Doulas are great for any birth, even if there are epidurals and medication involved
I’m not planning to give birth naturally. If I’m managing the pain well and it happens that way, great, but I’m totally pro-epidural. My draw toward a doula is more for emotional support backup in case the hubby poops out. But is it even worth it to have a doula if you don’t really need them for natural-birth advocacy? That’s all I ever really hear about them doing.
All about my wonderful scheduled cesarean section
I walked with a cane for the rest of the pregnancy and had to wear a special belt. Birth options for this condition are limited. Spreading your legs exacerbates the condition, and it was possible I might mess up my pelvis permanently. This was the first seed planted in the c-section garden. Then, I got gestational diabetes, which statistically often leads to c-section as well. So, because of the symphisis pubis dysfunction, having had a previous c-section, and the gestational diabetes, I had a scheduled c-section on December 19th to welcome my second daughter.
Realizing the prize at the end of the road is your child — not how you gave birth
They say the beauty is in the journey, not the destination. However, I firmly stand by my belief that in the case of childbirth, it is truly the destination, and for many, not the journey. For nine months, I dreamt of a completely unmedicated labor. I took the classes, I read the Bradley Method books. I played out every scenario in my head, and by the time my nine long months came around, I was ready to go to war with the pain I would surely experience. Having been a semi-pro dancer most of my adolescence, stress fractured tailbone and dancing on two broken toes included, I was convinced I could deal with the pain through the power of my mind and breathing.
From the operating room: photos from a planned cesarean section birth
I recently had the privilege to spend a few hours in the hospital with a friend of mine and shoot the birth of her third child, Gabrielle. While I’ve shot births before, this one was a new experience — it was my first time in an operating room, and my first time shooting a cesarean section.
I want a doula, but my partner doesn’t. What to do?
I’m only 13 weeks, so this is super early, but I’ve been thinking about how much I’d like a doula with me during labor. I’m not super crunchy, but I plan on having an unmedicated birth and I’m really happy with my choice in hospital and doctor. However, I also think a doula would provide even more support and make it as close to the experience that we want as possible.
From a salsa jar conception to the hospital birth we wanted
Three months before the baby was due, my partner Patty and I took the birth class. I’m so glad we took the class together — the yoga teacher taught us a lot about exercises we could do during labor, breathing to help through the contractions, the benefits of avoiding interventions, and how a labor doula could really support our decisions to have the birth we wanted.
A timeline of a nearly 40-hour preterm Vaginal Birth After a Cesarean
My water breaks while we’re discussing what to cook for dinner (roasted chicken and potatoes!). I call the midwife on-call and tell her what happened and she is pretty convinced that my water did actually break. She tells me to come on in to labor and delivery where they can evaluate me to see if I can hold baby in a little longer or if this is a true water break.
The questions that defined my daughter’s birth
Paloma’s due date came and went. Nine days later I got my bloody show, and within 30 minutes, full-on labor had begun. I got in the pool. I was biting on a towel, begging for ice cubes and asking for as little other stimulation as possible. I couldn’t be touched. I didn’t want to be talked to. My poor boyfriend was trying to keep it together but was beside himself.