Having a Natural Unmedicated Childbirth After a Cesarean is Possible
My Personal Journey
My Second Pregnancy
A little over a year ago, I found out that I was pregnant with my second baby. It was unexpected but
welcomed! My husband and I were so happy that Audrey would now have a sibling
to play with and that our family was growing.
My second pregnancy was pretty smooth and
easy as compared to the first. The only nuisances that I experienced were
nausea and bouts of dizziness during the first trimester (at least no more vomiting this time!), and
heartburn and backache that plagued me in my last trimester. My second
trimester was the best – I was able to take Pilates classes and travel abroad
with my husband and Audrey (both of which were not allowed during my first
pregnancy).
During my fifth month of pregnancy, I
talked with one of my best friends in the States who had a natural unmedicated
birth with her firstborn daughter. I was interested with birthing naturally
minus the anesthesia because I really wanted to try it with Audrey but didn’t
get the chance – and this time, I had a very good reason to want to try for it
again.
Getting an epidural can lower your chances
of having a successful VBAC because it can interfere with labor and possibly
cause a drop in fetal heart rate (which might lead to another C-section). And
in my case, I also wasn’t planning on getting an epidural because I didn’t have
a very good experience with anesthesia before. So besides VBAC, birthing
without drugs was my goal for this pregnancy. I know it sounds crazy but I
wanted to make sure that my next childbirth experience would be a success.
Another very important consideration was that unmedicated births are so much
better for the baby. Babies born without the use of anesthesia are so much more
alert and have less respiratory problems at birth.
I brought up my wish for a drug free
birth with my ob upon discussing my birth plan and she said that opting not to
have anesthesia was definitely possible. The key is to be focused and
determined. This I was willing to do. I know having an epidural would make
laboring practically pain free (tempting! though I’ve heard this is not always
the case). It does work for most but it was just my personal choice not to get
one because I didn’t want to jeopardize my chances for a VBAC. And if
it didn’t work out due to unavoidable circumstances such as maternal or fetal
distress, then it would be ok. I just kept my mind open in case a repeat
C-section will be necessary.
So on my sixth month I started reading up
on the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth upon my friend Mia's recommendation. And when I researched
on it, I instantly felt that it was a good fit for me. I will write about my
experience on this approach in detail next time. What I did though was buy two of the highly
recommended books on this method by Dr. Robert Bradley and studied it intently
in the last two months prior to delivery. I did not take childbirth classes
anymore as I already did during my first pregnancy, and I felt that studying
the method on my own was enough. 
Let’s
fast forward to the last weeks of my pregnancy…
My
decision to try for a natural birth this time meant that I needed to wait till
baby was really ready to come out. And wait I did. Even if it meant that the
backache was going to linger and the heartburn would possibly get worse.
I have read and heard from those who gave
birth naturally before me that the baby calls the shots. If she isn’t ready yet, she
ain’t going out. The baby is supposed to be responsible for releasing the
hormone that starts up labor. So unless it is time, it’s not going to happen. Mama
will just have to wait.
On my 37th week checkup, my doctor
performed the dreaded internal exam. But the discomfort was quickly forgotten
when my doctor said that she could already feel my baby's head going lower and
my cervix was softening as well. When I asked how I was doing in relation to
our VBAC plan, she gave me a smile. It was looking good. I had a big chance of
having the kind of birth that I was praying for.
On my 38th week, it was the same and baby
was getting into position, except she was kind of facing up. We needed her to
face down and have her chin close to her chest so the smallest part of her head
would be presenting itself. My husband and I were praying every day for
Natalie, our second baby to get into the right position and that all conditions
would be perfect for a normal birth…
And on my 39th week she was. Her chin was
on her chest, and her head was very low, and I could really feel it pressing
down. It was such a different feeling from my first pregnancy. Audrey's head
didn't reach that low even while I was in labor. My cervix was also very soft
and though I was not dilated at all yet, I started feeling my tummy harden and
cramp up already every night. The false contractions were getting my body ready
for the real deal.
This
time though my prayer was that Natalie won't go past 41 weeks, because that was
when my doctor will consider inducing labor already. I really didn’t want to be
induced again because I was afraid that it would obstruct labor, make it even
more painful because of the stronger contractions and shorter rest intervals in between, and worse, possibly
cause uterine rupture and inevitably lead to another C-section.
My doctor though was calm and relaxed
even on my 39th week. She said the baby can come anytime, even when
you least expect it – whether you’re dilated now or not. A lot can happen in a
week.
Two days before my 40th week,
I had what would be my last checkup with my ob. Natalie was doing well in the
tummy and she was just about ready. I was only 1.5 cms dilated then and prayed
that she would come out very soon. I tried my best not to worry. I know the
Lord will see me through and that He is faithful. He’s going to make this
happen just as He designed it – I am
going to have this natural birth.
The
day before my expected due date, I started feeling more consistent contractions
in the early morning so I started plotting it out by 7am. It seemed as if I was
in the early phase of labor and I tested it out by changing my position and
activities all throughout the day. No matter what I did, the contractions were
consistent.
I kept asking Anne, a good friend of mine
if it looked like this was it because I wasn’t so sure - it was as if I was
giving birth for the first time. I didn't have a chance to experience this with
my first child because labor didn't start naturally. And now that real labor
seemed to have begun, I felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety.
I took advantage of this time to finish
all of my work deadlines, even having a meeting in my house in the morning
wherein I briefly stepped out every time a contraction would come. I just had
to breathe a little and relax during that moment. Thank God there are breaks in
between!
I also prepared last minute stuff that I
didn't pack in my hospital bag yet, and of course spent time with Audrey as
soon as work was done. I also had to prepare the rest of her things as we have
arranged for her to spend the night at her cousins' place if I would be giving
birth already. My mom came over and kept telling me to go to the hospital
whenever she would see that I would breathe deeply and stay quiet when the
contractions came. But I knew my body had a long way to go. This was not quite
IT yet. It's only been a couple of hours and my contractions were strong but
not strong enough for me to stop whatever it was that I was doing at that moment. I could
still talk and smile and move easily.
 |
| Even though I was excited to give birth, I also felt a bit sad. I have never left my little angel Audrey for more than a day. I've spent every night with her ever since she was born. And now she's a big girl - a big sister. |
By 7pm that evening I felt the
contractions getting stronger and coming closer together. I knew I was progressing.
I ate dinner and relaxed afterwards. It's just a matter of time before I would
be able to tell when to leave for the hospital. The Bradley Method helps you figure
out which part of labor you are in through emotional signposts that you exhibit
and it amazed me that it was quite accurate.
At 9pm I started getting really serious
about laboring. I stayed in bed, closed my eyes with each contraction, breathed
deeply and still plotted the time duration in my notebook. I hardly talked,
preferred a quiet environment and asked my husband to get ready to assist me
during labor. The Bradley Method is also known as husband coached childbirth
and now all the reading and practicing was put to the test.
I had planned to spend most of my
laboring hours at home so I could be more relaxed and move around as I pleased.
I knew that going to the hospital too early would be more stressful since there
will be more pressure to progress - not
to mention getting hooked up to a fetal monitor and asked to stay in bed in a
lying down position. I would much rather rest in my own bed and be free to try
different positions that would help me through labor. During the peak of the
contractions I would try to be on all fours and bury my head in my oh so soft pillow! (Apparently,
this position was really helpful when the contractions came because the
pressure was off my back).
It’s just unfortunate that hospitals here
don’t have enough facilities to help pregnant women manage labor pains better.
And their approach to helping women who choose to labor naturally and therefore
look like they are in anguish is to offer epidural anesthesia. Tsk tsk!
By 10:30pm, I felt the urge to pee and as
I stood up afterwards, a gush of water came out enough to soak my clothes. Uh
oh, my water broke! I decided it was really time to get moving - I took a
shower and got ready. I checked my bags once again and asked my husband to
prepare as well. We made sure Audrey was in deep sleep and I labored with much
more painful contractions while all this was going on. In my mind I thought
this pain can't possibly get any worse. But it actually did. But more pain only
meant that I was approaching my goal. I would finally get to see my baby soon... :)
This
brings us to the last and most important part of my birth story - Natalie's
delivery. I will be back with Part 4 soon...
References and Links:
About VBAC and Epidurals:
About VBAC:
I love your story. You are truly a gifted and entertaining writer. I am going to have take a refresher course with you when I get closer to my due date. Although I had a natural childbirth the first time, I had a unique experience. My water broke at 37 1/2 weeks which we originally thought occurred because of an intense foot rub :) butl later found out from our pediatrician that our baby Selah was just getting too big for my belly and she wanted to be out. Anyway, to cut the long story short, water broke and there were no contractions yet, so it was completely faith in the Lord that our baby is ok and there would be no infection or complications while I waited for contractions 24 hours later. Everything turned out well, but I have to say I had an intense battle with the hospital not too induce me. Praise God that He opens doors that no man can close, and closes doors that no man can open. Selah came to this world His way(no epidural and no drugs) the "Natural Way."
ReplyDeleteThanks!:) I know you can do a natural birth the second time around. You've done it before and you can do it again! Let me know when you're ready for the refresher course ;)
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