Natural Birth Story of Skye

Welcome Baby Skye!

My husband and I have often noticed how women love to tell horror stories about labor and delivery. I could say unfortunately, but I'd rather say fortunately, I can't be one of those women because I had a perfect labor and delivery. Absolutely nothing went wrong.

When I first got pregnant, I decided I wanted to have natural childbirth and that I wanted to see a Certified Nurse Midwife. Both decisions were the best ones I ever could have made. After research and hearing stories from other mothers, I knew natural childbirth was the best way to go. Having a nurse midwife was also wonderful because I got to see a woman who was a total professional who also was an amazing coach while I gave birth and I got to have the baby in the hospital just in case anything did go wrong.

To begin more at the beginning, during the last few months of my pregnancy, we lived in a small, remote town that required a 1 1/2 hour drive to my midwife's office and the hospital where I was to deliver. Because the hospital was so far away, I didn't get to take any classes on childbirth, but I did educate myself. I read three books and found useful sites on the internet. One of the books was specifically about giving natural childbirth the Bradley way with tips for husbands on coaching and for helping with the pain. My husband and I read this together and practiced the excercises that were provided.

Because of the size of my baby, my due date had been moved back almost two weeks. However, my midwife didn't want to let me go too far past my current due date just to be safe. So the afternoon before my due date around 4:00 pm, my husband and I went in for an appointment. I think I was three centimeters dialated by then and had had some mild contractions that I hadn't even felt yet. I really did not want to be induced so my midwife stripped my membranes (which wasn't really that painful like I had read in books) then told us to go for a walk and go swimming back at the hotel we were staying at to try and get me into labor. It worked. We stayed at the hotel, my husband coaching me through the pains of labor, until my contractions were about three minutes apart. Around 3:00 in the morning, we went to the hospital with my mom who had driven down to meet us. I am so grateful for both my husband and my mom and the wonderful coaching and comfort they gave me. The nurses at the hospital were also so kind and helpful. About an hour later, my midwife showed up. One of the things I loved about having Dixie (my midwife) there, someone I had come to build a friendship and trust with, was that she was there with me coaching me and helping me through everything most of the time I was there. She only left the room twice for only a few minutes. Midwives are especially trained for natural childbirth and know how to help you. An example is that my back began to hurt a lot during labor and she had a great technique that my husband and mom helped with to relieve the pain.

When it was finally time to push, around 8:00 in the morning, she did an amazing job coaching me on how hard or how little I should push so I wouldn't tear much. It is true that doing this naturally was very painful, but it was totally worth it. After only a half hour of pushing, our beautiful daughter was born. She was 7 pounds 8 ounces and totally healthy. I ended up tearing only a little bit--enough for a single stitch. After having just gone through all the pain of natural childbirth, I couldn't even feel Dixie stitching me. And it totally and quickly healed without much pain.

I had completely natural childbirth with a midwife, not a doctor, helping me and it was the most perfect and amazing thing I have ever done. It was an amazing experience, a spiritual experience. I know not everyone will have the same experience as I did, but you shouldn't be afraid of natural childbirth or going to see a midwife. Some of the benefits include having a quicker time pushing. When you don't have something killing the pain, you can actually feel yourself pushing and so the baby comes out quicker. This is good because pushing is the most painful part of delivery. A lot of doctors do episiotomies, but I learned that it is actually more painful and takes a lot more time to heal than if you actually rip. I highly recommend having a midwife because you get to know them on a much more personal basis than a doctor, but they still remain professional. They become someone you can trust not only professionally, but also on a deeper level, like a friend you have known your whole life. They are trained to help you give birth naturally unlike a doctor who is trained with the mechanics, technicalities, and medicine of childbirth. I know in the end, it is a very personal choice. This is just my own birth story, my own experience, and my own beliefs. Giving birth should be a happy and wonderful ocassion and experience and everyone has to decide just what will give them that. For me, it was giving natural childbirth with the help of a CNM and my family.

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