“It was such a surreal experience and I would do it over and over again just like that!”
– Madison S. (@madisonjane_13)
No, that’s not a typo! First time mom, Madison, birthed her 9 lb 6 oz, posterior baby, at home without pain. If this story doesn’t encourage you, challenge you or make you PTL, I don’t know what will!
41+1 at 2am – I woke up to some inconsistent contractions, about 10 minutes apart. When I got out, I figured let’s put a diaper on just in case (thank God!).
By 4am they were about 5 minutes apart and I felt a lot of pressure, mainly in my bum, so I spent the next two hours leaning over my bed while my husband got everything ready.
Contractions felt like waves of pressure, but were completely manageable. No pain at all.
I was having a hard time not pushing. No matter how much I relaxed I couldn’t resist giving a little push with it.
6:15am – I had a contraction and my water broke (in the diaper). I texted my midwife and got in the shower again just to relax because I knew this was when they would start to pick up. My midwife arrived 20 minutes later.
She checked me and I was at 9cm (almost 10), but had a bit of a lip so she had me get in a few different positions while in the bath to help.
I tried to pee and could not. I told her I felt SO much pressure in my butt and she said, “That’s exactly where I want you to feel it!”
With my bedroom floor all covered, she checked me again and the lip had moved a bit but was still there. At this point I HAD to push. I did runner’s lunge, all fours, and laid on my side.
While on my side, I was able to be more effective in my pushing and was very controlled. I could feel her come down and go back up with the other positions which was a little discouraging, but I knew I would see my baby so soon.
9:40am – I gave a few more good pushes, felt the ring of fire, and out came my 9 lb 6 oz baby girl. She had a 14-inch head and was OP.
My midwife cleaned me up and got me into bed right away, and I spent the most magical hour soaking up this perfect angel!
She was amazed at how big my baby, placenta, and cord were!
It was such a surreal experience, and I would do it over and over again just like that!
Total active labor was 3.5 hours.
“I followed every post by @painfreebirth and read all the birth stories. They helped give me the confidence that I could do this without experiencing any pain.”
-@Madisonjane_13
A Note About Fetal Positioning:
Babies who are in less than ideal positions (ie. posterior, breech, asynclitic, etc) can have a bad rap for being troublemakers, rebellious, or stubborn.
While that MAY be true, your baby’s position has less to do with their PERSONALITY, and MORE to do with fetal positioning!
For example, women with an oddly-shaped uterus are more likely to have breech babies due to there being less room for the baby to rotate head down at the end of pregnancy.
Babies will fit into whatever space is available to them!
If your baby is running a little late, taking their time, posterior, breech, or any other (annoying) fetal position, it’s not because they’re a “bad” baby! They might need some help to create more space and flexibility in your womb in order to rotate and descend.
But just like in Madison’s story, even if they never make the rotation, don’t fret mama.
Your body is capable of birthing babies in all sorts of ways:
- Breech
- Posterior (sunny side up)
- Acynclitic
- And more!
The body is wise and knows how to accommodate these variations.
Know your power…
…and don’t give it away.
You were born for this, Sis.
For tips on how to create space and flexibility in the womb, check out the Pain Free Birth© Course for a full module of positions for pregnancy, birth, and pushing!
