Why did I want a natural birth?
I love the hormones prolactin and oxytocin. Once one watches “The Business of Being Born”, one can’t go back! Thanks to Britt Wanta for introducing me to this world. After watching this movie, I didn’t want anything to come between me and bonding with my baby. It’s so real. I had a water birth and within minutes of Maxine’s first breaths of life, she literally crawled up my chest and latched. So lucid and so instinctual.
What did I learn from my experience?
I had no idea how vulnerable and scared I was. I don’t know if I would have learned about these emotions without the thoughtful care of my midwives, slowing me down, helping me to think about what kind of Mama I wanted to be and challenging me to view the birth process of emblematic of the relationship I would have with my daughter. I’m forever changed. My daughter will have a different life because of this experience. This to me was true healthcare.
What did it do for my baby?
Our bond is inexplicable. In my heart, I feel like our bond came from the thoughtful and courage-finding work in preparation for our natural birth. She was born in the Kitty Ernst birthing tub, handed straight to me, and she latched within minutes. It was surreal and wonderful. It’s amazing what can happen when we don’t get in the way of nature.
How has it changed me as a person?
I am more convinced than ever that the design of pregnancy and birth is deliberate. Each stage of the process, led to a learning I needed for the next stage. There’s a wisdom and maturity that I learned along this process, and I’m so thankful I have a higher baseline from which to mother my daughter.
