Birth story or Alma, Laura and Diego could be a brief reason to explain why I'm doing what I'm doing. Watching a couple going through pregnancy together, supporting each other, growing closer. But also being able to take decisions, not easy ones often, based on their knowledge, their trust to each other, and embracing whatever comes their way is extremely powerful.
Thank you Laura for taking the time to share your story with us. And thank you both for giving me your trust. I'm absolutely grateful for having had a chance to be part of your journey <3
On my 41+2 week the doctor told me I was 2cm dilated and few amniotic fluid was left, so when I came back from the hospital I already turned on my going-into-labor mindset before a medical induction was needed.
I had my home birth planned and I had just rented a birth pool two days before doctors told me a hospital birth was taken place due to an irregularity in my baby's heart rhythm. Change of plans came unexpectedly and I admit hospitals always made me nervous, however, I was confident about my natural birth even though the scenario I imagined changed. "Challenges start before giving birth", as my mother said to me, and I embraced it all with a deep sense of intuition, love and acceptance.
My partner and me had attended Kasia's hypnobirthing course and that helped us tremendously to find comfort in our gained knowledge, to take empowered decisions and to be grounded, fearless and confident, at all times.
I remember that sunny Monday's afternoon saying to my partner "how I wish I could give birth under the sun like this, heating my skin I wouldn't even feel the surges!". Well, the joke became real but I just didn't know it. As I was bouncing on my birth ball by the sunny window, I held my belly and felt that was the last time I'd see myself pregnant. I took a photo of that moment.
The evening before Alma was born
Around 8pm I texted my mom "hey mom, I'm feeling some smooth contractions every 8/10 minutes, I'll let you know how it goes!" Then my partner, brother in law and me had dinner at home and watched a movie, I said "One that makes me laugh so this baby comes faster!" I bounced and bounced on the birth ball meanwhile and I realized I needed to download the contractions app to time them. I was deeply relaxed and the app showed contractions every 5 minutes so far. Yet I didn't believe I was in labor. Around 00:30am I was in bed and felt the urge to go on all fours, I bite the pillow and started roaring for a minute. Then another roar after two minutes. I told my partner maybe he had to text his boss to let them know in the morning he won't be able to go to work, although we waited since I was not sure this was labor. Naive me.
He prepared a warm bath for me, I jumped into it and I had 3 strong surges, I felt trapped in there because the lack of space to move so I stepped out right away. Next thing I tried was the birth ball and as I sat on it I loudly said "no! I don't like it!", it felt like adding more pressure to my pelvis. Then I smell my lavender bag and I felt disgusted by it (even thought it's my favorite smell). So what seemed to work was to hold the kitchen sink while squatting, and I kept roaring, moving my pelvis in circles. I kept tracking the contractions, around 1:30/2:00am they lasted 1 minute and they came every 3 minutes apart. My partner suggested to call the hospital and around 3:00 we started getting ready to go. We took all the backpacks with the electric candles, yoga mat, rebozo, lights and oil diffuser and jumped into the Uber around 3:30am. I held the upper window handle and turned my hips to the side cause I couldn't stay sitting. I kept roaring through my surges, three strong ones. My partner told the driver "don't worry, she won't have a baby in your car, but hurry if you can".
In the hospital
When we arrived to the hospital, it felt like a movie. We didn't know which door to enter to plus most of them were shut. The reception guy poorly indicated us where to go. We took the elevator and arrived to a corridor with no exit. There was complete silence except from my roaring. My partner went downstairs again to ask for direction and call us (my brother in law was with me too) to walk downstairs. I literally felt I couldn't walk no more but I had to. We started walking through the long and endless corridors, and in the middle of the Amc hospital, where there was none but us, I squatted and my biggest, wildest roar echoed on all the walls. Luckily someone came with a wheel chair and calmed me down while taking us to the right room "take deep breaths, we're almost there".
We entered the delivery room at 3:55am where the lights were dimmed and an oil diffuser on. My partner and brother in law started setting up my "ideal scenario" but there was no time. One nurse came and I told her "I might need some pain relief" because I thought that would go on for hours and I was not sure I could handle it for a day or so. "We'll wait for the doctor to come, you might be further than you think" - she replied. The doctor came in quickly and I felt I needed to poop, she checked me and said "you're fully dilated, you need to start pushing". I couldn't believe it. Yet everything went so fast and I instantly followed what my body needed and not what my mind said.
My partner stayed with me, grabbing my hands, at all times. I felt he was holding my body, mind and spirit to stay strong. It is true there's a moment you think "I can't do it" and it that moment I heard the nurse saying "use your power!". Even when my legs were shaking, my groins exhausted and my lower back numbed, I had the deepest trip to my inner wild woman, I connected with an ancient wisdom that I didn't know about before. I somehow found relief, my pain relief, in all the lineage of women who had previously given birth before me. So I used my inner power, I wanted to meet my daughter soon, and I felt she also wanted that.
When Alma was born
She came at 5:18am at the start of Spring on 22.03.22. The moment I saw her little body lying on my chest I melt, I couldn't feel other than peace about her arrival, much pure love can't be put into words. I didn't have time to think, I just did what needed to be done. It wasn't painful and it couldn't be because I already loved her, love can't be painful. It was the most intense, wild and beautiful experience I've ever had and yet, becoming a mother is just the beginning. I was reborn with her birth. She has given me strength and power from the inside, and now, lying on my chest while she sleeps she does it too.
I feel grateful about this blissful journey of bringing a life to this world.
Welcome Alma, I'm your mother and I love you.
