Go Natural! Tips and tricks for first time mamas who want to give birth naturally (without interventions or pain medications of any sort)

So you want a natural birth? Yay! Welcome to the rare 1% of women in America that will experience this life changing ride!
Natural birth is an amazing experience, one that I was lucky enough to go through twice! I have a lot of tips for those of you wanting a natural birth experience and I hope they help inspire women out there! I am by no means an expert, but I did have some complications and my labors certainly did not go perfectly so if I can do it, so can you!
**Warning- these are MY opinions and I mean no offense to those who choose a different birthing route. Natural birth is NOT for everyone so please don't take this decision lightly!

1. Educate yourself

I cannot stress this enough! Read, read and read some more. If you want to have a natural birth, know the benefits of having a vaginal and un-medicated birth. Know the statistics. For instance, when giving birth with a midwife in a birth center or at home, your chances of having a c section decrease dramatically. Women who choose to birth with a midwife also report a much higher satisfaction rate in their care than with an OB.
I highly suggest watching the documentary Business of Being Born. It will educate you on the medicalization of birth and the harmful effects of that. It also has many women naturally laboring and giving birth!
I also suggest going online and reading positive and empowering natural birth stories. Or talk to someone who has had a natural birth about what to expect. Watch birth videos. 
Here's mine: Birth Story and Video of Phoenix Noble and Birth Story of August James
Take as many natural birthing classes as you can and read books on natural birth. I highly recommend any Ina May Gaskin books. They are honest, straightforward and full of natural birth stories. They also explain the natural process of birth and how your body works WITH you to get baby out. It is extremely important to understand that because during labor it really helps to know what is happening in your body and why!

    2.  Set Yourself up for Success

If you want to really put all the odds in your favor of having a natural birth, then whenever possible choose a homebirth/ free standing birth center instead of a hospital. Although natural births are certainly possible at a hospital, you are pitting the odds against you when you choose the hospital route. Hospitals, in general, have many regulations/interventions/time limits that really make it unrealistic for a first time mama in labor to have a successful natural labor. It is also beneficial to be in surroundings where you know there is no pain relieving medicine around (ie home/birth center). Most mamas hit a wall in labor where they just want to give up, even though its almost always right at the end of the process. And most nurses in hospitals will suggest epidurals etc. at this point. What those mamas really need at that point is support, not drugs. 
Please don't buy into the rheotirc that out of hospital births are somehow "unsafe" ! In fact, you could very easily make the argument that hospital birth puts you at higher risk for many, many unsafe things! (episiotomy being one). 
Also, the US has one of the HIGHEST infant mortality rates in the industrialized world, yet women overwhelming give birth in hospital in the US as opposed to birth centers/home births being the majority in the rest of world. That should tell you all you need to know.
If you are worried about the "safety" of having a homebirth/free standing birth center birth, please PLEASE look at the statistics and know that in many cases having a birth out of hospital is MORE safe because there are less dangerous interventions that could put you and baby at risk! Also, your midwife will always have a plan in place in case hospital transport is necessary! Choose a birth center near a hospital if you are really worried. Birth Statistics: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_11.PDF

Hire a CPM. My main midwife with both of my births is a certified nurse midwife. I can guarantee she knows more about birth than most OB's (who are trained mostly in surgery fyi). 
As far as concerns about what happens if something goes south and not being in a hospital, midwives have oxygen, ivs and all kinds of herbs and meds to prevent something bad from happening. Pretty much the only thing they wouldn't be able to do would be surgery, which of course would require a hospital transport. 
   
 3. Surround yourself with supportive people

This is SO important!!! If after telling friends/family of your birth plan they are anything less than fully supportive, distance yourself from them during pregnancy! There is nothing worse than being told "wait until you get into labor, you'll ask for drugs" or "why would you choose to give birth anywhere but a hospital, it's unsafe" or "it's so painful there is no way you are going to get through it without drugs" or "why wouldn't you have a doctor deliver instead of a midwife" (completely untrue and unsupportive on all accounts by the way). 
There will also most likely people who are jealous or envious of your decision and will have negative reactions to your decision. It's very hard to deal with, so find yourself some supportive people instead! I recommend getting involved in a natural birthing community, take a natural birth class, talk with your midwives and ask your family and friends for SUPPORT and not judgement. If they are unable (for whatever reason) to say anything positive to you about your birth plan, refuse to talk to them about it or just distance yourself. There are plenty of amazing mamas who have been through birth naturally that will be more than supportive of you! 
I personally leaned on my mom (who has had 3 natural births), my mother in law (who also has given birth naturally) and my husband and midwives. I also reached out to two people I knew my age that had chosen the natural birth route and they both gave me lots of tips and told me what to expect. Most importantly, I was told by every single one of these people that I could do it! They ALL had faith in me.They all believed! And that goes a long way when choosing this route for birth!
During labor, it is beyond important to be surrounded by people you trust. And keep the numbers low. Don't invite your whole family to labor. It's a very emotional, trying time that should be experienced only with those you know will support you in the right ways. Don't be afraid to speak up and let people surrounding you know what you need/want in the form of support. I thrived off of being talked to a reassured and massaged. Some women won't like that though. You never know what you prefer until you are in labor! Without the proper support of people who love you, natural birth will probably not be possible!
   
   4. Hire a midwife

I will never forget at 8 weeks post partum with my 2nd son going into a women's health center that I had never been to before to get my Mirena IUD put in. The doctor who did it, also delivered babies at Portland Providence. On the day of the placement, I went in and met him right before he took me back. His exact words to me were "I'm so sorry I can't remember, did I deliver your baby?" Of course he didn't, I had never met him before, but this man must have delivered thousands of babies and he basically comes in for the delivery only, and then leaves. When I told Joel this his first response was also my first thought after hearing this, which was: "And that is why we chose to have a baby at a birth center, with a midwife." Not only do my midwives know me by name and my son's names, they know details about my births and my family. I do not feel like a number, I feel like a person when I'm with them for my appointments. Something so intimate and emotional as birth should be treated with care and respect. It mystifies me why women choose to be "just a number" in a vast medical system rather than receive individualized and emotionally based care from a midwife! 

Midwives are integral to the natural birth process. They are trained to SUPPORT a woman in labor! I became very close with all of my midwives and I truly love each of them. I also TRUST them, which is hard to do with most doctors. They always were honest with me and did what was best for ME and not what was convenient for them. Even when I had to get transferred to the hospital after my last labor, my midwives were with me every single step of the way and advocated for me at the hospital as well. I really can't imagine going through labor WITHOUT a midwife. I would personally be freaking out if I had to.
 The midwifery model of care is VERY different from OB care so read up on it to see if it's something that is right for you. Midwifery Model of Care
   
   5. Expect the unexpected

No matter how much you prepare, plan or dream, your birth will PROBABLY NOT go as you have envisioned. Maybe it will be long, maybe it will be short, maybe it will be painful, maybe it will just be uncomfortable, maybe you will have to be transferred. You cannot predict how it will turn out but you can go in with a positive attitude and the right circumstances and that will give you the very best shot at having the birthing experience you want!
Just resign yourself to the fact that things probably won't happen the way you want and be prepared to be flexible. But also stay positive. If you believe you can have a natural birth, that is half the battle!

    6. Banish Fear

Fear of birth is what most women in the US are brought up with and one of the main reasons women don't attempt a natural birth. From horrifying birth stories to media coverage of labor, women have been immersed in fear. They have also been told (mostly by males) that they cannot endure such a painful experience.
Guess what? You can. Your body only gives you what you can handle. Just when you think you can't handle another contraction during labor, it ramps down or baby is born. It's amazing what our bodies do to cope with childbirth! 
If you are fearful of birth and labor, there is probably a very slim chance you will be able to have a natural birth. Birth is very psychologically driven and fear has been proven to make labor MORE painful! If you talk to any women who were extremely fearful and ignorant of birth, they almost always have horror stories of the pain. 
I implore anyone with overwhelming fear to talk to people who have gone through the experience. Talk with some midwives. Know that there truly is nothing to fear once you believe in your body's ability to give birth. There is also a magnificent book Birthing from Within that really helped me banish my inherent fears about childbirth.
   
 7. Work WITH the pain, not against it.
    Something every woman attempting a natural birth should come to terms with is that is not going to be easy. In fact, it will probably be the hardest thing you will ever do. And it will hurt, but you WILL survive and get through it if you learn to surrender to the pain and uncomfortableness and let your body do its job.Surrender yourself to your body and go with the flow. Your body knows what its doing!
 I remember during each contraction trying to completely relax and let my body do its job. I didn't fight against the contraction, I just let it happen. I also recommend focusing on only the contraction at hand. If you start thinking about how many contractions you have left or when the next contraction will come and how much it will hurt, you will wear yourself out! In between contractions try to focus on something positive and distracting. (laugh with your midwives and/or partner about something funny, ask to be massaged, listen to music or read a book or magazine). 
    
8. Be emotionally ready and mentally prepared
Being pregnant and having surges of hormones racing through your body can bring up a lot of emotional issues. For me it brought up a lot of unresolved family issues from my childhood. It was extremely difficult to deal with, but I chose to deal with it head on and work through a lot of that emotional pain BEFORE I gave birth. Free your mind from negativity and past issues. Talk to someone you trust (your midwife, partner, best friend, family member and/or a therapist). 
I talked with my husband almost monthly about these past issues and really was able to clear the air with him so I could easily go into labor with a positive emotional mentality. 
You should also come to the realization that having a child will FOREVER change your life! It will change how you think about things, how you make decisions, how you look at the world and it will likely change relationships in your life. Be prepared for your world to turn upside down in the best possible way as soon as you hold your baby for the first time! Nothing will ever be the same and soon you will not be able to imagine life before your kids. They will be your everything. Embrace it!

     9. Getting through Labor and Delivery

• Get in whatever position feels right to you. Being on your hands and knees helps if you are in back labor. Never restrict your positions unless told to for the baby's safety by your midwife. You should be free to move around and instinctively labor in any position  that eases the pain of contractions.
• Use water as a natural pain reliever. A shower head also helps to massage your back during contractions. Water was my best friend during both of my labors and helped me cope with contractions superbly!
• Have your midwife or partner massage you and use counter pressure during contractions (especially helpful for back labor).
• If labor is slowing down, go for a walk or sit on the toilet either forward or backwards. This puts pressure on your cervix from the baby's head and usually makes labor much more intense.
• Make whatever noises you feel like. Scream, yell, curse, moan, talk. Be loud, it helps.
• Make sure you have CONSTANT support during transition. It is intense with 2-4 peaks during each contraction and your body will start involuntarily pushing baby's head down for you. It is also when most women want to give up or ask for drugs. Keep in mind that transition only lasts for about 15-20 minutes. Possibly 30. Almost anyone can endure anything for that short amount of time! 
• Get few cervical checks. The more often you get checked, the more you are going to think about how much more you have to go in terms of labor. It's psychological and can really mess up your momentum. During my 2nd labor I didn't get checked until I was already 9 cm. 

 10. Be Realistic

Labor will hurt at times. You will be uncomfortable. You might even be scared at the amount of power it takes to push a baby out of your vagina. You have no idea how you will react to labor until you are in it so be realistic about that! 
Know that sometimes, birth doesn't go as planned. I certainly had a whole lot of stuff happen to me after labor that I didn't expect, but I rolled with it. I was lucky enough to be able to have natural labors but I could have never predicted the complications I would endure after each of my labors. Also know that sometimes things out of your control prevent you from having the birth you want. Surrender to this. I know a couple of people that planned a birth center birth but had to be transferred during labor because of various issues and both ended up having a beautiful, unplanned hospital birth. All that matters is that their babies are here and healthy! 

I wish anyone planning a natural birth the best of luck!
 I can say hands down that both of my labors were the most amazing events of my life! I really feel invincible after having two un-medicated vaginal births. It takes a lot to phase me and I feel like I can do anything. I have a confident aura now that I never had before and cannot be bought for any amount of money. It's truly amazing and I look back on both of my births with a lot of fond memories. There is no greater feeling than holding your child for the first time in your arms knowing that you birthed this wonderful being with the sheer force of your body! 

Birth Story of Phoenix Noble 12/28/2012

I will start my story out by saying that I am very blessed to be a mama of 2 healthy, happy laid back baby boys and I would be lost without them in my life!

If you would like to watch my birth video it can be seen here:

Video of Phoenix being born

The last 2 weeks of my pregnancy were extremely uncomfortable. I was getting little sleep and I had to pee what seemed like every 5 minutes 24 hours a day (you mamas who have been there know exactly what I'm talking about!). At my 39 week appointment I got a cervical check and was 1.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Phoenix was at -1 station. All of that was good news but I knew from previous experience that I still had a long way to go before labor. I so wished I was one of those women who spontaneously went into labor at 39 weeks just because I was so uncomfortable at that point. But it was not to be. All that week I walked a lot and in the words of my midwife "had lots of sex" to try and get labor going. Sex is known to start labor because it releases oxytocin in your body (the same hormone that is integral during labor) and semen contains prostaglandins which ripen the cervix and can spur labor to begin. Well, it certainly did its job because I was up with contractions and extremely unpleasant cramping for 2 nights that week. One of the nights I thought for sure I was in labor because the contractions did not let up for 12 hours, but once I forced myself to take a nap, they went away. I was totally bummed out but had hoped that it was at least dilating me.  
At my 40 week prenatal  on Wednesday December 26th (my due date) I got another cervical check and the dreaded membrane sweep. I was 80% effaced and dilated to a 4 and as soon as Kori did the membrane sweep I went to a 5!! Baby also had moved to 0 station. With August I got 2 membrane sweeps and both of them were really uncomfortable. But this time around it just felt like a regular cervical check and wasn't uncomfortable at all. I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that I was more dilated this time around! Kori seemed very happy with the  progress of my cervix in just a week and gave the impression that I probably wouldn't be pregnant much longer. I was optimistic, but seeing as I was 9 days late with Gus, I prepared myself for the long haul just in case.
On Thursday night (December 27th) I got a craving for Mexican food so I told Joel I wanted to go to Pepitas for dinner (seeing as it may be our last dinner out or quite some time). We packed up Gus and headed out. I ended up eating very little because I had about 5 contractions during dinner that were pretty strong but once we got home they faded out and nothing much happened. Joel proceeded to do nighttime routine with Gus at about 9 pm, but since Gus was and still is going through a horrible, hellish sleep regression Joel couldn't get him to go down.  I was laying in bed that whole time trying to sleep but could not get comfortable and then once I would start to drift off I had to pee. Also, Phoenix was extremely active for about 3 hours straight..kicking and punching like crazy and every time he moved I had to pee, again. I took over with Gus at about 1 am and he finally drifted off to sleep  in his own bed at about 2 am. Joel was just falling asleep when I came back to bed and crawled under the covers. about 15 minutes later I thought I had felt a contraction. But I had had so many false alarms at this point and I was so tired that I didn't think much of it. Then another one came and another and they were strong. I had to breathe through them. I woke Joel up and stupidly asked him if he thought I was in labor. Within another 15 minutes we knew this was it. The contractions were coming every 5 minutes and lasting 45 seconds and were strong. They were also very different than what I was used to. With August I was in back labor the entire time because of the way he was positioned in the womb, and with these contractions I felt them very low in my abdomen and pelvis and sometimes an achiness in my thighs too. I told Joel he better take our bags out into the trunk of the car (note to self- next time have the bags in the car!) While he was doing that he called Kori at some point and let her know how close together contractions were and she said to head on in to the birth center as soon as we were packed up. I was downstairs trying to clean (don't know why) and stopping for every contraction and leaning over and breathing through them. The contractions very quickly went to 3 minutes apart and I was feeling a lot of pressure and discomfort with each one. I had to concentrate a lot more through each one and I knew that we needed to get going since the last thing I wanted was to be in transition in the car on the way to the birth center. Joel woke Rob up and let him know it was go time. He also called his dad to meet us at Alma as soon as he could. And then he transferred a sleeping Gus into Robert's car since Grandpa was meeting us at the birth center to take him up to his house while I was in labor. As soon as everything was finally packed up, I headed out to the car and had at least  3 contractions before I was even able to sit down in the passenger seat. I knew we needed to get going and we finally drove off at 3:30 am headed to the birth center (we made great time obviously because there is no traffic at that time). When we got there Robert thankfully waited for Dale and took care of transferring Gus and his car seat into Grandpa's car when he got there. I went straight into the center with Joel and we headed up into the same room that I had given birth to Gus in. I think I got into the tub immediately and all 3 of my midwives were already there. It was reassuring to see familiar, friendly faces when I wasn't feeling too hot. Steph was able to plug in our ipod with my labor playlist on it and Rob went outside the room to call my parents and let them know to head up to Portland because I was already in active labor. 
The tub was filled and ready when I got there with all 3 of our midwives in the room with us while  I labored (sign that I knew it would be a short labor). I labored in the tub on all fours or in a squat position for I would say close to an hour. Unlike my last labor, I do distinctly remember thinking for a brief second that I might not be able to endure this pain, but of course I never voiced that fear and pretty soon was engulfed in my next contraction.
I continued to have consistent, hard contractions in the tub and at some point Kori checked me and said that I still had an anterior lip of cervix left and if I wanted she could pull it over baby's head during the next contraction. The best part of this whole thing is that she looked at me and said "I'm not going to lie, this is really going to suck." I love that she shoots it straight with me......so much better than sugar coating it. I'd rather just know what to expect and she knows that about me, just one of the many reasons she is such a great midwife! During my next contraction she had me sit back in a reclining position in the tub (I had been leaning and squatting during contractions) and what she did was painful and not fun but so was the contraction so I just kept thinking it would be over soon. I don't know if Kori doing that skipped over most of transition or what but I immediately felt tons of pressure and the need to push on the next contraction. I was still having 3-4 peaks during each contraction like in transition but it was a different kind of intensity than it was with Gus. I could not get comfortable between contractions either since there was so much pressure and crampiness in my pelvis. I started to feel a ton of burning and stinging so I knew his head was probably crowning. I kept asking Joel if he could feel the head and he kept saying no so I thought maybe I wasn't as far along as I thought. But within a couple more contractions he could feel the head. I was able to reach down and feel it too....a wrinkly head with hair. It motivated me knowing I was that close. I heard the midwives give directions to Joel on what to do when baby was born so I knew it would be very soon. The next few contractions I actively pushed (I pushed through the pain instead of fighting it, which helps so much!). It was so much more intense and painful this time around and I felt the ring of fire throughout the whole pushing stage this time which was not pleasant. Finally his whole head was out and during the next contraction and me pushing he shot out under water. Joel caught him and handed him to me right away. Phoenix was born, au natural in the water at 6:05 am, a short 3 1/2 hours after I went into labor!

                                                                  Right after birth

                                                         Contraction in the tub

                                                     Foot rubs

I haven't watched the birth video yet but apparently they got me on tape saying I don't want to have any more kids. I also said "fuck" during one of my last contractions (which I do remember)....so much for a nice, calm birth. ha! 
Shortly after birth Kori and Joel helped me to the bed so I could get a shot of pitocin to help my placenta come out (since I had PPH last time it was a preventative measure). Well just as luck would have it my placenta did not come out right away, even after the shot. I tried breastfeeding to help my uterus contract and P latched right on and suckled for a good amount of time. Still no placenta. So they had me sit on a toilet chair and have me try and pee since sometimes urine in the bladder can prevent the placenta from coming out. I peed and still no placenta. I squatted and pushed trying to get it out, still no placenta. Kori informed me that they had 2 hours to try and get it out and if it didn't come out that we would have to go to the hospital. I knew as soon as she said that that was probably in my future. I was too scared to ask what would happen if we had to go so I just tried to focus on helping my placenta get out. Kori decided to catheter me to try and get any leftover urine out and Stephanie gave me an herbal tea of some sort and also iv-ed me to a pitocin drip all in a last ditch effort to get the placenta to come out. No luck. Kori gave the ok for Steph to call the hospital and let them know we were coming and I believe Kathy called 911 to get an ambulance. It was all very surreal and I was still in denial that we were going to the hospital. Kori told me that they would have to surgically remove the placenta at the hospital, which was my worst fear. When the EMT's got there I was naked and covered in blood from birth but didn't care. I just didn't want to go to the hospital but knew I had to. They sat me up on the bed and they had to transfer me to a chair stretcher thing in order to get me down the stairs at Alma and onto the actual stretcher that I could lay on. They told me before I got moved to the chair that I may pass out since I had lost blood. Next thing I knew I woke up from passing out. According to Robert I went limp and my lips turned blueish gray and they had to rub me all over to wake me up.  Before they took me I remember Joel telling me he loved me but I couldn't bear to kiss him and the baby goodbye because I knew they had to stay at the birth center. I was so scared. Joel knows how fearful I am of hospitals in general and on top of that I am scared to death of being put under for any type of surgery and to have to go through it without my husband there scared me so much more.
 The EMTs then took me down the stairs and transferred me to the stretcher that was in the kitchen of Alma. They got me into the ambulance and that's where things went from bad to worse. Kori came with me to ride with me in the ambulance to the hospital. I could tell right away that the main EMT was not happy about this. The other EMT was trying to get an IV in one of my arms before we even got going. ( I had a giant horrible looking bruise from his attempt that stayed with me for 2 weeks!) They gave me an oxygen mask and hooked me up to a blood pressure cuff and were asking me all sorts of questions about what day it was and what my baby's name was etc. etc. I was very annoyed but now realize they were probably just trying to keep me awake and to see if I was still with it. 
Meanwhile the EMT was still trying to get a viable vein while we SAT there in the parking lot of Alma while my uterus was filling with blood. Kori told the main EMT that we needed to go with lights on to the hospital asap and all the EMT wanted to do was argue with her. He kept telling her I was stable and she said yes she is stable now but she can turn any second we need to get her to the hospital. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally went on a very bumpy ride to Providence Portland. In the elevator I felt like I was going to pass out again and like I said before everything was extremely surreal. An out of body experience. It felt like a bad dream. When I got to the OR, Kori had to stay in the waiting room so I was even more scared not having her there! The anesthesiologist and the OBGYN were both there. The anesthesiologist told me I would probably be getting at least 2 transfusions and the risks of Aids was 1 in 2 million blah blah...all I wanted was for them to get me into surgery already and get the hellish experience over with. The OBGYN put me at ease, she was sweet and told me they didn't know exactly what was causing the placenta to not come out so she couldn't tell me how long my surgery would take or what exactly they were going to do. The thing she said that is imprinted in my brain is that "the chances are slim but I may have to do a hysterectomy to save your life. I will do whatever I have to do in order to save your life." Needless to say that really freaked me out and all I could think about was never being able to have more children. The next thing that happened is the anesthesiologist iv-ed me and told me he would give me something to relax me but they weren't putting me to sleep yet. Next thing I remember is waking up in a recovery room with my 3 wonderful midwives by my side. I was very groggy and I think I asked what happened and I remember crying- a lot. Kathy fed me ice chips and Kori explained everything to me. My surgery had lasted 45 minutes and they removed the placenta...it was the best case of a worst case scenario. about half an hour later Joel and Finn arrived and I was so relieved to see them both! 
So basically they have no clue what causes a retained placenta and it is pretty rare. Sometimes the placenta just embeds a little deeper at one site and will not come out without surgery. During surgery, the obgyn had to literally reach up into the uterus with her hand while my cervix was dilated, and manually remove the blood vessels that made the placenta stay attached to the wall of the uterus. Then they go in with an instrument to make sure all remnants are out to reduce the risk of infection. Next is a shot of antibiotics to prevent infection. They also stitched up a pretty small tear from birth. And lastly, two blood transfusions. Because my placenta did not come out, it caused another PPH, go figure. There was nothing that could have been done to prevent either one, just happened to be the way the dice rolled for me, unfortunately. I stayed in the hospital until 8 pm that night and got released back to the birth center since my blood work came back with fantastic numbers after my transfusions. Right before I got released, our nurse came in and mentioned that the nurse who was on duty when I came into the ER that morning had asked about me. She said the nurse thought I was going to die and need resuscitation upon arrival to the ER that morning. Why in the world would you tell someone who just went through surgery and a very scary situation something like that?!?! I freaked out thinking I was near death. I wasn't, although it was an urgent situation, I was fine and was in good hands the whole time. But that is not something anyone needs to hear from a nurse, ever. 
Luckily, after going through the trauma after birth, I got the huge reward of having a healthy, happy 8 pound 8 ounce baby boy. And I got to have another natural water birth exactly as I wanted. So there is a silver lining to the whole thing. I also got to appreciate just how freaking wonderful my midwives are and my husband is. Without them, I would have been absolutely hysterical during the whole process. Kori was especially my rock through the whole ordeal and really talked me through the trauma afterwards. She is such an amazing human being, not to mention the very best midwife I can think of! I can really not imagine ever going through labor without her. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to have her there through all of my kids being born. 
2.5 weeks later I am still pretty sore, but starting to feel like my old self again. I was basically on bed rest for the first week after birth, which I think helped me heal tremendously, although it was by no means easy for me to be unable to do anything. Phoenix has been nursing like a champ and is already past his birth weight. I am very much enjoying not having a huge belly anymore as well!