Positive Birth Narrative- Share your stories

One of my oldest friends, who I met in primary school, is due to become a mum for the first time in a few weeks. Just like anyone about to embark on birth for the first (or perhaps every time) she is anxious. As I’m sure we’ve all experienced, she has be regaled with birth trauma stories and this is not helping.

And so, I dedicate this post to her - a way to show her there are also so many amazing birth stores or even just moments too. Yes, I too have a traumatic birth story (mostly because I did not trust myself and I gave away all of my power to doctors and nurses, a story for another time perhaps) but I also have a positive one.

I knew, planning to give birth a second time what I wanted. I wanted to be safe, to be comfortable, to be in control, and to feel powerful. I decided after much deliberation to have a home birth. I re-educated myself with a course from Birth-ed with Megan (I’ve just realised she is close to Farnham and runs various courses nearby. I read Juju Sundin’s book recommended to me by two-times home birther, Holly, which gave me actionable pain management techniques beyond the usual “breath through it” which just wasn’t gonna cut it for me. I created a playlist that I love to sing to and move to. I spoke to other home birthers and got only positive stories. I got myself a pool.

Birthing my son was an empowering and healing experience for me. I moved and talked between contractions, I had snacks and drinks to keep my energy up. I found the pool to be so pain relieving it often slowed down my contractions and I had to get out often. I managed the pain with the techniques from the book, mostly making noises louder than I wanted to, and rubbing my foot on things to feel the sensations. I used the deep abdominal work I had practiced to aid my contractions and pushed Oliver out in a couple of minutes on one knee in the pool. (I teach this in my pregnancy classes). I felt amazing inside and I was safely in my bed within minutes.

This birth was one of the best things I have ever done. And so I wanted to share this side of birth, the one that is often drowned out by the difficult births we also go through. And in this age where birth is so medicalised, I wanted to remind my friend that, although it’s great to have medicine there for when it’s needed, she has all the power within herself to get through birth no matter how it unfolds.

I want to hear are your positive birth stories, or moments to share with her and other first time mums. Please comment below!