"I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is."
- Oprah Winfrey
It's been 3 months since I gave birth. As I'm nearing the end of the dreaded 4th trimester, I wanted to share this experience as one I will never forget. I gave birth to a lovely baby girl on September 6th at the Atlanta Birth Center - hello full moon baby! There are so many things I remember that it tops my first birthing experience in regards to it being a lot quicker and seamlessly easier to go through.
THE WEEK OF...
I had been experiencing a lot of lower right hip pain. When you have a toddler that wants to always play, pull you up and down the stairs, and be carried close in your arms, you definitely feel it. Getting a prenatal massage helped me a bit. I didn't complain much because I wanted to make sure he felt as loved as possible. It being our last few days together with just he and I was bittersweet.During this pregnancy, there were symptoms I had that I didn't have with my first born. From nausea to constipation to the hip pain. I knew she was close to arriving as my belly continued to feel as though it wanted to live right between my legs. Not to mention the Braxton-Hicks contractions that began to come more throughout the day.
THE DAY I KNEW...
It was a long morning. I kept waking up on and off, tossing and turning due to what I thought were just more random BH contractions. Finally, a little after 3AM, I woke up and rushed to the bathroom feeling as though I had to (explicit). lol - I was feeling constipated. Ugh! I attempted to go back to bed but those contractions kept coming and making it slightly uncomfortable to rest.For the next few hours, I was up pacing back and forth, up and down the stairs trying to allow my body to do what it needed to. I still just thought "oh, it's just fake contractions, it'll pass." Around 5AM, I started timing them. Then comes 6AM and by then, they were beginning to come back to back. Since I wanted to birth naturally, I made use of breathing techniques, movement, and my beloved birthing ball to get me through the contractions. There was no pain, just what felt like intense period cramps that I knew wouldn't kill me.
Once they started to time 3-5 minutes apart, I gave bae a call and basically said, "sooo, I think today is the day." He went to rent a bigger car while I continued to breathe, bounce, and swirl through the feels. I also called my midwife to let her know what was going on and she recommended a hot shower and if possible, rest. I knew rest was not going to happen. My son woke up and while laboring, I went about making sure he was fed, started packing my bag, and prepped my shower. I ended up in my bedroom, on all fours breathing and vocalizing moans through several contractions coming 2-3 minutes apart.
Once daddy arrived, he went to help finish packing as I made my way to the shower. The shower was great. Things were definitely picking up because I was now moaning more than breathing through at this stage. He helped me out of the shower and we were getting ready to make a less than 2 hour drive to Atlanta. While he filled the car, I was trying to remember the important stuff. I had about 4-6 contractions I had to stop for as I made it from my bedroom to the staircase to the living room couch.
It was around 11ish when we left. I was on my knees, laboring in the back of the car while my toddler paid me no mind. The nerve. My midwife called maybe 3 times during the ride to make sure I was okay and getting close. I was a champ, knocking out those contractions like it was nothing. I was also pretty sure I had dilated to 8-9 centimeters. We arrived at the birth center close to 1PM. The midwives were outside waiting for me and were like, "you go girl! Laboring like this."
HEY BABY!
After arriving, I was triaged. I was already at 9 centimeters. Contractions kept coming as one of the midwives tried checking me out and getting me squared away. I was suppose to be treated with antibiotics for BStrep but baby girl said hell to the no, she was coming and coming fast. I got on the bed, on all fours, of course and started to push. LET ME TELL YA... THE "RING OF FIRE" WAS NOT WHAT I EXPECTED. It didn't feel like agony or anything. Just a short period of time where I told my unborn kid hurry it up already.After her head was freed, the rest was just smooth sailing then she slid right on out - lol. Thus my little one was finally here... 10 days early and all. According to Western Astrology, I have a Virgo baby. According to the more accurate 13 Astrology, she's a fierce Leo. She literally arrived 20 minutes after we made it to the birthing center. That was fast. I also kept my placenta.
We all were able to relax afterwards. Since I was positive for BStrep, I was given a shot in the thigh after delivery and for the next few hours, we were both checked on every few hours. Delivering in a birth center has its perks. I was able to leave that night/super early morning once some paperwork and what not was taken care of.
Overall, this experience was definitely not what I expected. When most people hear that you plan to birth unmedicated, they look at you crazy and give all kinds of scare tactics. The nurses I had during my first birthing experience definitely laughed at me for even thinking that. I was glad to have the support and awesome midwife staff that I did this go around. Everyone's pain threshold is different i guess. I'd definitely do it all over again, changing nothing.
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| My toddler decided to fall asleep in my arms while I tried to nurse, He had a long morning. // Still taking it all in. |
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| After baby decided to poop on me (hooray initiation, lol) - the midwife assistants gave her first clean-up. |
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| Daddy with his baby girl. First born so he was basking in this new reality. |
What was your birthing experience(s) like? How were they different and are you team epidural or nah?
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