An alternative route to prenatal care and labor and delivery
If I had my own blog, my positive, natural, and out-of-hospital birth story would definitely be on there! I feel really passionate about sharing my experience because I want to encourage and empower women to consider all of their options, including out of hospital alternatives, to prenatal care and labor and delivery.
The world of childbirth is filled with a lot of fear. Not enough women talk about their positive birth stories, let alone when it occurs outside of a traditional hospital setting! Granted, not everyone has this option due to different variables BUT if you do, remember that you can do anything, and to never underestimate what you are capable of as a woman! We were quite literally made to give birth – what a beautiful thing. I’ve included as much as I can here about my story, but if you have any questions, l am an open book!
How did we end up choosing Lifecycle Wellness and Birth Center?
After starting our prenatal appointments with Jefferson (which was a great experience), along with our sessions with our doula, MaryNissi (Lemon Life Birth Services) – we wanted to explore other options for the birth of our child. The thought being at Lifecycle seemed a lot more appealing to us for several reasons. It was definitely easier to make appointments, their approach to prenatal care is very educational, I knew I had wanted an unmedicated, natural birth outside of a hospital setting but we knew we wanted it to be in an environment that felt homey but was close to a hospital if anything unforeseen were to happen.
And so, after much back and forth with my insurance and Jefferson (this was the hard part), I transferred care a little after 30 weeks. I can confidently say, this was the best decision for us.
Our Birth Story Timeline
Friday Sept. 13th | 1:45 am
What I thought was a late night pee, was my water breaking.
In Hollywood fashion, I immediately went into intense contractions that were lasting a minute long. Steven called Mary Nissi and Lifecycle and we were encouraged to come in. The extent of my contractions prolonged our exit from the house (as you can see by the next time stamp). I was the most thankful that this was not happening during rush hour! Our drive from Port Richmond to Bryn Mawr was only 26 mins… the longest 26 minute drive of my life. I sat on the floor of the passenger seat and gripped onto it as my husband drove *slightly* above the speed limit.
4:30 am
Arrived at Birth Center. At this point I was only 2cm dilated, very tired, and dehydrated. We discussed different interventions so that I wouldn’t tire out since I was still in early labor. We decided on a saline IV to get fluids into my system and a morphine shot that would temporarily take the edge off so I could conserve some energy.
7:30am
5cm dilated. Finally we were getting somewhere!
8:30am
For a change of scenery and fresh air I went to labor in the garden. It was so helpful to get outside and have a new space to move around.
11:10 am
At this point I was 9cm dilated and the pain level was at its worst.
I got in a warm tub for a while where I went from controlled breathing to grunting and gripping anything in front of me. The ebbs and flows of feeling like I couldn’t do it were overwhelming. Steven was right by me the entire time (I cannot imagine a world where I could have done this without him!!!!), as well as MaryNissi, and 3 midwives. None of them would let me say “I can’t”.
1pm-ish Push time baby! One of the best tips I heard during pregnancy was to think of contractions as “productive pain”. Instead of thinking they were working against my body, I could work WITH them and be closer and closer to meeting my baby.
At this point, I was moving the most – on the floor; in a squat, on the bed; on my side – you name it.
What became a helpful motivator for me was the small handheld mirror they gave me to see the baby’s head coming out. Wild, I know but it gave me such a rush of adrenaline knowing that I was so close.
2:29pm
Leo was born.
What a sigh of relief to know our baby had arrived. All the while, we didn’t hear the immediate cry they said you should. We knew something was wrong when we saw how gray and limp he looked and watched as midwives clamped and cut the cord, even though we had planned for Steven to do it. He had the cord wrapped around his neck and had also swallowed meconium. The midwives and nurses swiftly but calmly brought him over to a warming table where they positively communicated everything that was happening. It was 4 minutes later we finally heard his cry and shortly after held him in our arms.
11:13 pm
After getting minimal stitches, showering, filling out paperwork, family visiting, AND FINALLY EATING, etc. – we geared up to go home!
That’s right… Only 9 hours later, that same night, we went home with Leo.
The Profetto Party of 2 became 3.
My body felt sore and yet really good. In deciding to go natural, one of the main benefits that attracted me was the quicker recovery. I can definitely attest to this and would definitely do it again.
For another natural, out-of-hospital birth story, read, “Freebirth – A Free, Beautiful and Unassisted Birth Story“.
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