When we first found out we were pregnant I had no grand intentions of trying to go through labor without any form of pain management. I had already experienced a small glimpse of what labor feels like when I had my second miscarriage and I was well aware that it's extremely painful. However, sometime over these past few months I have really embraced the idea of a completely natural labor (although I am open to being flexible with my birth plan and getting an epidural if needed). Lloyd's okay with whatever I decide but he was also encouraged by some co-workers that raved about their natural childbirth experience and just knowing that it is possible to do labor without assistance (his mother and grandmother both used pain management of some sorts- epidural and drugs).
My mom has been a great help in encouraging me. She delivered both myself and my brother completely naturally and reminds me all the time that I can do this (actually both her and my dad remind me that I've completed 3 Ironmans and 7 marathons, surely I have the mental strength to get through the pain that accompanies labor). Although she is encouraging she has also reminded me that this is my labor and I need to do what is best for me and Cameron and that I don't need to go through with a natural labor just to please someone else- if I do it, it will be for me and me only.
Anyways, back to class! The doula teaching the class was amazing! In fact, I would love to hire her but am not sure how necessary that is. I'm confident that Lloyd will do a great job coaching me through all the contractions and hope that we successfully deliver Cameron naturally. She gave us some great tips:
- labor at home as much as possible (she advised us to leave for the hospital when my contractions are 3 minutes apart, 60 seconds long, and for 1 hour)
- we do not want an episiotomy unless medically necessary
- we want intermittent monitoring
- we want to move around as much as possible
- we want to use the bath/shower
- we don't want the umbilical chord cut until it stops pulsating
- we want skin-to-skin immediately if possible, etc.
- Lloyd will stay with Cameron if they take him to the nursery and remind the nurses that they need to get him back to me as soon as possible
Now that class is done and we have our birth plan in place, I am starting to mentally prepare and visualize how that day might look and unfold. To do so I bought a book called Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Updated With New Material. I just started reading it and am finding it very empowering as well! Part I tells the birth stories of numerous women who delivered naturally (and most at The Farm or in a home setting). The book shows that labor is a very natural experience that women were designed to do instead of all the horror stories that we hear of today and the fear of pain, you can't do it mentality, etc that our culture has come to embrace. I'm very much looking forward to learning more and more as I journey through this book.
I cannot believe that it's already November, which means next month we will be meeting our precious little Cameron! As each day passes and we get closer to his arrival, I find myself so enthused with excitement! I absolutely cannot wait for Cameron to be her, to hold him in my arms for the first time, to see what he looks like, and to just love every second of being his mommy! Life is so incredibly good!
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