Closing Hormonal Gaps When Giving Birth by Cesarean

While pre-labor cesarean sections can lead to hormone gaps for MotherBaby, beginning labor before the cesarean birth can limit these effects. This allows hormones such as catecholamine to surge and ready the baby to exit the womb. Skin to skin contact and breastfeeding are post-labor ways to bridge the hormone gap as well. Find out more about Dr. Sarah Buckley’s perspectives on gentle cesarean births.

Home Birth Skeptic to Believer

When I became a doula 5 months after my VBAC birth, I didn’t “believe” in home birth. As if home birth needs me to believe in it (ha!). And less than a year and a half later I would be giving birth in a fishy pool in my living room. I had preconceived notions about home birth being unsafe, about mothers and babies dying, about home birth being something only radical and rebellious people did (I hadn’t quite tuned into that part of my life yet). And yet, when I decided on my youngest son’s 1st birthday to have another baby, and subsequently found myself pregnant 3 weeks later, I couldn’t help but feel curious about it.

empowering-second-birth

I coped so well through that labour. I was lying in bed but comfortable, totally in lala labourland. But at one point a nurse came in and tried asking me some questions. I was so in the zone that I could only answer with a slight nod of my head.

“She must know better than me…”
She then told me “I know you wanted to avoid the epidural but if you can’t even speak with me now how on earth are you going to push a baby out?”.

The Bali Birth of Augustus

I woke up around 5am due to a light ache in my belly. I knew that it was a beginning and I felt very quiet. I just knew that we would meet very soon and decided to continue sleeping and give Arturas time to rest. Every morning we had the same things: fresh papayas, oatmeal with dates, sesame seeds and peanut butter, but this time it felt different. It was a strange feeling overall, I felt slow, everything I did was slower than usual, thinking, moving around, almost like taking time to experience every moment in full. I felt like I had a secret which no one saw or knew about. But there were special processes within me – the little one was coming into this world.

A Peaceful Induced Birth ​

I fell back to using my hypnobirthing practices, telling myself to breathe through each contraction rather than letting myself get upset and tense. I genuinely feel that this mindset is what allowed me to have such a peaceful and wonderful birthing experience.

I climbed onto all fours and leaned my top half over a beanbag for support. My body told me to sway my hips back and forth and I gave in, listening to every cue that I was being given.

Ruhi Iris Rain Birth Story

I’m pretty sure that you were conceived just before Christmas and during one of the craziest storms I’ve ever experienced. I was supporting someone as their doula at the birth centre here in Ubud, and Daddy was in Java working. The energy from the birth combined with that of the storm made for a crazy night. I was taking a quick breather outside the birth room in the middle of the night, when one of the midwives walked past and said, “I didn’t know that you were pregnant”. “I’m not” I replied. Suastini looked at me funny. I later learned that she has an innate intuition for knowing when people are pregnant. Sometimes, it turns out, even before they do themselves.

You were also born during an epic storm on the night that the following rainy season started. It rained through the roof of our house and in through the ceiling of the room we were birthing in.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Birth Story of Indira

posted in: Childbirth Stories, News | 2

Daddy and I were swimming in a lagoon off of Tsoi Lik, when it occurred to me that my bleeding was almost a week late, which never happened. In fact, after almost three and a half years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive, we were near to giving up hope of having a baby. Grandma had come to Papua New Guinea on holiday and the three of us were adventuring in New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea’s most remote.

Floating in that magical lagoon, I took deep calming breaths.

I could be pregnant.

I told Papa.

Your Birth, My Day

So I began to envision my upcoming birth. I wrote a detailed birth plan – things to resolve, changes to make and an experience to embrace. Even without taking one test or sonogram during pregnancy, I remained positive about my body’s natural ability to birth my baby. I began a process of undoing some of the fearful thinking that had prevented me from experiencing motherhood on a more blissful level. I also began internalizing the belief that birth – as with other aspects of life – is very much a self-fulfilling prophecy. My state of mind will determine its outcome.
Friday night the week spring arrived, I lit Shabbat candles and began feeling signs of labor. I sat on the couch reading a newspaper as my almost-five-year-old daughter played in the empty birthing pool my husband had pumped up earlier. We wouldn’t fill it with water until I was ready to get inside so that the water would be warm.

Ecstasy and Loss: A birth story

For many years I had wanted to tell my story to someone who would totally understand and “get it” and that person was Debra Pascali-Bonaro. After sharing my birth stories with Debra in Bali, I have never felt so validated and heard before, it was such a beautiful moment to share together and will remain very special to me forever. Debra affirmed my experience, with celebration, gentleness and so much love and understanding, and it was such a pleasure to feel that I could be true to the truth of what happened in those moments of my life.

Creating the Birth I long for

When I learned that I was pregnant to my second child the first thing that came to mind was “How am I going to give birth this time?”. My first birth although being quick and healthy was still a hospital birth and I felt very far from good during the whole process.

48 Hour Home Birth Story

By @bornathome5 This is the story of my fifth homebirth. With four successful homebirths under my belt and a strong belief in the birth process and my body’s ability, my partner and I decided to try for an unassisted birth. … Continued

Preterm Labor and Healthy Home Birth

posted in: Childbirth Stories | 0

After having a home birth with our first pregnancy, Daniel and I knew we would want to do another home birth with this pregnancy. We thought we would know what to expect… but this time was very different than our first!

Birth Memory Stays with us

posted in: Childbirth Stories | 0

Sarah Olney –we “underplay the achievements of mothers” in a Commons debate about International Women’s Day. “Although the experience leaves a lasting imprint, it is never fully acknowledged. the memory of childbirth remains with us, unshakeable, un-shareable, but never fully … Continued

Triumphant HBAC Birth Story

posted in: Childbirth Stories, News | 0

by Samantha  I should perhaps preface this story with the birth story of my first son.   I was a Labor and Delivery nurse by trade, however my frustration with ‘the system’ led me to teaching.  I teach nursing students … Continued

Baby River: This is Your Story

posted in: Childbirth Stories | 4

*River’s story is about childbearing loss, love, life and healing* Birth often takes us to a place we had never imagined. The extremes of all emotions can be felt in the short hours and long days. Birth can be so different … Continued

Gypsy’s Intervention-Free Childbirth in Australia

posted in: Childbirth Stories | 0

Submitted by Gypsy Whitford, Australia My Pregnancy and birth story… I knew that this was going to be a totally different pregnancy and birth experience- my first two were extremely medical and there were no midwives involved and they were … Continued

Speedy First Birth, Steady Second Birth: Michelle’s Stories

posted in: Childbirth Stories | 0

Submitted by Michelle, New York State Michelle’s First Birth… I was prepared for the worst… hoping for the best… and expected the average. The labor I got, was remarkable. My husband and I expected the average 16 hour first birth. … Continued

The Birth of Aoife Joy Warren

posted in: Childbirth Stories | 0

Written by: Aoife’s parents, Amy & Dan Warren Amy: I woke at about 5:00am on Thursday with rhythmic, menstrual-like cramps. I had been experiencing practice contractions over the past couple weeks — painless contractions that, nevertheless, felt functional, like they … Continued