First Baby, Birthing with Midwives: Taylor’s Birth Story
1:27 - Today's guest is Taylor, a new mom, and student of My Essential Birth.
2:15 - Taylor shares that this is the first baby in her family. She loved being pregnant, although the first trimester symptoms were rough but later got better.
4:15 - Signs like persistent tiredness, and delay in her monthly flow made Taylor suspect that she was pregnant, and she took a test to confirm it.
6:11 - During her pregnancy, Taylor had a very strong craving for watermelons. She also had to struggle with significant discomfort in her legs especially at night. Her chiropractor helped with this but the symptoms completely disappeared after delivery. 99% of the solutions to pregnancy-related symptoms are to just have your baby.
8:36 - While having some doubts when she initially found out she was pregnant, Taylor highlights that she got a lot of encouragement from her husband to go ahead. She had started seeing a doctor for the first 20 weeks and observed the Doctors often did not spend the time to get to know her; she got the feeling they were not too invested in understanding her expectations for her pregnancy and delivery. In contrast to this, her experience seeing a midwife was more satisfying, because of the level of attention to all areas of her life and her expectations in pregnancy and childbirth.
14:15 - Taylor delivered at a birth center, and shares that it worked out so the exact set of midwives and birth attendants she needed were the ones at the delivery.
18:50 - You really need to be prepared and put some work in, you can't just show up and expect natural birth to be super easy. Taylor also got a birth course which she took alongside her husband and taught him how to help during labor. She is an Enneagram type 2. Check the link below to take your Enneagram test.
21:42 - Taylor narrates her experience giving birth, with the contractions waking her up at night and getting more frequent and stronger in just a few hours, after which she rushed down to the birth center and delivered safely.
28:00 - Notably, the cramps at the beginning of her labor were at the lower part of her abdomen. However, as they got more painful, they moved from her lower back round towards the lower abdomen. This is one of the telltale signs that labor is starting.
29:00 - Taylor shares some of the techniques that helped through the early stages of her labor like the pelvic tilts and counter-pressure by her husband for the low back pain, peppermint essential oil for nausea, swaying in the water also for the back pain, music to help her be centered and pray, as well as positive affirmations.
36:35 - Due to the speed of Taylor's delivery she had a bad tear, and couldn't go anywhere for 3 days, or do any activities at home or for the baby. This made the post-partum period very difficult as she had to rely on people around to help with many things. Taylor had to understand that it's okay not to be comfortable with your body in this period, and to ask for help because it will pass and your body will heal. The Mom Friday Peri Bottle also helped through this period.
40:00 - Taylor's advice to partners and moms: Partners should keep in mind that this is a crazy time for the mom, and she needs love and attention from them. Also, listen to the things she is saying; partners also have to prepare too. Moms should take full advantage of their exercises and positive affirmations. Moms are encouraged to take a birth course and to rest during the pregnancy as much as possible because it gets hectic after delivery.
All the best,
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