What a journey for this parents as they planned the best birth possible for their first baby! They attended ICAN meetings, switched practices, and did everything in their power to have a positive birth experience in a hospital environment, and all their hard work paid off!
Early labor began in the afternoon of the 10th, but mom was able to ignore it until almost 8pm, when they called Lori to give her the "head's up" that she might be in labor. At that time, contractions were about 7 minutes apart, but mom was coping well, and so they weren't ready for my support. Shortly after 11:30pm, I received a call from dad, letting me know that contractions had increased in intensity, and had become closer together, and mom was having a hard time coping, so I was on my way!
I arrived to their home at about 12:30am, and found mom in the living room working hard with her contractions, with dad and grandma by her side. We tried a few different positions, and I talked her through each contraction to help her relax throughout her body and allow herself to open for her baby. What worked well for her was the rice sock on the her lower back, while sitting on the toilet to labor.
Just after calling the midwife at about 1:15am, mom decided that she was ready to go to the hospital, as labor seemed to be progressing quickly. We eventually made our way to the car, and to the hospital. While on our way, mom began to feel the urge to push, and I just sat beside her helping her work with her contractions, as she started her mantra "I CAN! I CAN!" and I reassured her that she could do this, and she was doing this!
We arrived to the hospital at about 2:20am, and mom was found to be completely dilated! After about 2 hours of pushing, mom gave birth to her beautiful baby boy, Daniel, who weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces! After being involved with this couple throughout their pregnancy, it was such a joy for Lori to see them achieve the birth that they were hoping for.
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I think one of the best things we could do would be to help women/parents/families discover their own birth power, from within themselves. And to let them know it's always been there, they just needed to tap into it.
The whole point of woman-centered birth is the knowledge that a woman is the birth power source. She may need, and deserve, help, but in essence, she always had, currently has, and will have the power.
Life only demands from you the strength you possess.
The knowledge of how to give birth without outside intervention lies deep within each woman. Successful childbirth depends on an acceptance of the process.
Perhaps we share stories in much the same spirit that explorers share maps, hoping to speed each others journey, but knowing the journey we make will be our own.
Women today not only possess genetic memory of birth from a thousand generations of women, but they are also assailed from every direction by information and misinformation about birth.
Birth is an experience that demonstrates that life is not merely function and utility, but form and beauty.
Today, it seems that a tradition of womanhood that properly belonged to women themselves has been replaced by a tradition of technology.
Natural childbirth has evolved to suit the species, and if mankind chooses to ignore her advice and interfere with her workings we must not complain about the consequences. We have only ourselves to blame.
Birthing is the most profound initiation to spirituality a woman can have.
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
Women's bodies have their own wisdom, and a system of birth refined over 100,000 generations is not so easily overpowered.
300,000 women will be giving birth with you today.
Relax and breathe and do nothing else.
Labor is hard work, it hurts and you can do it.
A healthy woman who delivers spontaneously performs a job that cannot be improved upon.
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