An "Easy" Birth
Teresa Board
Tempe Arizona USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 17 No. 2 March-April 2000 p. 40
We provide articles from our publications from previous years for reference for our Leaders and members. Readers are cautioned to remember that research and medical information change over time.
When I was planning for
the birth of my first child, I decided to take the easy way out: natural
childbirth. Many of my friends and co-workers thought the opposite -
that I was choosing to do it the hard way when the perfectly easy alternative
of a medicated birth was readily available. At one time, I would have
agreed with them. But when I worked as an editor at La Leche League
International's Publications Department I heard many stories about both
breastfeeding and childbirth. Since I didn't have any children, I tried
to absorb as much information as possible. Gradually I realized that
women who trust their bodies to nourish their babies through breastfeeding
are naturally inclined to trust their ability to give birth with a minimum
of medical intervention.
I also began to question
the assumption that choosing a medicated birth was the easy option.
My vision of sailing through labor on a wave of epidural-induced bliss
was replaced with this realization: The more intervention you accept,
the more you may need. And there's nothing painless about an episiotomy,
a cesarean birth, or a spinal headache from an epidural.
Of course, there are no guarantees
when it comes to birth. But when my husband, Chad, and I were expecting
our first baby, we decided that planning a natural birth - avoiding
any unnecessary intervention - was the way we wanted to go. We wanted
to participate actively together in the process of labor and birth.
Fortunately, there was a free-standing birth center near our home that
fit well with our desire to create a comfortable, flexible birth environment.
Although we did a lot of
reading, Chad and I tried to remember that each birth is unique, and
you never really know what to expect. We steeled ourselves for the kind
of 48-hour marathon that veteran parents had been all too eager to tell
us about. When my water broke at midnight, we knew labor might not start
right away, so we tried to relax and just wait and see what happened.
Within about half an hour, contractions hit. Chad was timing them, and
they were getting longer and closer together faster than they were "suppose
to." We thought maybe we were timing them wrong. I got scared,
because after only a few minutes the contractions were so much more
intense than I expected in early labor. (Now I know that's because I
pretty much skipped early labor!) I thought, this is so hard already
- if this is the "easy" part, I am in trouble.
I kept telling Chad not to
call our doula because I didn't want to bother her too early. I was
really in active labor by the time she arrived, so we had to leave right
away for the birth center. I had such a hard time making myself leave
the house. I kept saying, "After this contraction, just one more.
"Our doula finally said, "Okay, one more, but then we better
go or this is going to be a home birth!" ("Which is all right
with me," she said, "but I would have liked to plan ahead!")
When we got to the birth
center at 2:20 AM, I was 8 to 9 centimeters dilated! I was fully dilated
and pushing by 2:30. I progressed well at first, but at a certain point,
the tissue resisted stretching. I was stuck for about 40 minutes, but
when the midwife suggested an episiotomy, I resisted. The baby and I
were both fine, and I wanted to give it some more time. The midwife
used hot compresses, and my doula helped me do some visualization.
Then, at 4:15 AM - just over
4 hours after my water broke! - Mason Chad Board made a sudden appearance,
all in one push. His daddy caught him and laid him on my chest. In our
first minutes together, the three of us felt like we were in our own
little world. We hardly noticed the nurse cleaning Mason off under the
receiving blanket and checking his vital signs - all while he lay in
my arms. I needed minor repair for a small tear, but I was so wrapped
up in my new baby that I hardly noticed.
Then Chad, Mason and I took
a bath in the birth center's jacuzzi tub. Mason loved the warm water;
he kicked his little legs and looked at us, then nursed for a bit. About
three hours after he was born, we went home to our own bed. Where can
you relax better?
Most people think I had an
easy birth because it was so short. I won't argue with them, although
I will say undergoing the physical changes of labor in such a compressed
time is pretty intense. For me, what made my birth "easy"
was being surrounded by supportive people in a relaxing environment.
Chad and I had prepared to work as a team, we had the support of my
mother and a great midwife and doula, and the birth center was a beautiful,
quiet place for Mason to enter the world.
And even though no amount
of preparation can guarantee an uncomplicated birth, Chad and I felt
a huge sense of accomplishment. I turned to him after it was all over
and said, "We did it!"
Last updated Friday, October 13, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:27 UTC 2007.
