Last July, I gave birth to a darling baby boy.
Before I talk about how easy the whole pregnancy, labor and delivery were, I want to make sure you know I am under NUCCA care. That fact is the main thing that enabled me to get pregnant easily, the baby to grow healthy and strong, the pregnancy to be mostly without pain or discomfort, and for the labor and delivery to be smooth and quick. As an added bonus, pregnant women hold their alignment extremely well.
The only discomfort I had during pregnancy was hip soreness and aching while sleeping. I would get stiff, and movement got more difficult with the extra weight I carried around, but no other pain. I only had three or four days of very minor morning sickness very early in the pregnancy.
I worked up to the day Keaton was born, and part of adjusting is getting up and down off the floor to check the patient’s position on the table. I also did a lot of squats at the office while seeing patients. Adjusting my patients was not much different while pregnant than when I wasn’t. Another benefit: it requires me to stay limber.
I started getting contractions around 4am on Wednesday, July 14th. Everything continued progressing; there were no plateaus. When my water broke at 9:30 am, we decided to go to Kaiser. My fabulous doula, Stacy Hattori, was already at my house and she rode with us to the hospital. When they examined me in triage, I was already 9 3/4 cm dilated. Everyone worked as a fantastic team and Keaton was born quickly and uneventfully less than an hour after we walked in the front door.
It was such a wonderful experience. Because I didn’t use any drugs, I was able to trust my body’s intuition and responsiveness, and my baby wasn’t drugged in any way when he was born. Rather, he was able to push and maneuver effectively and was therefore born quickly and safely. He was so alert, he even searched for his daddy’s face when he heard his voice. Because I’d been under NUCCA care, my body was able to open up and move the way it needed to, and my hormones were being released properly to control the pain the way God intended.
With NUCCA, my mindset and purpose in pursuing and natural childbirth, my amazing doula, and my preparation with exercise and nutrition, along with the unparalleled support of my husband, we were able to welcome our son into this world calmly and beautifully.