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Guest Post by Emily

When I became pregnant with our first child in 2007, I knew right from the start that I wanted to have a natural birth. Mostly, I wanted to avoid having a c-section for any reason other than absolute medical necessity.  I knew that too many interventions could lead down the path to a c-section, and I knew I was willing to deal with the pain of labor to prevent going down that path.  I also knew that it would not be easy for me to have a natural birth, and not just because of the labor.  Unfortunately, in today’s society it seems that there are many obstacles in the way of a mother that desires to give birth naturally, and the most powerful one is the place where the majority of women give birth, the hospital.

Hospitals don’t expect women to give birth naturally.  They don’t expect that you understand or are prepared for your labor and birth.  They don’t expect you to be able to manage your contractions. They expect that you will be in pain, be overwhelmed, and want interventions and medication and that is what they are set up to provide. They don’t expect that you would actually desire to have a natural birth experience. 

I think it is so important to prepare for your birth, especially if you are going to give birth in a place that does not put a high value on natural birth. Here are seven of the ways I found that helped me achieve the birthing experience I wanted while in the hospital.

1. Do your own research. Read, read, read as much as you can about natural birth. You are the final decision maker for your birth experience and how you want your birth to be, not the nurses, the hospital staff, or even your doctor.  Research and knowledge will help you to make good decisions and overcome the fear and unknown of labor.

2. Take a good birthing class.  This is one that I didn’t take my own advice on, my husband and I just went to the class that the hospital offered.  If I had to do my first birth over again I would take a class that was more focused on natural birth, like the Bradley Method. This will help you feel prepared and supported in your decision.

3. Make it a family affair.  It is so important to know that your husband is on board, and understands and supports your desire to have a natural birth. Your husband will probably be your most important birth coach. Encourage your husband to go to childbirth classes with you and also to read books on natural labor.  It is so helpful if your husband understands the process of labor, what you will be going through, and how to comfort and encourage you. 

4. Get support in addition to your husband. The best decision I made with my first birth was to use a doula. The support of my husband and my doula helped me to feel confident in my ability to birth naturally and allowed me to achieve the birth experience I wanted. Not feeling supported in your decision can make it harder to resist giving in to interventions and medication when the going gets tough. So whether it’s your sister, your mom, your best friend, or your doula, have someone with you that supports you 100%. 

5. Talk with other moms who have had natural births, especially those that have given birth naturally in a hospital.  This was one of the most encouraging things I did before my daughter was born. It really helped me to believe that I could do it.  It also wouldn’t hurt to talk to moms who didn’t have great birth experiences.  All births that end with healthy babies and moms are good birth stories, but it may help to learn from those who had births that didn’t go exactly as the mother had hoped. 

6. Write out your birth plan.  Go over it with your doctor or midwife ahead of time and take it with you to the hospital to give to the nurses.  You might be surprised that your nurses may really want to help you achieve your goal of natural birth.  I was so fortunate to have great nurses for both of my births who were supportive and encouraging because they read my birth plan and knew the type of birth I wanted. 

7. Once you are in labor, stay home as long as possible! Laboring at home is much, much more relaxing than laboring at the hospital.  And when you’re relaxed you will probably progress faster and easier (although that’s not a given).  Plus, as long as you are at home you won’t have the option of medications and interventions so you will learn to manage the contractions without them and know that you are able to do it.  That way you won’t be as easily tempted by the meds once you get to the hospital. 

For those of you who don’t have the option of having a homebirth, or just don’t feel comfortable with it, but still desire to give birth naturally, I’m here to encourage you that it is possible to have a natural birth in the hospital – I know, I have done it twice now! In planning and preparing for natural childbirth I learned, and experienced, that it is not just about avoiding a c-section, but is about the joy and strength that comes from the amazing experience of working with your body to give birth to your baby.  Believe in yourself and trust your body! You really can give birth naturally – it is what your body was made and designed to do!

For more information on natural childbirth, these are books I found helpful: The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence
by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries; The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Sears Parenting Library) by William and Martha Sears; Homebirth in the Hospital: Integrating Natural Childbirth with Modern Medicine
by Stacey Kerr M.D.; and Empowered Pregnancy by Theodore Peck.

Have you had a natural hospital birth? What things did you find helpful in your experience?

Emily is the blessed wife of Jeremy, and natural birthing mama of Kaelyn (Oct. ‘07) and Brenden (June ’09).  Since the birth of her daughter she has been learning to live more frugally and more “green”.  You can read her birth stories, and follow her “frugally green” journey on her blog: liverenewed.blogspot.com. 

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The birth story begins about 2 1/2 weeks before she actually arrived. It was then that I began having regular bouts of contractions, a week and a half before my due date. With many positive signs of impending labor (increasing contractions, crampiness, slightly elevated blood pressure, a baby that was sitting incredibly low, etc.) we all thought that labor was likely to begin at any time that week, my midwife included. And so we waited...

And waited... and waited. After over a week of continued contractions but no labor, I was discouraged. It had been the hottest week of the entire summer (a true heatwave for our area), and I was literally wilting, between the heat and the discomfort. As I reached my due date I was really struggling with maintaining a positive attitude, and with the feeling that my body had deceived me somehow and that everyone's life had been put on hold waiting for me (my husband with his job, my MIL who had stayed with us the entire week, etc.).

God had some work to do in my heart. I spent last Friday incredibly emotional, just so eager to be done and so frustrated at having spent over a week and a half sitting on pins and needles, expecting labor at any moment. How I wished that I had prepared my heart for her arrival at or after her due date, instead of putting so much hope in all of these "signs" that she was coming. By Saturday, after much prayer, I finally felt at peace waiting for God's perfect timing and we resolved to busy ourselves with fun and productive activities as we waited.

When I saw my midwife on Tuesday morning, the day before I was one week overdue, she checked me and found that I was 3, almost 4 cm dilated and she couldn't believe how low the baby's head was. She had discussed with me the week before that perhaps all of the contractions were due to a herbal prenatal formula I was taking, and recommended I stop taking it for my own sanity. I had obeyed and been off the herbs for an entire week, and yet the contractions had continued, even increasing in intensity, and were obviously doing work but were not kicking in to a regular rhythm of labor.

As she was headed out of town that weekend (having expected me to have my baby a week or more ago), we discussed that we might try something to give my body a nudge. She performed a membrane sweep that morning, and we agreed to give it 24 hours to see what it would do. Well, even with a loooong walk that evening, it didn't do anything. So the next morning she gave me permission to go ahead and try the castor oil cocktail that had worked so well for me with our son.

Wednesday morning dawned with some contractions, but nothing more promising than usual. I decided to go ahead with the cocktail and took it at around 9:30am, allowing Ryan enough time to to make a quick trip into the city with the kids to pick up something for the business. By about noon, after I had been lying down trying to catch one last nap, contractions started coming but they were still quite mild and spaced out. They picked up a teeny bit by 12:30, when I gave up trying to nap and starting puttering around the kitchen. I pitted and dehydrated a couple trays of ripe plums from our neighbors, did some laundry, washed dishes, etc. until 1pm.

Ryan took the kids to his sisters and then went out for coffee with a friend (only 5 min. away, cell phone in hand!), and about 15 minutes after he left I decided it was worth calling the midwife, just to let her know what was happening. Since she was in the area, and since she thought my labor could possibly go fast (if this was indeed labor) she decided to just pop over and see where things were at. She arrived by about 1:40, and just observed me for awhile. She decided to read a book on the couch while I mopped my kitchen floor, and shortly afterwords she cleaned out my fish bowl for me, LOL! Fun times with Anne!

Around 2, contractions were coming a little closer together and I was starting to feel it in my back (a good sign for me that things are happening, as I always have back labor). Ryan came home shortly after, and while I continued to labor fairly easily, we had a great discussion with Anne (an Orthodox Christian) on early church history in between contractions. Each time one came, I would just lean forward onto the back of the couch or the dining room table, close my eyes and sway my hips, then pop back up again to continue our conversation!

**Obviously this is earlier on in labor, when a cracked joke would still make me laugh! My MIL said this picture would give a false impression of labor being easy, but I think it shows that labor isn't all hard work or pain. There can still be sweet and memorable moments, and yes, even fun!**

By 2:30, I had started applying a heat pack to help ease the back ache, and Ryan and Anne were occasionally coming to give me back rubs. Contractions were about 3 minutes apart, and very manageable but becoming more intense. By 3:00 I started talking about taking a hot shower, and Ryan decided to call our friend Ange who was coming to serve as a doula for us (she had also helped with our first daughter's birth).

I had never taken a shower during labor before, but I did find it quite relaxing and helpful to have the hot water beating down on my back. I had put a folding chair in the tub, hoping I could sit on it backwards but it turned out to be too tight of a fit. Instead, I just leaned over and held onto the chair and stood up again once the contraction finished. My thoughts centered around relaxing and opening up, and letting my body do it's job so baby could come more quickly. Once I got out, maybe around 3:45 or so, Anne decided to check me and said that I was definitely 4+ cms and she thought things were progressing well (I think more from other indications than just how much I was dilated).

Our friend Ange arrived just before 4:00, and I was so glad we had called her when we did. Soon after her arrival I found that I was starting to need a lot more consistent coaching and counter-pressure on my back. Being upright was too much to handle, so I spent almost the next hour on the living room floor, leaning over a birthing ball. Ryan and Ange took turns doing my back, and Ry coached me on my relaxation and breathing, while Ange fed me bites of Labor-Aid popsicle in between contractions. At some point during this time, Anne also gave me water injections for my back (just sterile water injected in 4 sites in the lower back), to help relieve some of the back pain and allow me to simply focus on the contractions.

By 4:30, I was starting to have a more difficult time relaxing. Contractions were coming 2 minutes apart and were quite intense at their peak. I was still feeling very calm and peaceful, but was also very focused on the work at hand and needed to use all my concentration to get through each one. Gradually, they become more and more difficult to handle, and I found myself repeating a phrase over in my head that I had read in one of Crystal's birth stories a couple years ago... "He endured the Cross... He endured the Cross." Focusing on what Christ had endured for me gave me more strength to focus on this far smaller trial that He asked me to endure for my baby.

Towards 5:00, the birth pool was ready and waiting, and they asked me if I wanted to get in. My husband said that he knew I was definitely in transition at this point, as almost every question they asked me was met with a sigh and a tired sounding "I don't know". I sat and drank a small glass of water first, and noticed that I was trembling as I did so. I got in the pool and sank into the blissfully warm water. It felt wonderful for a moment until the next contraction hit and I suddenly felt out of control as I struggled to find a new position that would work for me.

Nothing seemed comfortable at all and I found myself quite restlessly moving around, trying different things out. During contractions, Ry noticed that I couldn't seem to relax at all anymore and I know that my breathing had become more shallow and I was starting to make low moans during their peak.

Within a few minutes, I began to feel low pressure, though I was unsure of whether I was really as far along as I felt that I was, because I hadn't been checked since I was 4 cm. I do vaguely recall hearing Anne say "You're going to have your baby soon", though I didn't quite process it at the time. In the next two contractions, the pressure increased and I felt my breath begin to catch in the midst of the contraction, something I remember reading about as the Hoquet reflex, which signifies a crossover into Stage 2 (pushing).

The next contraction, I could not hold back at all as my body began to push with all it's might and I felt this little baby barreling down. It was incredibly painful, much more than I remember pushing my last baby to have been, and my husband later told me that it was the first time in 3 births that he has ever heard me actually scream. By the end of that contraction, her head had already been born! As the next one began, the rest of her body was born, and suddenly this beautiful, wet little creature was up on my chest!!!

We spent a full minute or two just rejoicing and admiring her before we actually took a look to find out whether she was a boy or girl (although as soon as I saw her face, I felt sure that she was a girl). We were overjoyed to learn that we had another daughter and just continued exclaiming how perfect she was. I sat with her in the tub for a good 20 minutes, while keeping her mostly under the warm water and waiting for the cord to stop pulsing. When it was finished, Ryan cut the cord and took her, while they helped me out of the tub to birth the placenta.

It turned out that the reason it hurt so much to push her out was because the little munchkin had her hand up beside her face. Didn't slow her down any, but it was definitely more uncomfortable! Fortunately, I had only 1 small tear that didn't require stitches, so all's well that ends well.

Overall, I could not have asked for a more wonderful birth! God really answered my prayers for a peaceful and calm birth. It was definitely hard work and had some challenging moments, but it was short (from active labor to birth, a little over 3 1/2 hours) and very sweet. Having Johanna in the water was definitely a positive experience, and I relish the memory of those first 20 minutes spent just relaxing with her in the warm water.

**Our wonderful birth team, Inya (assistant midwife), Anne (midwife) holding Johanna, myself, friend Angela, and Ryan, a couple hours after her birth**

Our family, enjoying Johanna together once the kids came home to meet her. They're just adoring their new baby sister, and they are both so loving and gentle with her. What a blessing!

I couldn't have asked for a more incredible birth and I am still a bit in awe of it all! God is so good!

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Nesting much?

I did this last week (completely emptying, washing, re-filling and neatly labeling all of my spices and herbs), along with a whole slew of other cleaning and organizing tasks. It may be a bit over the top, but it does make me smile to see how pretty it looks.

I need some more distraction, though! It is swelteringly hot here (we're in the midst of an unusually hot heatwave this week), and even though I would normally not mind waiting out my due date or even beyond, I am just so ready for this baby to come so that I can cool off just a little! I'm officially due in about a week, so in reality I don't have that long to go, but the days are dragging by right now.

So just for fun, can I get you ladies to entertain me a little?

I'd love to hear the wacky things you've done while nesting, crazy techniques you've tried to induce labor, or simply funny stories about labor and birth!

Ready, set, make me laugh!

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

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Caden's birth was such a silver lining during a very difficult season for our family. My husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma when I was 7 months pregnant. After much research and prayers, we made the difficult decision to go ahead with chemotherapy. He had his first chemo treatment the last week of April 2007, just 5 weeks before Caden was due to be born.

After this treatment, we realized that for Ryan to be able to not only be present and functioning at the birth, but also to feel well enough to serve as my birth coach (something that was particularly important to me, as I could not imagine giving birth without him as my coach), we needed to try to carefully plan when the birth occurred. Ry was on a chemo schedule of every 2 weeks, so we wanted to arrange the birth to fall about 1 week after his treatment, which would give him time to recover, as well as give us a week to enjoy our new baby and allow me to recover somewhat before he went back in for another treatment.

We began trying at around 37 weeks, having our midwife do internal "sweeps", lots of walking, etc. to see if baby might be willing to come. After a few days of this, my midwife Anne felt that it just wasn't time yet and we needed to wait until the next chemo cycle.

Once again, at just before 39 weeks, we started trying. I went for long walks, was as physically active as I could be (I had even just finished painting our entire living room!), had more sweeps done, and finally decided it was time to try the castor oil cocktail. Ugh!

The first time I tried it was about noon on a Wednesday, 9 days before my due date. By about 3 pm that afternoon, I was having lots of cramping that had turned into regular contractions, about 8-10 minutes apart. By dinnertime, they were a bit closer together and getting a little stronger. We left our daughter with friends, and went out for a dinner date, to help take my mind off things and take advantage of this chance to be together. We had a wonderful, romantic dinner, during which the contractions intensified enough that by about 7:30 I was eager to head home.

Once we arrived home around 8, we called and let the midwife know where things were at, and I hopped in the bathtub. She arrived sometime after 9pm, and checked me. Things were still going quite slowly, and I was only a couple centimeters dilated. She felt that although the castor oil had brought on contractions, they weren't really effective ones and that this might not be the real thing. She urged us to go to bed and rest, and she went to bed on our living room couch.

I spent the next 4-5 hours laying down, doing my best to relax, while listening to worship music. Ryan slept (and he's a sound sleeper), and I was grateful that he could rest. This was a challenging but really good time for me, as the contractions continued fairly strongly and I had to cope with them by myself. It was during this time that I feel I really learned how to actually let go and relax, embracing the intensity of the contractions and letting them do their work, rather than tensing up and fighting the pain as I had struggled with during my first birth. I eventually fell asleep at about 2 am, and when I woke up at 7 the next morning, the contractions were gone.

In the morning, the midwife decided to leave since things had completely stopped. She said that if I wanted, I could try the castor oil once more, but cautioned that I might just end up tiring myself out with another day of the same thing.

I decided to go for it and try it once more around 7:30am, since this was perfect timing for baby to come, right in between treatments, and I felt ready for it. I took the cocktail, and puttered around the house for the morning, with nothing happening but the odd crampy sensation.

Since nothing was happening, I decided to book a hair appointment for noon that day. Yes, I know, I'm crazy! Nonetheless, I booked it since my hair really needed to be cut and I didn't know when I'd have another good chance to do it with all that was going on in our lives that summer.

At noon, I sat down in the hairdresser's chair. No less than 5 minutes later, I knew it was a mistake! Contractions began coming regularly, about 5-7 minutes apart, and I could just tell that these ones were not ineffective like the ones the day before! I somehow made it through the 40 minute haircut, and then excused myself to the salon bathroom as soon as I had paid. By that time, things were really intensifying, so I spent the next 15 minutes on my hands and knees, rocking back and forth, while I waited for Ryan and his Mom to pick me up at 1:00 and take me home.

Finally, they arrived, I climbed into the van and said that we needed to go home....now! Ryan's Mom could tell by watching me during the 20 minute ride home that I was serious and this was the real thing. The moment we got in the door, I made a beeline for the bathtub, where I sat through increasingly intense contractions (now only 3-4 minutes apart) while Ryan got the midwife on the line. We spoke with her and told her what was happening, and she said that she was in town finishing up some errands and would come after that (after the false labor the day before, I guess she wasn't in a big hurry!).

By about 2 pm, I was no longer comfortable in the bathtub. Ryan's Mom decided to take our daughter Abbie out, since we weren't sure that we wanted her around for the birth. I was beginning to get really uncomfortable and restless, with strong contractions coming every 2-3 minutes. I spent the next little while going back and forth between lying down, walking around and kneeling on all fours. I really needed Ry to help coach me through each contraction. In the meantime, he would jump up as soon as each one finished, trying desperately to get our birthing pool blown up and set up, only to have me call him back a minute later to help me through another one! (Yes, we were a little disorganized, with everything else that was going on- we should have had the pool already blown up!)

At this point, I began to panic. It was nearing 3 pm, and our midwife was not there yet. I had been in labor for only about 3 hours, and already I felt utterly overwhelmed. I began to get quite unnerved, telling my husband to forget about the pool and the midwife, and to just take me to a hospital and give me drugs! Having had a 27 hour birth the first time around, I could not imagine that I had done only 3 hours and that I already felt like this! How many more hours did I have to go, I wondered? How would I ever endure it?

If you're laughing at this point, thinking "hmmm, that sounds like transition", you're right, but I had no idea! I just didn't have a real context for that in my thinking, as I compared it to my previous birth, and I had never expected such a fast birth the second time around! My husband was actually thinking that I might be in transition, but he didn't say that to me, as he wasn't sure himself. He simply tried to calm and reassure me, and remind me that I really didn't want to go to the hospital and that I was doing just fine.

As we waited for the midwife, the lower back pain was becoming excruciating. During each contraction, I had Ryan do counter-pressure on my back. I remember that during one contraction, I was on my knees, with my arms leaning on the couch, while he applied pressure to my back. At the end of that contraction, which was particularly bad, I said to him, "Next time, do it harder!". He later told me that he had actually been kneeling on my back, with his feet lifted off the ground, and was thus applying about 160 lbs of pressure to my back. He promised me he'd do it harder next time, all the while thinking "Sorry honey, that's the best I can do!" LOL!

Finally at about 3:15, the midwife arrived. She didn't check me immediately, but got herself set up a bit. I practically begged her to give me water injections, which are these incredible little injections of sterile water, into 4 spots in the lower back (in the shape of a square). They are absolutely harmless, feel like a bee sting to receive each shot, and happen to be my miracle "natural drug" when I am having back labor. For about an hour or so, they block most of the back pain for me, so that I can actually just concentrate on the contractions. Seriously, they are amazing. I've already requested them for this upcoming birth!

As the midwife worked with me, Ryan had realized he would never get the birth pool set up by himself. He called our friend (who lived 5 minutes away) around the time Anne arrived and asked him to come and set the pool up for us! He arrived shortly, and went to work in our bedroom on the pool, while I continued to labor in the living room!

After Anne had given me the shots in my back, I began to just move aimlessly around the living room. I really felt like I couldn't handle things anymore, and finally flopped myself down on one of our leather couches. It was after 3:30 by this point. She came over to me shortly and decided to check me and see where things were at.

I received the shock of a lifetime (and actually, I think so did she!) when she checked and suddenly announced with wide eyes that I was at 9 1/2 cm! Once I realized that, I really relaxed. Suddenly, the overwhelming thought of having to go on like this for hours vanished. Knowing how close I was to being done, and understanding why I had felt so out-of-control, I felt an instant sort of relief and fresh confidence that I had already been doing the hard work of transition and that I could indeed do this and give birth naturally!

About 2 contractions later, I heard a loud pop and suddenly my water broke all over the couch! With the next 3 contractions, which were basically one on top of the other, I began to inadvertently push at the end of each one. I wasn't trying to, but there wasn't a thing in the world that I could have done to make myself not push.

As Anne realized this, and knew that moving me off the couch wasn't going to happen, she simply did what she is so good at doing, and that is calmly deal with the situation at hand. She got out her stuff, and set things up so that I could give birth right there in the living room, on the couch.

Ryan was in the bedroom trying to help our friend Ted with the pool. He had no idea what was happening. Anne hollered to him that he had better get out to the living room. I was now pushing in earnest, and the baby was crowning. Just then, Ryan's sister, Amy, knocked on the front door (she was supposed to help out at the birth!), and Ryan (who had just arrived at my side) yelled to her that she had better get in the living room if she wanted to see a baby be born!

In just a couple of pushes, the head was out, and in the very next push, he was born! It was just about exactly 4:00pm, a mere 4 hours from when my haircut had begun! We were so excited and overjoyed to realize that he was a boy and Anne placed him immediately on my stomach.

Though I didn't realize this at the time, as I was just so happy to be done and was physically shaking a bit, Caden was quite blue. Anne gave him oxygen for about 5-10 minutes, during which time he began to pink up a little. Looking back at the pictures, I can see how blue he truly was, but I'm so glad that at the time I didn't fully realize. Praise God for his protection!

The placenta was birthed shortly afterwords, and they got me cleaned up, switched over to the other couch, and I curled up with my sweet new baby boy and nursed him. It was a beautifully sunny, delightful late May afternoon, and I felt deliriously happy and blessed. At some point after his birth, Ryan had informed our friend to forget about the pool! It was a nice thought, anyways, LOL!

Despite the chaos and semi-panic of the birth, it felt very sweet to me. It was hard work, much more physically intense than my daughter's (though her's was much more exhausting), but I had done it!

About 45 minutes later, Ryan's Mom brought Abbie home to meet her new brother, whom she adored and had bought a little hat for, as well as a blue onesie that said "Bald is beautiful". A few friends came to visit baby that evening, Ry took a good long nap out on the lawn, we ate a refreshing fruit salad with yogurt for dinner, and finally went to bed with our new little boy snuggled up between us. What a day!

All in all, it was certainly a birth to remember! God was so good to provide for all of our needs during that difficult summer, including a swift and smooth labor, with a happy, healthy ending!

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

More from Keeper of the Home

• Johanna’s Birth Story | Keeper of the Home
• Healthy, Natural Pregnancy: Considering Homebirth | Keeper of the Home
• Healthy, Natural Pregnancy: Considering Homebirth, Part 2 | Keeper of the Home
• Healthy, Natural Pregnancy: Preparing for Labor | Keeper of the Home

We're now past 37 weeks and are in the final countdown before baby comes! I thought it might be fun to have a baby poll, and let you give me your best guess as to the details of baby's arrival!

Here's the way it will work:

1) Leave a comment letting me know 3 things:

• WHEN you think baby will come (a date and a time)
• Which GENDER you think it will be
• How much you think that baby will WEIGH

Just to help you out a little, my due date is August 5 or 6th. With my first baby, I went into labor 2 days late and had her the next day. With my second, he was born 8 days early, but with the help of a labor cocktail (yes, castor oil, ick!) to help him arrive in between my hubby's chemo treatments. My guess is that without the cocktail, he would have been early still, but probably not a full week. Also, my daughter was 7lbs 11oz, and my son was 6lbs 6oz.

2) When baby arrives, I will sift through all the guesses, and narrow them down, first by gender. Then I will take all the guesses with the correct gender and find the one that came closest to guessing the date and time of the birth. If there needs to be a tie breaker, I'll take the one that was closer to baby's birth weight.

3) The winner will get a $20 Amazon gift card, for anything their heart desires. They will also win a free copy of my ebook, Healthy Homemaking: One Step at a Time. Not to mention the distinction of being the one who gets to say "I told you so".

I hadn't been planning to post this up quite yet, but with the sudden nesting urge that has hit me and the fact that I feel like this baby is practically about to burst it's way out, I decided it was time!

I've actually been sick for the last week and a half, fighting a cold that just doesn't want to say goodbye. Despite the fact that I'm physically worn out, I have had the strongest need to nest, clean, organize and just get everything ready for baby. I can't really explain it as anything other than an absolute compulsion! Tired or not, I couldn't stop doing it if I wanted to! The house is now quite clean (though there's more I want to do still), the laundry's all caught up, all the home birth stuff (pool included) is set up, the food has all been completed, the kid's bag is packed, and I'm hoping to just finish up a few things in the garden. Phew!

It is possible that even if baby doesn't come in the next week that I will slow down in my blogging just a bit. Having been sick this past week, I've been using up all of the posts I like to pre-write and always be working on ahead of time. The reality is that it's more important for me to rest, finish recuperating and rebuild my strength while the kids nap/take quiet time than to it is to blog. I know that all of you mamas out there understand.  

I'm eager to see your guesses! And to meet this precious baby! I'll keep you updated!

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**I don't usually like to post two lengthy posts, two days in a row, but since this topic is what's on my mind these days, it seemed fitting to get it up quickly, before baby actually arrives and while it still feels relevant!

Image by Friarsbalsam

Nobody said that labor was easy. There's a reason they call it labor (not "walk in the park" or "piece of pie", though those do sound a bit more appealing, don't they?).  

Nonetheless, it is entirely possible to prepare oneself as much as possible to be ready to cope with the work, sweat, exhaustion, and yes, pain, of natural childbirth. God made women's bodies uniquely capable to not only nurture life for 9 months, but also to bring that life out into the world!

If you have had a previous difficult birthing experience or are preparing to welcome your first child, may I just say this to you: You can do this! Your body is capable, and it knows what to do. You have been created to be a nurturer and mother and giver of life, and through God's strength and grace, natural and uncomplicated childbirth is not only possible, but something to earnestly anticipate.

Yes, there can be challenges and yes, not every birth does go smoothly and naturally. There is always a small percentage of women who truly have trouble with giving birth or have dangerous situations arise, and in those situations, how grateful I am that we live in a time and place where medical help is available to us. Praise God for that and for the mothers and babies that are saved!

I am of the opinion, though, that this should account for only a very small percentage of births and that most women, when well prepared and given adequate support and care, will be able to birth naturally. Let's pursue that goal, shall we? 

I thought that I would share with you some of the ways that I have been preparing for my upcoming labor and birth. I am by no means an expert (I'd be interested to see how differently I would write this once I'm on my 7th child, instead of my 3rd!). There are many different techniques and ideas out there. These are simply some of the ones that I have chosen to employ, and that have worked for me previously.

1) Exercises to prepare my body for birth.

Having a fit body is probably the most simple preparation for birth. Keeping active helps to ensure that we will have the physical strength and endurance for labor. A few other specific exercises that are useful include:

• Kegel exercises
• Yoga (I like this video, minus the first and last segments which have a bit of an Eastern meditation focus. I just skip them.)
• Walking
• Squatting (especially deep squats that are sustained for several minutes or longer)
• Tailor sitting (basically sitting cross-legged, but with an awareness of opening your pelvis and keeping your knees as spread apart and low to the ground as possible). This is a great way to sit while folding laundry, watching a movie, reading to your kids, etc.

2) Herbs that tone and prepare the uterus and cervix.

For the past 3-4 months, I have been drinking a nutrient tea, which included Red Raspberry Leaf, Red Clover, Peppermint, Oatstraw and Nettle. Now that I am in my final weeks, I have switched over to only Red Raspberry Leaf tea. Red Raspberry Leaf is specifically known as a uterine toner, which means that it helps to prepare the uterus to work strong and effectively in labor.

Though I have never taken specific birth preparation herbs before, this pregnancy I am using Dr Christopher's Prenatal Formula. You begin to take it 6 weeks before your due date (though my clinic suggested that I wait until 5 weeks before). Each week you up the dosage, starting with 1 pill daily, then 2 pills daily the second week, and so on. I have noticed since I began taking it that my Braxton-Hicks contractions have picked up considerably, which also helps to prep both baby and the uterus for labor. I have also heard good things about Gentle Birth Formula, and it was also approved by the naturopath at my clinic.

3) The Bradley Method

This is a method that focuses on full body relaxation, being mindful of the work that the uterus and cervix are doing and using that relaxation to avoid "getting in the way" by tensing up and/or fighting the pain of contractions, and also particularly on husband-coached childbirth. Lately I've just been reviewing the book Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, refreshing myself on the concepts and techniques, as will my husband so that he is prepared to coach me once more.

We have used this method both times previously, and though we didn't use every aspect of the teaching, we found it very useful overall. For us, the best parts of this method are the relaxation teaching, and the involvement of the husband. I was amazed at how it really came together for us, even during our first birth. My husband was able to really pinpoint for me how I could better relax, and because of the practicing that we had done, I felt able to respond to his gentle guidance and encouragment. This enabled me to get through a particularly long, draining and painful posterior birth (though we did ultimately need medical intervention), and continue on to have my daughter vaginally.

4) Spiritual Preparations

I've spent a lot of time lately praying over our upcoming birth, releasing my fears and anxieties, asking the Lord to be present and to guide us through it, to provide protection and safety, and to supply me with His strength and grace in abundance.

I might try making scripture cards to use for this birth, as I've head of several people who have done that and found it helpful. I'm thinking of picking 10 scriptures that I would find particularly comforting or encouraging, and keeping them nearby to help me meditate on a certain verse during contractions. I will also choose some worship or instrumental music that I would like to have ready, as that has been really helpful for me both times previously. I have found it very calming and soothing, and helpful for keeping a more worshipful countenance. It also helped to pass the time, and somehow just going through contractions one song at a time kept me calm and focused.

5) Optimal Nutrition

As any athlete prepares themselves before a big race or competition, it only makes sense to pay attention to what we put into our bodies as we gear up for such a great physical task. I've been increasing my protein lately in particular, as well as upping my iron and calcium intake. I'm working hard to stay well hydrated (which also decreases the risk of early or false labor). Eating plenty of fresh, healthy foods  (especially with the abundance of produce in the summertime!) will also help to keep my body full of all the nutrients that it needs. 

I just made a batch of Labor-Aid this morning, freezing some into popsicles as well as putting some in the fridge (labeling it specifically so it isn't mistaken for lemonade!). This will help to keep me hydrated and also to maintain good electrolyte balance as I labor.

6) Preparing Mentally

I've been reading a lot of birth stories lately. My desire is to prepare myself for the numerous types of labor/birthing scenarios that could come. Long, short, easier, really challenging, progressing smoothly, or needing to be more patient and try out some different techniques, methods or positions. There are so many variations within labor, and even with the same woman, each baby is an entirely different experience! This helps to remind me that I can't predict how it will go, and to be ready to accept the different possibilities it holds. Every birth is completely unique.

7) Comfort Measures

I'm preparing some basic comfort measures, and getting ideas for what I might like to try during labor. I borrowed a heating bag (with rice inside) for my lower back, as I am prone to a lot of back labor. (I saw Michelle Duggar use one in this clip on labor, and thought it looked really soothing). I will bring up the exercise ball from the garage, which I plan to use in a hands and knees position, to bring back relief. I still need to get some tennis balls for providing counter-pressure on my back. I've got a plastic folding chair that I intend to use to sit on in the shower. Just last night I picked up the wonderful birthing pool that we will be using and need to get it blown up later today.

I pray that you might find some of these suggestions helpful as you prepare for your own labors!

How do you prepare for labor? What has been particularly helpful or effective for you?

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• Healthy, Natural Pregnancy: Considering Homebirth | Keeper of the Home
• Healthy, Natural Pregnancy: “Labor-Aid” Recipe | Keeper of the Home
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• Healthy, Natural Pregnancy: Counting our Blessings! | Keeper of the Home

Unbelievable that I am about 4 weeks away, and possibly even less, from meeting our new baby!

And you may be happy to know (just because it proves that I am a real person, just like the rest of you) that I am not a Wonderwoman, either. I have hit somewhat of a wall, and though I still feel well overall and am grateful to be having such a healthy pregnancy, I'm tired. I'm uncomfortable. I'm achy, and not sleeping well. I'm even waddling. LOL! It's all good, though, and so very worthwhile! Pregnancy is a blessing, after all!

Nonetheless, I am grateful to have just a little bit more time before this sweet baby arrives, and am doing my best to finish up preparations, and am currently doing my best not to fall asleep at the computer as I write this blog post. I'm actually starting to feel pretty calm and prepared about baby's arrival, which I think is due to the fact that I began preparations so much in advance. I've updated my progress on my lists again- my general to-do and my freezer meal stash.

Baby is definitely in position now (and a good position, at that), and my midwife is guessing about 4/5 engaged. Braxton-Hicks contractions have picked up, and I have more and more of them as each day progresses, especially on days when I am probably working just a bit too hard. Nothing serious, though, and I don't think I'm in danger of having baby arrive too early. Since I have smaller babies (7 lbs 11 oz and 6 lbs 6 oz), I'd like to give this one about another 2 weeks to fatten up, and then it can come whenever it likes.

One of my major focuses lately has been on preparing for the labor and birth, and though I won't go into it in too much detail (since I'm working on a post on this topic), I'll tell you just a bit of what I'm doing. I've been re-reading my book on Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, and just refreshing myself on the techniques. It feels good to review it. I've also been reading some natural birth stories on the internet, just reminding myself of all the different ways that births can happen and being encouraged by reading about other women who've had natural childbirth as well.

My goal this time is to just feel more prepared for this birth. Caden's birth, though still a positive experience, was a bit chaotic and harried for several reasons and I was not able to relax very well, either physically or mentally. I would like to have more of a sense of calm and relaxation with this birth, even if it's speedy and intense like Caden's was.

One other thing that I'm trying this time is to use prenatal herbs, specifically Dr Christopher's Pre-Natal Formula
(recommended by Lindsay). I was also considering the Gentle Birth Formula (recommended by Crystal). Both were approved and highly regarded by a midwife/naturopath who works alongside my midwife. In the end, I went with Dr. Christopher's because it came in capsules rather than a tincture and I was worried about really bad tasting herbs. A silly reason, but I had to decide somehow! I chose to wait until I hit 35 weeks (rather than 34) to start using them, just because I do have smaller babies and didn't know how my body would respond to the herbs. So far, so good! I've also been drinking a nutrient tea (Red Raspberry, Red Clover, Nettle, Peppermint and Oatstraw) up to this point, but this week am switching over to just Red Raspberry Leaf tea, a really good choice for uterine toning and preparation.

Just a few things left to do... get the pool inflated and our room more set up for the homebirth, buy the last of my homebirth supplies, do some more gardening and preserving, start berry picking and filling up our freezer, among a few other things, but I think it's all do-able!

Thank you so much for all of the sweet offers for guest posts, as well as the many emails and comments that I have received wishing us well with this new baby, and letting me know that you are praying for me. I can't tell you how humbling it is to feel so supported by all of you lovely ladies that I have never even met, but I am grateful for it!

This will probably be my last pregnancy update until the event actually happens. I'll do my best to let you know just as soon as I can when he/she is here! Once baby is here and I start my "babymoon", you can expect a steady stream of exceptional guest posts on a really wide variety of topics, as well as cute baby and family photos, and little updates or topics of interest here and there as I decide to pipe up (I have never claimed that silence or being concise with my words was one of my strengths! LOL!).

How are the rest of the pregnant mamas doing? I always love to hear how you're doing!

Our Sponsors:

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• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
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**The kids on the train, at the end of our zoo day, showing off their face painting!**

1) Swagbucks are awesome!

First of all, thank you so much to all who signed up for Swagbucks and helped me to earn a fun gift certificate for a Father's Day present! He was thrilled to receive it, and I was so blessed that you all helped me out!

Secondly, I am having way too much fun with Swagbucks these days. I have been earning Amazon gift cards like crazy, and here's the great thing: I can use them to buy free groceries! I didn't think of this at first, but later realized (as I was thinking of all the different things Amazon sells) that groceries were totally a possibility, and there are so many options of natural, organic and even bulk foods! How cool is that?

If you haven't signed up for Swagbucks yet, you can do so by clicking on the banner below. The more friends who sign up under you, the more points you earn, so let others know about it and soon you'll be earning gift cards for Amazon (.com and .ca), iTunes, Starbucks, Target, etc. Yay for free stuff!

2) I'm making progress!

I continue to putter away at my "before baby" to-do lists. My list of foods that I want to have put away in the freezer is nearly complete. All that's left is a bit more baking, and possibly a different meal concept to replace Shepherd's Pie, since my husband can't eat that on his special diet.

My general to-do list is also going well! Last week I got the infant car seat washed and ready, and we did a trial run in the car. No problems, whatsoever! Praise God! This week, the shelves in my family room were fixed (thanks Ryan!) and so I've almost finished re-organizing that room, and just have a little bit of work and decoration left to do. My Nana has agreed to make my nursing pads, a friend is making some feminine cloth pads, and I also made a few myself, using my Nana's incredible sewing machine (I will not be jealous, I will not covet! . All the newborn diapers and clothes are clean and ready to go. My garden is doing great, and I've been trying to preserve foods as they are available in abundance (drying herbs, freezing peas and turnips and spinach, etc.), and just caring for it and planting my last few summer seedlings.

This weekend is my personal retreat, on Friday evening and Saturday during the day. I'm so excited to spend some extended time really seeking the Lord and doing some planning (home educating, scheduling, blogging, etc.) that will really help me out as I enter this new season of life. And this morning we had our home visit with the midwife, and have just a few last details to get ready for our homebirth (pick up the pool and inflate it, buy just a few more supplies, gather the things I would like to use for comfort during labor, etc.). It's all coming together!

3) Guest posting spots are all filled up!

This was one of the other major things on my list. Last week I put out a request, and I could not believe how quickly and wonderfully my need for guest bloggers was met!

I already have all the guest posts that I need. What a blessing! Thank you so much, ladies, and I am so looking forward to all that you have to share!

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• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
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• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

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For all the other pregnant mamas out there, here is a recipe that was passed on to me from my midwife. It's known as "labor-aid" and the purpose is to have something that is both refreshing and revitalizing for mom to drink in the midst of labor. Sipping on it helps to maintain good hydration, and also gives a bit of an energy boost.

By using sea salt and a good quality calcium/magnesium tablet, you are adding minerals and electrolytes. When doing hard physical work and sweating, it's important to maintain your electrolyte level for proper cell function and for energy, so this yummy drink helps to ensure that you can keep up with the work of labor!

I like to make sure that I have the ingredients for this drink on hand from 37 weeks onwards. Particularly for a spring/summer birth (and I even enjoyed this during my winter birth), it's really nice to turn this drink into popsicles! Very cool and refreshing!

If you tend to have very short labors, I would probably keep a jug of it pre-made in the fridge. If you think you'll have at least a bit of time with lighter contractions to start out with, simply have the ingredients available and then quickly make a jug before things get intense (or ask someone else to make it for you). It's nice to keep straws on hand so that you can slowly sip at it throughout your labor (and straws with bendy tops make it easier to drink from depending on what position you are laboring in).

Another drink that would work well if you'd prefer to just have something store-bought and ready to go is Emergen-C
. These drinks are very high in Vitamin C, and are loaded with minerals plus a bit of fructose (for energy) and yummy flavors. They're much, much better for you than most energy drinks out there. We actually use them for boosting Vitamin C when we're fighting a cold, for an afternoon pick-me-up when we're tired, and they made excellent electrolyte drinks when we were on vacation in the Arizona summer heat last year. They come in multiple fruit flavors (I love lemon-lime and raspberry), and each packet makes an 8 oz. glass. I'm glad I just reminded myself of these- I might have to get a case in preparation for labor!

Wow, am I talking about labor already? Hard to believe I've only got just over 6 weeks, and potentially even less( or more, I need to keep it realistic here)!

Perhaps we should talk more about preparing for labor in this pregnancy series. Yes? What questions do you have about preparing your body for labor and particularly for natural childbirth?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
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• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

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• Healthy, Natural Pregnancy: Preparing for Labor | Keeper of the Home
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**Enjoying my sweet little guy in the early weeks after his homebirth. Would you believe that we have basically no pictures of his birth because either the battery died or the film ran out on all 3 cameras present? **

Last time I shared some of my reasons for choosing homebirth, and a bit about my experiences thus far.

This time I would like to bring to you a few other opinions, from some real life friends/family who have also chosen homebirth!

Angela, mother of 3.

Her first child was an intended homebirth, but was born in the hospital after induction due to dangerously high blood pressure. Last two children were born in her home, with the same midwife I use. Both babies had issues with their umbilical cord (one had the cord wrapped around it's neck 3 times, the other had an extremely short cord which could have presented problems). Regardless, both births ended safely and she would definitely choose homebirth again.

Here are some of her reasons:

• You don't have to labor anywhere but in your own home, where you are comfortable, in your own environment.
• You can have your hubby right there in bed with you after the birth.
• Indulging in a special treat after the birth (Her treat of choice? A cappuccino!)
• You can be more comfortable in your own bed and bathroom, and have everything you need right there.
• It feels safer. There can still be complications, but a good midwife knows how to handle these.
• You can choose to have any guests that you would like present at the birth.
• You and your husband stay in charge of what happens to their baby. No fighting with doctors and nurses over their ideas about baths, feedings, etc.
• She loves that her older children didn't have to go to the hospital environment to meet their new sibling, but could just visit and bond with the new baby at home.
  

Jessica, mother of 1 (soon to be 2).

Her first birth was a successful homebirth, also with the same midwife. She is choosing a homebirth again for this upcoming baby.

She says,

Amy (my sister-in-law), who just recently became a mother of 2.

I attended her first homebirth, which was very intimate, beautiful and complication-free. It was great to see her and her husband so at ease in their own surroundings, and relaxing soon after the birth. Her newest baby, born two weeks ago, arrived in quite the hurry (about 40 minutes) and so she was thankful that they had already been planning a homebirth, didn't need to attempt to get to the hospital and already had everything they needed on hand!

Here are her thoughts:

Want to know more about the safety of homebirth?

Homebirth: Safety and Benefits
The Safety of Homebirth: The Farm Study
Homebirth: As Safe as Birth Gets

This list is not exhaustive at all, but just a few links that I was able to easily find online. There are many books available, and most midwives should be able to provide you with reading on the safety of homebirth. When we made the decision to attempt our first homebirth, our midwife provided us with detailed information on the legality and safety of homebirth (with several studies and a lot of very encouraging statistics), including specifics for the province in which we live.

I could have gone more into providing you with links and studies and statistics, but the fact is that it's not my agenda to convince you that homebirth is safer than hospital birth. Truly, I just want to present it as a wonderful option and to simply whet your appetite on the issue. It's a decision to be made prayerfully and carefully, with both husband and wife in full agreement, to which there is no right or wrong answer.

For those who have had a homebirth, or are considering having one, are your reasons similar to the ones given above? What is it about homebirth that appeals to you?

Our Sponsors:

• It Starts at Home: Are we Discipling or Outsourcing the faith of our children? Read It Starts at Home! Then, just nurture them together.
• Moukisac: Your 6 in 1 shopping bag system; compact, stylish, versatile and practical, of course! Made by Canadian mom.
• hope ink: Custom inspirational art for your home
• ListPlanIt: Lists to put your world in order
• Vintage Remedies: Get healthy, naturally
• Just Bumming Around: When only the best cloth diapers (at great prices) will do. FuzziBunz packages on SALE!

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