Erin found herself in a very common situation. She was pregnant for her second child and was not sure what to plan for childbirth.

She gave birth to her first child only two years earlier, and was still uncertain about the whole process. Although her desire had been to give birth naturally, she ended up accepting an epidural. “It wasn’t a bad experience,” she explains, “I love my son and I don’t necessarily know anything was bad about the birth. I just feel like there could have been more, that something could have been different.”

Erin began sharing her story and her feelings. “It didn’t occur to me that I wouldn’t give birth naturally. I just assumed I would unless there was a problem. I took a class and didn’t really think about it much. When labor started, I realized I wasn’t prepared for what was happening. It’s not that I’m upset with what happened,” she said, “I just want to know why I couldn’t give birth naturally.”

Erin took a few weeks to investigate several issues in her life, and her body. She explored the options she chose for her first labor and how they contributed to the experience she had. She identified two main changes she could make to have a better shot at a natural childbirth with this baby. First, she needed to take a real natural childbirth class, not the four week hospital class. Second, she needed to have someone with her who was willing to help her achieve a natural childbirth – either a midwife or a doula.

She found a private childbirth class and studied the principles of pain management, sources of pain and how to work through each stage of labor. She also practiced several comfort measures and relaxation techniques so she would be familiar with them before she needed to use them in labor. She hired a doula committed to helping her use the techniques she had learned.

Erin arrived at the hospital dilated to 5 or 6 cm, and was told by a nurse that since she used an epidural for her last child, she would need one for this child. She politely told the nurse she didn’t want one, but would tell her if she did. “It was amazing,” she shared, “The difference between knowing what to do and just expecting to give birth naturally was huge. I couldn’t believe how fast the labor went, or how it seemed easy to do what I needed to do.”

Easy? Erin gave birth naturally to an 11 pound baby boy. She continued to work so well with her body during pushing that she didn’t need any stitches. “People thought I was crazy to try,” she said, “they told me I couldn’t do it, my baby would be too big. But I did it. Natural childbirth is possible if you know how to do it.” Erin went on to give birth to her third son two years later another 11 pound baby born naturally.

“I love all my sons, and I am so thankful for the experiences I had at their births. At the time, it didn’t seem to me anything was wrong with my first childbirth. Looking back now, having tried it both ways, I would recommend women learn real natural childbirth techniques. The medications are there if you need them, but if you can work with your body the overall experience is so much better. It is possible for normal women to give birth naturally.”