During my most recent visit to the maternity ward with my doula client, I got the opportunity to witness her giving birth while standing up! We done loads together during her labour to keep the baby in optimal position, to remain upright, and to avoid the epidural.
One midwife commented “You’re coping beautifully”, this was towards the end, and my client had nothing more than lavender and a doula to help her focus. Another midwife said (more than once) that this was the calmest birth she had ever attended.
My client took gas and air when she was nearly 10cm, and avoided the pethidine and epidural completely, just like she wished.
This meant that she was able to stand up for the stage two – when it was time to meet her baby! She kept recounting how she was pushing her first baby for 2 hours, and she was very concerned that she wouldn’t have the strength to do that again. But, she didn’t have the epidural this time. This time she could move. This time she could stand up! She tried being on all fours on the bed, but could not get comfortable. So she went back to standing, the position that got her through most of her contractions. My client was an absolute warrior and delivered that baby standing up in less than 10 minutes! The midwives were absolutely amazing, extremely accommodating and very very supportive. Without this unwavering support, my client just wouldn’t have had the wonderful, empowering birth that she got. Thank you!
My lovely client just couldn’t believe how amazing she felt immediately after, she was delighted that she could go to the bathroom soon after, and she felt that she recovered much quicker this time round.
In this short video, you will get to see for yourself just how powerful using gravity can actually be.
My top tips for a similar experience…
- Attend Dancing for Birth classes
- Hire a Doula
- Avoid pethidine & epidural
- Stand up for Birth!
