not taking advantage of modern Medicine that hospitals can provide to take birthing pain away. I knew I had my reasons but it was hard for me to explain to others what they were that made sense to them.

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

Taking the Mama natural birthing class and reading Genevieve‘s book! It was so helpful! I knew what to expect and I had tools to help me through each contraction. I knew I could do it. I don’t think I ever said “I can’t do this” because the class made me believe I could. And I did! Staying active and strong and eating healthy helped me prepare too. I was able to bounce back and recover quickly after birth. I also listened to a home birth podcast called “Doing It at Home” podcast. It shared tons of birth stories that helped me prepare. I highly recommend!

What surprised you about your birth?

That I didn’t have a water birth. We had bought everything and prepared so much for a water birth. But once my active labor started going, it sped up pretty fast. My transition seemed like a blink of an eye, I don't even really remember it. I was in my room and was ready to push sooner than expected. I asked my midwife if It was time to get in the tub. She told me “your already ready to push!”, I didn’t believe her at first! I was thinking I was still in transition and believing I had a premature urge to push. There wasn’t even enough time to get the tub filled up. I had the baby in my bed.

So much! I did not know much about birth before the class. I felt so confident and ready and excited after the class. My husband also felt more confident. I recommend the class to everybody I know that is pregnant or wanting to get pregnant.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

Breathing deeply through each contraction (using my low moaning voice). I would close my eyes and just meditate and focus on my breath. I told myself that the contraction was going to be over soon and I would get a break. My midwife told me to take each breath at a time, not each contraction. That seemed to make each one go by faster. Amazingly, I had a total of 24-hour labor from start to finish but to me, it went by really fast. I was very focused. Also, affirmations and telling myself I can do this and the pain is temporary!

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

So amazing!! I couldn’t believe that I was holding the baby that was with me and inside of me all that time I was pregnant! Hearing her cry was so exhilarating and emotional! I had heard so many stories about this moment, but experiencing it for myself was like nothing else I had ever experienced in my life! I get emotional every time I think about that special moment.

What did you name your baby, and why?

Charlotte Anne. We have always loved that name because it’s classic and timeless. And Anne because my first name is Annie so I wanted her to have a little piece of my name because she is a little piece of me!

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

So much! I did not know much about birth before the class. I felt so confident and ready and excited after the class. My husband also felt more confident. I recommend the class to everybody I know that is pregnant or wanting to get pregnant. My husband does too. The class helped him prepare to experience me in pain. He has never seen me in that much pain so without that knowledge and expectation, he would have panicked. I believe it is necessary for everybody to have before giving birth!