Sahana's Birth Story

Sometimes a c-section is necessary, even with the most conscientious birthing mothers. Sri and Hari were well prepared to deliver Sahana naturally and vaginally, but baby Sahana wanted it differently! It is very touching and inspiring the way Sri and Hari, with tremendous wisdom and grace, rolled with the punches, and very consciously and lovingly birthed their baby into the world.


When I was pregnant I had many people tell me that I should be ready to accept any situation I am faced with during labor and true to their advice I ended up having to accept the unexpected. My labor started early morning on 9/12 with surges every 5-6 minutes lasting about a minute each. The intensity increased about every 3-4 hours and the intervals and duration remained the same, however they were manageable and I was able to go about my daily routine, take a walk and even several naps. At around 1.30 AM on 9/13 the surges were pretty intense and 3 minutes apart so we decided to go to the hospital.

At the triage room they gave us the much dreaded news that I was only 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced, which was exactly what I was a week earlier. Of course I was disappointed but remained calm. I was hooked onto the baby monitor for routine monitoring and was told that I will be asked to walk for 2 hours following the monitoring and will be checked again, and might be asked to go home if things had not progressed yet. But within a few minutes I had 3 nurses in the room, the baby's heart rate had dropped to 60 beats per minutes and had remained there for about 4 minutes, so they were watching me closely, and it dropped again in another 2 minutes. So the doctor was called in immediately and I was told that I might need a C-section as the baby was under stress. The doctor rushed in within 5 minutes and the heart beat had dropped twice in the meantime. The doctor said we did not have a choice but to go for a C-section. We asked for a few minutes to discuss and the doctor agreed, but she rushed back into the room within a minute saying the heart rate had dropped again and the situation was getting pretty serious. By now, we were convinced that the reason for the C-section was genuine and consented.

Sahana was bought into the world at 3.57 PM and she had ingested quite a bit of the meconium. But after suctioning all her vitals returned to normal. We also found out after a pathology test that 15% of my placenta was compromised. So, it was either the ingested meconium or the compromised placenta that had caused her to not tolerate labor. We are very thankful to God for having sent us to the hospital at the right time. I was indeed disappointed that things turned out this way after having an absolutely normal pregnancy and after having prepared so much for a natural delivery, but I am now convinced that it is the end result that matters and am very happy that we have a healthy baby in our hands now.

While I was pregnant I made it a point to attend Shelley's prenatal yoga classes every week. I loved her classes because it gave me lot of confidence along with a sense of well being and made me cherish my pregnancy. All the 'asanas' that we did in class took off most of the usual pregnancy pains and made me relax and connect with my baby. I used to look forward to hearing her assuring and comforting words especially during the 'savasana'. In addition I also attended Carol Yeh Garner's hypnobirthing classes which also came in very handy especially during the last few weeks when sleep evaded me. The relaxation CD that she gave me helped me go into deep slumber whenever I listened to it. In addition I used a lot of the hypnobirthing breathing techniques during my 15 hour labor and I was even able to take a couple of naps while listening to the CD. I also used the CD on our way to the hospital when the surges were pretty intense. Finally, I will never forget this one hypnobirthing affirmation that helped me immensely, when things changed drastically at the hospital...'I am prepared to calmly meet whatever turn my birthing takes.'

Thank you very much Shelley, for all your support and guidance during my pregnancy and for the labor vibes that the class and you had sent me on 9/13. I am looking forward to your postpartum classes that you plan to start soon.

Birth Story for Naveen

Naveen - 7 months:

Many of you have probably heard the quote that a woman will spend more time researching what car to buy than how she will give birth. I think the reason for that is partly because in most instances, women have been taught to fear labor and why spend an extraordinary amount of time confronting your fears when it might make you uncomfortable or require extra work? I know I at one time feared labor and birth. I did not have positive stories or experiences to draw from. My mother had difficult labors and all around me, people seemed to think that because of my very petite frame, I would have a difficult labor or one that ended in a c-section. But I knew I wanted to try for a natural birth. After a few close friends of mine (including Mylinh) pursued natural, drug free births and succeeded, I thought, why shouldn't I afford myself and my baby the opportunity to empower ourselves and to birth with awareness?

I started practicing yoga more than a year before becoming pregnant and loved it. Deciding to practice prenatal yoga was, therefore, the next logical step. I first learned about Shelley's prenatal yoga class from my friend Mylinh and decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. During class, I felt that I was not only keeping my body strong and in shape, I was making time for me and my baby to bond. And from Shelley, I learned that if I worked hard toward preparing for a natural birth, my mind and body would be ready. The rest I would leave up to fate because of course, in any birth, you cannot completely control the outcome.

My husband and I decided to enroll in a specialized childbirth class and had heard many good things about the Birthing From Within (BFW) program from Shelley. But because my husband and I had decided to birth our baby in a hospital, I knew childbirth classes alone wouldn't be enough for me to prepare for natural birth. Until my 20 week ultrasound, I was a patient in a very large medical group that I just didn't feel right about. I knew I was receiving excellent medical care and I knew my baby was healthy. But the doctors never really talked to me; or asked me how I was doing; how was I eating; how I was feeling about labor and birth…It seemed so detached and empty. After speaking with several doulas, friends, and midwives in the community, they encouraged me to consider a home or midwife birth. When I indicated I still planned to birth at a hospital, they referred me to an obstetrician that birthed babies at Scripps Memorial in Encinitas, a "baby friendly" hospital as designated by the WHO. At 22 weeks, I decided to meet with this doctor. After that appointment, I knew he would look after me and my baby. I decided to transfer my medical files to his practice. My doctor was not only completely supportive of natural birthing, he was very knowledgeable and very experienced. Sure, I was a little uneasy to switch doctors half way through my pregnancy. But my doctor reassured me, encouraged me, and supported the decision my husband and I had made about natural birth. And I knew I had done the right thing by refusing to birth with doctors that up until that point did not spend very much time with me at any given appointment or support natural birthing.

During my last trimester, my BFW course began and my husband and I started to meet with my mentor once a week for the next month. During BFW, I dug down deep into my heart and mind and learned to let go the fears I associated with labor. We also practiced labor coping techniques and educated ourselves about birthing in hospitals including how to avoid medical interventions, and explored birth through art and reflection.

Before I knew it, my due date of March 5th was quickly approaching. About 3 weeks before the due date, I started on acupuncture treatments to prepare my body for labor and birth on the advice of a friend. Then on the evening of March 4th, I met with Shelley for a very gentle yoga session. The entire class all I could think about was how tired I was of being pregnant. At the end of class, during savasana, I said to my baby in silence "It's ok, you can come out now." Well, about two hours later around 8pm, the first signs of labor began. I called my doctor and I could hear the excitement in his voice. I was excited too! But contractions had not started so all my husband and I could do was wait. I went to bed early and I remember going to bed with my little dog at my feet and my husband reading his book by my side knowing this was the beginning of a new era in my life. I went to sleep but it was a restless sleep because the contractions had started. But they were not so strong that I couldn't rest in between them. And Shelley had told me to try and sleep and rest in between the contractions, and so I did.

My husband later told me as I rested, he could feel my stomach tightening as the contractions got stronger. Around 2:00 a.m., I could not lie down comfortably and knew that I had to remain upright to allow my baby to make his way down. I got into the shower and let the warm water run down my back as I swayed my hips back and forth to help my baby continue on his journey. The hot water was very soothing and eased the discomfort brought on by the contractions. I must have gone in and out of the shower for about two hours because by 4:00 a.m., I told my husband I was going to rest in our family room. He and my little dog came with me. I could tell my little dog was sensing that birth was near. She was so calm and remained close to us. Her little animal spirit knew birth was near and she was not afraid. I was not afraid either.

I rested on the couch and started using the coping techniques I learned in BFW and also, the vocal toning techniques Shelley taught us in yoga class to get through the contractions. Around 7:00 am, my husband called my doctor and I called my doula. I decided to labor at home for a while longer as I was feeling good, coping well, and could feel my baby moving. I talked to my doula a few more times that morning. She reminded me to drink fluids and stay hydrated but it was becoming harder to drink. My husband busied himself by making breakfast and baking cookies for the labor nurses at the hospital. I remember walking around the kitchen and sometimes, going back to the shower. Around 10:00 am, I told my doula to come to my house and labor with me but she believed that I was still in the early stages of labor. So, I continued to walk when I could, but now had to lean on my husband during contractions, and use vocal toning and the yoga chants from Shelley's class to keep my voice low and get through the contractions. I remained calm and open. I was not irritable or mad and I knew I had to remain relaxed and patient. I recall my husband noticing and telling me that the contractions seemed stronger with fewer breaks in between. I had noticed it too.

Around 11:15 am, I went to the bathroom and noticed some bleeding. It scared me at first because I didn't know if that was normal or not. I told my husband it might be time to go to the hospital. He called the doctor to tell him what was happening. Then, my doula walked through the front door carrying groceries and other provisions to nourish me during labor. I saw her and I immediately leaned up against her during a very strong contraction. I could hardly stand. She held me up and soothed my back. I told her I was scared and that it was time to go to the hospital. She remained calm and reassured me. My husband and my doula led me to the car, stopping at times to let a contraction pass. As I walked into the garage, my little dog tried to sneak by me and get into the car. But sadly, I had to leave her home. How I wished she could come with me to the hospital. I settled myself into the car and off we went with my doula following in her car behind us.

I think driving to the hospital was the hardest part of my labor because I had to sit down. And believe me, sitting and lying down on my back was by far the most uncomfortable way to labor. How could anyone ask a woman to labor that way is beyond me! The discomfort became very strong and I told my husband that I had changed my mind and wanted medicine once we got to the hospital. He didn't respond because he knew what I wanted. He was my rock and he remained strong for me and drove in great earnest.

We arrived at the hospital and I walked very slowly with my husband and my doula into the delivery ward. The nurses at the station handed me a form to sign. Being a lawyer, I took my time reading the form very carefully, stopping once or twice to let a contraction pass. (I know, I'm crazy.) I signed in at 12:15 p.m. and was immediately taken to a L&D room. Well, for some reason, after I changed into my gown I had to move to another room. To be honest, I don't really recall how I got from the first room to the second room. Once I settled into the second room, my labor nurse attached the fetal monitor to check the baby's heart rate and checked my progress. She said that I was at 7cm already and I remember her saying, this baby is coming.

The rest of my labor was a bit of a blur to me. I remember my doula giving me water and honey to keep up my strength. I remember my doctor walking into the room and calmly speaking to me and putting his hand on my forehead. I remember my doula getting me to lean on a birthing ball and helping me through what had become very strong contractions. I told her I didn't think I could do this (birth) and she said, "you don't have to do anything, let your body do everything." She was right! My body knew what to do. So I relaxed and I recall my water breaking shortly before it came time to push. When it came time to push, my doctor had me lie on my right side and I started pushing. After a few pushes, the doctor allowed me to rest. I worked through a few pushes all on my own with no instruction or direction. The doctor then had me lie on my left side and push some more.

I continued to push on my side with some direction from my doctor and everyone was sitting with me on the bed with me when suddenly, the bed fell down a few inches. All the weight must have made the bed give way. And then, I laughed! It is amazing how you laugh at the strangest times. My husband told me it lightened up the mood in the room a bit as things were becoming intense in the moments before my baby's dawn.

My doctor kept telling me he could see my baby and that he was almost here. After some guidance from my doctor, hand holding with my doula and husband, and determination, I felt a warm sensation leaving my body and my son was born at 2:47 p.m. (on his due date.) He cried out loud and the doctor placed him on my chest. I remember telling my husband that our son was a gift from my husband's father who sadly passed away years before. And my son is a gift; a miracle that came from a beautiful place that we can only imagine in our dreams.

Some people have said to me it was luck that I had an intervention free birth, luck that I didn't have a c-section, or that I have a high pain tolerance. Looking back on my son's birth now, I realize how wrong those people are --- it was because of the love and support of my husband, my BFW mentor, my doula, my friends, and of course Shelley -- that this birth was possible. I am a stronger person today because of this experience. I was blessed with a beautiful birth and a beautiful child. There was no overriding fear in this birth, no horrible pains, no scary doctors, no strange medicines….just birth, love, and life.

Welcome Yoga Babies!

Tanya's Baby Boy

"Bloopy" (Temporary name until naming ceremony)

Born two weeks early.

November 24th at 5:20 am, 5 lbs 12 oz

Julie's Baby Boy

Ryder

Born eight days early.

November 12th at 5:20 am, 8lbs 7oz, 20"

Lauren's Baby Boy

Sean
Unmedicated, vaginal birth!

November 15th at 5:38am,

11lbs 4oz, 23"

Laxshmi's Baby Girl

Vibha

October 19th

Sri's Baby Girl

Sahana

September 12th

Floor's Baby Girl

Arwen
Born two weeks late.

Vaginal, breech birth with epidural.

23 hours from first contraction to delivery,

first 13 hours spent at home.

September 6th at 2:37am, 8lbs 3oz

Mayra's Baby Girl

Valentina

August 28th, 8lbs 2oz, 20"

Anne's Baby Girl

Mona

July 27th, 6lbs 13 oz, 48cm

Letting Go

“Birth takes place in the midst of a profound ‘Letting Go.’”
--Janice Clairfield

Letting go in birth requires a tremendous amount of trust. Trust in your body, trust in your birth attendants, trust in your partner, trust in a divine force. This deep level of trust creates a sense of safety that will allow you surrender to the process. The more aware you are of your body and of your birthing choices, the better able you are to “let go” and let the natural process of childbirth unfold.

We live in a world where our minds dominate nearly all that we do. In the practice of yoga, the goal is to get the mind out of the way, and connect with our higher purpose. The way to do this is by focusing on the breath and staying deeply aware of how our body is receiving each pose. This is also true for childbirth. Connecting with our breath and trusting our body’s wisdom will help us manage the pain and remain present in the moment.

Labor is simply a series of contractions that ease open the mouth of your womb and push your baby out. Labor is not a time to engage the mind. Timing contractions and watching a clock or fetal monitor will interfere with the natural unfolding of childbirth. Once the mind takes over, we become preoccupied with doing it right, with what could happen in the near future rather than what is happening in the present. This is when fear settles in. Letting the mind go by focusing on the breath or vocal toning will empower you to listen to your body’s wisdom. “When you allow yourself to become immersed in labor, it is neither boring nor interesting. The very nature of labor dissolves ordinary boundaries of time and space. You and labor become one. Timing your labor requires remaining conscious-of-self rather than being-in-labor. Once your uterus knows it’s not being timed and watched, its performance anxiety will be relieved.” Pamela England, Birthing From Within

While in labor, let go of watching a clock, if you must time your contractions, let someone else do that job for you. Just ride the waves of each rush, one at a time, trusting that all is unfolding as it should. Practice “Letting Go” as you sit in meditation or hold a yoga pose. The more you consciously let your mind go during this time, the easier it will be for you when labor starts.

“In the end these things matter most:
How well did you love?
How fully did you love?
How deeply did you learn to let go?”
-The Buddha

Affirmation for Letting Go

I surrender to every rush and trust my body.

Embodying Peace During Pregnancy

"One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve." -Albert Schweitzer

The last week's classes have focused on cultivating peace. September 21st was International Peace Day (got to http://www.peaceoneday.org/) for more information.

Just by coming to yoga class you are cultivating peace in your heart. The act of yoga and meditation is creating peace in your body and mind on a deep cellular level. When we feel peaceful, we can consciously extend that feeling to our baby growing within, our families, our community, our country and the world.

Choosing to be consciously pregnant, to connect with your child on an emotional and spiritual level you are creating a nurturing and peaceful environment for your child to develop. Every thought, emotion and action you take simultaneously affects the consciousness of your baby. By aligning your thoughts with your highest good, with the divine, you are also raising the consciousness of your unborn baby.

“In yoga tradition it is said that through spiritual elevation and conscious pregnancy women can produce children that are saints, peace-makers, and sages…and thereby the whole world is touched in ways it sorely needs.” (Janine Parvati) So…never underestimate the power of your child to change the world!

If we open ourselves to the grace flowing within during pregnancy, it can be a time of great spiritual transformation. Creating life within is such a divine blessing, when we tap into the overflowing source of spiritual wisdom and unity with all of life, it can be a catalyst for change, personal growth and peace in a woman’s life.

Steps to Peace

Ask yourself how you can create more peace in your life. Maybe it’s to be more forgiving, less reactionary, heal past wounds, etc. Create in intention for yourself and your baby to cultivate more of these peaceful qualities in your life.

Next reflect where peace is needed most in the world. What do you feel most affected by when you watch the news or read the paper? The war…the environmental destruction…poverty…Aids? As you cultivate peace in your heart, send this energy to the cause that you feel strongly about.

Lastly, reflect on how becoming a mother teaches us peace. You are about to embark on a lifetime of selfless service to another human being. As we love and care for this life we’ve just created, our hearts open to a whole new level of love and service. Our job as women on this planet is to extend this unconditional love and heartfelt service to all of humanity.

"What a child learns in the womb cannot be learned on Earth."
-Yogi Bhajan

Honoring Trust

Today's class theme was about Trust.

Hatha – Sanskrit word meaning Ha=(Effort/Sun) Tha=(Surrender/Moon)
Yoga- Sanskrit word meaning to yoke
Hatha Yoga is “yoking” or “Uniting Effort with Surrender”

Each class I teach has a mental, physical and spiritual component to it that ties into yoga and birth. Here is information from the theme of today's class:

Allowing your body to let go and birth naturally requires a tremendous amount of trust. Trust in your body, trust in your birth attendants, trust in your partner, trust in a divine force. The more aware you are of your body and of your birthing choices, the better able you are to “let go” and let the natural process of childbirth unfold.

We live in a world where our minds dominate nearly all that we do. In the practice of yoga, the goal is to get the mind out of the way, and connect with our higher purpose. The way to do this is by focusing on the breath and staying deeply aware of how our body is receiving each pose. This is also true for childbirth. Connecting with our breath and trusting our body’s wisdom will help us manage the pain and remain present in the moment.

Questioning the path you take is very natural, it’s part of the deep soul searching that leads you to your truth. If you listen to your heart and align your birthing choices with what feels right for you, you are able to release fears and feel confident that your birth experience will be a positive one. This confidence must first be grounded in trust. The trust and confidence that you feel leads to a sense of security. Trust is very liberating, it leads to surrender. When you are able to surrender in labor, your body will naturally guide you along the way to the next level. Consciously trusting the choices you have made and preparations you have undertaken will free you up so that you can experience childbirth as a beautiful right of passage for yourself and baby.
Trust also means accepting the unknown element of childbirth and realizing that whatever the outcome, natural birth or not, it's all divine.

Check to make sure that you feel trust in all of these areas:

¨ Trust in yourself, that you have adequately prepared your mind, body and soul for birth.
¨ Trust in your birth partner and birth attendants. You feel confident that they also honor and support the natural process of birth. Also, trust in their ability to intervene when appropriate.
¨ Trust in your body’s natural wisdom.
¨ Trust your internal power.
¨ Trust in a Divine Force flowing through you and baby.

Once you are able to embrace trust on every level you will have the confidence and courage to let your mind go and allow the natural process of birth to unfold.

Affirmation

I surrender to each rush and trust my body’s wisdom.

I let go.

Daniel's Birth Story

I was one of Shelley’s first prenatal yoga students, so it’s only fitting that I’m the first to post my birth story. My son was born August 1, 2007, and I was really happy with my birth experience, although there were some bumpy moments.

I knew pretty early in my pregnancy I wanted to have a natural birth. It was my first pregnancy, so I didn't really know if I would be able to handle it, but I did everything I could to work towards that goal. I did prenatal yoga, I switched to a midwife practice, I read books on natural birth, and I took the childbirth class geared toward natural birth. So, at my 38 week appointment, I was crushed to hear that because my baby was measuring “big”, I would need to be induced if I went over 40 weeks. I knew that it was still possible to have a natural birth if you are induced, but I also knew it was harder. And I feared one intervention could lead to another. I had to pick a date for my induction, because those spots filled up quickly. The thought of an induction was really stressful for me during that last week of my pregnancy. I had not been in any hurry for my baby to come. I figured he would come when he was ready. But I suddenly felt the pressure of time.

A couple of days later, on a Friday, I stayed late at work to clean out my desk and finish up some things. When I left that night, I told my baby he could come any time. Nothing happened that weekend, and I went into work on Monday. But I saw another midwife on Tuesday. She was actually Shelley’s midwife, so I felt like I could talk to her, and I told her my baby was measuring in the 75th percentile, and the doctors wanted to induce if I went over 40 weeks. She was supportive and said she didn’t think a 75th percentile baby was that big. She offered to check me and sweep my membranes. I had not been checked before that, and I had not wanted to have my membranes swept, but I felt if it could help things along and possibly avoid an induction, I was ok with it. To my surprise, I was 4cm dilated! She swept my membranes, told me she couldn’t believe I was not making a face as she was doing it, and that I’m probably one of those women. (I really hoped I was one of those women.) The midwife told me she didn’t think I would have to worry about an induction. It was a huge weight lifted.

That night, my husband and I went for a long walk and had frozen yogurt after dinner. The next morning (August 1), I woke up at 6am shaking with the chills. My husband took my temperature three times and it kept going up each time, from 97 to 98 to 99. My husband called the midwife on call, and because my temperature was only 99.1, she did not think I needed to come in. I went back to sleep for a little bit, until around 7am, when I felt a gush. I knew that my water had broken. All I wanted to do was sleep, though. I got back into bed and told my husband I felt really scared. My husband, who was a diligent student of the Bradley Method, recognized the second emotional sign post. He knew something was happening. He got up and quickly put all our stuff into a bag. (We had laid out everything but had not packed it yet.) He loaded up the car and came back to get me.

By the time we got to the hospital, the contractions were getting fairly uncomfortable. I had to stop a couple of times before we got to the hospital door. Although I was with the midwife practice, when we got to the hospital, the Birth Center was full, so we had to go to L&D. Our doula met us in L&D and told us that she told them we were coming, and they were preparing a room for us. Meanwhile, we had to wait in the waiting room. Apparently, everybody was giving birth that day.

The contractions were coming fairly frequently at this point. The doula was really helpful in getting me to breath through them. She was also really good about checking on our room. There was a guy in the waiting room with us, and I think he feared I would give birth right there, so he stepped out. When we got to our room, I changed into the gown, and got in bed. I remember, I curled up on my side and wanted to stay that way forever. The midwife on duty came to introduce herself and told me that she had another mother in labor, but after that, she’d come and check in on me. She checked me and told me I was 6 cm dilated. That was about 8:30am. She told me, “You’re about to experience the part that gives labor a bad name—transition.”

I had felt flushed even on the way to the hospital, but I didn’t really think anything of it, until my nurse informed me that I had a fever. They started an IV to get me fluids and put me on the fetal monitor. My doula offered me ice chips and kept a towel on my forehead to help lower my temperature. I think there were times when the baby’s heart rate dipped, and they had me change positions to see if that helped. But most of the time, I was on my side, and that’s how I wanted to stay. It’s funny, because I had imagined using all the things they had in the birthing center to help me through labor, like the birthing ball and the tub. The one time that the doula suggested I get on my hands and knees, I tried that position and immediately went back to lying on my side.

The doula encouraged me to vocalize, and the work we did in Shelley’s class definitely helped me know how to vocalize. At the time, I remember thinking the hallways of L&D were really quiet. I think I was the only person making a sound!

By about 10:30am or so, I told the doula I really wanted to push, and she told me not to yet. So, I kept having to breathe through the pressure and do anything but push. I think this was the worst part. Things were so intense everywhere, and there was no way to relieve the pressure. I was checked again, and I was 8cm. The doula informed me that I would probably have this baby by noon, so I kept watching the clock, waiting for noon!

Because I was only 8cm, I still couldn’t push, and there didn’t seem to be much of a break in between contractions. I just tried to stay as focused as possible. I thought the doula was really helpful during this time, because I would not have known that I shouldn’t push. She had me look in her eyes and just focus on breathing. She kept telling me to let my body do the work for me and to let the baby work his way down. At about 12:30pm or so, I was checked again, and I was fully dilated but the baby had not fully descended yet. I was told I could push when I experienced contractions, but I guess I wasn’t “formally” pushing yet. I was relieved that I could finally push, and I thought that would help to make me feel better, but it was still pretty uncomfortable. I think I “informally” pushed through a few contractions, when the nurse examined me and exclaimed, “Oh my God. You are a superwoman.” Apparently, she could see the baby’s head. She went to get the midwife.

The midwife arrived. They asked me to switch sides, because the baby’s heart rate was dropping again. I laid on my side, the doula held my leg, and my husband held my hand. I pushed a few times, and when the baby was crowning, the midwife told me to stop pushing so the head could come out slowly. I think he also had the cord wrapped around his neck, so the midwife had to unwrap it. I was surprised that the pushing wasn’t more methodical, like you see on TV. There was no counting or anything. I just pushed when I felt the urge. Fairly soon, the midwife said the baby was out to his belly button. From then, things happened pretty quickly. I remember feeling a gush, and then the midwife told me to open my gown so they could put the baby on me skin-to-skin. Next thing I know, this little creature was staring up at me with such a look of wonder in his eyes. Daniel was born at 1:41pm. I remember I kept saying, “Oh my God. Oh my God” over and over. My husband was kissing me and telling me that I did a great job.

In the end, I had the natural birth that I wanted. Even with all the stressful and seemly scary moments, I was really happy with my birth experience. I think I was also lucky, because given my fever, things could have gone very differently. I’m grateful to have had the support system I had. Before I got pregnant, my husband told me he could not stand the sight of blood and feared being in the birthing room, but in the end, he embraced my decision to have a natural birth, he committed to learning the Bradley Method, and he was with me the whole way. Getting a doula was the best decision I made during my pregnancy. I don’t think I could have done it without her. Neither my husband nor I knew what was going on, and I’m grateful for her experience and knowledge. She was an excellent support for my husband and me. My L&D nurse took such good care of me and never pushed any drugs or other intervention on me.

I believe prenatal yoga also contributed to my positive birth experience. Shelley’s class wasn’t just about exercising. It was really a time to focus on your baby, your strengths as a woman and what your body was capable of doing. When Shelley shared her experiences in pregnancy and childbirth, for me, that was just as important as the yoga. She was definitely my birth role model. While most people were telling me I was crazy to be thinking about having a natural birth, and why not use drugs, that’s what they are there for, I looked to Shelley, who had had three natural births. I thought if Shelley could do it three times, I certainly could do it once. Even if you don’t plan to have a natural birth, I think prenatal yoga is important to help keep your body and spirit strong and to prepare you for the birth experience.

Pregnancy and childbirth is a time when we learn about what we are capable of doing. I still remember the little chant we did in prenatal yoga while practicing warrior pose: “There’s no more powerful warrior than a woman giving birth to life.” It may feel funny to say at first, but the more I said it, the more I embraced it. I felt incredibly powerful holding my baby and knowing that I had given birth to him. And the funny thing is, that’s such a small moment in the journey. There’s so much more after you’ve given birth. It has been an incredibly awesome experience watching my baby change every day and grow into the person he’s meant to be.

The day he was born:Causing mischief a year later: