A Birth Story from the 1980s

As a doula, I’d like to share one of my own birth stories. I’m a mother of three, and my babies were born in the 1980s — a time when C-sections increased more than fourfold, rising from 5.5% in 1970 to nearly a quarter of all deliveries by the late 1980s. Cesareans were often driven by the “once a cesarean, always a cesarean” rule, increased fetal monitoring, fear of malpractice, and breech positioning — which I was thankfully able to avoid. Episiotomies were common, and Lamaze training was very popular.

I grew up on a farm, where I witnessed our cattle giving birth — mostly on their own. Occasionally the vet would come to help with twins or a breech position. As a child, I also saw midwives attend home births rather than hospital births. But as I became an adult, that began to change. Birth became more medicalized and intervention-focused.

When I became pregnant, I was new to all of it and didn’t really know what to expect. I went with the flow and followed what my doctor told me the routine would be. I experienced several interventions: an epidural for pain, induction by breaking my water, Pitocin to speed up labor, and during my second birth, I was told I might need a cesarean because I had been pushing for a long time. Thankfully, I was able to deliver vaginally. After my first two births, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted more children because of how sterile and clinical the experience felt.

But it turns out another baby was in my future. This time, I prepared differently. I grabbed every piece of reading material I could find about coping with discomfort and using movement during labor. I asked more questions. Could I move around instead of staying in bed? Could I eat? Could I avoid an IV drip? While I still had to deliver on the bed with my feet in stirrups, I was able to labor in a birthing room and move around much more than before.

When labor began, I labored at home for a while. I came up with my own movements to work through the discomfort and loved being in the comfort of my own space. I ate, took a nap, and even packed the children’s sleepover bags. My husband took the kids to stay with friends. From start to finish, my labor was eight hours. We were at the hospital for a total of six hours — and that included the birth and nursing my baby.

That experience was so empowering for me. It showed me that a natural birth is possible, and it’s something I want to share with every pregnant mom and her spouse — to encourage them that they have options.

I also firmly believe there is absolutely a time and place for hospital birth. If labor takes a direction that requires medical support or if a baby is in danger, a hospital is the right place to be. There is definitely a place for hospital births. Some mothers feel more comfortable laboring and delivering in a hospital setting — and that is wonderful, too.

Every birth journey is unique. My hope is simply to empower women with knowledge, confidence, and support as they walk through theirs.