What to Expect: Doula Supported Natural Birth in Naples (a birth story)

Thank you to this 2nd time mom and beloved doula client for sharing her birth story with us!

"My first baby arrived a bit early, so I was expecting that to happen with my second. I was doing everything I could to naturally encourage him to come but nothing seemed to be working! My OB had been talking about induction for a couple weeks which I really wanted to avoid. I spoke with (our doula) Tara on Friday night at 8pm and was feeling so discouraged. I said that I didn’t have any of the symptoms I had the couple days leading up to my first birth and felt like he was never going to come on his own. She assured me that it can be very different the second time and boy was she right! I also had a nasty head cold that was finally starting to get better and we agreed that my body was probably waiting for that to happen before going into labor. 

I woke up at 4am on Saturday morning and was having contractions. It was very different this time because I had all back labor with my first. I texted Tara at 6:30am and let her know that I had been having contractions for the last couple hours. I wanted to labor outside the hospital for longer this time, so I stayed home until about 9:30am then decided to head to get some food near the hospital. We ran a few errands, got some lunch, then went into the hospital around noon. At this point, I wasn’t able to talk through my contractions. When I got to my room and they checked me, I was shocked to find out I was almost 7cm! My first reaction was “wow, maybe I can do this unmedicated!” This was a bit of a surprise to my husband and to Tara because in our conversations leading up to this, we discussed that my goal this birth was to make it farther (6-7cm) before getting an epidural…we never really talked about not getting one at all! 

Tara arrived and it was the best feeling having her walk in the room. I asked if she thought I could do it unmedicated and asked how tough it was really going to get. She was so encouraging and said I was doing really well for how far along I was but that it would get more intense with not getting breaks between contractions as I progressed. She started using counterpressure to help with contractions as I stood next to the bed with my hands leaning over it. I started to feel nauseous and she put peppermint oil on a rag near me to help with that sensation. The doctor who was on call from my practice came in around 1pm and wanted to break my water, which I declined. 

Tara had me try a couple other positions and I eventually ended up on hands and knees leaning over a peanut ball. On top of using counter pressure, we put a heating pad on my back and grabbed a comb to start squeezing during contractions. I was checked again around 2pm and was 8-9cm. I was getting very hot at this point so my husband grabbed a fan and Tara made sure I was staying hydrated between contractions. 

After about an hour, I started feeling a lot of pressure in my back and was no longer getting a break between contractions. My husband continued to remind me how important my breath was at this point and Tara reassured me I’d be able to start working with my contractions soon when I started pushing. I thought I had reached my limit at this point and really wanted an epidural but after a few more contractions, I said I felt like I needed to push…our nurse and Tara knew what that meant! They checked me one more time and I was 10cm! They called the doctor back from lunch and when she arrived, she insisted again on breaking my water. Again, I told her no and I started to push on hands and knees. My water broke on its own and we had our baby after about 30 minutes of pushing! The relief was immediate and having him on my chest was so incredibly rewarding and such a special moment.

It was the most empowering experience to go through all the sensations of childbirth and something that I really didn’t know if I could do. We worked with Tara with our first baby and we are so incredibly thankful for Tara’s help through the whole process with our second! She is such a calming presence and truly incredible at supporting you through any type of birth, reminding you of your desires when things get tough, and there to help you if you change your plan as things unfold!"