I consider myself lucky, having experienced, both Cesarian and a VBAC, with my two kids. Both deliveries were such contrasting experiences. While one was in the OT of a hospital, my second born was in a homely birthing center. It was a lifetime of an experience giving birth in water, with complete awareness, my better half holding and supporting me all along.
Let me share my VBAC experience first, which lies fresh in my mind, having occurred in the recent past months. It was first week of March 2020, when I discovered that I was pregnant. At that point of time, I was working with a natural birthing center, The Birth Home, Bangalore, as a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist. I was excited, happy and without any second thought I shared my news with Meghna, Co-founder,The Birth Home, Bangalore who further guided me on the next step. Meghna knows what she is doing and her passion for natural birthing comes across through her poised demeanor. She is well informed and capable in putting restless questioning to-be-parents in a state of rest and calm. I was at ease with her from the word go.
I was put on to Jenny (midwife); a calm, compassionate and a wonderful person whom anyone would like to be with and talk to, especially at times like pregnancy, when there is a burst of hormonal changes taking place within!
In time, the whole birth home team got involved and they stood by us, ensuring my husband’s involvement at each step. My husband was included in all knowledge sharing and decision-making sessions ,which is not the experience I had with my 1st born. They navigated us in taking some important decisions on minimal scans, medicines, checkups etc. especially when we were all encountering the first wave of COVID! There was a sense of fear, of the unknown, but the calm and collective energy of the team kept us positive and going.
I was enrolled in child birth education and fitness classes conducted by the birth home team. Sneha Cofounder TBH, Doula & Child birth educator, was our mentor. Every class, she carried herself with wealth of knowledge & information which kept us preparing, consciously and subconsciously for the big day. She helped us to visualize our birth and make affirmations, which I wrote and placed in my home, in different rooms. Reading affirmations daily was definitely one of the powerful practices that helped me to sail through the long 48 hours of labor later. The physical fitness classes, continued almost till my due date which helped me to improve my endurance and flexibility.
As we neared my due date, there was a transition in the role of my midwife and we had Augustine, a senior midwife from USA, who took the lead from where Jenny left. Augustine’s presence felt like a warm, safe and a comforting cocoon in which we were guided and nourished with her love and wisdom. We knew, we were in well experienced and safe hands. We decided to keep all the worries aside and just follow the life plan.
On the go, I did have physical and emotional swings, severe lower back and hip ache, UTI during first trimester, Pica syndrome towards the third trimester, emotional distress at times, but throughout the journey I felt heard, observed and well taken care by my birth team, family and friends…. nine months of gestation period passed like a cool breeze.
During this phase in order to keep myself well-resourced and grounded I meditated regularly, took couple of BCST sessions for myself and for others, went for regular walks, did yoga, danced when I felt like, and spent time with my loved ones.
During this phase in order to keep myself well-resourced and grounded I meditated regularly, took couple of BCST sessions for myself and for others, went for regular walks, did yoga, danced when I felt like, and spent time with my loved ones.
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