No Medication, No Tearing: How to Prepare for Natural Birth
Before becoming pregnant, I had little to no idea of what to expect during labor and delivery. I was almost sure I wanted a “natural” unmedicated birth, with as little medical intervention as possible. Throughout my pregnancy, I spent countless hours watching TikToks and scrolling through Reddit posts about women’s birth stories. Unfortunately, the majority of the social media posts I looked at were overwhelmingly negative, and I rarely heard of positive birth experiences. To make matters worse, I had moms in my personal life also telling me all the different things that went wrong for them during labor and delivery.
However, I stayed as positive as I could and did my best to put my fears aside. To my surprise, I had a very successful, positive birth story with a short labor, no tearing, pushing for 15 minutes, and I even didn’t feel the ring of fire!
I really wanted to use this space to share my positive, unmedicated childbirth experience, which was so much better than I ever imagined (minus the labor pains, eek). Every woman’s natural birth experience is unique and different, what did or didn’t happen to me, may or may not happen to you! It’s best to have a peaceful approach to labor and delivery and give your worries to God.
My Biggest Labor Fears and What Actually Happened
Fear 1: Perineal Tearing
What I Feared: Like a lot of first-time moms, I was scared of tearing during labor. Due to what I saw online on TikTok and Reddit, I truly believed I was going to have at least a first-degree tear.
What Actually Happened: To my total surprise, I didn’t tear at all! I really think it was the position (on all fours) in which I delivered my baby that helped me avoid tearing. I did receive one stitch, which my health care provider told me was a skidmark from my baby.
4 Things I Did to Avoid Tearing
- Upright labor position: I gave birth on my hands and my knees, and I believe this was the biggest factor in avoiding tears. Gravity will assist in sliding that baby right out! There are quite a few positions you can practice before labor.
- 50-100 squats daily: I found this tip on TikTok, and a mom swore by it. Throughout my whole pregnancy, I consistently did 50-100 squats a day, at least 4 times a week. Aim for 100 squats a day, 7 days a week.
- Raspberry tea: I’m not sure how much raspberry tea actually helps. However, I was very diligent about drinking so much of it during pregnancy. By the 3rd trimester, I was drinking 4-6 cups a day.
- Pregnancy chiropractor: I started going to the pregnancy chiropractor during my last trimester. Make sure your chiropractor is knowledgeable on the Webster technique, which helps correct the position of the baby and improve pelvic function.
Fear 2: A Long, Tiring Labor
What I Feared: I dreaded the thought of being in active labor for hours—or even days—without much progress. I’d heard exhausting stories of women in a long labor for 24+ hours. I couldn’t imagine going through that!
What Actually Happened: My labor was pretty intense right from the start, however it was about 7 hours long. It was painful, but it was over rather quickly, and I had my healthy baby the same day I went into labor.
My Natural Childbirth Tips for Managing Labor:
- Take childbirth classes with your labor support person: I recommend expectant parents take childbirth education classes. The instructor went over different labor positions for physical support and relaxation techniques to help mom in the labor process that really helped prepare us both.
- Hire a doula: I don’t know what I would have done without my doula! My midwife was barely around during my labor, but my doula stuck by my side the whole time. She instructed my husband on how to help manage my pain by pushing into both sides of my hips during lower back labor. It helped me so incredibly much, and I highly recommend getting a doula.
Fear 3: Experiencing the “Ring of Fire”
What I Feared: A lot of women say that the ring of fire is so painful. I was worried about how it was going to feel when the baby’s head passed through without any pain medication.
What Actually Happened: Although my labor was definitely painful, I actually didn’t feel the burning sensation at all. I remember feeling an overwhelming amount of pressure and a super strong need to push.
Fear 4: Going #2 During Labor
What I Feared: I’d read that going to the bathroom during labor is part of every birth experience. I was so embarrassed for my mom and husband to see me do it! I tried to relax and remember that if it did happen, it was completely normal and that I shouldn’t feel so embarrassed.
What Actually Happened: My worst fear was not realized! I did not go #2 during labor, and I was so grateful, lol!!
Fear 5: Weak Pelvic Floor
What I Feared: I was really worried about permanent vaginal changes after giving birth. I was prepared to go to a pelvic floor therapist after birth if I had any complications or weakness down there.
What Actually Happened: While I definitely had drastic changes after giving birth, my body recovered far more quickly than I expected. After a few months, everything felt and looked like it did before pregnancy.
Supporting Recovery After Birth
- Limit physical activity: I really regret jumping back into doing chores and moving around so quickly after birth. Just because you feel okay doesn’t mean life goes back to normal! It’s tough if you have other small children; however, try and accept as much help from your support system as you possibly can. Your organs are literally moving back into place!!
- Drink lots of water and eat nourishing foods: My husband would make me this huge chicken soup with vegetables that would last a whole week. Prioritize protein, healthy fats, and vitamins in fruits and veggies for a strong recovery.
My Top 6 Tips for an Unmedicated Natural Birth
- Stay active with regular exercise. I went to the gym 4-5 times a week as often as possible. Typically, I hopped on the treadmill and used the 12-3-30 method (the viral TikTok workout by Lauren Giraldo). Some days I lifted weights, but I really focused on staying consistent with my cardio, 10,000 steps a day and 100 squats a day. It’s really, really hard, but in the end, it is extremely worth it.
- Hire a doula. My doula was a lifesaver. She helped me and my husband prepare for labor and birth by coming over to our apartment and showing us different labor positions, and she helped me write out and edit my natural birth plan. My doula greatly calmed me during the hardest stages of labor and told my husband the best ways to help manage my labor pain. It is well worth the money to invest in a doula if you are planning on an unmedicated vaginal delivery.
- Drink raspberry leaf tea daily. I drank 4-6 cups of raspberry leaf tea every day during my third trimester. It is believed to help strengthen the uterus and prepare it for birth. I’m not sure how true that is, but I did not tear and had a short labor, so it’s better to be safe than sorry!
- Learn about different birth positions. I genuinely believe that my labor position played a huge role in why I didn’t tear. I labored and delivered on my hands and my knees, and the gravity of that position must have helped pop my baby out without tearing. There are so many different upright birth positions you can try during labor. Please check them out if you are interested in birthing without the use of medications.
- Go to a pregnancy chiropractor. I started going to the chiropractor around the third trimester. Before booking an appointment with your chiropractor, make sure that they are knowledgeable about the Webster technique. This technique helps pelvic and uterine function and will prepare your body for birth.
- Don’t be afraid to have a hospital birth. I was cautious to have my unmedicated birth in a hospital setting because I thought the medical professionals there would try and sway me to get an epidural. I actually didn’t experience that at all– the medical staff were so kind and supportive of my decision to have a natural delivery without pain management. Despite loving my hospital birth experience, I didn’t love the unexpected bills, so I will most likely be having my next baby at a birth center or having a home birth.
Read This: Every Birth is Different
You can try all of the tips above throughout your pregnancy and still end up with a completely different and unexpected birth. That’s the beauty and also pain of childbirth– some things go according to plan, and others completely don’t. It’s important to be at peace with how your birth story may not follow exactly the plan you have written on your birth plan.
I feel so incredibly blessed to have had a beautiful birth story that gave me a healthy baby. If there is anything I have learned from having other moms tell me their birth stories, it’s that every single childbirth is unique, everybody is unique, and that you can try to replicate Susie’s diet, fitness routine, and tea cocktails to have your baby slide right out, but your body may have a completely different experience! Best of luck to your pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and may God bless you! 💗
