I had to be induced…but still had the unmedicated birth I hoped for.
A common fear of birth is having to be induced. Read this first-time mom’s story of how her birth plan had to change, but how she was able to still give birth naturally, as she dreamed of.
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When I was pregnant, I wanted to prepare myself for the birthing process as much as I possibly could. I was scared, nervous, excited, but mostly nervous and scared. I found Baby Nest Birth Services through Google, and I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t even know what I was doing or where to start when looking for birthing classes!
I just knew that I wanted “a natural birth” because my own mother went the same route when she had me. Being pregnant during a pandemic was a challenge in so many ways. I couldn’t have my husband at my doctor appointments, I couldn’t see any of my family members or friends. I wanted to take in-person birthing classes, but that just wasn’t going to be an option during COVID-19.
When I found Baby Nest and inquired about my options, I initially asked about group Bradley Method classes. The owner Sherilee was so sweet in trying to accommodate our needs and gave us another amazing option to get prepared, since we had just missed the cutoff for virtual group classes. We were able to take their 5-week self-paced class called Birth Dates, which would prepare my husband and me both for birth, and without even knowing, prepare us to have an empowering induction.
That was good enough for us! I appreciated the time Sherilee took to meet with us and go over the class materials and make sure we felt comfortable about where we were in regards to our preparation for birth.
Fast forward to my due date, October 14, 2021, and there was no sign of our little one! Part of my birth plan was to wait to go into labor naturally, as I really didn’t want an induction. My midwife at Providence Portland would only allow me to go about a week and a half past my due date before scheduling an induction.
Being induced sounded terrifying, but I remembered what we learned about in our Birth Dates Class – that inductions can be slow, informed, and helpful when necessary. Plus we had hired an amazing doula named Maria Armstrong through Baby Nest, so I felt some comfort in knowing that I would have a strong support system while in the hospital.
I wanted to have a slow induction and try natural induction techniques as well. Our doula was so helpful in advocating for me and my birth wishes. I tried all the things. I was hooked up to the hospital-grade breast pump (which can help create oxytocin and help contractions intensify). I tried changing positions so often that it was uncomfortable. I even tried sitting in the bathtub with the lights off and LED candles placed all around the bathroom. We did it all!
By Wednesday, I was sitting on the birth ball, hanging onto a sheet, and standing up doing a hip sway almost like a booty dance (lol). The hip-swaying was what finally prompted me to start pushing! After almost 2 hours of pushing, our sweet baby Cosmo was born at 3:23pm on Wednesday, October 28th, 2020. He was 7 pounds, 5 ounces. 41 hours of labour, that started with an induction, and I did it without an epidural!
We’ve already been talking about having a 2nd baby! I hope other women can read my story and feel confident and hopeful that everything will work out, no matter what your birth plan looks like.
We got you! You too can prepare for a birth experience with confidence and teamwork, just like this couple.
Birth Dates is more than a birth class. This class is designed to unite the couple for birth and most especially for parenthood. Learn about what the 5-week series covers and how you will walk away with confidence over fear of birth. Learn more here!