Birthing Naturally

 

My name is Jenn and this is my birth story.  My husband, Shawn, and I had our beautiful baby girl, Ainsley, at a birth center on April 20th at 4:09 a.m.  We promised Rae that we would write this story right away - that was eight weeks ago.

 

My labor started like most, with an eager anticipation and some mild contractions.  We were a week overdue and the last week had been the toughest so far.  We were both ready to have a baby.  I woke my husband up around 2:00 A.M. on Friday evening.  I was having my first contractions.  We had taken Rae's advice and packed a bag ahead of time of time, so we had nothing to do other than concentrate on having a baby.  My contractions waxed and waned through the night, but stopped after about eight hours.  A couple of hours passed and they started again.  By this time, Shawn and I were so bored, we decided to go to a family crawfish boil.  I would not let him have even one St. Arnold's Spring Bock.  He made me write that.  He wants to highlight his great sacrifices throughout our birthing story.  We called the midwife just to touch base and let her know that we would probably have a baby this weekend.  She told us to go home, take a Benadryl, and try to get some sleep.

 

I woke up an hour after my head hit the pillow with the strongest contractions so far.  We started timing them and worked on some relaxation exercises.  After about four hours of steady contractions, we decided to head to the birth center.  As an aside, we need to mention that this is our first baby, and the first grandbaby on either side  of the family.  I think this may have been the most highly anticipated birth of all time.  You should also know that the birth center is in the Woodlands, and the grandparents live in Sugarland and Katy.  A mass exodus ensued.  We packed up, made the trip, jumped on the exam table and were promptly told to go home.  Our midwife said we still had some work to do.  We reluctantly told the eager grandparents to head back home and try to get some sleep.  Naturally, this was an impossibility.  By this time, we had been up for more than 24 hours and we were both feeling discouraged.

 

Back at home, I somehow managed to catch a couple hours sleep.  When I woke up, I was having contractions that made the previous contractions feel like a warm up.  My husband, after having reading about birth and so diligently attending Rae's class, was prepared to assist.  I was impressed how much of that information he retained and how good looking he is.  (He made me write that).  Through each contraction he reminded me to relax and to visualize the good work that was happening on the inside.  He said "imagine the pressure building at the top of the cervix, going down around the side, finding the opening at the bottom and pulling it open."  It really helped me realize that we were making progress; however slow it seemed.  My contractions intensified, but I did a good job of keeping my control and staying focused.

 

I was having contractions every two minutes that were lasting about a minute and fifteen seconds a piece.  This went on for about four hours and we decided to go to the birth center again.  In hindsight, we did most everything up to this point laying in bed.  I think that I would have progressed faster if I had been more active.  So listen to Rae and change positions early and often.

 

After a grueling car ride, we arrived at the birth center to find that I was 4 - 5 centimeters dilated.  I remember thinking "just 4 centimeters?"  My knight in shining armor told me that we had gotten through the hard part and things should speed up from now on.  I did not believe him but the midwife agreed.  Shawn is so smart.... I should not have written this when he was in the room.

 

By sheer coincidence there were two other women giving birth at the birth center that night.  They were both ahead of me.  We got situated and started in a routine that involved walking outside, sitting on the exercise ball, laying in bed and sitting on a birthing chair.  We did each for 10 minutes at a time and repeated the cycle.  I could tell that Shawn was starting to get tired from hours of pulling me in and out of bed and giving me massages had all taken their toll.  Our doula really helped at this point when we both started to lose focus a bit.  At eight centimeters, we moved into the birthing room and went straight into the whirlpool tub.  I had a few contractions in the tub, I felt Ainsley shift down suddenly and my water broke.  Apparently, she had decided to help.  By this time, I was 9 centimeters dilated.

 

Next came transition...and it was terrible.  It really only lasted fifteen minutes, although it felt like hours.  During transition I was able to keep the first part of the contraction under control, but at the peak of the contraction, my head was spinning and I screamed a little.  I found it impossible to relax and started to doubt whether I could do this or not.  My doula and my husband reminded me that transition was the hardest part and that I was a champion.  It turns out they were right.

 

My midwife told me it was time to get down to business and have a baby.  I got through transition and it was time to push.  I tried pushing a few times in the tub, but I could not get in a position to make the pushes impactful.  The midwife set some guidelines for me, she told me she expected three strong pushes per contraction.  We decided to move onto the bed.  Once I was there, I really learned how to push.  I could feel Ainsley moving down really quickly.  Her head started to move back and forth with each push.  When we could see the head, an assistant held up a mirror for me.  That was really motivating!  I was eager to get the head out, but everyone reminded me to slow down a bit so I would not tear.  Ainsley's right hand was up by her face and the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and wrist.  This made the largest point a little larger.  Finally she came out.  She had great coloration and she started to move and make noise right away.  I remember thinking she looked just like her daddy.

 

I will spare you the euphoria of the first few seconds, I can't possibly describe it, but hopefully if you are reading this, you will understand soon enough.  We waited a few minutes for the cord to stop pulsing and Shawn cut it.  Ainsley was breastfeeding for the first time within five minutes of being born.  I did not tear at all!  I had a little trouble passing my placenta, so the midwives gave me Pitocin.  Passing the placenta was harder than I expected, but it was over soon enough.  The room was kept at around 82 degreees, so Ainsley stayed warm.  She stayed on my chest while the midwives took her temperature and inked her feet.  We decided to do the vitamin K, but declined whichever one is used to prevent hepatitis.  Next we weighed her - she was 7 pounds, one ounce and 19 inches long.  We drew a fresh bath and added a mix of soothing herbs.  The midwives helped bath me while I gave Ainsley a gentle bath.  We left most of the vernix on although she did not have much.

 

I lost a little more blood than expected so I got dizzy when I tried to get up.  My family made me a plate to eat and the midwives insisted that I stay until I felt better.  We were both so eager to get home that we were home and in bed by 9:00 a.m. - just five hours after Ainsley was born!  That is just one of the many benefits of an out-of-hospital natural birth!

 

I cannot say enough about the positive experience at the birth center.  Despite delivering three babies that night, the midwives, doulas, and assistants were patient and knowledgeable.  Everyone we encountered from start to finish was loving, caring, and genuinely interested in making our birth exactly the way we wanted it.

 

Of course, Shawn and I want to mention how beneficial Rae's class was for us both, although Shawn joked that it was just a ploy on my part get frequent massages.  We would not have been so confident if it had not been for the wealth of knowledge that Rae passed along.  We were first timers, but we felt like pros.  Rae has hospital experience and birth center experience, so she has a unique perspective and I truly wish that everyone had the benefit of her class.

 

 

 

Clayton decided to join us just two days before his due date.  And true to the trend of many of Rae's moms, he waited just long enough for her to arrive at our home.  Here is his birth story.

 

I had pre-term labor when I was pregnant with Clayton - I was 50-80% effaced at 31 weeks.  So I spent some nice, leisurely time at home to persuade him to stay inside.  I expected him to come early, considering that I had pre-term labor with my daughter as well...she was born at 37.5 weeks.  I actually did have about 9 hours of false labor when Clayton was 37.5 weeks, contractions every 7 minutes or so.  Then, nothing for about 2.5 more weeks.

 

I was hoping for plenty of warning, and he delivered.  It was about 2 a.m. on the day he was born and I got up to go to the bathroom and noticed that things were rolling.  I started to have contractions every 7-8 minutes or so.  They weren't painful contractions, just very regular.  So, I went back to bed. 

 

When we woke up that day, Iwarned my husband Eric, that this was going to be the day, but my contractions were still 7-8 minutes apart.  So he drove our daughter into daycare and went into work that morning.  I gave him a call at about 1 p.m. to request that he come home because it seemed like the contractions were picking up in intensity a bit - still maybe 7 minutes apart.

 

He was home by 1:30 p.m., and we lounged around the house, charting my contractions.  I called Rae at about 3:30 p.m. and told her the contractions were about 5 minutes apart.  She asked that I call her back when they started to get closer.  This is when we made arrangements for our daughter to have a sleepover with friends that night.  I was back on the phone with Rae by 4:30 p.m. - and she was on her way...

 

Rae arrived close to 6 p.m. (rush hour in Houston), and Christine followed 10 minutes later.  At this point, my contractions were relatively intense, and about 2 minutes apart.  She asked if I would try to go to the bathroom, and as soon as I sat down, my water broke and Clayton was on his way!  Somehow, I made it back to the bed.  I think that I had about 2 pushes (although Rae had to unwrap the cord from his neck at some point - she works quickly!), and Clayton was born at 6:30 p.m.  Clayton christened me and then latched on like a pro.  It was such a great feeling to have given birth to him in the comfort and peace of our home.

 

I was up and walking around quickly, on the webcam with Grandma to show off my new little boy by 8:00 p.m.   After cleaning me up, finishing up some paperwork, and checking and re-checking Clayton's vitals, Rae and Christine said goodnight at 10:30 p.m. or so, leaving Eric, Clayton, and I to watch the World Series.  We went to bed that night like it was      just another day.  It was amazing!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE my birth story.  Words I never thought I would utter.  Hearing the terrible details of my mother's birth with me led me to believe childbirth would be a terrifying, unbearable event and impossible without medication.  Then, one day I heard a discussion on the radio of the benefits and safety for mother and child using a doula and midwife.  This gave new insight into the world of unmedicated, natural childbirth and shed light on some of the dangers of unnecessary medical intervention.  The one piece of information that really caught my attention was these types of births tend to be shorter on average by several hours!  It gave me a glimmer of hope. 

 

Soon, my husband and I found we were expecting.  A steady diet of natural childbirth books followed.  I loved learning about a world in which laboring women can be fully supported and not left alone in pain, flat on their backs, screaming, under the florescent lights of a hospital while subjected to potentially harmful procedures for the baby.  I had found the SECRET!  No one around me had ever mentioned the wonderful things I was reading about. I had a traditional obstetrician intially, but was not satisfied.  Then, I found Birthing Naturally Birth Center and Rae Andrews, CNM.  I enjoyed the unhurried, information-filled, personalized, prenatal appointments.  No doctor had ever spent this kind of time evaluating and informing me.  Her childbirth classes prepared me for the "waves" of contractions and empowered me.  We began practicing the perineal massage which I believe kept me from an episiotomy.  This information allowed me to overcome my fears, recognize my body was designed for childbirth, and felt confident that unmedicated childbirth is indeed possible and safer.  I was actually getting excited about delivery!

 

However, at eight days overdue and with low amniotic fluid, Rae informed us I'd have to deliver in a hospital quickly.  After some tears, I reluctantly entered the hospital, determined to have a drug-free birth for this baby.  On the way to the hospital, I reviewed my notes about labor and positioning and breathing.  They induced me with Pitocin at 1:15 p.m.  Family visited until 5:30 p.m. when contractions become more insistent.  My husband--the rock, my mother--the prayer, and sister--my lifelong best friend stayed for the big event.  I was with the people who make me feel the safest and most comfortable. 

 

To my surprise, the contractions felt different than I expected.  They were specifically in the cervical area--not my entire body.  It felt terrible lying in bed, so I moved to the rocking chair--sweet relief.  I rocked while making low moaning noises to help with relaxation as Rae had recommended--she was right!  I remembered Rae telling me breathe while visualizing the contraction as a wave, reaching the top of the wave, and the wave crashing as the contraction ended.  That was so helpful and I took one wave at a time.  The baby was doing well.  I could talk normally between contractions, but felt myself tune everything else out to focus during a contraction. 

 

About 6:30 p.m. the contractions really picked up speed.  I began to get hot, sweat and it was getting harder to focus for the next hour.  My sister put cool cloths on my head and my mother kept reminding me that I was doing it--the baby was almost here.  The nurses insisted on checking me before a shift change and flew into action when they shouted I was at 9 centimeters!  By the time I got from the chair to the bed, my body was compelled to push.  My husband and mom helped hold my legs in a good position.  Pushing was wonderful relief from the contractions and I actually enjoyed this part.  My entire body was working to deliver.

 

Three pushes later, our 8 pound, 3 ounce baby girl, Isabella, was born at 7:41 p.m. A true miracle!  She was perfect, soft, and warm.  We all cried tears of joy.  I was exhilarated and felt great--no stitches, no episiotomy, no groggy or harmful medication--just wonderful and thankful.  Too excited to sleep, we stayed up until 2:00 a.m. watching her.  I jumped up at 5:00 a.m. the next morning and got in the shower still feeling good.  Our new little family of three went home the next day.  It was an amazing journey from fear to complete joy!  The whole experience was so wonderful that we chose the same type of birth with our son.  Thank you Rae for everything.

 

 

 

 

When I was about 20 weeks pregnant, I decided that I wanted to have a natural childbirth.  I was 26 years old and this was my first pregnancy.  I was actually in the library researching books on childbirth and came across books on natural chilbirth.  This took me in a totally different direction than I had ever dreamed of.  Years ago I would have never imagined having a natural childbirth and this now gave me confidence to know that I was capable of doing so.  As I researched more, I began to look for natural birth classes in my area and found Rae Andrews.  After speaking with her on the phone, I became very excited to start the childbirth classes with her.  She was so warm and knowledgable.  She was such a wonderful resource, being a midwife, herself, with years and years of delivery experience.  During the classes, I then decided to switch from my OB/GYN and go with a midwife instead.  I wanted someone who agreed with and wholeheartedly supported my wishes to do a natural childbirth.

 

So the day finally came.  On Sunday, June 29th, three days before my due date, I woke up feeling a little off.  I knew something was different and I didn't really have much of an appetite all day.  I wasn't having any labor contractions though, just a lot of Braxton Hicks, like I always did.  But as evening approached, I began to get a mild achy feeling in my lower back every so often, which was new.  But I didn't really think much of it, as it wasn't painful at all.  It just felt like a very mild menstrual ache.  Hours went by with nothing more to lead me to believe that I was in labor.  As we were preparing dinner, I began to lose mucus and what seemed like fluid.  I had lost some mucus little by little the past couple weeks so I was not too alarmed by that.  But I was not sure if the fluid was my bag of water or just more mucus, but it was enough to make me want to go to the bathroom and check it out.  I called my midwife to be sure, but informed her that I wasn't having any contractions, just some mild back aches and a lot of Braxton Hicks.  She said it might be early labor and she wanted to find out if what I had leaked  was my water or just mucus.  She told me to go walk around for a while and she would call me back to see if I leaked any more fluid.  I went for a walk around 9:00 p.m.  for about an hour, but I had no contractions and I felt no more fluid leak.  I talked to my midwife again at about 10 p.m. and told her that all seemed to be find and we arranged for me to just come and see her first thing in the morning.

 

I got in the bath at around 1015 p.m. and had what seemed to be an actual contraction.  This time, it was a much stronger and intense lower backache.  It was enough now to get my attention and make me get out of the bath.  I got out and had another contraction a few minutes later.  I called my midwife back around 10:30 p.m. and told her what had happened and that I thought I might be having contractions now.  She must have thought I was crazy because I ahd just spoken to her a few minutes before and was fine.  She told me to time them and call her back when they got about 4 minutes apart.  It seems as soon as I got off the phone with her my contractions very quickly became more regular and closer together, about every 2-3 minutes lasting for about 30-45 seconds each.

 

It all was happening so fast!  I went from having what seemed like no contractions to one very strong contraction after another.  The contractions now were very uncomfortable and took all my concentration to get through.  But I still was skeptical that it was actually  labor.  I just didn't believe it could happen this fast.  It was unlike anything that I had read about and prepared for.  I thought it would take much longer than this.  I called my midwife again and was trying to decide if I should go to the hospital and while I was on the phone with her, I had two very intense contractions and decided we need to leave for the hospital IMMEDIATELY!

 

The contractions quickly became closer together and were now about 1-2 minutes apart and extremely intense and uncomfortable.  We left at around 11:15 p.m. for the hospital which was about 30-45 minutes away.  It was a good thing it was the middle of the night and there was no traffic or I may have had the baby in the car!  The pressure in my pelvis on the way to the hospital was so intense that I felt that pushing just a little would give me some relief.  Everything was happening so fast and I did not want to have this baby in the car.

 

We got to the hospital in record time, a little before 12:00 a.m. The midwife also lived about the same distance away, and we actually got there a few minutes before she did.  I had already pre-registered and when I got to my room, the nurses just confirmed with me that I did not want any pain medication, and then never mentioned it again.  Although by the time I got there, I was so far along that I probably would not have been able to get any anyway, even if I wanted it.  The nurses were incredible!  Until my midwife showed up, they did everything they could to help me with my pain.  I got on the birthing ball as one nurse applied hard counter-pressure on my lower back, which helped tremendously!  I had no IVs but they did strap a belt to me to monitor the contractions.  The pressure of the belt on my pelvis was so uncomfortable and painful that I just couldn't stand it and I had to take it off.  Instead, she just held it there as I was having contractions until my midwife showed up.

 

I kept having the urge to push and the pressure was so great that I felt that if I used the bathroom it might feel better.  But the contractions were so intense by this point that I knelt on the floor doing anything I could to lessen the pressure.  My midwife showed up and walked in to find me on all fours on the floor.  She helped me up and wanted to check me and see how far along I was.  I was 7 cm dilated and 100 percent effaced at 0 station.  She was shocked at how far along I was in such a short period of time, especially being my first child.  I told her that I felt that if I pushed a little, it would feel better.  she told me that I could push a little with each contraction if I needed to.  She filled up a bath to see if it would help with some of the discomfort.  But as soon as I was in the bath, I was ready to get out.  I just could not get comfortable in it and I felt too cramped.  I got out of the bath and got back on the ball leaning against the side of the bed.  The contractions were the most intense now and I then got very sick to my stomach.  It was at this point that we all knew we were going to have the baby very soon.  she then suggested that I get in the bed, and she tilted up the back of the bed so I could lean over it.  After a few minutes it was time to push. 

 

It was the moment I had been waiting for!  I turned around to lay on my back, with the back of the bed tilted up as I pushed.  It felt so good to finally push!  I could feel when every contraction was coming and pushed along with it.  My contractions were very short and close together, so I had to make good use of them!  I only pushed for about 5 contractions, or about 5 minutes total, and then Leah was born at 1:19 a.m.  She was 7 pounds, 4 ounces.  The midwife expected to ease out the head and then shoulders, but was completely surprised when she shot out like a rocket.  I had a very small tear, and got two stitches as Leah nursed.  They immediately had laid her on my stomach after she was born to nurse, but the umbilical cord was so short that they had to cut it after about 5 minutes so that she could reach my breast.  She was so alert and nursed beautifully, and has been ever since.  I was able to lay with her and nurse her, undisturbed, for about 2 hours, until they finally took us up to our room.  She roomed in with me the entire stay.  It was such an amazing experience! 

 

It was amazing that from 10:45 p.m. to 1:19 a.m., I went from what appeared to be no contractions to extremely intense contractions, almost right on top of one another.  I could not believe that it all happened so fast!  The contractions were so close together that I didn't really have time to gather myself and rest between each one.  But I remained calm and focused the entire labor, even as frantic and fast paced as it was.  I never once thought that I couldn't do it.  I had the birth that I dreamed of due to the childbirth classes.  It instilled confidence  in me to know that I could give birth without drugs, confidence in my midwife and her expertise, and confidence in my birthing coaches. 

 

When I think about it, I still can't believe that I actually gave birth and that it all happened so quickly.  During the labor and right after, I couldn't help but think about how in the world people do this more than once.  But as the weeks turn into months, I think mothers get a sort of amnesia about the pain and the labor.  All you see is this beautiful child in your arms and you start to think..."That wasn't so bad.  I could do that again!"

 

 

 

 

When I was 20 weeks pregnant, I saw the documentary, "The Business of Being Born" and realized...women are supposed to have natural childbirths!  It IS the natural way!!!  From that day, I knew I would have a natural childbirth.  Unfortunately, my OB/GYN was not overly supportive shall I say, so I found the midwives at the Women's Specialists of Houston.  I switched to the midwives when I was 25 weeks pregnant and from the second I stepped into their office, I knew I had made a great decision.  I had a very uneventful pregnancy.  I only gained 25 pounds, walked at least two miles everyday of my pregnancy (even the morning my water broke), ate very healthy, etc., etc.  But at 29 weeks, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes!  I was soooo upset.  I had none of the risk factors.  I was just one of the unlucky ones I guess.  Women with gestational diabetes tend to have BIG babies, so usually an induction would be scheduled if the baby did not come by the due date.  I was SOOOO scared of an induction because I knew pitocin would lead to many other interventions.  This would totally ruin my natural birth plan!  Lucky enough, our sweet Lila came three days early...naturally.  Here is our amazing story.

 

On the morning of September 10, 2009, I was awoken at 5:45 a.m. by what felt like a bottle of champagne popping inside of me!  Chris' alarm went off about five minutes later and I told him my water must have broken because I had never felt anything like that in my life.  Sure enough, about an hour later my water started leaking.  I got up at 7:30 a.m., ate breakfast and took Duke for our usual walk.  I started getting cramps and still wasn't sure if today was the day.  I called my midwife and she said it sounded like it was labor and my water was leaking, but to stay put and just wait for the contractions to start.  Around 9:30 a.m. the contractions started and they were about four minutes apart.  By 10:30 a.m. they were three minutes apart and getting much stronger.  I laid on our bed and took each contraction as it came, never being in too much pain.  I told Chris by 11;30 a.m., it was time to go, so he started getting our stuff together.  We got to the hospital at 12:30 p.m., my midwife checked me at 1:00 p.m. and I was 7 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced!  SWEET!!!! It was much more than I was expecting.  The pain was intense, but nothing I couldn't handle at that point.  I was not hooked up to anything so I was able to move around... I liked the rocking chair, the birthball, and the toilet.  I was very nauseated throughout the labor, but never actually vomited.  By 4:00 p.m., I was 9 centimeters and still able to deal with the pain just fine.  I really just dealt with each contraction as they came.  I knew the end was near and we were going to meet our baby boy or girl.  At 5:00 p.m., I was 10 centimeters and ready to push.  For me, the pushing was the hardest part.  It wasn't painful like I though it would be (didn't feel the ring of fire...woohoo!)  I didn't feel like I was doing it right and it was exhausting...I was sweating and huffing and puffing like I was running for miles. FINALLY, after one and a half hours of pushing, our baby girl, Lila Claire, made her entrance at 6:35 p.m.  It was so exciting to see her and hear Christ tell me, "It's a girl!"  Lila was and is absolutely beautiful and I cried like a baby immediately when I saw and held her.  Lila latched on immediately.  Lila's birth was the most amazing experience of my life so far.  It was not the kind of pain I expected it to be and my plans of coping with that much pain worked exactly as planned using the Bradley techniques.  Chris and our midwife were so supportive the whole time and it was a really peaceful experience.  I hardly talked the whole day...it was like I was a MUTE!  Unfortunately, I popped all the blood vessels in my eyes and face from pushing!  Also, I did not tear at all because my midwife had me push slow and did a lot of perineal massage.  I remember Rae saying in the childbirth classes, "some women have less painful births than others."  I would definitely not describe my labor as extremely painful, so I guess I was one of the lucky ones.

 

Lila weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 20 inches long.  I felt great after her birth and was up to use the restroom 15 minutes later.  What an amazing experience!  I cannot wait to do it again and hope to have a homebirth with our next baby.

 

Thank you Rae!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Rosslyn is our first child, so we had no idea what to expect for the actual birth.  The most information we found out about general labor was in Rae's childbirth classes.  Learning the physical changes and specific details of labor helped empower us as a couple to view birth as an adventure rather than a horrific event.

 

One day away from the 38 week mark, my husband and I went to a movies and I was extremely uncomfortable the entire time.  I was having really heavy false labor during the movie and thought we'd be making a trip to the hospital in the middle of the night for sure.  However, we came home and I slept throught the night with no more signs of labor.  The next morning, starting at 9:00 a.m., I was having different types of contractions, more intense than the night before and jumped into the shower, still not convinced, I was in labor.  I called my mom (who was going to drive in from Corpus Christi for the birth), just in case, and she tried to convince me to go to the hospital because it was the real deal.  My husband went to work and I tried walking around, sitting down and lying down to see if the contractions would stop.  They never did, but were never regular either, coming every two to three minutes and lasting around 30 - 60 seconds each time.  Finally, I called my husband to come home, but didn't want to go to the hospital, because I was still not convinced I was in labor.  Around 11:00, I could feel the contractions turn up a notch, so I agreed that we could go to the hospital, just in case...

 

By the time the car was packed, and I found my birthing room, it was around 1:00 p.m. I was 4 cm. dilated and on my way to having a baby.  I tried to stay on my feet and rocked back and forth to use gravity as long as I could.  I had intermittent monitoring, which allowed me to be on my feet and mobile for most of labor.  About an hour or two after arriving at the hospital, I could feel the contractions grow much more intense and had everyone leave the birthing room besides my mom and husband (as we had planned before.)  The nurse was great and never once offered me any drugs, as I had requested.  Instead, she encouraged me and offered me a rocking chair to get through the more intense contractions.  This helped for a while, but at about 7 - 8 centimeters, I had my bag of waters broken and had no intention of leaving the bed, due to the intensity of labor.  At 8 cm., I had the urge to push, so the nurse had me lay on my side and taught me a special breathing technique to help me resist pushing before it was time.  They gave me fluids through an IV and oxygen, because I was having difficulty and trying not to hyperventilate.  Resisting the urge to push (sometimes unsuccessfully, was much more difficult than any of the pain of the contractions! Finally, I started pushing at 7:21 p.m. and Rosslyn was born at exactly 8:00 p.m. and weighed in at exactly 7 pounds.  My doctor was there for the last two hours of labor and delivery and was an awesome coach in addition to my husband and mother.  She provided perineal support (and I had also done a lot of perineal massage starting at 35 weeks), and as a result, I had NO tearing and needed no stitches.

 

I was 100% satisfied and fulfilled by my birth experience with Rosslyn and couldn't imagine a better or easier birth.  Recovery has also been a breeze, thanks to lots of preparation with Rae's classes, my own research and an amazing OB/GYN.

 

 

 

 

For my first pregnancy, we went to see Rae Andrews at the Birthing Naturally Birth Center in west Houston.  Routine pregnancy check-up visits were always enjoyable and Rae did a great job getting me ready for a natural birth - from blood tests to nutritional advice, to exercises, the works!  I felt that she provided me with a lot of information on how to prepare to make this birth the easiest possible.  They were very simple things, some of which an OB/GYN would have never told me about!  We also attended Rae's  childbirth classes.  They gave me a good idea of what to expect during labor and how to deal with it.

 

My first baby girl, Tatjana, was born very close to her due date at the birthing center.  After having occasional mild contractions for a day and stronger, more frequent (but still manageable) contractions for another day, I finally went into labor late at night.  I was trying to get some sleep, but it became clear that this baby was not going to let me sleep anymore!  The contractions were very frequent, but not as long as they were supposed to be.  so, we hesitated to call and wake up Rae until it was clear to me that the baby would be coming out very soon.  My water broke in the car on the way to the birthing center.  We arrived there at approximately 3 a.m. and baby, Sabrina, was born at 3:31 a.m.  That was close!  I had emotionally prepared for a long, hard labor.  Instead, I had a very fast, relatively easy labor!  I didn't have time to try any of the labor positions  we had learned in  the Bradley Method childbirth class!

 

Three years later, I was pregnant with my second child.  Sadly, the birth center was no longer open, but Rae was doing home births.  Since we had such a great experience with my first birth, I was happy to hear that we would be able to use Rae's services again.  Giving birth at home sounded like a great idea to me.  It's so nice not to have to drive anywhere when you are in labor!  And since my first birth went smoothly without complications we decided that we were willing to take on the risks of a home birth.  I registered at a nearby hospital in case a hospital birth became necessary.  We had the confidence that Rae would be able to make the decision whether we had to go to the hospital, but hoped that it wouldn't become necessary.

 

I was in suspense what my second birth would be like.  Would it be as fast as the first one or would I have a long labor this time?  One factor to consider was that most of the women in my family seem to have fast births, but then again the nature of your labor depends on so many factors.  There really is no way to predict!  The due date for my second baby, a Sunday, came and went.  I had no real contractions.  The following Friday was a full moon.  Since my first baby was born during a night with a full moon maybe the second would come during a full moon, too.  But that Friday and the weekend passed and I still did not have contractions.  The following Tuesday (9 days after the due date) I had an appointment for a stress test to see whether the baby was OK and to check on the amniotic fluid levels.  Rae was concerned that the fluid levels around the baby could be low and asked me to drink lots of water.  One of the little tricks I learned from Rae is that during the whole pregnancy you try to eat very little sugar, but once you get close to labor it's time to drink diluted juice!  You and your baby need LOTS of energy!  That Tuesday morning, after having drunk lots of juice the day before, contractions started.

 

My first contractions were mild and only about once an hour.  But by early afternoon, when we had our appointment for the stress test, the contractions occurred every 15 minutes.  However, they were still not very long and fairly mild.  The stress test showed that the baby was fine.  Fluidd levels were on the low side, but still OK.  When we got back home by around 2:30 p.m., I called Rae.  By 4:30 p.m. my contractions came every 5 minutes, but they were not really that long yet.  We called Rae again and agreed that there would be enough time to go home from work, change, pick up the rest of the birth supplies, and come to our house.   We had most of the birthing supplies at our house.

 

We started getting the bed ready for the birth and set up the table for the birthing supplies.  At 5:30 p.m., we sat down to eat dinner.  By that time, I was uncomfortable as contractions were coming every two minutes or less.  We talked to Rae once more (she was in Houston traffic - rush hour) and said she would be here soon.  Around 6:20 p.m. I had to go to the bathroom for a bowel movement, but had contractions at the same time.  At that moment, Rae arrived and instructed me to go to the bed instead of the bathroom.  I might be pushing the baby out at the same time as the bowel movement! 

 

Grandma was with us and took 3 year old Tatjana on a walk.  After a couple more cycles of contractions, baby Sabrina was born at 6:38 p.m. on that Tuesday!  My water never broke, so Rae finally broke the amniotic sac  after Sabrina had come out.  Sabrina weighed 8 pounds, 4.5 ounces, had rosy skin and was yelling.  She was a healthy, fully developed newborn!  Rae cleaned her a bit and my husband helped her cut the umbilical cord.  Sabrina was now lying on my belly, nursing for the first time! 

 

Christine, Rae's nurse-assistant, arrived just in time for the placenta to come out.  My birth had been so fast that she missed the fun of the baby coming out!  Grandma and Tatjana came back from their walk and proceeded to read some books.  Tatjana wanted to see Mama and her baby sister, but we told her that she had to wait a while longer.  Sabrina had come out of me so fast that my perineum had a small tear in spite of having performed perineal massage during the month before the birth.  Thus, after baby Sabrina was examined and the placenta was out, Rae proceeded to do the repair.  And finally, she gave me an IV with Pitocin to make sure my uterus would contract completely and the bleeding would stop.  Finally, Tatjana was allowed to come into the bedroom and see her baby sister.  She was a proud big sister!

 

 

When we found out that I was pregnant, I definitely did not want to have a C-section or any kind of invasive hospital needle pricking.  I have had two hernia surgeries and it took me months to recuperate from them.  I wanted to have as natural of a birth as my mother and grandmother did, just not at the house.  Our doctor was wonderful, but when it came to the birth plan discussion and after taking Rae's class and encouragement, my husband and I decided to meet with the midwives at the Women's Specialists.   We felt so comfortable with them because they respected our choice of natural birth. They took the time to answer our questions.  We  just felt that we would have a holding, caring person with us throughout the labor and delivery - not just to catch the baby. We decided right away(in my 30th week of pregnancy) to switch to the midwives.  It was the best decision we ever made!!

 

Thanks to the fantastic classes with Rae and the midwives at the Women's Specialists, our labor and delivery experience was an extremely happy and memorable one.  The tools from Rae's classes were extremely helpful, from timing contractions, exercises to prepare the body and the mind, breathing techniques, what to take, etc...

 

My contractions started at 10:39 p.m. on March 18th, my original due date.  Breathing techniques helped a lot.  We called the midwives and were told to wait until they became closer and more intense.  (I could still talk through the contractions at that point.)  I got in the bath tub at home, ate a light broth and toast, then tried to rest and snooze on our rocking chair.  By 2:30 a.m. on March 19th, four hours later, my water broke.  It felt like a balloon popped inside me, but really there was not a lot of water and there was some pinkish discharge.  We called the midwives then headed to St. Luke's hospital.  There the staff was great and we met our midwife, Debby, who stayed with us from the time we got to the hospital until after the baby I moved to our room.  I changed into the clothes I brought and then signed some papers.  Debby checked the baby's heart rate for 20 minutes or so, checked me, and the hospital nurse drew some blood.  After that I was then able to resume my breathing and walk around.  The contractions got more frequent and intense as I was walking the hall with my husband and Debby, our midwife.  I decided to lay in bed and then rock in the chair.  By the time I got checked for the second time, around 5:00 a.m., I was already passed 4 centimeters of dilation and Debby got the bath ready for me.  The water was wonderful and it helped a lot with the pain of the contractions along with breathing and the support of my amazing husband.  By this time, I wanted him to touch me, rub me, not so fast, not so slow and not so deep.  I left the tub for the birthing ball (marvelous by the way).  Then I felt like something was pushing out.  I was checked for the third and last time by Debby and I was 10 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced.  The pushing came naturally - again the breathing techniques at this point were extremely helpful.  The ring of fire is exactly like it sounds but it felt so brief (even though  I pushed for almost an hour.)  I knew that was it once I touched my baby's head.  I did not have any tearing.  We were blessed with Zayne on 3-19 at 8:34 a.m., one day after our due date and a total of 10 hours of labor.  He weighed 6 pounds and 13 ounces at birth.  Both mom and baby did well.  My baby was given to me right away.  I was able to start breastfeeding before even cutting the cord.  Amazingly, I felt I was ready to do it again.  I got up without any problems and cleaned up.  I was then moved to our new room at the hospital.

 

Rae, we are so glad and grateful we took your class.  It made a huge difference.  Giving birth naturally, my husband, Luke, and I didn't get freaked out and were able to relax and enjoy the ride.  Debby from the Women's Specialist midwives was outstanding.  She was there with us from 3:00 a.m. until about 9:30 a.m. every step of the way.  She was very supportive, patient, and really respected out birth plan.  I was able to use the birthing ball, sit in the tub, no medications were pushed on us, and no routine IV.  I was able to touch the baby's head at crowning and delayed cord clamping was done by daddy.  The baby went straight to mama and never left our side.  The baby latched on the breast within 30 minutes after birth.  The nurses and staff at St. Luke's were also very good.  It was really an amazing experience. 

 

Thanks to Rae, the midwives, and the St. Luke's staff!! We came home the next day and that was the easy part!!