What is the ABC?

Tomorrow Tyler will be two months old. Before he gets any older, I want to write about his birth. For those of you who are not into birth stories, do not feel obligated to read. I can not write every detail (although I would love to) but I feel the need to share the amazing experience I had.

Two months before my due date, one of my good friends here in Michigan lent me the Hypnobirthing Book: The Mongon Method. By the first chapter, I was hooked! I have always been fascinated with the birthing process and deep down knew that I wanted to experience childbirth in a natural way. So this time, on round three, I decided I was going to go for it. With every chapter of this book I got more and more excited to have this baby. However, I knew that having a natural childbirth in a hospital was going to be a tough road to be allowed the freedom I desired. I then talked to my friend in great detail about her experience at the Alternative Birth Care Unit (ABC) and I knew that was the perfect answer. The ABC was connected, literally 50 steps away from the labor and delivery floor of St. John Hospital. If anything at all went wrong, I would be in good hands. So, I made my decision, I did the orientation and met with my midwife only once before going into labor.

Easter morning, my water broke at 4:00a.m. two weeks early. I was scared and excited, and felt pretty unprepared. After our Easter Egg hunt and a big yummy breakfast, we were on our way to the birth center. I was not contracting. I wanted to hold out as long as possible to hopefully go into labor on my own. I took a long nap and then did a lot of walking and jumping stairs to try to get things moving. By 11:00 p.m. I knew that the pitocen was waiting for me if I didn't get into active labor quick. I did NOT want this after having it with my other two births! So, the alternative, I drank 4 ounces of caster oil. I was gagging the whole time and I had to dilute it with 6 glasses of orange juice to get it down. Dave found the whole thing pretty hilarious watching me suffer like that.

It worked like magic! Within 30 minutes, my contractions were coming on strong and I knew it was time for the hot tub!

I not only had my midwife and her nurse, but I also had a Douala and Dave for my support the entire time. I went through one hour of pretty intense pain, but it was manageable with all the help I had. They did everything from using ice packs, the hot jets on my back, drinking ice water nonstop, using counter pressure on my back and legs, and helping me find the best positions to help the baby along. The three women and Dave were calm and relaxed the whole way and coached me through the toughest contractions. (There were probably only 2 or 3 contractions where I thought, "What the HE_ _ am I doing?" After I got through that, I thought, "Oh my gosh I am actually going to do this!!" I knew there was no backing out at that point and it got me excited to know that I was through the "ring of fire" as they call it.)

There is a lot more detail that I would love to share, but won't. (You never know who is going to be reading this!) However, I am so grateful to know what it is like to have a baby in a hospital with an epidural, and to know what it is like on the other end of the spectrum. If any of this sounds intriguing to you, let me tell you just a few of the things I LOVED about the birth center.

1. Never once was I treated like a "sick patient" who needed treatment. The nurses were truly my friends who were open to whatever I wanted. They were there to assist me, not tell me what they thought I needed.

2. My baby was never once taken away from me!! For me, that was one of the most frustrating things having Josh or Maddie taken for hours never knowing when I would see them again. That is one of the biggest priorities of the ABC; to have the mother bond with their baby as much as possible. They also have FABULOUS lactation consultants to promote breast feeding.

3. I was allowed to eat and drink anything leading up to the birth.

4. I never had one shot, needle, or poke of any kind! Hallelujah!

5. I never had to go through the crazy emotional side effects of the epidural and the other drugs in my system. In fact, even Dave was shocked at the difference in my well being after Tyler. He said, "I am just amazed by how....surprisingly pleasant you seem after this baby." I was anything but pleasant after my first two.

6. I was never strapped up to any machine or stuck on some hospital bed. I was free to move around the entire time.

7. Going to the bathroom and walking around just two hours after the delivery was a breeze compared to my first births. I had no idea that a recovery could be so easy. A few days after Tyler was born I felt almost completely back to myself. I believe the great recovery was due largely to pushing him out on my own and being able to feel what was happening.

8. It was incredibly quiet and peaceful at the ABC. Those of you who have had babies at the U of U know that someone knocks on that door every 15 minutes. That place is a mad house! Also, I was never rushed from one room to the next. The room I delivered in was where I remained for two days. In contrast, I thought there must have been a fire the way I was rushed from one room to the next in the hospital.

9. Dave was able to sleep with me on the queen size bed before and after the birth. Check it out. It was1000 times more comfortable than a hospital bed.

10. I learned that for the 95% of women who are not high risk, giving birth does not have to be viewed as a medical procedure. Hospitals and doctors are busy and always on a time constraint. I never felt rushed or hurried along in the ABC. Paperwork and getting communication lines crossed in hospitals can be extremely frustrating to a new mother. Even Dave was totally impressed with how on top of it they were with taking care of the details and not giving us the run around with what we needed.

The whole experience was wonderful and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a birthing experience that is totally their own. It is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and holding that precious gift makes it all worth it! Thanks for reading this far. Hopefully I can be of encouragement to anyone who wants to experience a natural, drug free birth.

With love,

A proud mother of three!