Natalia's Positive Birth

My expectations on what birth would be like was incomparable to what unfolded- in the best way possible.  

As a first time mum I spent my entire pregnancy preparing for the birth I truly wanted, which can be challenging with all the horror stories I was exposed to. 

It was important to me to have a natural, unmedicated physiological birth, so I did everything I could to prepare for it. During pregnancy I made time for plenty of preparation, for my own body, mind and to ensure optimal position for baby- and it paid off! 

I made the decision to deliver my baby at the birth centre at the royal infirmary in Edinburgh. I made sure I was well informed and created a birth plan specific to my own preferences, all of which were taken on board by the midwives at the centre- the birth centre really felt like a home from home experience. From arriving at the centre my labour progressed thick and fast and was very intense! Little to no break in between contractions, by the time I had arrived at the unit the "thinking" part of my brain was fading away and I felt myself surrendering to the capabilities of my own body, which was something I had worked on through hypnobirthing and meditation on the months leading up to the labour.

Using a combination of the birthing pool and gas and air I was able to move and sway my body instinctively in the water to help move through my contractions. 

Within 1.5 hours of arriving at the centre I had gone from a very intense 3cm to 10cm and ready to push! The pushing stage was challenging to say the least and required a great deal of motivation to successfully push my baby out and down, which is where breathing techniques really came in useful once I was over that hill. 

The combination of all the above made it so I was able to push my 7lb 12oz baby successfully and with no tearing. I believe this was due to the mental and physical preparation I had done prior to giving birth. I'm someone who suffers a lot with anxiety around clinical environments too, the prep work took a lot of time and effort for me, but I'm so glad I invested in it. When I talk about my birth now: I describe it as an incredibly intense and challenging time for certain but more so as empowering event.

Thank you for being a part of this journey, it's been great to commit yoga to a part of my pre labour regime.