There’s something about knowing that this is the last baby I’ll ever have that makes me want to record everything as I take in each moment. Since some of you have asked, I’m sharing Hailey’s birth story. – It was such a positive experience and I want to share what I did to help make that possible. These are things that worked for me and I wish I knew for my previous pregnancies. I’m not a medical professional, so make sure you check with your doctor before trying something new!
Preparing for Labor
There are a few things I did that I believe contributed to me having my baby at term with a short delivery time with no tearing.
Raspberry Leaf Tea
I read that drinking 1-3 cups of raspberry leaf tea a day during the third trimester helps to strengthen and tone the pelvic area, while minimizing tearing and shortening labor. For each of my pregnancies, I drank a cup of raspberry leaf tea every day once I was in my third trimester. It can also help to jumpstart labor – at 38 weeks, I steeped four bags of raspberry leaf tea for two days and went into labor the following day.
Dates
I heard a lot about eating dates for an easy, short, and healthy labor and delivery – and I’m a believer! Researchers say that eating dates can help you go into labor without being induced, have higher cervical dilation upon admission, and a shorter initial phase of labor. For me, this all applied! I ate 4 – 6 dates a day starting at 36 weeks pregnant.
Exercise/Stretches
In my third trimester, I did daily exercises and stretches to get the baby in position, open my hips, and relax my pelvic floor for faster delivery. Here are links to two of my favorites: link 1 and link 2.
Perineal Massage
Lastly, perineal massage is a way of making the perineum more flexible so it can stretch more easily during labor. This was something new I tried for me this delivery, which I think helped reduce the possibility of tearing and needing stitches. It’s worth the effort because recovery afterward can be quite painful. You can find more information on it here.
Managing Contractions + Pain Naturally Without Epidural
I knew with this pregnancy, I wanted to try to do a natural birth. I had an epidural with my first pregnancy and an accidental home birth without an epidural with my second pregnancy. I have no regrets about getting an epidural the first time and I was surprised with myself how I managed without it the second time. I wanted to challenge myself to do an unmedicated birth and didn’t want to deal with the epidural needle, loss of feeling, recovery, and potential complications that go with it.
Contractions for each of my pregnancies felt slightly different, with each new pregnancy feeling less excruciating. Maybe it gets easier with each pregnancy? Whatever the reason, the techniques I learned through TikTok and Instagram definitely made me feel empowered and in control.
Mental Pain Management
I would remind myself that my body is not in danger and that what I’m feeling is my body preparing for birth.
Physical Pain Management
Breathing played an important part in dealing with my contractions. When I felt a contraction coming on I inhaled for 4 counts and exhaled for 8 counts. These long breaths felt like I was working with the contractions instead of fighting them. Each time I would feel one coming, I did my best to relax my face and let my body go limp as much as I could to allow the pain to pass without any additional resistance. I also found that switching positions helped take my mind off the pain. I liked bouncing on the ball and swaying my hips, but as the contractions became more intense, leaning forward and holding on to the bed felt the most comfortable and helped get the baby into an optimal position.
Hailey’s Birth Story
7:00 AM – 10 Days Before my Due Date
I woke up to losing my mucus plug and realized the discomfort I was feeling all night was due to contractions. I started recording each one with an app and saw they were lasting 30 secs every 5 minutes. I had a precipitous labor for my second pregnancy so I was advised to go to the hospital immediately for my third. I took a quick shower and grabbed my hospital bag. Luckily my MIL had already planned on coming over and arrived by the time we left.
7:30 AM
During our 20-minute drive to the hospital, my contractions were irregular. Some contractions lasted over a minute but occurred less frequently. I questioned if I was going into labor or if it was just Braxton hicks.
9:00 AM
My contractions were getting more painful and lasted 1 minute every 5 minutes. When the laborist checked me, I was 8-9 cm dilated and was admitted into the labor and delivery room.
My room was very large and spacious, with lots of windows. I had a doctor and 4 nurses that made me feel very comfortable. Since I had planned a natural birth without an epidural, they gave me a ball to bounce on to help me get through contractions. At this point, they got very strong so I moved to the bed and straddled the back. I found that position to be the most comfortable and used breathing and coping techniques to help me get through the pain.
10:00 AM
We decided to break my water to get it moving since the baby was already in position. As soon as my water broke, I pushed twice and she crowned. After one more push, she was in my arms.
