No one can ever prepare you for childbirth, you just have to go through it. Some say it’s really painful, some say it’s not that bad, and the movies leave an impression of childbirth giving us a chance at a second life. Well, it’s definitely a new life and a new journey which begins after you experience the birth of your child. This is indeed the most beautiful journey that a woman can ever take. It is the blessing that changes the course of our lives. But having a healthy pregnancy, eating right and working out through the pregnant days, doesn’t guarantee a normal delivery, and vice versa. All we can do is try our best, be brave.
Duck walks are apparently very good at inducing labour, which I tried too after being induced at 40 weeks and was showing no signs of labour. With mild labour pains and a huge body, I definitely looked like a duck trying to walk, but unfortunately, it did not help me. But this was just in my case, it does help a lot of other women.
Normal walks also help in inducing labour, but whatever you do, please “Do Not Try” the Indian mommy method of drinking castor oil to induce labour. Firstly, because its oil, how can you drink it? Secondly, castor oil may cause irregular and painful contractions, which can be stressful for the mother and the baby alike. Your baby might pass Meconium (first stool) inside your womb because of the oil, even before the delivery.
Sex is supposed to induce labour too, but again this is only for those who are brave and adventurous at heart. Oxytocin, the love hormone, seemingly increases the bond between the mother and the baby, even when released during sex and can really help in contractions. However, I would like to add that every mother’s body is different and every motherhood experience is unique. What works for me, may not work for you. I know this because I have tried and tested many of these options myself, and after trying some of the above methods, even after eating spicy food in every meal, nothing worked to induce labour for me and I had to be medically induced at 40 weeks. My contractions were so mild that I could hardly feel them. They kept coming and going for a day before my doctor re-induced me.
See, I, like a lot of other expecting mothers, really wanted a natural birth, but on the other hand, I kept thinking about having a C-Section. When I think about it now, I feel what really went wrong was that my mind and my heart were at odds with each other. Watching Bollywood TV-series and listening to all the aunties, telling me about how rough labour pains can be, didn’t help.
As my labour pain got worse and I got into active labour, only pausing when contractions were maximum, my doctor refused to believe that I was in active labour, waiting for my water to break, pressing on half dilated non-progressive labour, and calling in for an emergency C- Section. I was scared and could only think about my child, and would have been utterly shattered if anything would have gone wrong. But when I came to know that my baby was big and healthy, I thanked God for it. This made me believe, that everything does happen for the good and every childbirth is an experience in itself, worthy enough to be cherished for a lifetime.
What was your birthing experience like? if you want to share your unique story with us, then please DM us or write to us in the comments below.
Tips: Do not watch any natural childbirth videos on Youtube or elsewhere, which might make you change your mind. These videos can scare the hell out of you and haunt you more than the scariest horror movies.
