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Introduction
Preparing for labor and birth can be an overwhelming experience, especially for first-time moms. In this post, I want to share my personal journey and provide valuable information to help you prepare for a natural birth at a birthing center. I’ll discuss how and why I chose this method, shed light on the fear-based approach to childbirth in America, share my experience working with a midwife, and provide a detailed list of resources that helped me prepare for labor.
In this post I share my pregnancy experience, and how I prepared to give birth naturally at a birthing center. I share some resources I really value and some tips I gathered, both from my midwife and other sources on the internet. If you’re interested in reading about my labor and birth story, check out this post. This post will cover:
- How and why I came to choose a natural birth method
- How childbirth in America is fear based
- My experience working with a midwife
- A detailed list of all the resources I used to prepare for labor
I’ve compiled a concise list outlining key elements to facilitate a quicker and smoother labor experience. This list features items I’ve personally utilized and appreciated. By opting to make a purchase through the provided links, you’ll be supporting my work, as I receive a small commission. Access your complimentary labor preparation list HERE.
Choosing Care at a Birth Center
When I discovered I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to give birth at Pure Births Birthing Center. The serene and inviting ambiance instantly drew me in. After scheduling a consultation with Tiffany Gallo, the midwife at Pure Births, my husband and I discussed unmedicated and water birth options available.
Tiffany was incredibly informative. We learned about the type of care I would receive with her and her team, and how involved she would be as my practitioner. We left the birth center with a list of movies and books to check out in preparation for the type of birth experience I was to participate in.
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How Childbirth in America is Fear Based
The documentary Tiffany highly recommended was “The Business of Being Born” produced by Ricki Lake, which explores the history of hospital birth that led up to modern maternity care. It also covers current birthing experiences in the United States, both in hospital and home births.
During my pregnancy, I encountered surprising reactions when discussing my choice for a natural birth. Having a natural, unmedicated birth isn’t as novel as some may be aware of. Though there were some supportive people in my life, of which I’m very grateful for. There were some who were surprised, wary, or just unsupportive.
In many countries, unmedicated births are the norm, but in the United States, they are less common. This fear-based perspective on childbirth is a result of societal issues and a lack of comprehensive education. Many women are not fully informed about the birthing process, some may not even be aware of the stages of labor and are taught to fear it.
Additionally, many women are heavily medicated during labor, disrupting the natural hormone cascade that would otherwise facilitate a smoother labor. They are unaware of the steps they can take to prepare for birth. Many women are taught to leave the birthing process in the hands of their nurses and doctors. Of which many birthing professionals do not take the time to educate pregnant women on the stages of labor. However, with the right knowledge and resources, women can approach birth confidently and prepare for a faster and easier labor.
My Experience with a Midwife
Working with Tiffany, my midwife, was a transformative experience in comparison to the hospital visits I had in my first trimester. During my half hour visits I felt valued, informed and taken care of. She provided us with a wealth of resources, including parenting book suggestions, a timeline of pregnancy-related tests, and supplies.
Tiffany emphasized the importance of education and encouraged us to take a birth course as well as a newborn care course. She also provided resources on newborn care, breastfeeding, and postpartum care.
My Pregnancy Experience
I struggled my way through my first trimester. The first trimester is when you grow a new organ.
*shimmer* The Placenta! *shimmer*
Let me tell you, morning sickness does not just happen in the morning. It can be all day for some. I would end up missing a lot of work or being quite late because of it. Or, if I happened to make it to work, would be nauseous and throwing up during my shifts.
The first trimester was a blur, but I figured out small things that would get me through the day. Keeping my tummy fed and using sea sickness bands throughout the day seemed to help. Relief was most noticeable once I reached around 14 weeks.
My second trimester brought much jubilance. I had energy and this is when I did most of my preparation for baby and postpartum. My best friend Ashley would come over to learn about the role of a doula and about birth.
In the third trimester, I spent a lot of time relaxing and preparing. This is one aspect of the pandemic I’m so grateful for.
My Labor
My labor was very fast for a first time mom. I spent 4 hours in labor and 1 hour pushing. The speed of my labor I attribute mostly to the pandemic. I know this type of pregnancy experience is not possible for many women. Myself included, had there not been a pandemic.
By not having to work from my second trimester and beyond, I was able to be relatively low stress. I could prioritize my health, sleep, and learn about all things labor, birth, and baby. I was able to use any extra energy to find out how to have a faster, less painful labor.
My labor was not painless, but it was ABSOLUTELY manageable.
“You can do anything for 60 seconds!” (the length of a contraction)
Liesel Teen
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List of Labor & Birth Preparations
Below, I’ve listed anything and everything I can remember helped me have a quick labor, Access your complimentary labor preparation list HERE:
- Exercise Ball: An exercise ball provides multilevel benefits. It helps with comfort during pregnancy by easing the pain of your changing hips, back, and waist as you grow. It also helps with the positioning of the baby, and it can be used during labor. During my labor, the most comfortable position for me was being on my knees with my arms on the ball, letting my belly hang while Patrick and Ashley alternated applying pressure on my lower back (<– almost forgot this one, it was such a relief!).
- Tea Tree Oil: At 34 weeks, I took 10 minute sitz baths (<– I had one like this) with 2 drops (ONLY) of tea tree oil, visualizing the kind of birth I wanted to have and visualizing a stretchy perineum facilitating an effortless delivery. This (but this one looks awesome –>) sitz bath stimulates blood flow to the vaginal tissues which will lower the risk of tearing while also encouraging a GBS negative result (more information at EBB episode 225).
- Evening Primrose Oil: At 36 weeks, I was advised by my midwife to take 1000-1500mg of evening primrose oil capsules daily. This supplement helped prepare my body for labor by softening the cervix. At 37 weeks, I was to poke holes in the EPO capsule with a pin, and insert like a tampon before bed. Be sure to wear panty liners! Check out EBB episode 134 for research.
- Perineal massage: This technique helped stretch and prepare the perineum for birth, especially effective for first time moms. Read this article by Rebecca Dekker of Evidence Based Birth or listen to the podcast episode 216 for preventing tears in childbirth. Episode 218 discusses research about perineal massage during labor. Here’s an article from the mama natural on how to do it. I had my partner do it for me, much easier. You can use sesame seed oil, almond oil, or olive oil.
- Nipple stimulation & Acupuncture: Based on evidence-based birth practices, gentle nipple stimulation can help stimulate contractions. Listen to EBB podcast episode 125 for research. I started nipple stimulation around 36 weeks, a few times per week (when I remembered really). I never did acupuncture, but I totally would have if I felt I could afford it.
- Chiropractic Adjustments: Pregnancy puts a lot of physical stress on the body. Many women also have to work up until they give birth, which can also be psychologically stressful. Having a chiropractor that is experienced with pregnant clients can be super valuable. Providing relief by aligning and adjusting your pelvis and spine. I likely would have skipped on this honestly, but I actually really needed it since I was having some pain in the last weeks of my pregnancy. He would also tape me up to help with weight distribution though!
- Exercise: Engaging in regular exercise helped keep me physically and mentally prepared. I started off with prenatal yoga and walking everyday, but as my body grew each became progressively difficult to accomplish. Thankfully it was summertime, and I was able to transition to swimming as a form of low impact exercise. While in the water, I would listen to hypnobirthing tracks on my galaxy headphones.
- Hypnobirthing: Hypnobirthing is a technique whereby self hypnosis is used to prepare your mind for labor and birth. It helps to reduce fear and anxiety, and to gain confidence in the birthing process. That way, your mind is focused on birth and which helps to facilitate a smoother, quicker labor and birth. Starting later in my second trimester I learned relaxation and visualization exercises for labor by listening to hypnobirthing affirmation tracks. I used the ones by Kathryn Clark on amazon music. I no longer see her tracks there, but her book is essentially a course in hypnobirthing. Otherwise you can check out this option for affirmation and meditation tracks.
- Lots of naps: Resting and taking frequent naps allowed me to conserve energy and nurture my body during pregnancy.
Education & Courses
- Evidence Based Birth Podcast is a great resources for all things pregnancy and birth. They summarize research articles in a very neutral manner to give a whole picture on a variety topics. With over 250 episodes, there are sure to be insights regarding all stages of maternity.
- I watched the documentary “The Business of Being Born” with Patrick and Ashley, my birth team.
- Ashley and I learned about the role of a doula, and like an angel and took on the role.
- Bridget Teyler is doula and childbirth educator whose youtube channel is so helpful for labor and birth prep. She discusses many different topics, with the perspective of being both a mother and a doula. I also encourage you to watch youtube channels of women who have shared their experience with pregnancy and birth stories.
- I also found a classic childbirth class for free on youtube that was so helpful. In it, Holliday Tyson explains why some women experience more pain than others; spaghetti versus fettuccini nerves. I found that so helpful because I was able to envision labor pains, based on my period cramp history. There are three videos to this class which I’ve linked in the following: part 1 is prenatal, part 2 is labor and birth, and part 3 is postnatal.
- The course I took was the Mommy Labor Nurse birth it up: natural series, and it was great. It’s a bit pricey, but not outrageous. A wallet friendly option would be from Giving Birth Naturally. This page has many other resources such as childbirth methods, information about newborn procedures, and real birth videos.
Conclusion
On my pregnancy journey, I unearthed the inner strength within myself and developed a profound trust in my body’s capacity to bring my baby into the world. The preparation and unwavering support I received from Patrick and Ashley were vital factors in my pursuit of the birth experience I envisioned. The internet has been instrumental in facilitating the sharing of experiences, which allowed me to mentally prepare and know what to expect. We are now able to rediscover the wisdom of our ancestors and reclaim our power and autonomy in this transformative journey to motherhood.
