This is how my natural childbirth in the 90s went. Maybe of interest to someone who is about to give birth today. :-)
Birth Story of a Natural Childbirth in the 90s
I was prepared
This was my second child and I felt really confident that it was not going to be the horror show that it was when I delivered my firstborn. I instructed the doctor that I did not want to be in my bed the whole time, no IV’s and no daddy fainting in the corner.
My due date was August 28, 1990, but due to overdramatizing my pushing technique in Lamaze class (I think), my cervix had been dilated 3 centimeters for 3 weeks prior to this date.
So when August 28th rolled around I was more than ready, but nothing happened that day. So I went to bed that night and during the night I woke up feeling nauseated and I had a pounding headache. I tool some Pepto Bismol and went back to bed.
This continued 2 more times during the night until finally at 7:30 am I walked into the living room and told my mom how I felt. She said “Honey, you are in labor!”.
I proceeded to explain that this was not how I felt the first time and she said “It is different every time; you need to go to the hospital.”
To the Hospital
My sister’s AKA coach arrived to pick me up and take me to hospital. As we arrived I explained to the nurse how I wanted it to go. So I walked around the birthing floor for about 45 minutes before the pain got too bad, then I went and lay down.
They hooked up all the machines and checked my cervix; I was now 9 centimeters dilated and the pains were coming fast, but my water bag had still not popped.
So the doctor came in, broke my water bag and proceeded to tell me that it would be another hour before I delivered. This was at 1:50 pm. I told her “No, I will deliver this one by 2 pm.” She laughed at me and went out of the room.
Delivering my Baby
My sister and I were the only ones in the room and I felt like I had to push. So I lay on my left side and grabbed my right angle and beared down. Oh my God, I felt like someone lit a match in my private area and I yelled at my sister “Something is wrong! It really burns!”
When she looked down there I had the head out so she says to me “I need to go get the doctor and” and I yelled, “No, no, please don’t leave me, I’m scared!”
Well, the doctor heard us yelling so she ran in, jumped on my bed, suctioned the baby and had me push the rest of the body out.
I delivered my beautiful daughter at 2:05 pm on August 29, 1990, and oh yeah that whole burning feeling ended up being that I was ripped from the inside-out, but after she showed me my baby, I was so happy that I did not even care that I needed the stitches.
This was almost 30 years ago, but I recall it like yesterday. The only thing is I don’t remember the intensity of the pain. This must be God’s way of encouraging us to have more children.
Thanks for reading,
Helen
Read more childbirth stories here or share your own here.
Here are two even older birth stories – from the 1960s!
If you have any thoughts or questions about Helen’s birth story of her natural childbirth in the 90s, leave a comment below!
Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
