As I mentioned earlier this month, I am planning on sharing much more about my pregnancy with Elliana and how the Lord used it to greatly test, and strengthen, my and my husband’s faith.
For today, I simply wish to share a brief synopsis of Elliana’s birth, and what I did to encourage a quicker labor and delivery experience. I hope you enjoy, and as always, if you have any questions or would like further explanation or in-depth advice, please don’t hesitate to reach out at diana.tyler86@gmail.com, or on Instagram @authordianatyler!
Elliana (her name means “God has answered”) was born in the same birth center bathtub in which I delivered my son, after 22 hours of labor (17 hours early labor, 5 hours active) back in 2019.
We named her Elliana because, after four miscarriages in fifteen months, God faithfully answered our prayers for a healthy, happy, heavenly rainbow baby.
I credit intentional, in-control breathing throughout labor, as well as daily exercise which included an inordinate amount of squats, lunges, deadlifts, and wall sits, for helping my labor, from start to finish, last just two hours and 35 minutes.
From week one of my pregnancy until week 36, I trained my lower body every other day and fit in as many walks as I could with my son, husband, and two giant schnauzers. Once I reached 36 weeks, I threw at least 150 reps of some kind of leg exercise into whatever upper body routine I was performing. Split squats, reverse lunges, lateral lunges, step-ups, stiff-legged deadlifts, sumo squats… You name it, I probably did it! Keeping the weights light, I focused on deep breathing throughout each movement, as well as moving to a relatively slow tempo, concentrating on balance, muscle control, and technique that was as close to perfect as I could get it.
Just after midnight on the day I hit 41 weeks, the first contraction, strong and unmistakable, began. I busted out my tracking app and was shocked by how quickly things were progressing. Within an hour, the contractions had increased from nine minutes apart, 30-60 seconds in duration, to one minute apart, 60-90 seconds in duration. I called my midwife and told her I knew this rainbow baby was coming much more quickly than my first had!
After pulling on my pajama pants, twisting my hair into a bun, pushing my feet into my Crocs, and commanding my husband to ensure my snacks and electrolytes were packed, I walked to the guest room where my mom was sleeping, knocked on the door, went to my knees with a contraction that I deeply ooed and aahed through, then told her I was in labor (duh!), and that we’d see her and my son soon. My husband and I then rushed into the car, wherein my contractions continued to increase and intensify until we arrived at Birth Center Stone Oak 25 minutes later.
Upon arriving, Erika, my amazing midwife, checked my blood pressure and baby’s heart rate, then checked my cervix.
“Are you feeling pushy?” she said calmly.
I looked at her curiously, then realized that, to her, “pushy” meant “ready to push the baby out.”
“Not yet,” I replied. “Why?”
“You’re nine centimeters.”
I proceeded to turn over onto hands and knees on the bed and ooh and aah through another contraction. Erika ran a tub full of warm water and helped me into it at 2:42 a.m.
At 2:52, I began to push, and at 2:53, Elliana was in my arms.
It was incredible. The speed. The intensity. The sense of confidence and excitement I felt coursing through my bloodstream. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget, nor ever be able to put into words. It’s a rush of utterly ineffable sensations I wish every woman could experience, and that I absolutely believe most women can experience.
As I gazed down at my daughter, I thought, “It’s all paid off. The workouts. The walks. The nutrition. The prayers and meditations. All that ridiculous-sounding, yet oh so effective oohing and aahing.”
Labor, though never easy, as its name implies, really can be enjoyable. It can be magnificent! With proper training – as one trains for any athletic event – and plenty of encouragement, natural, unmedicated childbirth is an experience to be eagerly anticipated, not anxiously dreaded. It’s to be triumphant, not traumatic. Ecstatic, not scary.
A few of my favorite Instagram accounts that helped me prep for labor:
@serenitylifedoula
@builttobirth
@painfreebirth