You CAN have a natural, unmedicated, no intervention birth in the hospital! This is the type of birth I had and it was dreamy. I was scared to go to the hospital for birth because I thought they would make me take all the medicine and hook my baby up to all their machines, but no. It doesn’t have to be like that. I’m here to tell you, you can have your dream birth right in the hospital.
Many people who want a natural, unmedicated birth decide to have a home birth. Which I definitely considered. However, the midwife I met with discouraged me from a home birth because of my anatomy (small pelvis + back pain complications, yadayada). So I went the hospital birth route. With the goal of a completely natural birth in the hospital. To my surprise, it was an AMAZING experience. And I want the same for you! If you are having a hospital birth, whatever the reason, here are five things you can do to prepare for a natural birth in the hospital.
1. Birth Plan
Know exactly what you want for your birth and write it in your birth plan! Be specific. What positions do you want to labor in? Do you want them to offer you medicine? Who do you want in the room with you? When do you want them to cut the cord? I have a whole post on what to include on your birth plan here!! Give your plan to your doctor/midwife beforehand, and bring at least 5 copies with you to the hospital so you can hand it out to your nurses and hang it on the wall in your room.
(Here is a snippet of my birth plan template!)
2. Do your Research
Be prepared. Know what medicine they are going to offer you and decide before hand if you want it or not. This will help you be confident in your decision when they try to convince you otherwise in the hospital. Make sure to WRITE IT DOWN. Also have your husband/doula (if you have one) on board with what you want. They can be your advocate. Giving birth is such a vulnerable, all consuming experience. You may be easily influenced or make decisions you normally wouldn’t have while you’re in labor. So it’s important to know what you want beforehand AND to have someone advocating for you. The book Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way is an excellent resource for preparing for your natural birth!
3. Pray
My husband and I (and our families) prayed specifically for a smooth, natural birth In the hospital. We prayed the baby would “slide right out” lol. Which I definitely wouldn’t say it was that easy, but the whole labor and delivery was just so smooth. It was everything we prayed for and I wholeheartedly believe Jesus answered our prayers. You can find my full birth story here. I encourage you to pray specific prayers! Because Jesus cares about you. And all the details of your birth.
4. Say NO
You are the boss at the hospital. You can say no to anything! (Maybe a few exceptions, but ALMOST anything). No matter how much they make it seem like you have to say yes. (They are very convincing). Sometimes you have to sign papers to deny certain things, but they have pens. You can even fire your nurse! If you don’t feel like they are caring for you well or just don’t mesh with them, say “buhbye.” I want you to feel empowered and in control at the hospital – they work for you.
5. Stay Home
Labor at home as long as possible! This gives so much less opportunity for intervention. And feeling comfy and safe in your own home will help labor to progress. You can just do your thing in your living room, and when you’re ready to push, get to the hospital (just have your husband ready to catch the baby just in case haha). It’s hard to know exactly when to go in – I called my midwife three times before she finally said I should come in! In our birth class we learned “if you care about what you look like, you aren’t ready yet.” So until you forget where the mirror is, stay home!
A note: I will say, every body is different and you should definitely take into consideration YOUR body, any health issues you have, and what your doctor says. Staying home may be unwise if you have certain complications!
Final Thoughts
Whatever reason you’re giving birth in the hospital – you want to, your husband wants you to, it’s your first baby, you’re higher risk, etc., you can have the best experience. We LOVED our nurses and honestly had an amazing hospital experience. I felt like we were able to have the natural birth we wanted but all the security for the “just in case” that comes with being in a hospital. And you can too! If you follow these steps, you are setting yourself up for YOUR dream birth.
A caviot. Obviously, you can’t predict what will happen during labor/birth and things definitely don’t always go as planned!! We tried to hold our plan loosely (I was holding pretty tight lol) so if it wasn’t exactly as we hoped we would be okay. We want you and baby to be healthy and safe – that is truly the most important thing! Regardless of how your baby gets into the world, you freaking made a baby and carried him for 9 months. You are a queen. And you should be proud.
Please comment ALL your thoughts on these tips and if you have any additional tips to add! I love to hear from you!
(By clicking the links and making a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.)
