Before I even got pregnant, I was scared of labor & delivery. Fear of the unknown. You can listen to a million different people tell their birth story yet they’re all different. No two experiences are exactly the same. I didn’t know what to expect, what contractions would feel like, if I’d be in pain, if I could handle it… and that all scared me. Overall though my birth experience was good – so different than I expected, not exactly what I had planned but good.

Instead of typing out a detailed description, I felt that a video recording would be better for this type of post so please enjoy the video below! Sorry I am so awkward and my editing skills aren’t what they used to be.

A few details I left out or didn’t elaborate on in the video:

• My labor was about ~15 hours long – Maggie was born at 11:31 AM
• I had what my providers called a “boring” pregnancy, which I was thankful for. This means I didn’t have any pregnancy-related complications or issues. Other than my failure to go into labor after my water broke (also known as PROM) requiring induction (you can read more about induction in this situation on Evidence Based Birth), I also didn’t have any complications in labor or delivery
  • In regards to the induction – we discussed this option for >24 hrs (right after we saw our midwife when my water broke), it wasn’t an easy decision in anyway but because I was a bit anxious I decided to go forward with it
  • The risk for infection at 24 hrs actually isn’t as high as you would think – again, I was just experiencing some anxiety and didn’t want to take any risks. Evidence Based Birth linked above (here) has info about the risk for infection if you are having to consider this yourself
• I required 2 stitches after birth for a small second-degree tear
• We stayed in hospital for 3 hours after the birth because we were working with amazing Ontario midwives and since we had no complications – we had a follow-up in-home visit the next morning
• I seriously overpacked my hospital bag – I’ll probably do another video on that & my postpartum recovery in the upcoming weeks if there’s interest!

Thanks, as always!

*Disclaimer: This blog is intended for informational purposes only. The information on this blog should not be used as a substitute to medical advice or medical treatment. As always, your Primary Care Provider, a doctor, or another health professional is your best resource for specific questions and medical advice. If you believe you or a loved one are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact 911.*