Sharing the real, unfiltered details of our sweet rainbow baby after two losses, Graham Nathaniel’s debut! My goal in sharing is to normalize the process of birth and inspire others to feel empowered during pregnancy and birth. There are many reasons people may wish to utilize alternative pain management techniques in birth. The big one for me is that I wanted to go through the physiological birth process. Remember that there is no right or wrong, good or bad in birth as long as the birthing person’s wishes are honored and respected.
Read moreHarper's Birth Story: Our Unmedicated Natural Hospital Birth
Our Unmedicated Natural Hospital Birth Story
All births are natural births. There is nothing more natural than a chid being brought into the world. It seems that is often lost by the label of “natural” commonly referring solely to unmedicated vaginal births, making many moms who are unable to have them disappointed to not have a “natural” experience. Before I dive into our unmedicated, natural birth- I want to share my experience with this leading up to the day Harper was born.
Our birth story started long before our trip to the hospital on the stormy evening of the Summer Solstice. It began when we discovered our baby was breeched at 37 weeks (read the full story here). This was the first junction when I realized our wish for an unmedicated birth may be out of our hands. It was difficult to wrap my head around an alternative birth plan, as baby was unlikely to flip at this point. After he shockingly flipped- against all odds, I again ran into a similar feeling when we went past our due date. My provider was pushing for a 41 week induction, which I knew would invite the cascade of interventions I was trying to avoid.
I realize that we were lucky to be able to arrive at a point where our birth plan could become a reality. I want to share my story to empower those who are curious if an unmedicated hospital birth is possible and what that looks like, as well as normalize sharing birth experiences! Yes, our birth was unmedicated, making it what is often referred to as “natural”, but I want to ac knowledge that all births are natural and beautiful, not just experiences like ours. Let’s all agree that a baby miraculously being born is the most natural thing in the world, regardless of the circumstances.
The 7 Phases of My Unmedicated Natural Birth
Birth is a process and no two experiences are the same. I am going to walk you through the 7 phases of my experience: Prodromal Labor, Early Labor, Active Home Labor, Active Hospital Labor, Pushing, Birth and After Birth. I have decided to spill it all in an effort to avoid a birth story that glosses over the details and only shares the highlights. My goal is to normalize birth by discussing the more taboo parts that are often left out of the day to day conversation (yes, I talk about my tear, bleeding and first pee). Would love to hear any questions you have or your own birth experiences in the comments below!
Phase 1: Prodromal Labor
On Tuesday of the week Harper was born I went to acupuncture and asked for all the induction points. Now past his due date, I was anxious for anything that could help me avoid being medically induced. That night, I finally started to feel something! I had never felt any Braxton Hicks (practice contractions) during the pregnancy so I wasn’t sure if this was them or a sign of labor. Wednesday morning I still felt some crampiness and painless contractions. I went to my weekly scheduled doctor appointment and she told me it was probably prodromal labor, which was a good sign, but could come and go for an unpredictable length of time. Since I declined vaginal checks, I didn’t really have any other indications like dilation, etc.
Phase 2: Early Labor
After having the prodromal labor end and feeing nothing all day Thursday and Friday morning, I was careful not to get my hopes up when things started back up Friday afternoon. My parents who had come into town for his due date, a friend and I were hanging out at my mother in law’s pool when the crampiness set back in. I was unable to sleep a wink the night before and the exhaustion and cramps had me ready to crawl into bed, so I asked my parents to drive me home. As soon as I walked in the house and tried to relax, I suspected that something real might be happening. I texted our doula who said I probably had a while to go based on what I described and how calm I was. She told me to do the miles circuit and try to get some rest. I took what would I figured would be my last at home shower for a while and ate a bowl of granola to try to keep my energy up. When I laid down to try do the miles circuit and listen to my hypnobirthng meditation things began to feel more intense, so I asked our doula to come over ASAP.
Phase 3: Active Home Labor
By the time our doula came over, I was having to make a conscious effort to ride out and breathe through contractions. For the next couple of hours she led me in doing different positions for sets of contractions (i.e. 10 contractions in a wall sit). I had practiced holding similar positions in yoga while pregnant, which really helped. When each contraction intensified she would massage my lower back, distracting my body from the discomfort. I also held a lavender satchet during most of the labor and would inhale it during contractions, helping me relax. The setting couldn’t have been more peaceful, with me, Andrew, Logan (our dog) and our doula in our bedroom/bathroom with the sound of the most intense thunderstorm I’ve ever heard happening outside!
We knew it was time for the hospital when I began to be really get “in the zone” and couldn’t help but grunt and moan my way through the contractions. Our doula had always described that turning point, but I had thought that I wouldn’t be someone who was loud during labor… I was wrong! Everything about it felt out of body, primal and uncontrollable. Andrew called the doctors office to tell them we were on our way (something we wouldn’t have known to do without our doula!) and we grabbed all of our things.
Phase 4: Active Hospital Labor
I was scared to move from the comfort of our dark, peaceful bedroom to the car and hospital after hearing stories of labor being stalled and the body going into “fight or flight” under bright lights and stressful circumstances. Thankfully I didn’t experience any of that. It’s a weird feeling when you arrive at the hospital because your whole world is so intense and moving so fast, but everyone else is just chilling. People in the waiting room were staring at me as I could barely squeak out my social security number in between being doubled over through contractions.
Next thing I knew I was back in the hospital room. After quickly checking my vitals and monitoring baby, I was given a saline lock, then able to move freely without any further fetal monitoring or IVs, etc. since I wasn’t getting an epidural. The doctor let us know that I was 6 cm dilated and 90% effaced with my “water” (aka amniotic sac) still intact. My birth plan was to do things with the least amount of interventions possible, but I went in with an open mind ready to intuitively navigate the situation as it unfolded. I appreciated not being offered any sort of medication, as I requested, but was glad that our doctor did offer the intervention of breaking my water. After consulting with both her and our doula, I decided it was a go. Feeling exhausted already, I wanted anything that would help with the fastest possible, unmedicated birth. I couldn’t feel her break my water, just felt a warm liquid- really not bad at all. I remember looking at the clock around this time and seeing it was 9:30.
At that point the doctor and nurse left us alone to labor peacefully, so it was just Andrew, our doula and I in a dimly lit room with essential oils diffusing- definitely a relaxing hospital setting. As someone who is always cold, I have literally never been so hot! Andrew and our doula immediately began feeding me ice chips and putting a cold washcloth on my neck. The hospital active labor was a more intense version of what we were doing at home. Our doula helped me get through sets of contractions in various locations/positions. We moved from a birth ball to wall sits to squats in the shower, where I proceeded to go from hot to freezing cold! The best way I can describe my labor experience is a really intense workout class while being on insane drugs and turning into a wild animal! With each contraction I took long deep breaths in and heard myself letting out loud moans that felt really similar to the release of an “ohm” in yoga. Letting out energy through moans and even shrieks and screams really helped me deal with the intensity and discomfort.
Phase 5: Pushing
I could feel things growing much more intense and changing, so I requested to be checked again. I was surprised how uncomfortable being checked is and was glad I hadn’t done it during my pregnancy visits. Finally at 8 cm dilated, I was starting to feel really ready to get this done and meet our baby! I kept saying, “something is coming!” and “is the baby coming yet?!”. I felt a distinct change from just having contractions to actually feeling the baby coming down and ready to be pushed out of my body. I was disappointed that he wasn’t crowning yet despite how it felt, so I had to be patient and stay strong mentally and physically. I remember looking at the clock, seeing it was 11:15 and wondering if he’d be born before midnight.
At that point things start to get a little more blurry! I can’t remember how much time passed but know that eventually I was in bed. I was exhausted from the night before and really beginning to run low on energy. The doctor had discovered while checking me that I had a cervical lip (part of my cervix that was a little unevenly stuck). They brought me a peanut ball to put between my legs and lay in a fetal position. Laying there and being still had me more focused on the pain, but I breathed through it for a few more contractions knowing that getting baby in a better position would help in the long run.
Eventually they encouraged me to move to a squatting position (in bed) - think malasana squat with a bar to hang onto. With zero energy left, I tried to hang on and breathe through it as long as I could but eventually had to surrender to my body and let myself lay back and do what felt more comfortable.
Phase 6: Birth
I had planned on not pushing and wanted to wait for the fetal ejection reflex (when your body involuntarily pushes the baby out). When the time came, my brain and body seemed no longer connected and I was simply an observer as I felt myself pushing out the baby. It look about 4-5 pushes, with the most difficult being the second to last push. He was almost out and they told me I just needed a few good last pushes. As my body pushed, I let out the most blood curdling shriek as my pelvic floor muscles tore open to let baby out.
Thankfully the natural oxytocin kicked in and I was able to get through one final push that brought our beautiful Harper Benjamin Earthside at 11:54PM. I have never felt and can’t even describe the full body relief that comes with birthing a baby. All of the intense pressure that had been building for months, the physical, emotional and spiritual build up was instantaneously released.
Phase 7: After Birth
The cord leading to him was literally glowing- I had never seen anything so cool. It was blue and shiny and looked like a Unicorn horn. I was in complete shock for a few minutes. There was a pause where I felt nothing and then everything was hazy and in slow motion. I don’t remember seeing him until he was on my chest and they announced, “it’s a boy!” (so glad we have a few video clips our doula took so I can remember this!).
They asked what his name was and though Harper Benjamin was the top of our list, we needed a few minutes to figure out if it felt right! Meanwhile, the post-baby process of birth began to unfold. Birth isn’t over after the baby comes out- the placenta still needs to be delivered. This came easily for me, which I know is not always the case. I don’t even remember noticing it happen. On the other hand, I clearly remember the doctor stitching up my second degree tear. Both the push that tore me and the stitching was by far the most uncomfortable part of the whole labor and birth- but nothing I couldn’t handle! I flinched and yelped as she realized that the local anesthetic she injected before stitching must not have taken care of the whole area- OUCH.
Though the birth was over, I had to stay in the labor and delivery room for 3 more hours because of some moderate bleeding. My labor and birth were unmedicated, however I gladly accepted a shot of pitocin to help stop the bleeding. I winced as the doctor and nurses pressed on my uterus to push out any clots. Fortunately, the nurse who came in next (coincidentally one of my amazing former students!) realized that if I probably had a full bladder, making it painful for them to push on my uterus. She was right (peeing wasn’t exactly on my mind during labor!) and took me to empty my bladder. Lets just say that acid + wounds + being completely unmedicated = not my favorite pee i’ve ever taken… but the uterus pressing became way more comfortable after.
Around this time, our doula helped me try to nurse Harper for the first time. This didn’t work out very well and I actually blacked it out- I only slightly recalled when she recently told me about this moment. She suggested I contact the lactation consultant I had met during pregnancy to have her come right away the next morning (another reason doulas are a must!). This experience and more on our breastfeeding challenges will be a future blog post!
Around 3 am, our nurse wheeled us to the recovery room where we quickly said hi to our parents who waited up to meet Harper. Next the nurses checked his vitals and discovered that his temperature had dropped. They wanted to put him under the heating lamps in the nursery, but I told them that I wanted to warm him via skin to skin. They advised that I try for a half hour, but if he wasn’t warm then he would need to go to the nursery (though they can’t actually say you “need” to do anything- it is always your choice!). Sure enough, he warmed right up on my chest, where he has basically been living for the past 8 weeks!
Our birth experience was everything I had hoped for, but nothing like I expected! I honestly wouldn’t change a thing and am grateful to feel that way. Have a question or want to share about your birth experience? Leave it in the comments below!
Read More…
How Our Breech Baby Flipped at 37 Weeks
How Our Breech Baby Flipped at 37 Weeks
But first, a little background…
I am still in shock to be sharing this blog post for two reasons. One being that we were told for weeks and weeks that baby was head down, until a 36 week ultrasound that revealed something quite different. Secondly, that I am able to share the outcome that at 37 weeks and 3 days our baby decided to flip. This happens spontaneously in such a small percentage of people (after 37 weeks) that I honestly can’t even find a statistic for it despite all my searching. When we discovered our baby had, I was dumbfounded and asked the doctors if they were joking… more on this later (or scroll to the bottom if you want to skip to our full story)!
There are endless options for what to do when you find out that you have a breech baby, so before I dive into our story, lets chat about some of the basic 411. All of the statistics* that I share in this blog post come from studies cited via Evidence Based Birth- which is my go to resource for the facts when it comes to pregnancy. First and foremost, what is a “breech baby?” Babies are typically and most easily/safely born head first since the head is the largest part of the body. When a baby is breech (only 3.9%* are at term), he or she is head up in the womb and has not turned into this optimal positioning for a vaginal birth. The implications are that most practitioners will not deliver a breech baby vaginally, resulting in parents having to choose between finding one who will attempt this or scheduling a C-section in the event that baby remains in this position. Of the 3.9%* babies that are breech at term, only 6.8%* end up being born vaginally (the other 93.2%* are born via C-section).
Thankfully our amazing OB is totally on board with our holistic approach to pregnancy and birth. She was supportive in us trying everything we believed could work to naturally help baby flip, then discussed the option of having a medical procedure that could flip the baby. Andrew and I decided to keep the news of baby being breech and decisions/plan that followed between us while we figured it out. This helped us minimize stress and do what felt right intuitively. I will detail ALL of the options we explored below and what I finally think worked for us!
All of the things…
When I say that we did “all of the things,” during that week (36 and a half to 37 and a half weeks) I really mean it! You guys know I love to explore my options and approach health situations holistically, so this is kind of my MO. That being said, I am not suggesting that this is what everyone should do. We are all different and it may stress someone out to try so many things, so if you are in this situation, find what feels right for you. My hope is that by hearing about these options, you can make your own informed decision. Also, please note that I am not a medical professional and you should always consult your care providers in making medical decisions.
Here is what my plan was comprised of (keep reading for my in depth experience of each!):
Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture/Moxibustion)
Chiropractic Care (The Webster Method)
Spinning Babies/Physical Exercise
Arvigo Therapy (Mayan Abdominal Massage)
Cranio Sacral Therapy
Hypnosis
Mental/Spiritual Healing
ECV (External Cephalic Version- hospital procedure)
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Traditional Chinese Medicine (Acupuncture/Moxibustion)
I went to receive acupuncture on the points associated with helping flip a breech baby twice during that week. I was lucky that this acupuncturist has a policy where he will charge a reduced rates so that moms can come as many times as they want while trying to flip a baby or induce birth (inquire about this and try to negotiate/find one who will if you are in this position!). He kept me there for about an hour and would come in periodically to stimulate the points on my feet.
He also gave me mugwort so that I could perform moxibustion twice a day. I had moxibustion done as a TCM fertility treatment around the same time we conceived, so I was excited and believed that it could help. This consisted of a twice daily ritual where I would have Andrew burn the mugwort stick at my pinky toe on each side until it hurt 6 times (the number was given to me my the acupuncturist based on baby’s energy). After each time, he would do acupressure by quickly squeezing the point before proceeding to the next round. I was so grateful for his open mind and willingness to do this. You can also try to do it to yourself, but its hard to reach your toes at this point in pregnancy!
Chiropractic Care (The Webster Method)
I had already been receiving weekly chiropractic care beginning in the third trimester, so I continued to go during this time. I suggest going to a chiropractor that is an expert at working with pregnant women and is familiar with the Webster Technique, which is used to help flip babies. When I went that day, my back probably cracked more than I’ve ever heard it! I also laid down with something called a peanut between my legs for 10 minutes which allows me to lay in the optimal hip alignment position. This visit is one of the two things that I think REALLY made a huge difference. The day I believe the baby flipped it was right after chiropractic care and during/after the next treatment that I discuss.
Arvigo Therapy (Maya Abdominal Massage)
This is another treatment that I had already been receiving every 1-2 months during pregnancy and highly recommend! It is an abdominal massage that helps align all the organs, including the uterus, to the optimal position. It is used not only during pregnancy, but also for fertility, digestion and more. I got this done twice that week. I believe that the baby moved into at least the transverse position (sideways instead of head up) during the massage, but may have flipped all the way. Everything was nice and loose after my chiropractic care that day and the massage really seems to gently encourage baby to keep swimming around in there until finally getting more comfortable! Things definitely felt different after. The practitioner (who has a background in midwifery) thought baby felt head down but I didn’t really believe it and still felt like maybe he/she was transverse- guess we’ll never know for sure!
Spinning Babies/Physical Exercise
Doing inversions is a great way to get baby up, away from being far down in the pelvis. I had already been doing 3 of the spinning babies exercises nightly (realistically 4ish nights/week) throughout the third trimester. This was a general best practice recommended by my doula. I continued these and did them more frequently that week in addition to doing more inversions both in the pool and via other inverted yoga poses! The day that I believe baby flipped, I started the day with a private yoga lesson where I did supported inversions using the wall and props for about an hour! I would suggest only doing yoga inversions with support and a spot during this point of pregnancy. I would also ONLY work with a yoga teacher or go to a yoga class with knowledge of prenatal yoga and how to flip babies because there are a lot of poses you want to AVOID as well.
CranioSacral Therapy
My usual acupuncturist incorporates CST during may regular treatments, but was out of town during this week! She suggested I go to another CST practitioner for a treatment, which was explained to me as a treatment that releases tiny tensions built up deep within the body. This is done through very gentle touch, so it is considered more of an energy type body work. The practitioner explained each part of my body that had tension and what it might be connected to. Interestingly, the area she felt as being the most tense was the same area that really seemed to crack a lot and open up the next day when I went to the chiropractor, so I believe that she may have started to work through something that then needed a little extra subsequent release.
Hypnosis
The one birth course I took during pregnancy is HypnoBirthing, which teaches you how to breathe and meditate through labor and birth using hypnosis techniques. This is not what may come to mind as someone who is unconscious with their eyes crossed! This type of hypnosis is one where you are in complete control but are using your mind to put your body into a completely relaxed and in touch state. I had read in the book that there was a particularly effective hypnosis treatment done on women with breech babies. I called the teacher to see if she could share the resource and to my surprise she offered to come over and personally guide me through it. I did this once that week, but also downloaded the HypnoBabies breech baby hypnosis which I did 2-3 times as well.
Mental/Spiritual Healing
Because I have no risk factors or physical causes associated with babies being breech, I came to the conclusion that there may be some metaphysical causes and mental/spiritual healing that needed to take place. This is part of the HypnoBirthing philiopsphy- that there may be a fear around birth that you are holding onto preventing baby from feeling like it is safe and time to come, thus not flipping yet. While this may seem “out there,” you can also view it from a more medical/physical perspective that if the body is in fear or “fight or flight mode,” it would not feel like it is safe to birth a baby and may not show physical signs of being ready.
So what did I do? As part of the HypnoBirthing Exercise we did a “fear release” where I discussed my fears, not around birthing, but around postpartum with my teacher. I then did a meditation in the hypnosis where I imaged them being drawn out and away from me. I also went to my regular therapy session that week where I do EMDR and did some around my postpartum fears as well. I will write a whole blog post about my experience with EMDR another time so just look it up if you’re curious for now.
The morning of the procedure I describe below, I created and took a “spiritual bath.” I went on a walk and collected plants that represented feminine, birth and softening/opening to me. I put them in a special bowl from my grandma filled with water and sprayed them with an essential oil/reiki blessed/herb spray that I have. I then splashed the water on my arms, face and belly. This served to get me relaxed and feeling confident, calm and okay with whatever unfolded.
Additionally, I journaled about it and wrote a letter to baby. The letter explained why it is important to turn and also gave baby my unconditional love and trust that if there is some reason he/she is head up and needs to remain that way it is okay and to disregard all of this. I think that is important to note because many babies are breech due to life-threatening circumstances so if your baby doesn’t flip before birth, trust that it is meant to be and okay.
ECV (External Cephalic Version- hospital procedure)
Okay now onto the practice with the most statistical evidence to support its effectiveness, but also the riskiest! This is the procedure that our doctor suggested we try and has a 33%* chance of working for first time moms with breech babies. Basically, two doctors grab the baby from the outside of your body and attempt to maneuver him/her into the head down position. The risks are that baby can become distressed, the placenta or cord could become detached and would call for an immediate emergency C-section.
This was where we had a big decision. After talking to our doula we realized that if we were to schedule a C-section, we could have a better chance of a “gentle cesarian” where we could be likely to have skin to skin, immediate nursing, etc. The ECV could work, but it could also cause us to have to have an emergency C-section which was something we had to face. I happened to have almost all of the factors that make you more likely for a successful Version (my amniotic fluid, size of baby and position of uterus), so we decided it seemed like our odds could be good and it was worth the risk. We scheduled it for a week after the ultrasound where we found out baby was breech, based on our doctor’s recommendation.
Our Story….
We discovered in our first ultrasound that the umbilical cord was to the side of the placenta, so our doctor wanted to monitor baby with more ultrasounds than usual. She was comfortable with us basically doing one more than usual towards the end of our pregnancy to make sure everything was okay before birth. We went for that ultrasound at 36 weeks, 2 days and baby was healthy…. however the ultrasound tech had some other news. What everyone had told me felt like the “bony butt” was actually the head! Our baby was breech… something I had heard a lot about from my pregnancy books, podcasts, etc. Because of having this knowledge, I knew exactly what that meant and also what our options were.
Our doctor is very factual and to the point, yet open and non-judgmental. She presented us with numbers about breech babies, what she usually recommends and details about the ECV- then told us to take our time making a decision. I already knew that I definitely wanted to attempt at ECV. Andrew was on board and we left the office with one scheduled in the hospital for the following week.
Immediately after, I proceeded to do all of the things that I detailed above until the procedure was scheduled. The odds of spontaneous flip at this point were low, but I felt it was worth trying everything even just to know I had done everything I could. Sometimes I think that can be enough of a benefit in and of itself with alternative treatments…. it can help with peace of mind, which should never be underestimated when it comes to full mind/body/spirit wellness.
As I mentioned, I felt like baby was in a different position beginning the afternoon before we were scheduled to go to the hospital. If anything, I thought he/she was transverse, but kept trying to visualize a head down baby and the picture I had conjured during my hypnosis session of the doctor saying- “baby is head down, you can go home now! see you when you go into labor!” In my vision, we would leave and go to lunch at one of our favorite cafes, looking forward to a later, spontaneous vaginal birth.
I also continued to be realistic, which helped the anxious side of me cope. We had our back up birth plan with our doula and my hospital bags packed (though we left them at home out of superstition!). We got to the hospital at 10 and checked into labor and delivery. Around 10:30 they brought me back and hooked me up to an IV, monitors to listen to baby’s heartbeat, my pulse, monitor for contractions, etc. As much as I hate IVs, I was happy to have one because I felt super dehydrated from not being able to eat or drink even water since the night before. The nurse said that based on where the heartbeat was coming from, baby was still head up. I was disappointed, but still really hopefully that the procedure would work.
An anesthesiologist was also present and came to speak to me about getting an epidural. I knew my doctor did not plan to use one for this procedure and told him that I would wait for my doctor to arrive. I also tried to keep an open mind and shift my perspective since I had never imagined getting one, but would have needed one if it turned into a C-section.
Our doula arrived at 11 and was a breath of fresh air in that tiny, silent hospital room. She distracted us by chatting about light topics like when we met and got married and massaged my feet with essential oils. I had already misted the room with a reiki healing herbal spray, and had my crystals and dried lavender next to my pillow. Let’s just say I wasn’t surprised when she told me she was shocked by how calm my pulse was on the monitor!
Finally, 2 hours after waiting hooked up to everything and trying to remain calm, my doctor, another physician and 2 nurses rushed into the room, running late from a previous surgery and ready to get started! It was a whirlwind to say the least and reminded me why it is important to practice breathing/remaining calm. They had the uterus numbing drugs ready to inject into me literally inches from my abdomen when they quickly checked baby’s position on an ultrasound to see where to begin the procedure. I felt the device on my pubic bone and head them say “there’s the head,” but couldn’t believe what was happening. How could that be the head? The nurse just said baby was still head up! “Are you sure?? “I asked! “Are you joking? “I couldn’t imagine doctors would joke about something like that but was in shock.
Sure enough, they were serious and my vision slowly came true. As fast as they rushed in, they pulled everything off me and rushed out, telling me they would see me when my water breaks in a few weeks. I felt the most intense rush of emotions and could barely move. I quickly dressed and we left and went to that cafe I had pictured us going to in my vision. As we walked in the door, I asked Andrew to pull of my hospital bracelets, the only physical evidence I now had that this dream like situation was actual reality.