Just thinking where to start from!! when we were searching for a natural birth, we came to know about birth village when I was 28 weeks pregnant based at chennai .. was not sure that time whether it’s the right time to consult or not. We thought we will give it a try and contacted birth village and got a Skype appointment where our midwives completely revamped my diet improved my nutritional intake following which we travelled down to cochin for our lamaze classes(labor, breastfeeding, medical intervention, comfort measures, etc) which were so informative for first time expectant mothers. .. It helped us to understand the birth process and made us to understand how responsible we should be for the upcoming birth by enjoying our pregnancy period.We learned the pros and cons of pretty much everything that we are likely to encounter in maternity care and we are ready to take the plunge.
At around 35 weeks I shifted to Cochin and from there begins my roller coaster ride.
The birth story of my princess birth story is little unusual😉
My labor began with my waters breaking however it was a hind leak. when checked by my midwives the baby’s head wasn’t in a good position at all.. I did not have any contractions also.How I Began to long for contractions as days passed. My midwives used to check the heart beat everyday to make sure baby is fine..as days progressed, my midwives asked me to be physically active. my hubby made sure that I am doing exercises and baby’s head started coming down.. whenever I went to birth village for my appointments, I used to get a lot of positive vibes. I was told to monitor baby movements continuously. I got irregular contractions only during this period. We were clearly explained about the possibilities and risks of waiting. We did our research about cases when waters broke prior to term and how they were managed and at term what the outcomes were . we looked at data and cases globally and finally came to a conclusion.Myself and my husband trusted nature and thought let my baby decide when to come to this world. My hubby was so supportive and strong which gave me confidence and I was staying relaxed that time. then we took a scan to make sure that baby is fine.. when we decided to wait, our midwives were supportive for our decision. One of the hallmarks was that there were no vaginal exams done during this period in order to minimise any chance of infection, temperature and vitals constantly monitored and if this wasn’t done with due diligence the question of waiting doesn’t even arise.
Without knowing any dates or what was going to happen next, we waited.. my princess didn’t give up.. she was so strong and we were continuously monitored all the way through and we were in constant communication day and night.
On sep 25, there was a change. When I called they asked me to come to birth village though it was late night as there was a probability of meconium. My midwives asked me to stay at birth village that night to check heart beat very regularly. My midwife didnt sleep at all the night as she was checking heart beat throughout the night.
Next day morning at 4.30, when they checked my cervix got dilated to 4 cms. I was walked, did lunges, bounced on birth ball.My midwives were with me and noting down all the contractions time and monitoring heart beat continuously. they were so supportive with so much care and love. what words I can use to address these ladies.they are really Angels!!!
I started getting regular contractions every 5 minutes by afternoon for which I was waiting for all the time. My hubby was near me and motivating me that I can do.. and then I had some relaxation in water pool and continued with walking. during last bid, I started giving up as I became very tired.. My midwives and my hubby encouraged me that I could do this and that I ‘m the only person to bring this baby out.. during every push, I heard ‘Cmon u can do this, u r doing good’. They gave me so much confidence. thank you sooo much my dear midwives.. if they was not there, I don’t know how it would have went..
When I started feeling sleepy, my third midwife gave me a coffee.. after having that, I gave one strong push and finally my princess came to this world .Myself and my hubby became so happy and started enjoying the moments with my baby.. we didn’t even notice when placenta was taken out.
We had wanted to have a lotus birth and our wishes were honoured.
Next day I was given traditional herbal bath by chechi which made me feel invigorated I would really thank my birth team who waited for me for over a week, and for explaining everything in detail, gave me the freedom to make my desicions with full informed consent and I was free to make my choices and decline any procedures.
My husband without which any of this would have been impossible, our choices are ours, and we took them with full responsibility , it may be perceived in any manner but our lives and our daughters are ours and we fully backed our descion with reasoning ,research and commitment.
Bv notes
If we have seen any mamma have fully fledged support from all quarters this one takes the cake.
Right from her husband to her dad who dropped her off when she started hitting active labor with a”you can do this “.
We do agree that these are not easy decisions to make and with it comes responsibility and very few people can handle that and this was a family who could take that on.
It was such an honour to serve your family and super duper congratulations again.