This article will describe my personal experience of delivering a baby naturally even though I never attended a natural childbirth class.
If you are considering having your baby without anesthesia, read on for helpful insights.
My story really begins 19 years ago when I was 19 years old.
A friend of mine had become a doula, a natural childbirth assistant, and was telling me about the class she took to qualify to be one.
Since I was always interested in natural childbirth, I asked for more details and discovered there was a class coming up in my area.
All I had to do was find 15 more women who wanted to take the class and I could attend for free.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find enough women so the class was cancelled.
A few months later, I got another chance to take the class.
This time I had saved enough money to pay for the class but it was not meant to be.
The instructor called me a few days before the class was to start to tell me that she was going to refund my money because not enough women signed up.
I was disappointed but I determined from that day forward that if I ever got married, I would have my baby naturally.
Fourteen years would pass before I got my chance.
My best friend's sister was pregnant around the same time I was in 2006 and she also was a big fan of natural childbirth.
She told me to just sign up for a class that taught the Bradley Method.
Even though I lived in a big city, I was unable to find one until I was seven months pregnant and too far along to start the class.
(Women wanting to study this method in a classroom setting should begin in their fifth month of pregnancy.
) Rather than letting that stop me, I decided to do the next best thing.
I went online and ordered two books, The Husband-Coached Childbirth and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.
As soon as they arrived, my husband and I started doing the exercises together.
I remember telling my doctor that I was going to have my baby the natural way and he said that I was crazy.
My mom tried to talk me out of it, too.
She told me it would feel like my insides were coming apart.
Their comments made me want to have a natural childbirth even more.
My daughter was due on December 20 and like most first-time moms, I mistakenly thought that date was written in stone.
I showed up at the hospital all ready to deliver when the nurse informed me that I still had a long way to go.
My husband and I were disappointed so I decided not to return until my contractions were five minutes apart.
The big day came on December 22 and, other than slight discomfort, I really did not feel much pain.
I remember thinking that I must not be ready to deliver because I was so comfortable.
Somehow, looking at the monitor that showed me when I was having a contraction was soothing.
By looking at the peaks and valleys, I could tell how long a particular contraction was going to last and when it would be over.
My friend that came to be with me during the delivery was surprised by my attitude.
She even told me that it was okay to scream.
I guess she thought I was trying to be strong.
My husband was applying counter pressure to my lower back and my friend asked me if that helped.
I told her that it did.
We learned this technique by studying the Bradley Method at home.
Finally, the nurse decided to check me one more time and saw that my baby was crowning.
Frantically, she yelled for someone to call the doctor.
Then, she asked if I was feeling the urge to push.
The only thing I was feeling was that annoying pain on the right side of my lower back.
However, this pain dissolved into nothing as soon as I started to push.
My entire delivery took less than 4 hours.
I am proud to say that my husband and I successfully studied the Bradley Method on our own and had our daughter, Keilah Idalia, the natural way.
If you are considering having your baby without anesthesia, read on for helpful insights.
My story really begins 19 years ago when I was 19 years old.
A friend of mine had become a doula, a natural childbirth assistant, and was telling me about the class she took to qualify to be one.
Since I was always interested in natural childbirth, I asked for more details and discovered there was a class coming up in my area.
All I had to do was find 15 more women who wanted to take the class and I could attend for free.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find enough women so the class was cancelled.
A few months later, I got another chance to take the class.
This time I had saved enough money to pay for the class but it was not meant to be.
The instructor called me a few days before the class was to start to tell me that she was going to refund my money because not enough women signed up.
I was disappointed but I determined from that day forward that if I ever got married, I would have my baby naturally.
Fourteen years would pass before I got my chance.
My best friend's sister was pregnant around the same time I was in 2006 and she also was a big fan of natural childbirth.
She told me to just sign up for a class that taught the Bradley Method.
Even though I lived in a big city, I was unable to find one until I was seven months pregnant and too far along to start the class.
(Women wanting to study this method in a classroom setting should begin in their fifth month of pregnancy.
) Rather than letting that stop me, I decided to do the next best thing.
I went online and ordered two books, The Husband-Coached Childbirth and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.
As soon as they arrived, my husband and I started doing the exercises together.
I remember telling my doctor that I was going to have my baby the natural way and he said that I was crazy.
My mom tried to talk me out of it, too.
She told me it would feel like my insides were coming apart.
Their comments made me want to have a natural childbirth even more.
My daughter was due on December 20 and like most first-time moms, I mistakenly thought that date was written in stone.
I showed up at the hospital all ready to deliver when the nurse informed me that I still had a long way to go.
My husband and I were disappointed so I decided not to return until my contractions were five minutes apart.
The big day came on December 22 and, other than slight discomfort, I really did not feel much pain.
I remember thinking that I must not be ready to deliver because I was so comfortable.
Somehow, looking at the monitor that showed me when I was having a contraction was soothing.
By looking at the peaks and valleys, I could tell how long a particular contraction was going to last and when it would be over.
My friend that came to be with me during the delivery was surprised by my attitude.
She even told me that it was okay to scream.
I guess she thought I was trying to be strong.
My husband was applying counter pressure to my lower back and my friend asked me if that helped.
I told her that it did.
We learned this technique by studying the Bradley Method at home.
Finally, the nurse decided to check me one more time and saw that my baby was crowning.
Frantically, she yelled for someone to call the doctor.
Then, she asked if I was feeling the urge to push.
The only thing I was feeling was that annoying pain on the right side of my lower back.
However, this pain dissolved into nothing as soon as I started to push.
My entire delivery took less than 4 hours.
I am proud to say that my husband and I successfully studied the Bradley Method on our own and had our daughter, Keilah Idalia, the natural way.
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