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With modern technology and advances in medicine, women are now given more choice when it comes to how they will deliver their babies.  

If you are looking for a more natural way of giving birth, then their are many new ways to approach your labour.   

With options such as water births, reflexology, hypnotherapy, TENS machines and methods such as the Gentle Birth Method.  Women looking for a more natural way to give birth have never had so many choices.

On this page we will share with you a story from a Sydney mum who was both hoping and planning for a natural birth experience.

A Natural Approach to Birth

Natalie wanted to take a natural approach when it came to the birth of her daughter Milla.  

Luckily a friend in London pointed her in the right direction........

Natalie’s Birth Story

I followed the Gentle Birth Method, by Dr Gowri Motha.  Dr Gowri is a popular UK obstetrician who has been very popular with many celebrities seeking a natural approach to the birth of their babies.  I was about 9 weeks pregnant when I found out about her from a friend in London.  She had followed the approach with her second child and raved about the experience. 

The whole approach manages your pregnancy from a variety of angles in order to give you the best possible chance of having a natural and healthy birth. Basically you need to ensure that you don't carry too much weight, or toxify your body with the wrong types of food.  You also use alternative natural therapies such as prenatal yoga, reflexology, and massage to help manage the many conditions associated with pregnancy.  She also talks about the mental preparation that is so crucial for birth, and offers many examples to work with.

A lot of the diet, herbs etc recommended in her book is not yet available in Australia, but you can take an enormous amount of what she writes about in her book and incorporate it into your own pregnancy..... Unfortunately at this stage there is only one Australian practioner trained in her method, and she is based in Sydney. 

My daughter Milla was born on 29.7.09.  After my waters broke and I had a show at around 2:45am, I went and had a shower.  The contractions were irregular but were starting to get stronger, so I rang the hospital who told me to stay home until the contractions became more regular.

I felt more comfortable in the bathroom and the bath so stayed in there, but after about an hour I asked for my partner Brett to come in with me and try to help me through the pain... it was very very intense!

Around 5:30 am, the contractions started to get more regular, so I sent a text to the Gentle Birth Method practioner Elizabeth, who instinctively knew that I was going to go into labour that morning. 

I then had another bath.  As the labour got more intense I called again, for my partner to come and help, and sat on the loo as I had my contractions...

Elizabeth arrived at the house around 8:30am.  She helped me refocus as I was starting to ask to go to the hospital. And for drugs!.... She reminded me of all the work we had done and about the breathing and visualisations we had practiced. She really reassured me that I could do it, which was really helpful, especially when I slightly lost focus due to the pain.

We then stayed at home for a few more hours before deciding it was time to go to the hospital at around 10:00am.  In the car on the way to the hospital I went into my own transition - staying silent and going into my zone.  

Elizabeth and I had worked for weeks on my mental preparation for the birth.  We were constantly saying that my labour would be around 8 hours and that this baby would come before lunchtime.  This is part of the Gentle Birth Method: Always planting the mental seed.

Much to my delight, when we got to the labour ward and had my obs checked I was already 8cm dilated!!! Most of the hard work had been done at home... We waited a little longer, and then my obs were checked again.  They said that the baby would be coming very soon.  

Again we worked with the visuals (I am a yoga teacher so I know the power of visuals or bhvana as we call them in yoga).  These visualisations were really crucial for my focus and management of the pain.  I was offered gas, but by then I said no, as I thought I would be sick.

Moments later my obstetrician walked in and I was examined once again.  He said "Get into position this baby is coming in the next 20 minutes"....

I chose a more pro active position where I was on my knees and leaning against the bed.  Once I was ready, he asked me to push... I think I pushed around 8 times, before I unfortunately tore a little.  Looking back we think that this may have been his doing, as I felt that I had plenty of energy and that I could have taken my time in pushing...  

With the final push she came out, and he pulled her through my legs.  I looked down to see this gorgeous face looking up at me in wonder.  She didn't cry, and is such a happy little content baby. 

As part of my natural approach to the birthing process, I also insisted on doing physiological 3rd Stage... this involves allowing the umbilical cord to be left attached to the placenta until it stops pulsating.  The idea being that you allow the amazing endorphin exchange that normally last 20 minutes after the birth to be experienced between the mother and baby, rather than following the traditional approach of snipping the cord off straight away.   

Unless you investigate and discover this option on your own no one will mention it to you, especially at private hospitals. The midwife and the Dr both were hesitant at first, but I with the support of Elizabeth and my partner asserted my right. as we knew there was no risk, and we felt it was the best option for both me and the baby.
 
I truly believe in my heart that my positive birth experience came from the preparation and effort I put into my pregnancy to enable me the best possible chance of having a natural birth... I didn’t just turn up and hope for the best.  

I found a way that worked for me and was very pleased with the results.  I encourage other mums-to- be to get their 'tool kit' so that they can go into birth with the right tools, and hopefully get a great outcome as well!
 

Natalie...

Natalie is a Pre Natal Yoga instructor, based in Sydney.  If you would like more information on how natural therapies such as yoga can help with your pregnancy and birth, then please give Natalie a call.  Her details are below.

Natalie Hudson -  0405 512 579
Yoga Teacher (Pre Natal)
www.theyogagardensydney.com.au