My Labor Story:
During my pregnancy, I started out a little nervous about labor, but determined to have a natural labor, circumstances permitting. My mom had had a C-section forced on her after 24 hours of natural labor and then 2 subsequent C-sections. My sister had had two vaginal deliveries using epidurals. My friend recommended a doula, to help me through labor. I liked the idea of having someone with me through the process, especially since I was using a doctor vs a midwife for delivery. (There are limited resources where I live)
My doula recommended the Birthing as Nature Intended, or “BANI” book. This was very helpful for preparation. As we got closer to my due date, I found myself feeling more an excited about labor instead of nervous. I practiced the techniques found in the BANI book (relaxation breathing, visualization, thinking of laboring with bowel movements, etc.) and had my husband read bits of the BANI book so we were on the same page.
My labor went how I had hoped and mentally prepared for. The evening before it began, my husband and I had a relaxing date at our favorite restaurant. We had been busy that day trying to naturally induce labor various ways and ended the day with a foot massage including pressure points Amanda had given us.
I woke from sleep with a stronger than normal tightening at 1:40 in the morning. I was used to having to get up at least once per night to empty my bladder and had experienced “stonger than normal” tightening a couple of times in the previous week. But this time, I noticed what was likely my mucous plug and thought, “maybe this is it.” With the advice to try and sleep off early labor, I returned to bed and breathed through my next few contractions. As I cuddled with my snoring husband and kept gripping his hand, he woke up and asked if I was in labor. It was now 2:10- we continued to lay there and he timed them- 7-10 min apart. After my husband helped me visualize fun scenes through a couple contractions (where I actually argued what the scene had in it--dolphins in Pemba, Mozambique from our vacation), I decided lying in bed and timing things put too much focus on the contractions and it was time for my husband to draw a bath. I immediately noticed relief simply by standing up and rocking through the next couple surges. Once the bath was ready, I settled in and immediately felt tension release. We enjoyed the intimate time washing up, occasionally timing the contractions (now 4-7 min apart) and talking. We were trying to decide when to ask Amanda to come and also my mom, who had wanted to help with labor. We decided when we were finished with the bath so we didn’t feel pressured or rushed. I gave her a heads up via text and gave my mom a heads up via text, though I noticed it is fairly difficult to effectively communicate through labor when your concentration is fixed on relaxing during and between contractions.
After the bath, I moved to my birthing (exercise)ball and rocked through contractions. It was now after 4 am- Amanda said she’d be to our house around 5:10 ish. We moved to our living room and I asked my husband to set up the Tens unit Amanda had given us. The contractions were moving closer together, some 3 min apart, but still some 7 min and some in between. I hugged my husband, swayed, and breathed through them. At this point, he was becoming nervous, wanting to water the house plants, brush the dog, etc. We had things mostly ready for going to the hospital, so I told him to please stay with me and calm down. At this point, I couldn’t wait for Amanda to get there. She arrived around 5:30, things were getting more intense and I was having a little trouble relaxing through things at this point. I was having waves of nausea with the contractions, which seemed worse to me than the contractions. I probably should have given up and vomited at one point, but didn’t with the help of peppermint oil Amanda placed on a washcloth for me to sniff. I remember wanting to stay hydrated. She pointed out that I was tensing up and brought me through the practiced exercise of releasing tension in my muscles from my face down. It was helpful to have her talk me through that as my husband fussed (watered the house plants, etc.). Things got stronger and Amanda began working on pressure points and the hip squeeze for relief. My husband returned to help and I hugged him as he stabilized me on the birthing ball as I rocked through contractions. We did that quite a while- I don’t know how his knees handled it. Amanda was behind me squeezing my hips (and took over timing contractions with her phone- now closer to 3 min apart) and my husband was in front, holding me.
My mom arrived at some point in this process and was surprised to see how close together things were coming. She helped squeeze my hips and offer support as my husband still went about fussing over the house now and then. I hated the idea of moving/changing positions at this point, but had to empty my bladder. I noticed lots of blood over the next couple times I went to the bathroom. I was also starting to get “double surges” more and more often. I was really wondering about going to the hospital at this point, but didn’t look forward to the car ride and check in process. I just wanted to rock and sway through things. Of course, I didn’t communicate this as I was intensely focused on trying to relax my muscles. It was a blessing from God that through some of these double contractions, I could feel the baby moving had having the hiccups, so I knew he or she was doing okay. Amanda tried some sifting and hip/belly support using the Rizoto?, which felt good at first, but then began to irritate things.
One more trip to the bathroom, more pure-looking blood this time, and I thought I perhaps felt the urge to push. It was definitely time to get to the hospital as we weren’t planning on a home birth. I told my husband the number to the hospital to activate the OB department and my doctor who was on call that weekend.
Another gift from God was a beautiful sunny morning- I remember squatting and grabbing a log in our driveway before climbing in the car for our trip to the hospital. My mom hugged me as we drove there (about a 20 min drive)- I gave in and just relaxed as each contraction came, almost falling asleep as the sun greeted me on the beautiful drive. Once there, I lead my labor party to the OB dept with my mom still holding me and walked through a couple more contractions, partially running into the wall on the way back to OB. (I used to work there, so knew the halls well)
We officially arrived at 8:36 am. I leaned on the bed as Amanda worked to get the tub ready at the hospital and they got the fetal heart rate, my vitals, etc. as I tried to get into position for them to check my dilation. I felt another urge to push before I got onto the bed for them to check me. I remember feeling relieved when Amanda said it was okay to make noise. To this point, everyone was telling me to relax and Amanda had told me not to fight the contractions with my response of “I’m trying.”It was bit of release to make noise.
When the nurse checked me, I was 9 cm dilated. Everyone was surprised except me since I had noticed urges to push, but wasn’t completely sure that’s what they were. They told me to try not to push, so I got in the hands and knees position, hugging pillows I had brought from home on the bed and tried to relax as they put and IV in my arm (after I told the nurse which vein I preferred). Then the pushing started. I remember making a bit of noise, but almost enjoying the release with each push and took sips of fluid between urges. I knew the baby was getting closer and could feel him or her coming down the birth canal with each push. By then the doctor was there, less than thrilled about my choice of position, but I knew her well enough to know she would work with it. She called it “birthing a baby upside down.”
After only 24 minutes of pushing a gush of fluid (the baby’s head must’ve been engaged enough I never knew when my water broke), out came my beautiful little girl- Ruth Ann!
I remember the announcement “It’s a girl!”- and thought- are they sure? Most people in my husband’s family seem to have boys. I remember holding her crying wet body in my arms and trying to breastfeed for the first time, unfortunately unsuccessfully. I was in a bit of discomfort as they mashed on my stomach to birth the placenta and gave me pitocin to stop bleeding. I kept thinking a contraction was coming, but then remembering that it was just the pitocin. My visitors and the nurses whisked away my baby. I remember them saying- oh look, she’s opening her eyes! And thinking- get her back here so I can try nursing again!
My biggest regret was too much activity going on in the room after birth for me to successfully nurse her before she slept the deep after-birth sleep that newborns have.
It was about 10 pm before I finally got to nurse her after several attempts throughout the day.
I appreciated an after-birth visit by Amanda about a week later to see how things were going and support breastfeeding. She let me borrow “The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book,” which became useful in weeks to follow.
Follow up-
My daughter is now 9 months old and still breastfeeding strong. She’s a healthy, energetic girl. I continue to seek support from friends and the La Leche League as feeding challenges come and go. I’m so thankful with all the support I have had preparing for and raising my girl, starting with Amanda.
Personal Testimony/Summary:
Amanda was an invaluable doula in my birthing process. She provided preparation materials from BANI and home visits, helping me to feel prepared. During labor, she was there for me and kept my husband, mom, and I calm and focused through the labor and birth of my first child. I loved her hip squeeze technique and use of the Tens unit. With her assistance, I was able to have a positive, natural, healthy labor, which is exactly what I had always imagined. I hope to have her as my doula again and definitely recommend her!
During my pregnancy, I started out a little nervous about labor, but determined to have a natural labor, circumstances permitting. My mom had had a C-section forced on her after 24 hours of natural labor and then 2 subsequent C-sections. My sister had had two vaginal deliveries using epidurals. My friend recommended a doula, to help me through labor. I liked the idea of having someone with me through the process, especially since I was using a doctor vs a midwife for delivery. (There are limited resources where I live)
My doula recommended the Birthing as Nature Intended, or “BANI” book. This was very helpful for preparation. As we got closer to my due date, I found myself feeling more an excited about labor instead of nervous. I practiced the techniques found in the BANI book (relaxation breathing, visualization, thinking of laboring with bowel movements, etc.) and had my husband read bits of the BANI book so we were on the same page.
My labor went how I had hoped and mentally prepared for. The evening before it began, my husband and I had a relaxing date at our favorite restaurant. We had been busy that day trying to naturally induce labor various ways and ended the day with a foot massage including pressure points Amanda had given us.
I woke from sleep with a stronger than normal tightening at 1:40 in the morning. I was used to having to get up at least once per night to empty my bladder and had experienced “stonger than normal” tightening a couple of times in the previous week. But this time, I noticed what was likely my mucous plug and thought, “maybe this is it.” With the advice to try and sleep off early labor, I returned to bed and breathed through my next few contractions. As I cuddled with my snoring husband and kept gripping his hand, he woke up and asked if I was in labor. It was now 2:10- we continued to lay there and he timed them- 7-10 min apart. After my husband helped me visualize fun scenes through a couple contractions (where I actually argued what the scene had in it--dolphins in Pemba, Mozambique from our vacation), I decided lying in bed and timing things put too much focus on the contractions and it was time for my husband to draw a bath. I immediately noticed relief simply by standing up and rocking through the next couple surges. Once the bath was ready, I settled in and immediately felt tension release. We enjoyed the intimate time washing up, occasionally timing the contractions (now 4-7 min apart) and talking. We were trying to decide when to ask Amanda to come and also my mom, who had wanted to help with labor. We decided when we were finished with the bath so we didn’t feel pressured or rushed. I gave her a heads up via text and gave my mom a heads up via text, though I noticed it is fairly difficult to effectively communicate through labor when your concentration is fixed on relaxing during and between contractions.
After the bath, I moved to my birthing (exercise)ball and rocked through contractions. It was now after 4 am- Amanda said she’d be to our house around 5:10 ish. We moved to our living room and I asked my husband to set up the Tens unit Amanda had given us. The contractions were moving closer together, some 3 min apart, but still some 7 min and some in between. I hugged my husband, swayed, and breathed through them. At this point, he was becoming nervous, wanting to water the house plants, brush the dog, etc. We had things mostly ready for going to the hospital, so I told him to please stay with me and calm down. At this point, I couldn’t wait for Amanda to get there. She arrived around 5:30, things were getting more intense and I was having a little trouble relaxing through things at this point. I was having waves of nausea with the contractions, which seemed worse to me than the contractions. I probably should have given up and vomited at one point, but didn’t with the help of peppermint oil Amanda placed on a washcloth for me to sniff. I remember wanting to stay hydrated. She pointed out that I was tensing up and brought me through the practiced exercise of releasing tension in my muscles from my face down. It was helpful to have her talk me through that as my husband fussed (watered the house plants, etc.). Things got stronger and Amanda began working on pressure points and the hip squeeze for relief. My husband returned to help and I hugged him as he stabilized me on the birthing ball as I rocked through contractions. We did that quite a while- I don’t know how his knees handled it. Amanda was behind me squeezing my hips (and took over timing contractions with her phone- now closer to 3 min apart) and my husband was in front, holding me.
My mom arrived at some point in this process and was surprised to see how close together things were coming. She helped squeeze my hips and offer support as my husband still went about fussing over the house now and then. I hated the idea of moving/changing positions at this point, but had to empty my bladder. I noticed lots of blood over the next couple times I went to the bathroom. I was also starting to get “double surges” more and more often. I was really wondering about going to the hospital at this point, but didn’t look forward to the car ride and check in process. I just wanted to rock and sway through things. Of course, I didn’t communicate this as I was intensely focused on trying to relax my muscles. It was a blessing from God that through some of these double contractions, I could feel the baby moving had having the hiccups, so I knew he or she was doing okay. Amanda tried some sifting and hip/belly support using the Rizoto?, which felt good at first, but then began to irritate things.
One more trip to the bathroom, more pure-looking blood this time, and I thought I perhaps felt the urge to push. It was definitely time to get to the hospital as we weren’t planning on a home birth. I told my husband the number to the hospital to activate the OB department and my doctor who was on call that weekend.
Another gift from God was a beautiful sunny morning- I remember squatting and grabbing a log in our driveway before climbing in the car for our trip to the hospital. My mom hugged me as we drove there (about a 20 min drive)- I gave in and just relaxed as each contraction came, almost falling asleep as the sun greeted me on the beautiful drive. Once there, I lead my labor party to the OB dept with my mom still holding me and walked through a couple more contractions, partially running into the wall on the way back to OB. (I used to work there, so knew the halls well)
We officially arrived at 8:36 am. I leaned on the bed as Amanda worked to get the tub ready at the hospital and they got the fetal heart rate, my vitals, etc. as I tried to get into position for them to check my dilation. I felt another urge to push before I got onto the bed for them to check me. I remember feeling relieved when Amanda said it was okay to make noise. To this point, everyone was telling me to relax and Amanda had told me not to fight the contractions with my response of “I’m trying.”It was bit of release to make noise.
When the nurse checked me, I was 9 cm dilated. Everyone was surprised except me since I had noticed urges to push, but wasn’t completely sure that’s what they were. They told me to try not to push, so I got in the hands and knees position, hugging pillows I had brought from home on the bed and tried to relax as they put and IV in my arm (after I told the nurse which vein I preferred). Then the pushing started. I remember making a bit of noise, but almost enjoying the release with each push and took sips of fluid between urges. I knew the baby was getting closer and could feel him or her coming down the birth canal with each push. By then the doctor was there, less than thrilled about my choice of position, but I knew her well enough to know she would work with it. She called it “birthing a baby upside down.”
After only 24 minutes of pushing a gush of fluid (the baby’s head must’ve been engaged enough I never knew when my water broke), out came my beautiful little girl- Ruth Ann!
I remember the announcement “It’s a girl!”- and thought- are they sure? Most people in my husband’s family seem to have boys. I remember holding her crying wet body in my arms and trying to breastfeed for the first time, unfortunately unsuccessfully. I was in a bit of discomfort as they mashed on my stomach to birth the placenta and gave me pitocin to stop bleeding. I kept thinking a contraction was coming, but then remembering that it was just the pitocin. My visitors and the nurses whisked away my baby. I remember them saying- oh look, she’s opening her eyes! And thinking- get her back here so I can try nursing again!
My biggest regret was too much activity going on in the room after birth for me to successfully nurse her before she slept the deep after-birth sleep that newborns have.
It was about 10 pm before I finally got to nurse her after several attempts throughout the day.
I appreciated an after-birth visit by Amanda about a week later to see how things were going and support breastfeeding. She let me borrow “The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book,” which became useful in weeks to follow.
Follow up-
My daughter is now 9 months old and still breastfeeding strong. She’s a healthy, energetic girl. I continue to seek support from friends and the La Leche League as feeding challenges come and go. I’m so thankful with all the support I have had preparing for and raising my girl, starting with Amanda.
Personal Testimony/Summary:
Amanda was an invaluable doula in my birthing process. She provided preparation materials from BANI and home visits, helping me to feel prepared. During labor, she was there for me and kept my husband, mom, and I calm and focused through the labor and birth of my first child. I loved her hip squeeze technique and use of the Tens unit. With her assistance, I was able to have a positive, natural, healthy labor, which is exactly what I had always imagined. I hope to have her as my doula again and definitely recommend her!