Natural mama

My four births have been life changing. The first was in a hospital, with all the interventions you might expect. He was overdue and I was young. I had read “Spiritual Midwifery” by Ina May Gaskin when I first found out I was pregnant. I had four hours of labor, an epidural and forceps, but nonetheless I felt it was a good birth.

I didn’t realize how much better it could be until I had my second child six years later. His birth was a miracle to me. I had been contracting for about an hour and a half before we got to the hospital; my midwife checked my cervix and said I was 8 centimeters! I thought I would have hours more to go, so I just got on with it and two hours later my baby boy was born. Fourteen months later, pregnant with my third child, I awoke with a rather odd sensation, like a ping in my pelvis, no water broken or anything, just this ping! For this pregnancy and birth I chose to go to a birthing center and an hour after I began with the ping I was 6 cm. “Oh gee”, I thought, “this one is going to take longer.” That was my only concern. Well I was wrong. An hour later my baby girl was born.

Baby number four came along three years later. His birth is the most amazing of all. I woke with the now familiar ping and rang my midwife. I had about ten contractions at home and went to the birth center. The clock in the photos of his birth said 4:15 in the morning and he was born an hour later. Four births and I had less than 11 hours labour in total. I was never scared except for the first birth. I love birthing! If I could do it every day I would, which is why I am training to be a midwife. I believe all women need to know it can be done with her own steam, that birth without intervention is possible.

Natural Mama, Auckland, New Zealand