Welcome Baby Luther – My Bradley Method Home Birth Story

If you’re planning a natural birth or just love birth stories, this one is for you! After a quick Bradley Method labor which was very different from my first, Luther was born at home on Monday afternoon. This is how it happened and what I did to prepare for natural birth.

I’m always one to try to force myself to plan to go over 40 weeks of pregnancy to keep from getting impatient. So when Luther decided it was time to come almost a week before his due date, it was definitely a surprise! Since his birth I’ve spent this week taking it easy recovering and enjoying all the newborn snuggles.

My Pregnancy

Despite a lot of big life changes, including moving across the country, this was a relatively easy pregnancy. During the first trimester I was tired and nauseous for a few weeks but otherwise I felt great the entire time.

My first pregnancy went well too, but since then I’ve learned more about health and nutrition and become more active. I think these things made a significant difference in how my body handled pregnancy even better this time!

We went back and forth a few times on having an anatomy scan and finding out the gender. About halfway into my third trimester, we finally decided to go in for an ultrasound since I was measuring over a month behind. Everything was fine (I was just carrying really low). As a bonus, we found out that this baby was a boy!

Signs of Labor

Saturday night, when I was 38+6 weeks pregnant, I started to suspect that labor was approaching. I felt slightly crampy in a way that I hadn’t felt my entire pregnancy which let me know something was happening. I am typically very aware of hormonal changes in my body, and I’ve learned to trust myself to recognize subtle signs.

To help get things going, on Sunday we went for a short hike with lots of elevation change. With me looking like I could have a baby any moment and my husband Andrew carrying our 18 month old in a carrier, we definitely got a few comments from people who were impressed!

I had mild contractions on and off throughout the day and could always trigger one by going up stairs or when we were hiking uphill.

Sunday night mild contractions woke me up a few times. When I woke up at 5 in the morning, they were consistently 15 minutes apart lasting 10-15 seconds each. That’s when I realized that this was probably the day!

Early Labor

I had not planned on having the baby for at least a few more days and had a pretty big to-do list for the week. It needed to get done now or not at all so I quickly got to work! I made bone broth, cooked German pancakes for breakfast and chicken for lunch, cleaned out the fridge, did dishes and laundry, gave our toddler Esther a bath, and made and photographed roasted figs for a recipe post.

The contractions were manageable all morning. Whenever one came I simply paused to relax into a chair, counter, or whatever was available.

Active Labor

At 11, my midwife texted to let me know that some test results that we had been waiting on had come in. That seemed to flip a switch in my brain. Almost immediately, the contractions increased in length, frequency, and intensity.

I quickly gave Esther her lunch as I was picking up the kitchen from my flurry of activity and got her ready to go down for her nap. When she was asleep at 12:30, I finally decided to time the contractions. They were between 3 and 5 minutes apart and lasting 30 to 40 seconds.

I texted my midwife the update, and she let me know that she would be heading over shortly. The contractions weren’t painful, and I still wasn’t sure how close I was to having the baby. However, I figured that it was probably time for Andrew to come home from work too.

I quickly made ginger tea for a compress to use during pushing, pulled some bone broth chili out of the freezer since I obviously wouldn’t be making dinner, and prepped the bed to protect it during the birth.

Things Get Serious

Right about when Andrew walked in the door, I realized I needed to get on the bed and stay there in order to fully relax through contractions. The premise of The Bradley Method is to minimize pain by fully relaxing your body (more on that later), and it was time to put that into practice.

I still felt so good between contractions that I was carrying on conversations with Andrew and my midwifes when they arrived. The contractions themselves weren’t what I would call painful. They were simply intense, and I could feel my body working hard.

Transition

As it got closer to 4:00 I really needed to focus and I stopped talking in between contractions. I continued doing my best to relax through contractions, but it was getting almost impossible. A few thoughts of self-doubt started coming to my mind for the first time, and I recognized that as a good sign that I was in transition.

Even at this point it felt more like I was in the middle of a strenuous athletic activity than actual pain.

A few minutes later when I felt my body start to push I had trouble believing it was time! My first labor took so much longer, partly because my daughter was breech, so I didn’t have a good frame of reference for a quick labor.

One of my favorite things about homebirth is how the midwives trust you and your body. Because of this, my dilation was never checked throughout my entire pregnancy or labor. They just encouraged me to push as I was ready.

The Birth

About 20 minutes later, my water broke soaking me, my husband who was sitting behind me supporting my back, and the midwives.

It was stained with meconium, but the midwives didn’t panic. I had recently happened to read something about how that rarely caused issues, so I wasn’t concerned either. At that moment I was so thankful not to be in a hospital!

Shortly afterwards I felt the ring of fire and knew he was almost here! I didn’t want to tear, so I didn’t rush it. I pushed as I felt contractions and relaxed in between.

He was born at 4:29 and weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces. He was perfect!

How to Prepare for Natural Birth – What I Did

I’m a big believer in preparing your mind and body for labor! Other than a general healthy diet and staying active, these were the top things I did this time around. I know they made a big difference for me.

NORA tea – This stuff is amazing! It took care of 3rd trimester exhaustion I started to feel, and I also credit it for upping my hemoglobin levels. I didn’t lose much blood during or after the birth, and I think this played a part in that. You can learn to make it here.

Positive birth stories – Your mindset is crucial when preparing for childbirth, especially in our culture that often makes it seem like a traumatic event. The Happy Homebirth Podcast as well as Lisa Bass’ homebirth stories are some of my favorites.

Eating dates – It sounds crazy, but a few studies have shown that eating lots of dates can help with labor! You can read more on that here.

The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth – I read this book through with my first and referenced it multiple times during this pregnancy. I highly recommend it as a comprehensive guide to a healthy and natural pregnancy and birth.

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What is the Bradley Method?

This is the best tool I know of for a peaceful birth with minimal to no pain!

The Bradley Method promotes the idea that your body will often only feel pain during labor if you’re tense in any way. Mentally or physically.

Because of this, the goal is to fully relax every single muscle in your body. As you do this you can ride the waves of contractions instead of fighting them. There is a specific laboring position for optimal relaxation and a few alternatives you can try if it’s not feeling good.

As a bonus, relaxation during labor is a big help in avoiding tearing, which I did this time around. (During my first birth I had extremely minor tearing due to some complications that arose at the end. However, I didn’t require any stitches.)

I followed the Bradley Method almost to a T this time, and I wouldn’t describe labor as painful other than the few seconds of the ring of fire at the end (which actually wasn’t bad). With the Bradley Method, you’re simply surrendering to the intensity of labor while experiencing minimal pain.

I read this book on the Bradley Method and did some of the relaxation exercises and stretches it includes throughout my pregnancy.

Did you have a positive birth experience? I’d love to hear your story in the comments!