To say that our birth story was nothing short of a dream is an understatement. I can’t believe how perfectly everything went for the birth of our first son, and I’m still in awe at how amazing the human body is.
From day 1, I had wanted to have a natural birth. The thought of getting an epidural has always freaked me out, and after doing further research, I really didn’t want to be induced. When I first found out I was pregnant, I did quite a few things to help me have a successful natural birth.
One of the first things I did was attend the Love Your Labour course by Corinne Brown. She gave me and Nathaniel several helpful tools to labor naturally, and at home, for as long as possible, and prepped us for what having an unmedicated birth would be like, including the many benefits for mom and baby.
There were also several supplements that I began taking toward the end of my pregnancy to help get my body prepared for the delivery. Some of those things included the Labor Prep Tea by PinkStore (an absolutely amazing, Christian company based out of Florida), evening primrose oil, dates, and a Gentle Birth tincture.
It was my hope that Greyson would make his appearance earlier than my due date which was November 2. I had a good feeling that this would happen because I started having Braxton Hicks contractions at about the 30 week mark, and they would usually be pretty intense. I knew my body was prepping and getting ready, so these made me super excited! The week before I had him, I knew I was in early labor. I was feeling what felt like intense period cramps, and had no idea that these were actually contractions (I obviously had no idea what to expect). I was 3-4 centimeters dilated the Monday before I had him. I went ahead and got a prenatal massage on Thursday, and I was pretty active the day before my delivery, out and about and running errands. I feel that this is another thing that helped me have such a quick and easy delivery – being active all throughout my pregnancy and especially the days leading up to it.
On the morning of Saturday, October 24, I woke up and was in quite a bit of pain and discomfort. I decided to get up and take a shower and get ready just in case. I came downstairs and asked my mom if she would blow dry my hair since I couldn’t really stand for long periods of time. The pain was starting to get pretty intense so I sat on my medicine ball to try and get some relief. I went back upstairs after a few minutes and tried to lay down when I thought that my water broke. I called my doctor and she told me to meet her at the hospital. One of the most important things that I would tell expecting new mamas is to make sure your hospital bags are packed and that EVERYTHING is ready to go at least two weeks before your due date. We had mostly everything ready but there were still some things that we needed to do and get into the car, and so that made for a bunch of running around and a little stress.
The car ride to the hospital was a fun one 😉 My contractions were really ramping up, and we were about 30 minutes from where we needed to be. By the time we got there, we checked in through emergency and they wheeled me to a triage room to ensure that I was in actual labor. It didn’t take long for everyone to see (and hear) that it was the real thing. I feel sorry for everyone on the labor and delivery floor – haha! I got into the labor and delivery room and by the time my doctor checked me I was already 8 centimeters dilated. I was praising Jesus for this becuase I was terrifed that she was going to tell me I was only 5-6 and still had a ways to go. I wasn’t sure I would be able to hold out much longer.
They got me hooked to the IV just in time and I felt the urge to push so it was go time. I started to push at 12:15p and delivered Greyson at 12:49p. It was so surreal. It was definitely the most pain I’ve ever been in my entire life, but it was worth every minute and I would do it over again in a heartbeat. I was so proud of myself that I was able to go natural, however, I believe that no matter how you birth a child, every woman is amazing and incredible for creating and bringing a new life into the world.
Greyson is super healthy and the next few days felt like a dream. Time seriously does fly with a newborn and I already want it to slow down.
I wanted to share my story in an attempt to encourage other mamas who might want to go all natural. Labor is something that I have been terrified of for years. I stressed and stressed over the process of actually having a child and I now wish I wouldn’t have after knowing what I know now. I understand that having a labor this easy was such a blessing, and that it doesn’t always happen this easy for every woman. I am seriously so thankful for this little miracle and the way in which he came into our lives.
I’ve linked some of the items below that helped me in my journey to a natural birth. I also took prenatal vitamins every day and ate dates to help prepare my cervix. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about the products or questions about the process. I’d love to help! I was thankful to have such an encouraging group of girls that I went to with questions and concerns that I knew already had a natural birth. That in itself was super encouraging and comforting.
