I think I’ve always wanted to have a natural birth, but I just didn’t know it until I was pregnant. Not one, but many things brought me to my decision. Firstly, my mother had had both my older brother and myself without any medication, so knowing that she had done it was very inspiring. Secondly, I am very afraid of needles and have never been one to take medicine. And lastly, I had what seemed like hundreds of people telling me I either couldn’t do it or that I was crazy for even wanting to try.
Once I made up my mind, I decided that it would be best to “train” for this natural endeavor. I wanted to not only get my body ready, but to ready my mind for what I wanted to achieve. I found The Bradley Method® classes and they prepared me well.
Both my son (March 2010) and daughter (July 2012) were born naturally and without any medical intervention. I, unlike many of my friends, actually had a POSITIVE labor and birth story to tell. I was not a maimed, new mother in a lot of pain and unable to move. I was a POWERFUL, proud, Supergoddess who actually felt very little pain (didn’t even pop one of the Tylenol the hospital told me to pack in my bag), and who was sitting up and eating within 20 minutes of delivering! I had done what I set out to do! I showed everyone and more importantly, my children were not made to endure medication or trauma. They came into this world perfectly peacefully.
I decided to teach because when I was pregnant I came into contact with so many people, men and women, with so much wrong information. People think that birth is and has to be like the dramatic scenes on television. I want women to demand back their power; to realize that birthing naturally is something their bodies were made to do. I want to help them realize that they do have a say in how their birth stories should go. I want more women to feel the pride of being a part of the natural childbirth club.
I want my students to be educated and capable of making informed decisions in regards to pregnancy and their bodies, as opposed to being scared and bullied into situations that may not be the best for them.
Childbirth does not have to be feared!