One of the most common questions I got asked when I had Brooks was how I incorporated both western medicine and a holistic approach throughout my pregnancy and birth. I will preface and say this is not medical advice. I am personally sharing my experience and what worked for me. You have to find what works best for you!
I loved the idea of having a home birth, but ultimately we planned to have Brooks in the hospital for two reasons, the first being that I liked the idea of transitioning and coming home. The second being a rare genetic blood clotting disorder runs on one side of our family, and I wanted to make sure Brooks did not have it. We chose a hospital over a birthing center because I really clicked with my OBGYN. She has been a meal prep client for years and was very open to everything that was important to me. If I had not met her, I may have chosen a birthing center, but I felt comfortable with her, which is huge for me, because I hate hospitals.
Prior to getting pregnant, I took Lori Bregman’s pregnancy course. I was the only one in the course that was not pregnant, ha! Lori is a doula, and she truly has the best energy. During her course, she laid out everything to consider about giving birth, which I found so helpful. From there, I made my birth plan. I know some things can be out of our control with birth, but I think it is important to set intentions. I made a two page document with everything that was important to me and the things that were non-negotiables. I went over it with my husband and OBGYN beforehand, and we were all aligned.
My due date changed multiple times. I think there was a system error which caused this. The due date according to my cycle app was January 7th, but I had this feeling he was going to come early despite that being really uncommon for first time moms.
Now for my labor and delivery
For reference here, I went into labor on a Saturday and had him at 4 AM on Sunday. The Friday prior, I had to go into the meal prep kitchen for something and stayed for 7 hours which literally has not happened in years! My job over the years has transitioned to fully remote, so I normally don’t go in. While I was there, I was on my feet, which I think helped me go into labor. On Saturday morning, I woke up having contractions, but they went away around 9 AM. I went to a massage appointment at 11. I drove home from the massage around 1:00 on 228 in Cranberry. If you are local, you know that it is a really busy road. While I was driving, the contractions started again, but this time they were really really strong. I thought to call Mitchell, but I couldn’t comprehend talking, driving, and calling him all at once. That was how strong they were. I remember thinking to myself, I am done driving alone until this baby comes. I got home, and they were persistent, about only a minute apart. 4 PM came around, and they were still going consistently a minute apart. It was my intention to labor as long as I could at home, which I did, but by the time dinner time rolled around, I knew this baby was coming soon.
The week before having him I was 2 cm dilated. When I got to the hospital, I thought for sure I was more dilated. I was shocked when they told me I wasn’t. Since I did not want to be induced, they told me to go home and labor at home. Shortly after they told me this, BK’s heartrate was dropping with my contractions, and they advised me to stay. At this point, I never lost my mucus plug, nor did my water break. The contractions were every single minute from about 1:00, and it was dinner time. They suggested breaking my water to see if this would dilate me further. Within a few hours, I was 6 cm dilated! For whatever reason, my water did not break on its own but breaking it really stimulated the birth, which I was okay with. I labored all night. My contractions were consistent, happening every single minute until I had him. BK came at 4:45 AM!
FAQs
I did not. If Lori from my course was available here in Pittsburgh, I would have had her in a heartbeat, but she was not. After really reflecting on the energy I wanted in the room when I gave birth, I ultimately decided I did not want a doula. My husband Mitchell has a really calming and grounding presence. I trusted him to hold the energy in the room.
This will obviously vary from person to person. I think there are a few things that can be considered and thought of beforehand: Is delayed cord clamping important to you? Will you or will you not be doing the eye ointment, vitamin k and hepatitis shot? What kind of vibe do you want in the room? We kept a majority of the lights off in my room to help create a calming presence. What kind of music do you want, if any? I had a hypnotic birth playlist. Are you allowing visitors to come to the hospital? Do you plan to nurse or formula feed? If you plan to nurse, I highly recommend taking a class and learning how to pump beforehand if you plan on pumping. It is one less thing to learn when the baby comes. Are you okay with students/ residents in the room? What role do you want your partner to play during the delivery? Are you okay with hospital products, or are you bringing your own? For example, I brought my own Organic Almond Oil instead of using what the hospital provided during birth. Do you want mirrors? Are you bringing any tools from home like labor combs? Do you want your baby staying with you overnight or in the nursery?
On my birth plan I wrote, it asked me if I wanted mirrors. When you are in the middle of giving birth, things can catch you off guard. In mid push, they rolled out this massive (I mean massive, poster board size) mirror asking me if I wanted a mirror. In their defense, I wrote that I wanted it, but I was shocked how big it was, haha. I did end up watching him crown. Personally, I found it motivating to keep pushing, but I can understand why some people may not want to see.
My Biggest Piece of Advice
I believe it is important to go into it with intentions and a plan, however I think it is even more important to submit to the process. I think the biggest thing is trusting your gut. Instead of focusing on trying to have a natural and holistic birth, I focused on doing what felt right for me. I encourage you to do the same too! If you want to read more about My Fertility Journey, you can do that here.
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