A friend of mine called me shortly after her 3rd birth and asked, "Can I process my birth with you?" There were some things she was feeling unsettled about and just wanted to talk through it all. Did it change her birth outcome? No. Did I have some great words of wisdom to help make it more of a positive experience? No, I wish I did. 

The birth of our babies is a wonderful, miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime experience and this is true regardless of how it happens. Many people have the mindset that, if mom is healthy and baby is healthy, then that is all that matters.  But in the same way we often talk about the "wedding of our dreams", it is normal for a mother to have dreams and desires about the birth of her baby. But sometimes, for varying reasons, birth can be unpredictable, for some it can even be traumatic, taking turns that weren't expected, leaving a sense of disappointment, and even a sense of loss.

Grieving often occurs after a loss and if you feel like you lost something, the opportunity to birth the way you had hoped, the ability to be more in control of your birth choices or to bond with your baby the way you had pictured, then its natural to feel a sense of grief, however small it may be.

One of the steps to healing in the grieving process is to talk about your grief with someone. I am a huge verbal processor. Sometimes I will be processing an experience and feelings will surface that I didn't even know existed. And just talking about it brings healing and closure. So I encourage you, regardless of how your birth went or  whether it was your first or fifth birth, to find a trusted  friend, family member, your spouse, or grab a pen and journal if that feels safer, and tell your birth story from start to finish. And it is perfectly acceptable to mention that you don't want any advice but that you're just needing a listening ear.

Here are a few questions that can guide you  if you aren't the processing type (maybe have your friend read through this list with you as you respond):

• ​How did you feel when you went into labor? Scared? Excited?
• What did you love about the early stages of labor? What memories stand out to you upon first going into labor?
• When you arrived at your birth place, did you feel well received by your care provider and birth team?
• Did you feel supported by your family and birth team during labor and delivery?
• Were there moments that you felt peaceful? Out-of-control?
• Is there anything that you would've changed about your birth environment? Did it feel safe?
• What do you remember about pushing? Was it a positive experience? Did you feel supported during this stage?
• If you used medical interventions, what was that process like? How did you feel upon administration? Were you able to be in control of your birth choices and make them with confidence?
• How did your birth team receive your baby? Was it a celebration?
• What are your memories of your first interactions with your baby? Is there anything you would change?
• How did you feel leaving your birth place? Prepared? Scared? Supported?
• What do you wish you would've known going into your labor and birth experience? Something you wish you could've approached or done differently?
• What are your favorite moments from your birth?
  
• What are your favorite moments after the birth?
  

Labor Day
On December 30th, 2015, my actual due date, I woke up with my first contraction around 4:30 am. It makes such a huge difference, in my opinion, whether you go into labor at night or in the morning after a night of sleep. I felt rested and excited! My bags were already packed and my appointment was already scheduled for that day, at our Birth Center which was two hours away (the same one I had Clay in 2 years prior). My mom was already staying with me because we had hosted Christmas at our house and she was going to hang out until baby arrived. David was coming home from working a night shift and because my contractions were mild and I had a sense it would be a while, I made him go to sleep. He would meet me in San Antonio later that day.

Labor, Shopping, and More Labor
Around 8am, my mom, my two-year-old Clayton and I headed to San Antonio for my appointment where they confirmed I was in labor and the on-site chiropractor adjusted me one last time. And then I said "see you later" to my midwives and went on my way. One of the things I often tell moms in the early stages of labor is to try and get out of your head. So often, when those first contractions hit, we tend to get worked up and over-think things, psyching and wearing ourselves out emotionally. It's so important to stay relaxed and as stress-free as possible so I attempted to do just that. We dropped Clay off with David's parents who live on the outskirts of San Antonio and Mom and I went shopping and just tried to enjoy the day. Shopping was relaxing and distracting and helped me to stay active and upright as much as possible. I didn't call anyone and I stayed off of Facebook because I didn't want people messaging me all day asking if baby was here yet. At one point we were walking around an outdoor shopping center and my mom said she noticed that baby had dropped big-time! Contractions were definitely coming on stronger and more consistently but I was still in good spirits and managing them well.

To the Birth Place We Go
At about 4pm, David arrived in San Antonio and we met at Jason's Deli for a snack, parted ways with my mom, and headed to the Birth Center because I was feeling the need to rest. David and I attempted a nap but the contractions, while they were still manageable, were intense enough that I wasn't able to sleep. But it felt good to lie down for a while and David helped me with some of the relaxation techniques we had learned in our birth class. By about 7pm, my midwife sensed that labor was slowing down a bit so she encouraged us to get up, go find some dinner and get moving again.

My Secret Weapon
We got in the car and, because it was pretty cold outside, I turned on my seat-heat as we drove to search for a place to eat (although my appetite was starting to dwindle). I still, to this day, believe that seat-heat was my secret weapon in getting things really progressing! Two speed bumps later, and my mild contractions turned into David having to stop the car through each one of them. We drove for a bit and decided to stop in Cane's to get a quick bite of chicken but our dinner date ended up with me wanting to spend the whole time in the bathroom. Transition was hitting!

Get Off the Toilet!
David scarfed down his chicken, forced me out of the bathroom and back into the car and called our midwife to tell her we were heading back. It was 9pm and I went straight to the bathroom where all I wanted to do was close the door, sit on the toilet, and labor by myself. I know it sounds weird, but it was what felt the best to me at the time. It kept me upright with my pelvis open and bladder empty, and allowed me to stand and support myself on the seat when contractions hit so that I could sway and work through them. It's so amazing to me, when left to choose for ourselves, how our bodies will tell us what to do during labor that allows for the most optimal laboring position for each individual birth. With my first, I didn't want to leave the hands and knees position, supporting myself on my birth ball for a large part of it. After about an hour of laboring on the toilet, I had a sudden urge to feel down for baby's head but I kept it to myself because I didn't want to get my hopes up (or anyone else's) if I still had a ways to go. After laboring in the bathroom for about an hour and a half, contractions were starting to feel unbearable, so David and my midwives gently encouraged me to get in the tub. Changing positions in labor is important but there comes a point where the thought of change or movement of any kind sounds overwhelming to a mom, which is where a good birth team comes into play. They can sense when a change might be necessary to help keep things moving along.

A Dreamy Water Birth
Oftentimes, when women are left to labor naturally, they will use sounds to help manage and breathe out their contractions. I made it in the water and continued "sounding out" my contractions like I had been, but almost immediately, my sounds changed (they were more throaty, pushy sounds). My midwife noticed and encouraged me to go with it and give a push. With my first birth I never felt the urge to push, nor did I enjoy anything about it, so I think, subconsciously, I was avoiding and even a little fearful of the pushing stage. But as soon as I followed her instructions and gave a good strong push, not only did it feel really good, but baby's head was crowing! It took a total of three pushes before my baby boy, all 8lbs and 22 inches of him, was born in the water as I caught him with my own hands! It's funny, my labor lasted quite a bit longer with this one than with my first (19.5 hours as opposed to 15 with the first), but it was so much more manageable. I wouldn't have changed a thing about it!

Brothers Meet
​At 3:30am on New Year's Eve, we were packed up and cleared by our midwives and heading to David's parents' house. I wanted to be there when Clayton woke up so that he could meet his baby brother. Overwhelming doesn't even begin to describe the feeling I had seeing my TWO boys meeting each other for the first time! The whole experience was just incredible and I can't think of a better way to bring in the New Year!

When you think about your birth experience, does it make you smile? Do you cringe, or is it a memory that you treasure? I'm not just talking about the moment that your baby was born but the experience as a whole. From the moment you walked into your birthplace, your time laboring, your interactions with your care providers, your interactions with your significant other and family members...what would be the one word you would use to describe this memory? I love talking to mamas and hearing their birth stories. I have talked to countless women as they describe their experiences to me.  Surreal. Painful. Beautiful. Scary. Quick. Long. Healing. Intense. Traumatic. Birth can be so many things.

My first birth was hard. It was tiring. There were sweet moments and then it would get hard again. It was long and even complicated at times. And it was incredible. But in the midst of all the ups and downs and roller coaster of emotions that I experienced, because my husband and I took an in-depth comprehensive childbirth class, I felt more-than-prepared for it all. I knew that birth could be hard. I knew it could be exhausting. I knew that it could be unpredictable. I knew that there would be moments that I would want to give up.

But I was prepared for those moments. I was prepared with techniques to help manage the pain naturally. I was prepared for dealing with the exhaustion. I was prepared mentally to combat the fear and doubt that I would face. I was prepared to know how to choose a care provider that would support me and my desires for my birth. I was even prepared for the possibility of needing medical intervention and how to make informed choices about those interventions should the need arise. 

My husband was prepared as well. He knew what the stages of labor would basically look like, and how to support me during each stage. He was prepared to support me physically, through comfort measures, as well as emotionally, through affirming and encouraging me. And when our baby was born, we were prepared for those first precious moments of breastfeeding and bonding. 

It was because of this preparation that I can also say that my birth was empowering! I googled this word and the definition I found that I loved the most was "to make someone stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights." This is exactly what my birth experience did. Because of my childbirth education, I was more confident going into my birth, confident of my body and what it was capable of. I was empowered to make informed decisions about my pregnancy and birth instead of someone else making them for me.

This is why I became a Birth Boot Camp Instructor. I wanted other mommies and daddies to step into their birth prepared, confident, and realizing that same sense of empowerment. Knowledge is power and that especially applies to childbirth!
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