My Unmedicated Birth Story

A quick note: I’m 14 months postpartum as I write this and I think that’s how long it has taken me to really process my birthing experience and find contentment in my own story. With anything the temptation for comparison is strong. Just know that this is my story and it’s unique to me. Every birth is unique, every body is different. I hope it’s an encouragement that an unmedicated birth is an option and very rewarding!

After a really challenging pregnancy of around-the-clock nausea (which required medication to keep it somewhat under control) I was both excited and nervous as my due date approached.

Then my due date came! And went. No baby. No contractions even.

3 days after my due date I had my first cervical check. I was slightly effaced but not dilated to even 1 cm. Bummer.

The week after my due date was filled with a lot of tears, journaling, praying, eating dates, celebrating Christmas, and multiple doctors appointments.

10 days after my due date I opted for a membrane sweep to hopefully get things going. My birth center would only take me if I went before 42 weeks and I was at 41 + 3 so I was getting impatient and nervous. At this point, I mostly felt defeated and questioned if my body was even clued in to what it needed to be doing.

(Part-way through my pregnancy I switched from a traditional OB practice to a midwifery practice and free-standing birth center. My husband and I are so grateful we had the option in our area and felt a lot of peace about our decision.)

After our 41 week appointment, we got a meal, not knowing it would be our last for a while! Then I napped and we walked (waddled?) outside for two or 3 miles.

At 7:30pm, I drank caster oil in a protein shake with strawberries and banana. Caster oil isn’t for everyone but we talked through the benefits and risks with our midwifes and made the choice to give it a try. Exactly one hour later from my first sip, I started having more pressured and consistent contractions! Then I lost everything inside of me (except organs and baby) one end or another.

After a couple hours of consistent contractions and attempting to re-hydrate, we drove to the birth center and checked in.

All night long I was contraction and switching between the yoga ball, shower, bed, and hallway, changing positions and learning how to respond to contractions. I was able to eat whatever I wanted and I had packed some nut crackers. By 7am, neither Jeff or I had slept and I was only dilated to a 3 cm. Since I wasn’t progressing, the midwife sent us home with some sleep aids so I could rest.

Despite the sleep aids I slept probably a total of 1 hour the next day. In the evening, something changed. I couldn’t eat, didn’t want to talk to anyone, and became really inward focused, breathing through each contraction. This is when my back labor kicked in. Sledge hammer to your tailbone anyone? That’s the best way I can describe back labor. 0 stars. Do not recommend.

Throughout these intense contractions, I kept telling myself over and over, “I don’t get to control when these contractions come but I get to control how I respond to them. Each contraction is a big love hug to my baby girl and each one brings me closer to meeting her.”

This mindset helped significatly even though I was also thinking, “Oh, this is why epidurals exist!”

By 8pm on day 2 we were back at the birth center and I was 5 cm dilated. Throughout night two we labored through contractions in the shower, swaying, on the yoga ball, on my side with the peanut ball between my legs, and in the tub. I though that I would love the bath tub and was open to having a water birth but once I was in it, I could only stand two contractions and I was OUTTA there!

At 3am (now day 3 of labor) I was finally 8 cm dilated! Up till this point my water was still intact. Immediately after my cervical check (only my 6th total) my water broke! At first I apologized for peeing on my midwife (all dignity is gone, y’all) but I soon realized it was my water. It wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be because there was meconium. That’s when we had to have a conversation about if it was minimal enough for me to stay at the birth center or if this meant a hospital transfer.

Jeff and I started praying intensely, thanking God for how far He brought us and asking Him to keep our baby girl safe and healthy. And to keep us at the center.

The meconium scare was enough to distract me from my back labor, and God heard and answered our prayers.

Because I had been in labor so long the midwives had to switch off. Up till this point, we had one midwife and a (new to the center) nurse/doula who visited for a few hours the first night. I didn’t plan on having a doula but the Lord knew I needed one and put her there for me!

The doula wasn’t just helpful for me teaching me to breathe through a contraction and make the right sounds so I didn’t waste energy on high-pitch noises; she also showed Jeff positions and pressure points to help my back labor.

Around 8am on the morning of day 3, the midwives planned to switchoff. Before they did they gave me sterile water peptide shots in my back. These were 4 shots each containing a droplet of sterile water. Two at a time they injected them into my back to “trick” my body into thinking it wasn’t in as much pain. They warned me that I would probably scream when they injected them – I sure did but it gave about 50% relief which I was so thankful for.

An hour later, I was fully dilated and started doing some practice pushes in the shower, then switched to the toilet (facing backwards). During the pushing they thought my back labor would go away but since it didn’t they assumed it was because her head was resting on my pelvis. Instead of trying to avoid the pain I tried to channel each really intense back pain as a reason to push through harder. After the toilet I switched to hands and knees on the bed. Before they saw her head, they exclaimed, “oh my goodness look at all that hair! We can’t see her head but we see hair!” That gave me so much hope!! She really was coming! During this pushing, Jeff was in front of me with a thick scarf wrapped around his waist for my hands to pull on, I had my arms draped over the yoga ball, one nurse rubbing my back, the other nurse/doula pushing on my pressure points for contractions to stay consistent and waving a cotton ball of clary sage essential oil under my nose, and the midwife giving me directed pushing from behind. In this position I was smiling, praying and feeling so hopeful. These contractions were useful!

After about three hours of pushing (between the toilet and hands and knees) they switched me to the birth stool. This is when pushing really ramped up (thanks gravity). Jeff was behind me, sitting on the bed pressing fists into my back, and the three ladies were around me, rubbing my feet, complimenting me, saying, “Great job, mama! You’re doing such good work! You’d never know this was your first!” 

Pushing on the birth stool was something the staff decided we were doing and I’m so glad they did. They said, “You’ll hate it the first contraction because you’ve changed positions.” They were right! I wish I could say one big push and she was out, but it was probably another hour of pushing on the birth stool. In between pushes they gave me tips on how to leverage these contractions and kept me covered with cool wash clothes. They also gave me a mirror so I could see her head crowning!

And 41 hours of labor, FINALLY she was born!

And it was like a party!!! Jeff started sobbing the most joyful tears I’ve ever heard and the staff started cheering and laughing and saying, “Welcome!” and “Happy Birthday!!”

Immediately I got nearly 2 hours of skin to skin with our girl when they helped us with our latch. When I got up to go to the bathroom and shower, Jeff got to have skin to skin time with her. After that they weighed her and took all her measurements. She was 6.13 pounds and 20.5 inches of pure adorable.

We were discharged from the center after 5 hours of baby girl being born. They all gave us hugs and walked us to our car, congratulating us and telling us what a good job we did. The midwives and nurses were so personal and have such a special place in our hearts to this day!

Our daughter’s birth process was so much more long and painful than expected but it was also exactly what we wanted: a peaceful, unmedicated birth with a supportive staff in a home-like environment.