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Holistic Mom RN

Rooted Motherhood

September 9, 2022

My Natural Hospital Birth Experience & Postpartum Recovery

Ansley’s Birth Story: February 2020

natural hospital birth

As I prepare for my second birth, I can’t help but reflect on my first birth experience with Ansley. I love how unique each birth story is and have learned so much from hearing others experience. My hope is to help someone by sharing my natural hospital birth experience.

How I Decided on a Natural (Unmedicated) Hospital Birth

I hoped for an unmedicated birth shortly after I found out I was pregnant. I loved reading “Mama Natural’s week by week guide to Natural Pregnancy and Childbirth.”  It is packed with information from epidurals to doulas, healthy recipes to possible hospital interventions, what test to expect and what things you have a choice on in the whole process.

It’s so important to be educated on all that can happen in birth because there is no way to predict exactly what will happen and your practitioner may not always take the time to explain it. True informed consent doesn’t (and can’t) happen in the moments of labor because of the pace and because you are not in the place to be making huge decisions. So that means you need to make those decision ahead of time. It may feel like a lot but take it slow, its ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT.

My husband and I watched “the business of being born” which opened our eyes even more to how the hospital operates during birth and “the cascade of interventions.” While it encouraged me to look into a birth center, we still had fears with it being our first experience with childbirth and ultimately decided on an OB and hospital delivery. We also hired doula to be a well educated advocate before and during birth. I was at the beginning of my journey in advocating for myself and was just starting to ask more questions.

Nearing 40 weeks

My OB was not natural-minded, but was the best in the city. So when I approached my “due date,” he began encouraging me to induce labor, which I declined. After thinking my water might have broken the day before my due date, we decided to go to the hospital to test for amniotic fluid. Turns out it was just pee! (Oh the joys of pregnancy!) 

However, while I was there, my OB wanted to check my fluid level. My number was on the lower end of normal, but still normal. However, he again highly encouraged me to induce labor. Because my doula was well educated, she helped me feel confident that it was still absolutely safe to continue to wait for labor to start naturally.

The Beginning of Labor at Home

Two days after my due date (the evening of Feb 6th), I started feeling painful contractions in the evening and struggled to sleep. However they weren’t close or consistent enough to do anything but wait or try and sleep. The entire next day (Feb 7th) the powerful but inconsistent contractions continued. They were 8/10 in strength most of the day and increased to every 5-7 minutes, but would stop for 15 minutes.  I attempted to take a bath, walk around the house, any kind of distraction I could think of to get my mind off the stalled labor. My mental state didn’t help the progression and tracking contractions on my phone would work me up and discourage me. 

By that evening, I called my doula in tears saying I couldn’t handle all of this. I was not prepared to be in labor for this long and was willing to do whatever to get the baby out. I hadn’t slept, I had barely eaten, and I was exhausted. 

The Bradley method teaches you to relax your body through the contractions and not to fight them. However, I was running out of mental and physically energy to work through each one. At this point I was almost 24hrs in, no idea where I was in labor, and couldn’t imagine still having to go “through the hard part” AND push her out. My doula came over and pressed on my back and hips during the contractions. As I shared my discouragement and verbalized I didn’t think I could do it anymore, my contractions picked up and to 3-4 min apart for an hour. It was finally time to go to the hospital.

At the Hospital

We called our families to let them know we were headed to the hospital and the baby was coming out one way or another! When we arrived on the L&D floor, I was shocked to find out I was dilated to a 7, meaning I was in the transition stage (usually when most women feel like they’re ready to give up and can’t do it anymore.) 

Realizing how close I was, I had just enough motivation to convince myself to get through one more contraction. Then one more. Then one more. I had a washcloth with lavender EO on it nearby, a birth ball and acoustic worship music playing. I went from sitting on the edge of the hospital bed leaning on my husband with my doula providing counter pressure on my low back/hips, to side lying with a peanut ball in between. 

The monitor was extremely frustrating. They had just switched to wireless monitors, which sounds nice, but in order to get the leads to stick on your belly, they used something similar to sandpaper before sticking them on. Because they kept losing my signal, the nurse had to reapply the leads AND sandpaper process …SEVEN TIMES…during one of the hardest parts of labor!

Time to Push… I think

I finally felt the need to push, but also felt completely drained and almost delirious. They had me on my back with my legs up. The whole pushing process felt so impossible and unnatural. When they told me to push, it didn’t feel like I needed to. Nothing felt right or cohesive, but I did what they told me and felt like each push got me nowhere and would give up before they told me to stop. 

After 45 minutes, my OB, knowing I did not want an episiotomy, took his finger and pulled down hard on my perineum during my contraction/pushing, leaving me with a third degree tear…. 

Ansley Rae Velz was born at 1:55am on Feb 8th

weighing 7lbs 15oz and was 21 inches long. 

natural hospital birth

Once she was out, I could barely hold her on my chest I was so weak and delirious. I was just so grateful she was out. I honestly forgot that there was a baby at the end of this. We had asked for delayed cord clamping but when they pulled her out, she pooped all over me, I was still bleeding, and the doctor was trying to sew me back up. I don’t think they waited more than a few minutes before clamping.

They asked to take the baby to clean up the poop that was everywhere. I looked at my husband desperately and said, “can you hold her.” I had read so much about the importance and impact of skin to skin bonding in those moments and wanted him to hold her since I couldn’t. It took the doctor 45 min to stitch up the almost 4th degree tear. And I finally had her back on my chest. It was finally starting to sink in that she was actually here. (Cue my tears every time I think of this moment)

natural hospital birth

Natural Hospital Birth Recovery

I managed to walk to my postpartum room shortly after- perk of having a natural hospital birth: no limit to my movement. Once the nurse left, I looked up at my husband and as I attempting to talk, I just started bawling and he started praying. It was such a powerful moment, because I was trying to tell him I wanted to pray, thanking Jesus for helping me through and giving us the most perfect little girl… but I never got the words out and he just knew. 

We and spent the next few hours, trying to breast feed and just stare at her. We couldn’t sleep. Neither did she. We were so amazed at what happened and so excited at the new life we were starting together! 

natural hospital birth

Fast Forward to Postpartum Recovery 

(Covid happened. We’re in Los Angeles California. Everything shut down.)

I was in severe vaginal pain for 10 weeks.  At first, I thought maybe it was just normal pain recovering from a severe tear. But I couldn’t sit or stand for more than 20 min…for weeks. It felt like everything was pushing out of me with sharp pain and a deep ache. I brought it up every week with my OB and he continued to tell me that it was a normal part of recovery.

At the 6 week appointment

The doctor mentioned I had developed granulomas(extra scar tissue.) He said they don’t cause any pain, but would need to be removed at some point because they can cause bleeding. He recommended going under anesthesia since I was still in pain and the procedure itself would be painful. That wasn’t an option in my mind since I was breast feeding and I opted to wait since it wasn’t crucial. 

By 7 Weeks

I got a second opinion. This OB didn’t have any answer to my severe debilitating pain either, but said he could get rid of the granulomas in the office right then with silver nitrate (same thing some pediatricians use to help umbilical cords to stop bleeding and heal faster.)  I thought it was worth a try in the small chance that was causing my pain. It was not a comfortable procedure but thankfully didn’t take more than 5-10 minutes. Unfortunately, the pain did not get better and the granulomas were still there- the treatment hadn’t worked.

At 9 Weeks

I was barely surviving mentally. The pain was unbearable, but I was given no answers or possible solutions. This was a month into the “pandemic” shut down. Breast feeding wasn’t going well because of my pelvic pain, her tongue tie issues, and all our resources had closed down because of COVD. Thankfully Blake was working from home and was helping with everything. I told him so many times I felt like I was drowning and couldn’t breath. I thought I would have this pain for the rest of my life.

At 10 weeks

I had decided to go forward with removing the granulomas with my original OB in his office, no medication other than some local lidocaine. It was excruciating. It felt like an hour but was probably only 15 minutes. I was in tears but hopeful that it would maybe help with some of my pain.

That next day, my pain was gone and never came back.

My Take Away

I share this story hoping to encourage someone out there who’s searching for answers but hasn’t found them yet or doesn’t feel strong enough to fight for themselves. 

Despite being told by multiple well educated and experienced doctors that extra scar tissue wasn’t the source of my pain, it 10000% was. I found out later from a pelvic floor physical therapist (that I had to beg my doctor for a consult) that she’s seen many cases where granulomas can cause severe pain postpartum. One or two experts can’t be your only source. This challenged me to ask more questions and not accept “we’re not sure” as an answer. My memories of this birth are awful and made me dread ever going through it again. I fell hard into postpartum depression after this. Even with the pain gone, I constantly questioned my ability to take care of my own child alone because for so long I hadn’t been able to.

Praise Jesus, he has healed me from the loss of unmet expectations going into motherhood and trauma. He has given me a new and crazy big excitement for our second precious girl! I can’t explain the joy He has given me in this season. While I’m aware every birth is so unique and we have no idea what to expect, I am so confident in His protection over me and plan for my life, even in the hardest seasons. 

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Bedside Nurse of 7+ years switching from "sick" care to "health" care. Sharing my nursing knowledge and mom research with you!

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sometimes you just got to make a ridiculous dance sometimes you just got to make a ridiculous dance video with your girls.  Savannah ‘22🤘🏼
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Some of the best advice I’ve heard to give new m Some of the best advice I’ve heard to give new moms:
You know what being sleep deprived is
You know what being tired feels like
But you have NO IDEA what loving your baby feels like and it’s gonna ROCK YOUR WORLD! 
♥️
This I was also not prepared for!
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‼️Save this one for later! Moringa powder & ‼️Save this one for later! 

Moringa powder & Brewers yeast are great if you have time to bake… and oats! 
… BUT 

Earthley’s MAMA MAGIC MILK BOOST works like magiccc!
It actually works & works fast!

It’s 6 herbs. It has anti inflammatory properties, high in vitamins & minerals, helps relieve gas & bloating ALONG with increasing supply! 

Link in bio & story for discount code & affiliate link!

That’s what I use- what has helped increase your supply? 
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🛑Ok nugget for today: ✨watch out for vegetabl 🛑Ok nugget for today:
✨watch out for vegetable & seed oils!

Ok but Why are they so bad for you? 🤷🏽‍♀️

Short answer:
One of the reasons: They cause major inflammation in the body and lead to chronic disease and THEY ARE IN ALMOST ALL PROCESSED FOOD! Mass exposure = major issues. 

Long answer:
Most are made up of high amounts of omega 6 PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs). PUFAS are not chemically stable- meaning their structure can change (like when heated to make the oil) and cause oxidation (leading to inflammation, disease & aging.)

Oils like avacado & olive are more stable and are higher in GOOD fats (monounsaturated fatty acids or MUFAs) They LOWER inflammation in the body. 

So is omega 6 bad?

No, but we should limit how much. A healthy ratio of omega 6 & omega 3 is 2:1. We eat about 20:1

So how do I avoid this? 

Read the labels! Or download @flavcity app “Bobby Approved” where you scan the label and it tells you what ingredients to avoid! 

Mamas, 
We usually have our hands full at the store so this isn’t always possible, but if you check ONE item every time you go, you can quickly build up your list of foods you avoid & good brands to shop. @flavcity also does the work for you and shares great brands! 

Share with a mom friend if this was helpful! 

#sahm #sahmlife #toddlermom #raisinghealthykids #crunchymom #healthyswaps #healthykidsnacks #feedingkids #vegetableoil #cookingforkids #foodismedicine #rootcause #lesstoxicliving #motherhood #momlife
LETS GO JAGS! 🐆 . . . . #jacksonvillejaguars #l LETS GO JAGS! 🐆
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#jacksonvillejaguars #letsgojags #letsgojaguars #jagsbaby #jaguarbaby #nflbaby #tealandblack #duval
Someone finally found the studies supporting *acci Someone finally found the studies supporting *accination! Answers to those big questions like:

Why are there no studies showing the effects of giving multiple at once? Where are the studies proving that giving multiple at once is safe? 

Are there materials from them in the brain? (since aluminum can cross the blood brain barrier and it binds well to the other ingredients)

Why are there NO studies on whether they could cause cancer or infertility? 

Evidence proving shedding doesn’t occur? 

Where are the double-blind studies with real placebos (just saline) to evaluate effectiveness ? 

Why are aborted fetal cells used in production? What are the risk?

Long term studies? (Watching for side effects past 4 months or less)

Why are the manufacturers not liable if any injury or death occur? 

Why they are mandated when there are big risks involved?

Studies proving there is no link to autism? SIDS? Allergies?

Why does every newborn need one for a disease you can only get from unprotected sex or an infected needle of someone who has it? And why does it have 14x the amount of aluminum the FDA considers to be safe?(see aluminum highlight)

See the answers in this book! 
JK… they couldn’t find the answers either.. can you? 
Do your research. Ask more questions.
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#motherhood #crunchymama #holisticnurse #nursemom #toddlermom #toddlermomlife #naturalmindedmama #sahmomlife #nontoxicliving #pregnancy #raisinghealthykids
During one of my hardest seasons in life, you show During one of my hardest seasons in life, you showed me your love and goodness through my little girl. 
When I was crying over how my struggle with depression would affect her, you were opening her eyes to the power of prayer. 
I taught her one verse, one time and she has repeated it back to me (unprompted) day after day. She has no idea how many times I’ve needed to hear it. 

All I can say is GOD IS SO SO GOOD.
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#raisinggirls #raisingprayerfulkids #raisingprayerwarriors #raisinglions #toddlerprayers #christianmom #sahmomlife #powerofprayer #prayerwarrior #postpartumdepression #ppd #healingfromdepression #toddlermomlife #crunchymamas
Because our immune system could use some help righ Because our immune system could use some help right! 

Sharing what we take when we’re sick this week starting with ZINC! 

✨When picking a supplement, the FORM matters because of how your body absorbs it and the BRAND matters because everybody is making supplements and you need to trust them to know what’s inside is actually helping your body and not hurting it! 

👉🏼Last pic has what form and brand we use! 
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#holisticnurse #holisticnutrition #foodismedicine #rootcausemedicine #toddlermom #raisinghealthykids #nursemom #crunchynurse #nursecoach #wholefoods #eatwholefoods
These last two months, I’ve been so lost in this These last two months, I’ve been so lost in this new season of raising these girls and I am LOVING it. They have opened my eyes to a whole new way of life. 

I’m excited to get back to sharing all the things I research in mom life soon. A wise mom once told me - Anything you use your time on (hobby, job, or in my case:Instagram), may take time away from your kids, and that’s ok, as long as your ok with how much time you use. 

That perspective helped me set aside time for myself, not feel like a bad mom for doing something I enjoy, and take a break from it when needed. 

I hope you have things in your life that give you energy and bring you joy. And give you the much needed break to be fully present with the littles! 

Thanks @farmfreshfamily for wise advice ☺️ 
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#sahm #sahmomlife #girlmom #crunchymama #holistichealth #naturalminded #rootcausemedicine #holisticnurse #nursemom #crunchynurse #crunchymomadvice #momadvice #holistichealing #nontoxicbaby #nontoxicliving #lowtoxicliving
One whole week of Kinley Grace! So excited to be One whole week of Kinley Grace! 

So excited to be present in these moments. 

After Ansley, I was in so much pain, I cried from morning to night. I had to be laying down to even have a coherent thought. It’s hard to enjoy those moments when you can’t function.

I can’t help but continue to praise Jesus for a totally different experience this time 🙌🏼
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#newbornphotography #newbornbaby #newbornbabygirl #1weekpostpartum #postpartum #postpartumdepression #postpartumjourney #oneweekold #bigsister #babysister #honestdiapers #cadenlane #babyknottedgown #uppababyvista #uppababybassinet #newbornlife #newbornlifestyle #newbornphotoshoot #milkmaidgoods #mommyandme #matchingrobeandswaddle
KINLEY GRACE🪴 y’all, God is so gracious. Fro KINLEY GRACE🪴

y’all, God is so gracious.
From completely taking away the darkness of depression this past year to giving me an AMAZING birth with this beautiful girl! 

Yes it’s easy to praise Him in the good, but today I’m praising Him for His faithfulness & working behind the scenes this year to bring us to this season of life with our two beautiful girls! 
SWIPE TO SEE🤍

There aren’t enough ways to thank my hubby & @chiropractiff for walking me through this journey. Birth takes a team! And mine was amazing!@firstcoastmidwifery is hands down the best! Couldn’t have asked for a better experience with such an incredible team!
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Epidural: Optional pain management during labor. A Epidural: Optional pain management during labor. Around 70-80% of women get an epidural. Know the risks going in. It can be a HUGE help when needed but it’s important to know there ARE risks to both you and baby. See pregnancy highlight for more info & links

The average C section rate in 2020 was 31.8% ! The WHO says it should be 10-15%. The cascade of interventions shows that with the first intervention and any after, you’re at higher risk of needing or receiving a C section. If your Dr has a high percentage, that could mean they like to intervene more often. Know what you’re signing up for when you pick your OB and know what YOUR options are when it comes to interventions. A doula can help advocate with you when something is an option and what the risks are. Another option: find a midwife who supports your decisions while educating you and giving you all the options! Being educated on what is and isn’t an option is so helpful going into birth! 

Shots (tdap& flu) 
See flu highlight and link in bio (page 3!)

*none of this is medical advice*
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#pregnancyannouncement #pregnantmama #nursemom #pregnantnurse #csectionrates #educateyourselfaboutbirth #laboranddelivery #naturalmama #homebirth #birthcenterbirth #knowtherisks #pregnantwithatoddler #thirdtrimester #firsttrimester #secondtrimester #bellybump #naturalpregnancy #vaginaldelivery #csectiondelivery #birthprep #birthpreparation #birthpreparationclasses #pregnantmom
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