Congrats to my first clients, Meg and Jason, who welcomed a beautiful baby girl to the world at 5:32am on October 7. It was the first birth for all of us and it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The couple attended Hypnobirthing classes and Meg did such an amazing job. The nurses all said they thought she’d had an epidural, because she was so calm and collected and managing the intensity of contractions and pushing like a pro. She really trusted her body to birth her baby. Did I mention the baby was occiput posterior? Even with painful back labor, Hypno worked for her and the doctor turned the baby and all went smoothly and naturally. I felt prepared as a doula, but no amount of study and birth videos can prepare you for the wonder of a birth experience, happening a few feet from your face. Wow!

Congrats again to the new parents and thank you so much for allowing me to share the special time with you.

At a blog I read a lot, That Wife, the author, Jenna, just gave birth to her first child, a beautiful son. Jenna had a homebirth and she did so well. She has been posting the birth story and recently answered frequently asked questions about the birth, including sharing this incredible video of the sounds she made during labor. She does a great job keeping her tons low which help open up the cervix and keep the pressure and sound focused low, on opening up and getting the baby out. High-pitched sounds, with the tension up high, in your head, are counter-productive. Near the end of the video, we see Jenna during the “ring of fire” moment of crowning and she expresses that it hurts. This might seem scary if you’re unfamiliar with natural childbirth, but sometimes just being able to express how she’s feeling–this hurts like heck!–is what a mom needs. Her midwife Sarah responds appropriately, honoring Jenna’s feelings, but encouraging her to keep going. Jenna trusts her body to know when to push and when to relax and moments later she birthed a healthy boy in the water with her husband’s support. This is one of my favorite videos (taken by Kelli Nicole, I believe) of a woman in labor:

Sounds of Labor from Jenna on Vimeo.

Thanks to Jenna, a mama in Dallas, Texas, for the link love on her blog That Wife. I read her blog often, for her fabulous photography (she’s an excellent one), and to hear about her pregnancy. I love reading about pregnancy, birth and mothering in a woman’s own words, and when I read in her fabulous birth plan that she shared a few weeks ago that she wanted to avoid vaginal exams during labor (something I’d just been studying!), I emailed this link to her, from the blog of a doula in Israel. It covers all the information I read in my doula studies. Here is what Jenna posted:

Assessing Dilation without a Cervical Exam

Valerie, a doula in SLC sent me this link to a post that talks about clues to pay attention to during labor to get an idea of how dilated you are. If you are pregnant you may already know that having cervical exams after your water breaks can be harmful, as it can potentially introduce infection. Also, I’ve heard they are nasty to experience pretty much anytime, but especially during a contraction. I’ve read the article several times now and plan on going over it with TH as well so we both can have an idea how far along I am without relying on internal exams!

Why avoid vaginal exams during labor? Well, as Jenna points out, for one, they are uncomfortable. And two, they can be dangerous, because they push bacteria into the vagina and can cause infection, especially after your water breaks. Jenna is a great example of a woman who has taken control of her pregnancy, doing all the research to understand her options and choosing the kind of birth that’s right for her and her husband. It has been so fascinating following along as she decided to have a natural home birth with a midwife. Jenna is expecting to go into labor any day now, so I am sending lots of gentle labor thoughts her way!