Lucille’s Birth Story: Unmedicated and Uncensored

6/14/2018 9 Comments

Lucille’s Birth Story: Unmedicated and Uncensored

Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is about making mothers- strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength.
-Barbara Katz Rothman

I knew as soon as I was pregnant with Lucille that I wanted to document and share my birth story, no matter how it would turn out to be. I wanted to remember the day that my body brought another living being into this world. As a woman, I feel incredibly powerful and grateful to be able to create, grow and birth a tiny living human. As someone who went through infertility treatments for about a year and a half, there is not one part of pregnancy or of the birthing process that I regret. All of the tears, stress, aches and pains were welcomed because I knew the outcome would be something unbelievably beautiful.

As soon as I returned home from the hospital after giving birth I immediately started recording down everything that I had remembered from Lucille's birthday. My husband, sister, and doula were able to fill in the gaps and approximate times that events took place as well. I was able to gather very specific details (some very comical, some not so comical) to really tell Lucille's entry into this world as it should be told, uncensored. My mission of sharing my story is not to scare or frighten anyone about the unmedicated birthing process, but rather to bring awareness that women are POWERFUL! Our bodies are capable and strong and we should always trust our instincts.

My birth story is organized by The Holistic Stages of Birth. I believe these stages describe precisely the entire labor process from beginning to end better than any birthing book or article I have read. Some details are listed briefly and some will go into more detail. I found it easier to bullet most of the beginning labor events and included more details as it got closer to the finale, aka birthing. I will use the words "poop", "pee" and "bowel movement" just so you are warned. I'm not embarrassed to share about what my body naturally decided to go through. Our bodies are amazing and sh*t happens (pun intended). There will be no sugarcoating of this story, just real, raw events.

Before reading my birth story there are a few key details to know.

1. This is my first pregnancy.
2. I hired a doula. Best investment ever!
3. I created a birth plan that involved no medication, and my husband, sister, mother and doula were the only ones allowed in my birthing room.
4. I wanted to quit and take drugs a couple times during labor.
5. In the end, I stuck to my birth plan and had a natural, unmedicated birth.

Lucille's Birth Story
June 7, 2018

Entering the Veil- Active Labor

4:50 a.m. Contractions began and literally woke me up at out of bed. I immediately started recording how far apart they were. As I was recording each contraction time I couldn't believe that this was happening on my actual due date. Thank goodness the day before was my last day of teaching :).
7:00 a.m. I texted my doula to inform her of my contractions. She came over the house 20 minutes later.
8:45 a.m. I stayed at home for awhile just bouncing on my birthing ball until I made the decision to leave for the hospital when contractions were averaging around 4 minutes apart. My OB was called and we let her know that I was on the way to the hospital, even though she recommended I drink two glasses of water and walk around my house, haha. I'm so glad I listened to my instincts and not my OB. Sorry doc.
9:18 a.m. We arrived at the hospital, signed in and went straight to triage. I was dilated 2-3 cm. My contractions were still bearable at this point. My husband snapped the last photo of me smiling that day before Lucille was born. From here on out there would be only silence and moans coming from me.
10:30 a.m. We were sent to a labor and delivery room and contractions worsened. Holy cow! Some contractions felt less intense than others, which was a nice little break.

11 a.m. I positioned my body on all fours in the bed and leaned over on the large birthing ball to get more comfortable. My doula put counter pressure on various parts of my body during each contraction. My body was feeling very tired and exhausted at this point. My sister fed me an orange popsicle to help keep my sugar levels up. I never thought I would say this but, "Thank you high corn fructose syrup!"

On the Mountain- Active Labor

1:00 p.m. By this point I had dilated to a welcomed surprise of 7-8 cm. This was also the exact time I had started to second guess my unmedicated birth plan. To drug or not to drug? Needless to say the contractions were ridiculously intense now and very close together. I asked my doula if I were to get drugs what were my medication options. She provided the facts of both Stadol and the epidural. I then asked her opinion on what to do, but she always replied with the same response. What do your instincts tell you? She also added that I had progressed so far in very little time and that I was nearing the finish line. With her confidence in my progression I decided to continue on the unmedicated route. How could I not continue with my birth plan I had wanted all along, especially with the amazing support team I had all around me? My doula was continuously using various techniques to help reduce the pain during each and every contraction, and the support of my husband, sister and mom rooting me on gave me the strength to continue on without medication. After all, I wanted to feel all the feels. The joy, the pain and the joy again once Lucille emerges. I can honestly say that I probably would have chosen medication if I didn't have my doula. She had given me the knowledge and confidence in my body to power through whatever was to come. I felt ready for anything. #empowered
Changing positions during labor was extremely helpful to find some comfort and relief during contractions. This is the time when I laid in bed again on my back with my knees bent. My doula applied counter presser on my knees during each contraction. I even asked her to stop a couple times just to feel the difference between no counter pressure and counter pressure. The counter pressure techniques worked and I could definitely feel some relief with each contraction. Like I said, my doula was the BEST investment ever!
My sister helped by applying cold rags on my neck and fed me another orange popsicle to keep me cool and alert. I had a pretty good Richard Simmons sweat going on at this point, just minus his peppy energy levels.
2:00 p.m. I tried another technique to help relieve some pain. My husband and I went to the shower so the warm shower water could hit my back. I loved being in the shower. My body leaned up against the shower wall with my husband right by my side for support. It felt better to stand than sit during most of my labor. I started to lay down more on the bed near the end as I was running out of energy.
After 10 minutes in the shower I suddenly had the urge to poop. Yup, poop people. I swore it was going to happen in the shower and I even warned my husband just in case. Butt (pun intended) I managed to make it to the toilet. I sat on the toilet for about 20 minutes which crazy enough gave my body a break from contractions. My contractions magically stopped during this joyful pooping time. I was grateful for any tiny break my body got from contractions. Hallelujah! Meanwhile my husband who was still in the bathroom with me stood facing the corner because I told him to look away. I made jokes at the situation because I'm sure it didn't smell like roses in there. I somehow managed to crack poop jokes at this time too. This is coming from a girl who laughs every time her husband makes fart noises :).
As I left the bathroom I had another contraction and "slow danced" with my husband which was another great position during labor. I put my arms around my husband's neck and his hands were on my hips like we were slow dancing to my favorite middle school ballad, K-Ci and Jo-Jo, All My Life. During our "slow dance" I had another lovely contraction where I started to pee at the same time. At this point I wasn't scared of what my body did or didn't do. I just let my body lead the way and followed it's cues. Trusting my body's instincts turned out to be the theme of my labor process.

The Summoning- Transition

I went back to bed to lay on my right side because my energy levels were fading. My husband stood next to the bed by my head and I literally grabbed any part of him that I could as I went through each contraction. He said at one point I was getting very close to grabbing his man parts too, haha.
4:00 p.m. My OB came in the room and wanted me to start pushing. But to her disappointment I told her I wasn’t ready. Now I didn't talk much at all during my labor, mostly moaned, whimpered or sounded like I was having an orgasm (according to my husband). But I did make sure to get out the words, "I was not ready to push." My body wasn't giving me any signals to push yet. I trusted that my body would let me know when it was time. My mom later told me that my OB put up her hands (in frustration) and said, “I’ll come back in 20 minutes.” Just so you know, I would have never had that confidence to essentially tell my doctor "no" if it had not been for a certain podcast episode I listened to just 3 days prior. This enlightening episode was all about the physiology of our body during child birth. The information I had learned in this episode empowered me to trust my body and my instincts. #educationispowerful To give a brief description of the episode it talked about how pushing too early could lead to fetal complications because the baby's head has not rotated properly in the right position. Pushing too soon could also lead to pelvic floor issues. If you care to listen to this mind blowing episode then check out: The Birthful Podcast with Whapio Diana Bartlett: Rethinking the Pushing Stage, Episode #114.

Quietude- Resting phase

I'm unsure if this phase happened for me, but my husband swore I had a tranquil look on my face as I was laying on the bed for a small amount of time right before the pushing stage. I will just take his word for it.

The Breakers- Pushing

4:30-5 p.m. I transitioned to lay on the left side of my body and asked for a peanut ball to be placed between my legs to help spread them apart. This is the time when I started to feel my body’s urge or readiness to push. My body literally started to push on it's own which was amazing to experience! This is exactly what I had heard (on the podcast episode) a birthing mama's body would do on it's own.
During some of my beginning pushes my water broke making this incredibly loud bursting sound. It sounded like a balloon popping times ten. It was pretty awesome. My doula later told me that more water during one of my pushes rushed out and splashed the nurse, haha. She said if I wasn't partly covered that the water would have probably splashed my sister and mother too, which would have been hilarious. Who would have thought labor would be similar to a water park.
5:00 p.m. My doula started putting pressure on my side hip during each contraction/push and my body decided to have yet another lovely bowel movement during one of my pushes. Yay for more poop!
I should also mention that I could actually feel Lucille’s head moving lower. Even through all of the discomfort I somehow managed to still feel her move. This was an incredible feeling.
6:10 p.m. My OB came shortly after my water broke and I got in the position to really bear down and push her out. My feet went into stirrups and that’s when Lucille’s head attempted to make an entrance. The nurse told me to push like I was having a bowel movement and that’s exactly what I did. It felt like I was pushing my butt to come off of my body. Lucille’s head kept bobbing in and out (kind of like Whack-a-mole), so the doctor numbed me below to try and stretch me out with her hands so Lucille's head could come out completely. This unfortunately did not work. She then made the decision to do an episiotomy so Lucille could head out safely and because her heart rate was starting to drop slightly. NICU was called in the room just in case of complications.
At this point everyone in the room was yelling for me to push. So for each push I yelled as loud as I could. I was in full blown mama bear mode. This baby was coming out now.

Emergence- Birth

6:22 p.m. Lucille entered this world and I instantly felt my endorphins kick into gear. I had read about this process in the birthing book Mama Natural where it says how our body naturally gets this burst of energy after birth. Overall it was unforgettable to have had all those feelings of pain and then like a light switch to have an instant jolt of joy and power flood my body.

The Return- Immediate Postpartum

After my energy levels shot up, I quickly got my gown off of my chest and Lucille was placed on me for skin to skin time. Her umbilical cord was just long enough to lay her below my chest. The doctor delayed cord cutting as long as she could and milked the cord to get as much blood as she could from the placenta to Lucille. Then my husband cut the cord.
Soon after the cutting Lucille latched instantly to breast feed. My nurse put pressure on my stomach to deliver the placenta that had not yet exited my body. I didn't get the chance to see my placenta which was unfortunate. Next time (if able) I would love to see this amazing organ.
After the placenta left my body, my OB began to instantly numb and stitch me up. My sister handed me another orange popsicle as Lucille laid on me. A new baby and a popsicle was a pretty swell way to end my labor.

I am a true believer that giving birth should be your greatest accomplishment, not your greatest fear.

I would love if you could share your birth stories below. Women should empower each other instead of competing with one another. Your body is strong and capable of miraculous things, trust it always.

xoxo
Jillian

9 Comments

Tabitha Lightfoot

6/17/2018 12:46:00 am

I loved reading your birth story! Birth is amazing and I love hearing about other woman’s experiences. I’ll share some of my birth story, my son is 12 weeks old today!
I had quite a long labour, I went in to labour on my due date also, Friday 23rd March, it was 11pm and I had just gotten ready for bed, I went to stand up from the loo and had a little hush of what I thought was my waters come out, I called for my boyfriend who rang the hospital to let them know as I had just started getting strong period like pains also.
They told us to come in so they could check if it was my waters, we got there and they did a swab if my cervix which came back negative for my waters, I was in a lot of pain though and couldn’t even let the midwife do an exam as it was too painful, so she gave me some painkillers and sent us home as the contractions weren’t regular.
I continued to have contractions through the night at home and didn’t sleep at all.
The next day my boyfriend had to go to work as I knew birth was a way off yet, so my mum came over to look after me, my boyfriend works 10 minutes from where we live so it wasn’t a big deal.
Throughout the Saturday the contractions were still quite painful but not close enough to go back to hospital, I started loosing my bloody show throughout the day, I’m so thankful for my mum being there she was amazing.
Come about 6pm on 24th March I call the hospital as the pain is I bareable now and I don’t know what to do With myself.
They say to come back in, I call my boyfriend and tell him to come home. We get to the hospital at 7pm, and I decide that I need the pethadine injection.
I stay in hospital trying to get some sleep once I have the injection, which makes you feel like you’re seriously drunk! It starts to wear off and I can feel some contractions again, the midwife says she doesn’t need to check me she doesn’t think birth is close yet (she was wrong!) so for some stupid reason me and my boyfriend go home to try and get some sleep, big mistake!
I get home and get in to bed and about 15 minutes later I hear a big pop and gush and my waters broke all over the bed, I wake my boyfriend up and he calls the hospital again, they say to just have a bath! At this point I was in so much pain I couldn’t even walk, I remember thinking I was going to throw up so crawled to the bathroom, I hear my boyfriend on the phone saying that I was bleeding loads on the floor, so they tell me to come in once again. It took me ages to get to the car I couldn’t walk and was so sleep deprived at this point I almost felt like passing out. I remember grabbing on to a lamppost outside out flat and screaming through a contraction!
In the car it felt like forever to get to the hospital even though it’s only about 10 minutes.
I had about 3 or 4 contractions in the car, each time grabbing on to anything I could find and literally screaming it was unbareable.
Get to hospital and I go back in to the room I was in before and before I’m even on the bed my body starts to push by itself.
The midwife tells me I need to get on the bed so she can check me, she does and she says ‘the heads right there’ I had made it to 10cm in the car haha,
I start to push and they give me some gas and air, that stuff is crazy makes up feel very drunk also.
Pushing wasn’t as bad as contractions I’d say, it’s a different kind of pain, like stinging loads.
They take away my gas and air as it’s ‘distracting’ me,
I remember screaming through the pushes and my boyfriend giving me hot water and honey trough a straw.
I pushed for an hour and a half and then my son was born. I remember it was very quiet, and suddenly alarms were going off and people were rushing in to the room, he was given oxygen and I don’t remember a lot of this bit, I just remember asking if he was okay constantly, finally I heard his cry and it was beautiful.
He was born 6:04am on Sunday 25th March.
I also threw up after giving birth and my placenta took about 30 minutes to come out.
They checked for any tears (which is almost as painful as labour no joke) I had a second degree tear that needed stitches, it took 45 minutes to stitch me up.
It’s quite a long birth story for anyone that does read it, I just love telling my story even if it didn’t go how I planned at all (I had planned a water birth) and I hope I get to read many more :)

Jillian

6/19/2018 09:26:21 am

How did you like having a midwife? Your story is so amazing and unique! It's crazy how our birth "plan" can be changed so quickly. Awesome job strong mama!

Tabitha

6/20/2018 01:10:38 pm

Having a midwife was great I had a really nice one, I would’ve loved a doula though, yeah it’s crazy how the plan can just go out the window I don’t think anything went as my birth plan was written! Definitely will try a water birth if possible next time though, and I’d like to do it without an epidural again as well now I know I can do it!

Dara

6/19/2018 07:02:25 am

Thanks for sharing Jill!! Birth stories are incredible! What did they numb you with? How would you describe the pain of pushing? Just curious, I’m hoping one day I’ll get to try a VBAC! Here’s my story, which was almost exactly a year before yours!

We had a C-Section planned for Friday morning, 6/9/17, at 10:45am since R baby was breech after trying everything to get baby to flip naturally besides an ECV. On Thursday I went to work, went to yoga, the mall and went home and showered. Steve and I had planned a last dinner out where we didn't have to worry about a babysitter. Steve mentioned 6:30. I said we weren't going out to dinner until the baby's mirror was put up, the baby’s nursery and bathroom were far from finished. At 7 I texted Steve that the mirror wasn't going to hang itself. By 7:10 Steve said he was leaving work in a minute. It was his friend’s last day of work so I knew he was hanging out with him. I told him I was calling dad at 7:30 to finish the projects. By 7:30 Steve still wasn't home and I was getting upset and sobbing how could he be so late. It briefly crossed my mind that maybe I was so upset because I'd be going into labor soon...see at this point I had come to terms with my planned C section for breech baby. I planned to go in Friday morning after hopefully getting some sleep and showering and putting makeup on before the procedure just like mom's C sections. Well I called Steve at 7:30, crying and so upset. He said it was fine, he was gonna put up the mirror and then we'd go to dinner. He somewhat apologized and I put my makeup on and we went to dinner at Carpaccio's. I was getting a little crampy and my feet were swelling. We got to dinner and I didn't feel great, a little crampy. I put my feet up at the booth. We had dinner. They forgot our dessert, I was so annoyed haha. We headed to the car and I was on the phone with my sister, walking to the car was giving me a bad cramp. We took the elevator down to the garage and I think Steve joked about me going into labor in a stuck elevator, he'd have to use his Swiss army knife to cut the baby out. I said I'd much rather deliver a breech baby vaginally than be cut without drugs. We got home and I was still having cramps. My other sister wanted to come over and take one last sister pregnancy pic. I wanted her to hurry up so I could take off my skirt since the cramps were right at the waistline. Cramps were still steady but I was doing the stairs so I just thought that was why. She got there (8 months preggo) and I sat down on the steps when she came in since I had a bad cramp. She came upstairs and I told her how I was having cramps. She had brought me flowers for my delivery. Red roses, Rose is the June flower and forget what red was for. We took some pregnancy pics together and my bad cramps kept coming. She said maybe I was in labor and I should lie down. I was mostly in denial. I knew they I were contractions but just thought it was prelabor. I said I really wanted that cupcake (my boss had made cupcakes for my last day). We went downstairs and I ate the cupcake through a contraction. She and I were talking while Steve was finishing his some projects in the nursery bathroom. Around 10:30pm we heard a gush and flood of water, not my water, Steve burst a pipe and came running down the stairs to turn off the water. If my sister wasn't there I probably would have flipped out. Cramps were getting worse my sister was insisting I was in labor and should lay down or we should finish packing our hospital bags. I finished gathering my things and called my oldest sister (mom of 2) who agreed it sounded like I was in labor and to start tracking them. I had apps up but they were hard to track since the crampiness never fully went away but the bad parts were pretty brief like 30 seconds long. My sister that was there insisted I put my swollen feet up. I laid in bed shivering even though I wasn’t really cold. Steve was so mad at himself for the pipe bursting he stood there with soaked shorts just at a loss with what to do, if home Depot was open he would have gone he said. My sister told him to pack his hospital bag and I told him to change out of his wet shorts. I put on my grandmother’s buddah necklaces she had insisted I do for good luck and I debated keeping my makeup on to go to the hosptial. Steve and I both kinda were in denial that I was in labor and my sister kept insisting I was. She went home and told me to rest. I called Dr. S around 11:30pm and told her the contractions weren't bad, I was walking, talking through them. She asked how long ago I ate, and it wasn’t that long since I insisted on eating that cupcake. She was hoping to let my stomach empty more and call back if they got worse and warned me we might not make it to 10:45am appointment. I didn’t want to bother her in the middle of the night and I didn’t want to get to the hospital just to wait longer for my appointme

Jillian

6/19/2018 09:32:23 am

Dara thanks for sharing your story! I had no idea you went into labor a month early. What techniques did you try to flip the baby?
My OB injected the area with a local anesthetic. I could still feel pain though. Honestly the contractions were more painful than the pushing part. Pushing felt like a burning sensation while your butt is coming off at the same time haha.

Dara

6/19/2018 10:53:44 am

Guess the post cut me off! I just went into labor a couple days before my due date, the day before my C section was scheduled. I tried acupuncture, PT, chiropractor, essential oils, cold/hot packs and swimming/handstands...turns out I had a bicornuate uterus (heart shaped) so once the baby was a certain size she didn’t have room to flip. Here’s the rest of my story just so it’s complete haha...
So around midnight, we tried to wind down as if we were going to bed. Contractions kept coming but still hard to track especially since I was close to falling asleep between them. Around 2:30am I really couldn't lay in bed and rock through them anymore. I got up and paced through them or bent over. Steve said I should call the doctor again but I didn't want to make her come in in the middle of the night when I was supposed to be at the hospital in 6 hours anyway. I felt like I had to poop though and didn't want this breech baby coming out in the toilet, vaginally, as my doctor didn’t like the risks. So I called Dr. S and she asked if I felt like it was time to go in and she said go ahead in I'll tell them you're coming and they'll hook you to the echo. Steve and got our bags and I made my way downstairs. I grabbed the car seat which I put in the middle of the street cause another contraction was coming. We got to the hospital and Steve dropped me at the door and I just bent over through another contraction. As I walked into to Labor and Delivery all the nurses kinda stared at me with strange faces like they knew I was in labor but weren't really friendly just staring quietly. I was having another one when they asked me to fill out some paper and I asked Steve to do it since I was in pain while I got out my cards. He didn't know half the info so I just finished it. She asked if I had to go to the bathroom and I did so I gave a urine sample and saw some blood, probably my show. The nurse, Holly, came in and hooked me up and checked my cervix. It was uncomfortable and she said I was really dialated, about 6 cm and she felt something...she said “I feel a foot!” She said she was gonna call Dr. S fast. 3 different nurses came in to prep me "tag team me" I assumed things were urgent. Dr. S was in within 15 minutes. They told me the C section would be happening soon. I tried texting my sisters, mom and BFFs but had no service. So I called my sister from the room phone, she answered and said she'd head in and would tell the others. Contractions got worse as I laid in triage, Steve held my hand. He looked nervous. They were waiting for my blood work to come in. I apologized to Dr. S and thanked her for coming in. I asked about her daughter and she said her mom was at her house with her, she often is with them when she works.
She called the lab people and sounded annoyed because it was urgent, she said the lab man went to lunch I was confused who was taking a lunch break at 4am, they said that's what happens when you work night shifts. Dr. S was telling them they needed my results asap. My contractions were getting worse and I was annoyed that they couldn't give me the spinal block already since I’d get one eventually. Finally they wheeled me to the OR. Contractions were worse so it felt like a long ride. Bright lights on in the OR. Once in the OR I had to sit still through a spinal block while having a bad contraction. Dr. S instructed me on what to do. Lean over with a rounded back, I remember being nervous about the needle but wanted it to hurry up since the contractions were bad. The needle was a tiny pinch and quickly made my legs lose feeling. The feeling of not being able to move my legs was really weird. I got a little sleepy/dizzy. They laid me down and put oxygen on me. Steve seemed very nervous. He sat on a stool by my head and they eventually raised the curtain. I remember thinking the family centered C section was not being followed I guess since it wasn't my scheduled time, no music, I could hear Dr. S talking about her daughter's dance performance coming up this weekend. The nurses kept counting tools and Steve said the 2nd time they wanted to make sure they didn't leave anything in me, didn’t need to hear that...They started the procedure after Dr. S did something called a time in or something. I felt tugging and pulling. Dr. S warned me it could take a few minutes depending on the baby's position. There was lots of tugging and pressure. The anesthesiologist peaked over and said something with a gender specific pronoun, I didn't hear what pronoun he used but then he said "I said ‘he’ but I didn't see anything" I assumed he was telling the truth but he could have been covering. Dr. S said luckily she didn't know the sex yet either. I heard Dr. S say something about meconium and nuchal cord. (Turned our baby had a double nuchal cord, it was wrapped around her neck twice, so a C section may have been a blessing in disguise). A few minutes later I heard "I

Dara

6/20/2018 12:02:02 pm

Geez, guess my story is too long...not much left...
I heard "it's a girl!" I was shocked and sobbing! Steve met her first and then they brought her to me, she was born 6/9/17 at 4:33 am!

Jaycey

6/27/2018 08:09:09 am

I’ve had all 4 of my boys unmediated and I loved reading your story. With my first I was crampy and uncomfortable all day and then at night the contractions really started. I went to the hospital 3 times and they finally let me stay. Haha. I never got the urge to push with him. And I ended up pushing for 4 hours. (The day before labor I had a check up and the doctor scraped my membranes without telling me. I thought she was just checking if I was starting to dilate. That is my suspicion with not getting urge to push and pushing 4 hours. I don’t think he was ready yet) He was doing the head in and out thing too. I didn’t get an episiotomy (so?) and he finally came out without any intervention but he had fluid in his lungs when born so he had to go to NICU for a few days. He was 8lbs. My second my water broke on my due date! His labor was 12 hours, less than half the time of the first. I only pushed for about 15 minutes with him. He was 9lbs 3oz. He had shoulder dysplasia which can be a scary thing but his shoulders delivered and he was perfectly healthy. My third came 6 weeks early. I was in the hospital for 3 weeks leading up to his delivery because my water broke at 31weeks. Thankfully I was able to stay pregnant until 34. They had a scheduled induction for Monday on 34 weeks and I kept saying “please go into labor naturally, please, please. It’s all I thought about leading up to it. And the night before my induction I went into labor naturally and had the easiest delivery 5 hours for a 5lb5oz 34weeker. My 4th I was all by myself! My husband was home with our other 3 kids and we didn’t have any family in town. But by number 4 I was kind of a pro :)! It was actually my favorite delivery. It was a different hospital and I was just more free to walk the halls and labor naturally. The others I was in bed mostly. But with my 4th I took a bath and used a ball and I was up a lot more. I never did any research about giving birth or I would have asked to be up more. With 2 of my deliveries I was told NOT TO PUSH!! And you know that urge to push!! It’s hard to stop!!! They told me a lip of the cervix was showing but I think both times they were waiting on the doctor! And actually after learning from my first time being told not to push I didn’t listen the second time. I’m like I DON’T CARE if the doctor isn’t here! Someone else do it!!!
These are my top things I tell people about natural childbirth
1. It’s one day of pain!! Just one day!!
2. The second you feel like you can’t take another second of it, that’s the moment it’s almost over!! You’re at the end!!
3. Contractions are like a Charlie horse — you can’t tense up! It’ll last longer and hurt more. You have to relax to release it!!
4. You get a high after delivering. So giddy and happy!!!
5. Get in a zone!! Rest between contractions, relax, breathe, visualize your baby moving down as you have the contraction.
/— anyways—- super passionate about it. Made me wanna be a nurse :)!
Good job, Mama!! And Congrats!!!

Jilian

6/29/2018 08:13:14 am

LOVE THIS! I can't believe you have 4 handsome boys, you rock mama! Thanks for being so descriptive with your story and your top tips for natural childbirth are spot on! xoxo

meet jillian!

After 3 years of simplifying her life she is now living a life completely out of debt, has created simple routines to maintain her health + sanity 😍, is able to travel more than ever with her family, and most importantly, she now has the time and energy to pursue things that make her happy as hell!

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