my husband got into the pool with me to support my body as I floated on my back.
Our positive non-medicated| Natural | Water Birth:
First Time Mum
Baby Girl 6Ib2oz born at the Birthing Center
40 weeks + 4 days
Background:
Midwifery care in the city of Calgary, Canada is hard to get. I didn’t receive the care until 32 weeks into my pregnancy. This opened the doors to have my birth outside of a hospital environment which prior to, I was prepared to utilize the hypnobirthing techniques in the hospital. I was physically active throughout my pregnancy until I was 37 weeks pregnant. How I prepared for natural childbirth as a first time mom can be found here.
My husband works abroad for three weeks and then return home for 3 weeks. During the time he was home, we would watch 1-2 videos of the digital pack from the Positive Birth Company before bed. I listened to the Positive Affirmations Mp3 every night. Practiced up breathing during pilates and yoga class. Down breathing when I went #2.
Birth:
I was offered a sweep at my 40 week visit with the midwife and I declined. Four days later, on March 12, at 1am, surges started and as a first time mom, I had no idea how they would feel, so I ignored them. It was apparent they were surges as they were becoming frequent and more intense. I felt the pain in my lower back buzzing. I got up to the living room and listened to the Positive Affirmations Mp3 while bouncing on the yoga ball and timing them. Four hours later the surges were 2-4 mins apart. Almost unbearable without up breathing. I woke my husband up and called the midwife. She came over and assessed me. I was already 5+cm dilated! She was shocked that I did it all on my own and she instructed we meet her at the birth center. The positive birth affirmations Mp3 was still playing on my headphones as my husband helped gather all our things and snacks for the birth center which was all a blur, the next thing I remember is walking to the car up breathing and stopping with every surge all the way to the birth center.
At the Birthing Center the midwife had dimmed the lights and my husband quickly started to prepare the hypnobirthing environment with LED candles and rubbing a bit of lemongrass essential oil on my wrist. Surges were intense as I laboured for an hour with my contractions slowing down. I was assessed to be 8cm by that point and my husband learned a new technique from the midwife to help me during the surge by holding my hips with pressure and shaking my hips side to side. Upbreathing was hard to maintain after that point. I embraced every surge because of that technique + upbreathing. My husband was absolutely amazing keeping me fed, hydrated and calm, occasionally counting the up breathing to keep me focused even though I could not upbreath to the count of four or exhale to 8. He was totally hands on.
I was invited to enter the birthing pool brought a tremendous relief and it allowed me to dilate to 10cm. When the time came to push, my husband got into the pool with me to support my body as I floated on my back. Even though I knew I had to let gravity help push out my daughter, I no longer felt comfortable on all fours in the pool. 16 hours later and still listening to the positive affirmations MP3, our baby Atlas was born 5pm in the birthing pool at 6.2 ibs. I opted for the injection to birth the placenta as I was exhausted at that point.
My husband got his skin to skin time while the midwives were attending to my bottom bits. Only a couple of grazes. No tears on my perineum! This birth was super empowering and I recommend the course to all moms. Our bodies really do know how to nourish and birth our babies.🥳
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