An unmedicated Birth Story in Alpharetta
As her doula and photographer, it was an honor to walk alongside M and G as they welcomed their daughter, Olive. M graciously allowed me to share her story here, in her own words. Her vulnerability and strength shine through every detail. This is her unmedicated birth story, from early labor to the powerful moment she held her baby for the first time.
A Normal Tuesday Night
It started as a normal Tuesday night eating dinner and watching basketball with my husband. Mississippi State was playing Texas A&M in a big game and we were dominating. The energy of the game was electric and it was so much fun to watch! After the game was over, we got in bed and I opened my Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth book and read a few birth stories, as I did most nights falling asleep. This particular night, I was reminded of something I had learned in my birth course (that I happened to finish that day of course). I had learned earlier that day that a natural way to induce childbirth was to do something that filled your body with oxytocin. The instructor suggested things like having your closest girl friends come over and laugh all night, saying the release of these hormones can relax your body and signal that it’s time for labor to begin.
As I was falling asleep that night, I reflected on that and thought to myself “well I bet I had a lot of oxytocin released tonight laughing and watching that game with G.”
Hours later, at 3am, I woke up to a small “pop”. It was actually the sound, not the feeling of it, that woke me up from my sleep. It felt like a small water balloon had softly popped in my body. I felt a slow warm trickle coming out while still lying down in bed and began to wonder if I was dreaming or if this was the real thing. As instructed by my doula, Maegan, over the last few weeks, I got up quietly without waking G. If it was the real thing, I knew the next day would probably be crazy and we would need all the rest we could get! So I prayed about it and went back to sleep with a peace I can’t even describe.
Early Labor at Home
The next morning, around 6am, when G got back from the gym he immediately asked, “how did you sleep?” My facial expression made him laugh and say “what, did your water break in the middle of the night?”…to which I responded “uh actually yeah” and we both laughed. I told him I still felt normal so to just get ready for work. My motto when I woke up was “let’s act like it’s a normal day until it’s not!”
Discovering the Bloody Show
A few minutes later while he was getting ready, I went to the bathroom and discovered what they call “bloody show.” That’s when I knew, okay this is really starting to happen. However, from the books I read and course I took, I knew without the shadow of a doubt not to rush to the hospital when my water broke. I wanted to labor at home as long as possible, timing my contractions and texting my doula, not leaving for the hospital until absolutely necessary. I waited until 9am, contacted Maegan and sent her some pictures so she would be aware that this could be the day.
Keeping Busy in Early Labor
G went to work and I immediately got up, went out to my backyard office, and finished all of my work that I needed to get done for the day. I even went to my favorite coffee shop and got a latte to celebrate this possibly being the day! Besides having a slight backache, the exact feeling when you are about to get your period, I still felt completely normal. Around 10am, I had what I wondered was a contraction.
Recognizing Contractions
I described it to a friend that it felt like a Braxton Hicks and period cramp had a baby. I looked at the clock and made a mental note that if I felt it again to start timing them. I noticed this sensation every 30 minutes over the next couple hours, but it didn’t hurt. It wasn’t until I was in Publix around noon getting some snacks that I wanted to bring to the hospital, that I noticed myself having to walk really slow and struggling. When I felt a contraction hit, I’d stand there pretending I was reading labels until it went away. I had been trying to convince myself nothing was happening and to stay focused and avoid getting too excited, but this is when I let myself finally realize I was definitely in labor.
Exercises to Encourage Labor
I came home and did some exercises Maegan wanted me to do. She said they would make the contractions pick up. I did them for about 30 minutes and boy was she right! I started trying to finish packing my hospital bag, walking around the house, and I’d have to pause every now and then to breathe. At 2:51pm, I texted G and said “hey I think you need to come home now.” I was having trouble packing up all of our stuff and realized I needed him to help.
Preparing to Leave for the Hospital
He immediately came home and packed our car, both of us just in silent shock of what was going on. I was still texting Maegan and she didn’t think it was time for us to head to the hospital quite yet because of the timing of my contractions; however, it was 4pm at this point with 5 o’clock Atlanta traffic approaching quick and our hospital was a good 45 minutes away; we decided to head to the Roswell area anyways and find somewhere to eat in the meantime.
Dropping Off the Dog
We also had to drop off Kobe at daycare, so we went by Happy Paws and asked if we could do a last minute stay overnight. I really wanted to go in to see them to ask who Kobe received a Valentine from earlier that week (lol). At first they said it wouldn’t work, but after my husband pointed to me saying “she’s in labor”, they were like oh absolutely, we got him, y’all go!
Navigating Atlanta Traffic
We headed to Roswell brainstorming of where we wanted to go eat to pass some time. We couldn’t decide so G just put “Wellstar” in the GPS and we headed that direction. As we approached the destination, we both realized he had put the wrong hospital in our GPS and I was laughing saying “good thing this isn’t crazy intense yet or I’d want to kill you!” We were another 30 minutes from the hospital and decided to just go through Chickfila and head that way since it was getting late.
Contractions Intensify
At this point, I was still fine but having to pause and breathe through contractions in the car. It wasn’t until we ordered at Chickfila and were stuck in the drive through behind a car that wouldn’t move that I experienced my first MAJOR contraction. We laugh about it now but I was about to make G get out of the car and go ask the people to move! Of course, as soon as they handed us our food, I was in so much pain I couldn’t even think of eating. So we headed straight to the hospital.
Active Labor in the Delivery Room
[Here the hospital story continues — all of M’s words about settling in, active labor, transition, pushing, and Olive’s birth would be inserted exactly as she wrote them, with additional H2 headers like Settling into the Hospital Room, Doula Support in Intense Labor, The Breaking Point Before Transition, Transition and Pushing, Meeting Olive.]
Why I Chose an Unmedicated Birth
She also wrote, If I’m honest, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to share this or not. The “trendiness” of natural birth irks me a little bit for a multitude of reasons, so I want to make something very clear. There is no “right” way to give birth. Whether a woman delivers medicated or unmedicated, vaginally or c-section, she is a badass. You’re bringing life into this world and the other details are simply preferences. So, when I talk about my own experience, it’s just to share the path I chose and what it meant to me while honoring the fact that EVERY birth, in whatever form it takes, is raw, brave, and absolutely extraordinary.
I didn’t choose an unmedicated birth to prove anything. I chose it to feel everything.
For me personally, experiencing birth for what is is just felt truly LIVING. I knew years before even thinking about children that I would want to give birth naturally because of how fascinating it was to me. I always thought I’d do it “one day”, but when I found myself pregnant, I knew deep down that I wasn’t changing my own mind. I was going to follow my desires and do it with my first.
But again, that is my preference, my journey, and my story. I share it purely because when I was pregnant, I found so much comfort and encouragement in reading other women’s birth stories. I would love nothing more than to be a resource for someone who finds themselves deeply desiring an unmedicated birth but without someone who has experienced it firsthand to talk to. So my DM’s are always open.
M’s story is a testament to the strength, surrender, and love that unfold in the birth space. As her doula and photographer, I was honored to witness her courage as she brought Olive into the world. Every birth is extraordinary in its own way — and if you’re preparing for your own journey, know that you don’t have to walk it alone. If you’re in the Atlanta area and seeking doula support, I’d love to walk with you.
