Gentle Induction and Waterbirth with Atlanta Birth Doula

As an Atlanta Birth Doula, I get the call a few times a year. Parents leave an appointment and are told they need an induction. The first reaction is usually, “There goes my birth plan!” But not necessarily. With supportive providers and continuous monitoring, many families still have an unmedicated water birth at North Fulton Hospital after an induction becomes part of the story.

A Gentle Induction Approach

Here is the step-by-step process I’ve seen work best for families who want a gentle induction and still hope for a water birth:

1. Process it emotionally. This wasn’t the plan. Take time to talk it out, more than once. Clarify that induction is for safety and agree with your team.
2. Cervical ripening and rest. If ripening is needed, it usually happens overnight. Many parents choose a sleep aid like Benadryl (if cleared) so they can get rest. Being well-rested helps manage contractions without medication.
3. Morning reset. Eat a meal, take a shower, and prepare. Induction usually starts with a low dose of Pitocin plus a Cook’s balloon/foley bulb.
4. Movement with monitoring. Even with continuous monitoring, parents can sway, dance, or use a birth ball. Staying near the monitors doesn’t mean being stuck in bed.
5. Protect the water. Hold off on breaking the water if possible. Once 7+ cm with steady contractions, Pitocin can be turned off! After 30 minutes of reassuring monitoring, many families are cleared to get in the tub. Monitoring continues every 4 hours for 30 minutes.
6. If labor slows. If contractions fade, options include restarting Pitocin, breaking the water, or taking a pause to eat or shower. The next step is chosen together with the care team, always with baby’s well-being in mind.

This is not medical advice, but from a doula’s perspective, these steps often give families the best chance at having the water birth they’d been dreaming of.

My Birth Story

“For weeks I knew there was a possibility that I might get induced. I was very nervous of the potential to be induced, so I had been hoping Olivia would make her arrival before I would have to. However, as I was approaching 42 weeks, I knew that the idea of induction was becoming a reality. I was told I would have to be induced on 12/13/2021, which was one day before I was “officially” 42 weeks.

The night before Olivia was born, I was anxious, but I felt like I was ready and was hopeful on getting a good night’s sleep. The plan was to call the hospital in the morning around 6am and see if they had a bed available for me, so part of me knew there was a chance that the following day may not be the day she was born. I went to bed at 11:30pm and woke up at 2:30am not being able to go back to sleep. I decided to distract myself by finishing crocheting the hat I was making her in hopes it would make me sleepy again. I didn’t end up going back to sleep.

I called the hospital in the morning, and they said there would be a bed available and to come in at 9am. After waking Mark, we got ready, and I took my last bump picture before heading to the hospital.

Arriving at the Hospital

We sat in the triage room getting the preliminary tests done, including the COVID test (which came back negative, thank goodness!). We were not able to go to the birthing room until around 11:30am, but once we were back there, my mom was able to join us.

After some blood work, the nurse put in my IV, which they had to try multiple times and I was in tears. They started administering the Pitocin around 1pm, and soon after, when I had to get up and go to the bathroom, my contractions started. I got my first glimpse into what labor was going to feel like (not fun lol).

By the time I laid back down, we couldn’t hear Olivia’s heartbeat, so they stopped the Pitocin. They began to search for her heartbeat with the monitor and soon after we were able to hear her heartbeat again. While I was off the Pitocin, my contractions continued for another 30 minutes. I was hopeful they would continue without me having to go back on the Pitocin, but they stopped soon after.

During that time, my dad brought us Chick-fil-a, so I was able to eat something before labor resumed. Around 2pm they started the Pitocin back up and contractions started back up again. I was having regular contractions that started to become closer and closer together. They upped my Pitocin slowly over the next hour or so starting from a 2 and then a 4.

Labor Intensifies

I was starting to feel nauseous, so the nurse offered to administer a nausea drug to me, but Mark and I felt it wasn’t safe, so I decided to push on through. I did use some of my peppermint essential oil to help with the nausea eventually.

Thinking that labor was going to take a long time, we didn’t call my doula, Maegan, to come yet. However, soon after when my contractions were getting stronger and more regular, we felt it was a good time for her to come. And good thing we did because at some point during the induction, they turned it up to a 6.

I want to say I somewhat blacked out at this point because I was in so much pain. The contractions were coming nonstop, and I was getting no rest. I was in tears and my mom and Mark almost were too because they saw how much pain I was in.

I remember asking Mark for the epidural even though I didn’t want it because I was literally about to crawl off the table in pain. My mom went to get the nurses to turn off the machine and they took their sweet time to come turn off the machine. Mark said he almost turned off the machine himself because he saw how much pain I was in but stopped because he didn’t know if it would do any harm to me or get him in trouble.

I was so out of it at this point that what felt like 5 minutes apparently happened over a matter of 45 minutes according to Mark. Once the nurse came in and finally turned off the Pitocin, I felt my water break.

Transition to Water

The nurse went to check if the fluid was clear because if there was any meconium, then I wouldn’t be able to get in the birthing tub. Thankfully it was clear. She also checked how dilated I was. I came into the hospital at 4cm and by that point I was 8-9cm. Everything was happening so quickly.

The hospital staff went to go fill the birthing tub to get it ready for me and in the meantime, I got up and sat on the birthing ball with Mark holding me because I was feeling so nauseous. I then started to throw up and filled up about 3 or 4 barf bags (there went my Chick-fil-a – haha).

Maegan arrived at this point and I was so happy she had made it because at this point, I didn’t know how fast things were going to go.

I was finally able to get into the birthing tub, so I took off my hospital gown and was so excited to hop in. I remember the moment I stepped foot in that warm water. The amount of physical relief I felt was amazing.

Pushing

Soon after I could feel the first urges of needing to push. They weren’t intense pushes yet, but they were starting to increase in intensity. Over the next couple of hours, I labored and pushed with every surge that came.

I was learning how to hold and push while someone counted to 10 every time, which helped me hold the push longer. I could get in about 3 deep breaths and pushes with each contraction. Maegan kept telling me new positions to try to make my pushing more effective, but regardless of every position I tried, Olivia was not wanting to come out.

We then tried me on my back with my mom holding my right leg, a nurse holding my left, Mark holding me up from behind, and Maegan holding a sheet to do “tug-of-war” with to help me push even harder. I was so tired at this point and trying to push as hard as I could, but I could feel my strength weakening.

Every 15 minutes or so they would check Olivia’s heartrate because at this point, she had been in the birth canal so long. But every time, her heart rate came back great which was so good to hear.

The Final Push

Then I remember at some point the midwife told me that if I couldn’t get her out in the next couple of contractions that we may have to put me back on Pitocin, use the vacuum, or do an episiotomy. The very thought of Pitocin again, or even the vacuum being used on Olivia, gave me that extra boost of energy and motivation I needed to keep pushing as hard as I could.

I remember pushing with literally every ounce of energy and strength I had. I had my mom cheering me on each contraction and Mark calming me between each contraction. It was getting frustrating because I could feel her head come partially out and then after the contractions it would go back in. It felt like I was getting nowhere.

At one point, the nurse was having a hard time getting the doppler to read Olivia’s heartrate, so they told me to stand. And then all the sudden I see them pull the stool over for me to get out and they are helping me get out of the tub.

I remember feeling so defeated and basically in tears because I felt like I was failing, and I didn’t want to get out of the tub yet. I just remember hobbling out of the tub with the feeling of Olivia partially out of me and trying to navigate my surroundings.

Once I got out of the tub, I made a beeline for the hospital bed and immediately got on my hands and knees. The nurse put a towel on me because I was wet and I waited what seemed not very long for the next contraction. Once that next contraction hit, I pushed as hard as I could and Olivia started to finally come out.

It only took a couple of pushes and she was finally here. The midwife grabbed her and handed her up underneath my legs to me and into my arms. I remember seeing her for the first time and hearing her cry for the first time. She was so beautiful and I felt this tremendous sense of relief that she was here and healthy.

Mark and I were both crying and so happy.

Meeting Olivia

The nurse told me to turn around and sit back in the hospital bed so they could start the post-birth procedures. While I held her, they wrapped her in a blanket and put a hat on her. They put my feet in the stirrups and soon after pulled the placenta out (I barely felt a thing) and then pushed on my stomach to get the rest of the stuff out of me (that was so painful).

They then proceeded to numb me and stitch me up (I believe I had a 1st degree tear). All the while, I was shaking because I was so cold after being overheated from birth. During this time, my mom went and got Amy so she could be there when Mark cut the umbilical cord, which was such a sweet moment.

We then got to spend the next 30 minutes or so holding her and reveling at what an amazing miracle we created. It was such a beautiful time that I will never forget, and we are so happy that Olivia is finally here with us.“

Bringing a baby into the world rarely goes exactly as planned, but with the right support, even an induction can lead to a calm and empowering water birth. If you’re planning your birth and want the steady presence of a doula and photographer who can walk beside you through every twist and turn, I’d love to talk with you.

Contact me today to learn more about birth photography and doula support in Atlanta.