Natural childbirth: our birth story{Caleb David }

7:00am  Monday January 30, 2012 I woke up with some very light contractions, they were so light I thought they were just braxton hicks.  With my husband and Mariah still asleep my plan was to jump in the shower to stop the contractions and then get back to bed. Once I got out of the shower the contractions had stopped so i got back in bed and as soon as I closed my eyes they were back and this time more intense and I knew this was for real.  I got on my birthing ball, walked around a bit and started to mentally prepare myself for having the baby. I figured I could get through the small contractions by myself and our plan was to labor at home as long as possible, so I let my hubby rest for when the labor got rough .. Not 30 min into it I had to wake him up they were getting close together and pretty intense( so intense i was vocalizing) and we still had to get Mariah to the sitters house and make it to the hospital! I mean everything was happing so fast before I knew it the contractions were one on top of the other and when we got to the hospital and the nurse checked me I was already dilated to a 9! I labored there for just a little while( in the slow dance position, spiraling) all I can remember is getting super hot,  making hubby take off his shirt and putting all my weight on him. Then came the urge to push ,this was id have to say the hardest part for me. I really had to concentrate and rely on my body to tell me how and when to push, and thank God for my husband he really encouraged me and believed in me even when i felt like giving up,  i couldn't have done it without him he was awesome! ( ladies even if it doesn't seem like they are paying attention to all the natural child birth stuff you keep telling him about and all the books and articles you make him read my hubby is proof that something does get through to them and in the moment they will remember). I started off pushing on my hands and knees and then moved into a half sitting/squatting position and after2hrs of labor and 30 min of pushing... out came Caleb David! Iv never cried so many tears of joy; 7 lb 14 oz 19 inches long head full of straight hair and big bright brown eyes I have a baby boy :)

God went all out, above and beyond what i asked of him. I prayed for a 4hr labor and got 2hrs i prayed for support form the midwives/nurses and they were awesome i prayed for no interventions or tearing and i got just that! he latched on right away and is  breastfeeding beautifully.  I will never forget this day "a kiss from heaven"

~ If i could do this then i can do anything ~

In awe

7lb 14oz

19 in

born 9:30am Monday January30th

Caleb David Brun!!

Natural Child birth research: 5 things iv learned

These 31 weeks that i have been pregnant so far i have been really been trying to prepare my mind and body to have this baby naturally. When i say Natural i mean 100% natural no pain meds, no interventions. With Mariah i was induced( because my water was broken for 24 hr and i still wasnt having contractions) and then after 7hrs of potocin i got the edpidural , but her birth story is a whole other blog that i will have to do.  We were not able to take a natural child birth class, but i have been doing my own research and i have learned ALOT just by reading books, reading and researching online, watching videos of natural births and learning about the womens body and what it is naturally made to do. The more i learn the more the fear goes away and the more confident i become in my body and what God created it to do.

Did You Know?

• Labor pains are actually a good pain! when we are in pain we automatically associate pain with something wrong or bad, but when we are in labor our body produces oxytocin which is a chemical that tells our uterus to contract or squeeze and this is where the pain comes from. When in pain you naturally get up and move around in order to cope or ease the pain and when we do this it moves the baby into place, further down and makes the process of labor quicker. Without pain you dont move around and labor takes longer.
• When you  tense up your muscles you are closing everything up which is the opposite of what your body needs to be doing during labor. You should relax as much as possible allowing your body to open up so the baby can come out
• Your baby can hear and feel (emotionally) whats going on during labor and delivery! so if your screaming, shouting and fear full your baby is also afraid and  could have a fear of being born, if your at peace and relaxed your baby will be too
• The worse postion to give bith is laying down on your back you want to be in an upright postion working with gravity
• Your body was made for this! Even if you dont feel confident or feel like you dont know how to have a baby your body knows just what to do... if your body can carry and nurture  your baby for 9 months it also knows how to get it out. All we have to do is work with our bodies instead of fighting agianst it, let it do what it needs to do

Learned so much more my mind is truely being renewed when is come to child birth yaay
 Happy Monday!

Birthing Ball Benefits

I have been ranting and raving about my birthing ball all throughout this pregnancy, now that i actually know how to use it, and so i wanted to come on here and give some of you pregnant mammas some facts that i have learned about the benefits of using a birthing ball during pregnancy and labor and delivery.

•  Using a birthing ball during pregnancy creates familiarity with birthing positions and movements preparing your body for birth!
• Late in pregnancy when space is getting low and your tummy is getting bigger a birthing ball helps relieve you from back and hip strain and pain( so true rocking side to side while siting on your ball really helps elevate back and hip pains). It also lines the baby up in the best fetal position preventing back labor
• During labor the ball assists with positions that make birthing a whole lot easier and less painful. It helps open and create space in pelvis for baby to move down and provides great support for mommy helping to conserve her energy for when she has to do the real work(pushing)

These are just a few of the benefits there are so many more if your pregnant i would highly recommend doing your research on this. So far i have been loving the exercises and stretches that are able to be done using the birthing ball and i have  talked so many  ladies "who say I don't know what I would have done with out my birthing ball during labor and delivery"