Our first moments with Elise.
Our midwife, Ann Stewart, helping Chris cut the cord.
From the very beginning, Elise was wide-eyed and ready to get the party started.
Here is a little bit about my story...
I found out I was pregnant with Elise in a composting toilet on a farm.
I was not familiar with a composting toilet before living at World Hunger Relief, but I had the opportunity to learn quite a bit about them during our adventure on the farm. Composting toilets are systems that use little to no water and treat human waste by composting and dehydration. And although they can be a tad stinky, the end result, when harvested after 6-12 months, is a valuable soil additive. The toilet does not waste water or cause environmental damage and is a great resource for gardening.
My point is: Elise was bound to be a natural baby.
I didn't know anything about pregnancy or babies and chose a OBGYN at random when we moved back to Oklahoma. I was about 6 weeks along at my first appointment and the doctor said they needed to do an ultrasound. The only thing that popped up on the ultrasound looked like a tiny circle. I was told nonchalantly that the circle was the yolk sac and that this might be a "failed pregnancy" since they did not detect anything else. Shaken, we left the office with the ultrasound picture of our little "yolk sac" and I immediately got on Chris' iPhone and looked up "6 weeks", "ultrasound", "failed pregnancy".... To my relief, there was quite a bit of information indicating that 6 weeks was too early for an ultrasound and that it was fairly common to not see much at that point. I would go in for testing the following week, but as I started to feel more and more nauseated, I knew this was a good indication everything was ok. This was the one and only time in my life I was happy and relived to feel utterly miserable. After much prayer and waiting, we found out my intuition was right - everything was ok.
I knew at that point I needed to find out more about pregnancy, birth and how to select a caregiver. The "failed pregnancy" doctor was obviously fired, but I needed to figure out my philosophy on birth and align myself with people who could help me have the birth I felt was best for my health and the health of my baby. I did a short stint with another OBGYN, but after coming across some great resources and books, I decided pregnancy was a very natural thing and not an "illness" or "condition" that needed to be "managed" by a doctor. I realized that even though I had expressed my desire for a natural birth to my OBGYN, if her philosophy and track record indicated a lot of interventions and cesarean section outcomes, that chances are that would be my outcome too. I thank God for OBGYNs and the care they provide for high risk pregnancies or health complications that arise during pregnancy, but since all things indicated that I was having a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy, I decided to select a midwife to assist me during birth. From the research I had done and people I had talked with, Ann Stewart, a certified nurse midwife at OU Medical Center, shared my philosophy about childbirth being a natural process that needs no intervention. She allowed me to labor without medication, IV's and in whatever position felt best to me. My midwife's support, along with my doula, Erica Smith, and my husband, enabled me to experience my daughter's birth without drugs. From the moment Elise was born, she was wide-eyed and alert. She latched on and began nursing right away. I am so thankful for my birth experience and everyone that helped me to get there. It was a wonderful, empowering event and I am so glad I had the time to really research my options and make an informed decision about childbirth.
I want to list the resources that were pivotal in helping me to make an informed decision. Natural birth may not be for everyone, but it is so important to know your options and be empowered to make an informed decision for your health and the health of your baby.
The Business of Being Born is a great documentary that got me interested in making an informed decision about childbirth. It's a great place to start and is also available on Netflix:
I wanted to make an unemotional decision about my birth choices that were free of preconceived notions and based on facts. The fact is, this country has a very high rate of mother/child mortality when compared to other modernized nations. The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth is full of facts and the latest research that goes against common medical opinion:
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth was very inspirational for me as I looked forward to Elise's birth. Ina May Gaskin has been a midwife since the mid-70's and offers wisdom, encouragement and advice from her decades of "catching" babies for women pursuing natural childbirth:
Ok. Hypnobirthing? This sounds a little flaky, right? I thought so too, but all research indicated that rates of natural childbirth and intervention free birthing were higher in women who took a Hypnobirthing class. And as I said before, I wanted to make unemotional decisions based on facts. So, I took the class and feel that it was very, very helpful.
I think a lot of having a healthy birth experience has to do with a healthy pregnancy. I still refer to The Complete Organic Pregnancy even now to help me make healthy life choices. Great book!
This is an ongoing list of resources. If you have other books or dvds that have helped you to make an informed decision about your birth experience - feel free to leave a comment and add to the list!
(A special thanks to our doula, Erica Smith, for the above pictures (except the toilet) taken during Elise's birth).
