Below are a few birth stories that show that time, patience, and support are 99.9% of the time what a woman needs to have a powerful, informed, and conscious labor and birth.
Octavia Voltaire
I have been out of the “birthing world” for about 2 years now. I see that nothing has changed in my absence! I am in the midst of a labor and delivery, and the struggle is REAL! This is not a slam against OB’s, hospital deliveries, those who choose C-sections and/or epidurals, or doctors in general. I know and love some great doctors, but there sure are some really self-absorbed, lazy, and ridiculous ones out there too! My client was not due until July 1st. Second baby. First one was a vaginal delivery that we had to fight for. Her membranes were stripped yesterday without permission by a nurse assistant. Of course she then had the typical aggravated cervix, bleeding, contractions and dislodging of her mucous plug. Common, not a big deal but not necessary either. She then was told to go to the hospital for bleeding in fear of “hemorrhaging”. Okay, fine. Once that was ruled out completely, she was then pretty much asked “while you are here, why don’t we just get that baby out?” and offered induction. Like “hey, while I am here at Trader Joe’s, let me grab some bananas!” Mind you she is less than 3 cm at this point. When she voiced that she wanted to go home and continue to labor on her own, I kid you not, the nurse literally told her “if you leave, you could hemorrhage and your baby could die”. This was AFTER placenta abruption was completely ruled out, and the bleeding was attributed to an aggressive membrane strip and exam. She made the decision to go home and labor more. It pains me that this process, to do one of the most natural things on the planet, has to be so skewed. It will be a good day when we are not conditioned to fear birth. Hats off to all the doulas and midwives that continue to fight the good fight! We still don’t have a baby yet – but I am determined to keep this mom and her baby out of the OR unless absolutely necessary!
Update: 1:25 AM. Still no baby and I am good with that! Mom is a birth warrior! 5 cm. Slow and steady wins the race. Good things about Los Robles 1) there is hardly anybody here -patients or staff! 2) heated blankets 3) free coffee and tea machines everywhere 4) phone charging stations.
Update: 3:04 AM. Still 5 cm. FML
I forgot how uncomfortable sleeping in my car was!!
This precious and gorgeous little nugget graced us with her presence this morning! So honored to be a part of it all. Beautiful vaginal delivery with no interventions needed. Mom is a total rock star, birth warrior! Now . . . I sleep!#noORonmyshift
Blyss Young
I had a mom this week committed to an HBAC (home birth after Cesarean) She was in early labor on and off for 2 days. She ate, napped, and hung out with her family. I periodically went by and checked on everyone and gave them informed consent about their options. All vitals were continuously within normal range. This mom was committed and trusted her body and the process. On the third evening she went active within 6 hours she was complete. She labored for another 2.5 hours before the instinctual urge to push manifested. She pushed out her 8lb 3 oz baby boy en caul, in the water into her partners hands.
The mom said during labor, “they would have already sectioned me” I have to agree…that this would not have fit into their curve of how things should progress and would have transferred their fear to the family. I tell families all the time that I see higher success rate for VBAC’s outside of the hospital environment because we allow the moms instincts and the body’s wisdom to be in the forefront of informing the experience. 1/3 of my clients are currently moms wanting an HBAC. I LOVE them because at the end of the day its a reclaiming of their power and these women tend to be incredibly educated and committed to leaving no stone unturned in the possible barriers to allowing this to unfold naturally.
I share this because I am committed to dismantling the myths that without “us” interfering women cannot birth their babies…this is a lie we have been told and bought into. We are mammals and birth is meant to work with no one else around.
I am a realist, I appreciate the medical hygiene and skills in emergency situations. However, I feel they are completely unnecessary for labor and birth, and I wish that was the feeling, thinking, and vision of women today.
The stories above are so beautiful, because of the support of midwives, doulas, nurses, and doctors, both women were able to birth their own way.
Thank God for Cesarean Section when there is no other way, but it is major abdominal surgery, and especially for women that want multiple children, this is an important article to read of the danger of Placenta Accreta.
“In accreta, which doctors believe is most often caused by scarring from prior cesarean sections, the placenta sticks around and embeds. The condition was exceedingly rare in the 1950s, occurring in only one in 30,000 deliveries in the US. Today, because of the rise in C-sections, it shows up in about one in 500 births. One in 14 American women with accreta die, usually from hemorrhaging too much blood. ”
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/6/29/15830970/women-health-care-maternal-mortality-rate
Get Informed,
Get Support,
Get the birth you want,
Coach Yulia