First-Time Moms CAN Give Birth Naturally

Are you a first-time mom?

Do you hope to give birth naturally?

I bet whenever you tell people you hope to have a natural birth you get something along the lines of…

“Oh, you just wait…” or
“Don’t speak too soon…” or what about
“There’s no way! You’ll be begging for that epidural…”

I am here to tell you that first-time moms CAN give birth naturally. You can have an AMAZING birth experience. You can make it through without being overcome by pain!

Now just a warning: you are about to see a lot of numbers... (I like numbers and statistics. I’m not saying I am good with them, I just like them!)

I have been a doula for exactly 1 year and in that year I have served 16 moms. Of those 16 moms, 13 were giving birth for the first time.

Out of those 13 moms, 2 had scheduled cesareans due to breech babies.

Out of the 11 moms who could give birth vaginally, guess how many of them gave birth naturally?

TEN!!!!

10 out of 11 first-time moms gave birth naturally!

90.9% birthed naturally!

(And really, I should include the one mom who is the 11th person because she labored naturally and pushed for 5 hours before getting an epidural, then pushed for another 2 hours before baby arrived! She deserves some credit, don’t you think!)

I expected to see the veteran moms give birth naturally, but I didn’t expect to see so many first time moms have such awesome natural births. (I know that sounds horrible and I absolutely hate admitting that me, a doula, didn’t think first-time moms could handle it. This opinion of mine was based a lot on my own birth experiences, though. I plan to share my birth stories soon!)

After I attended the birth of a first-time mom I thought "WOW, she must have really prepared." Then the next first-time mom had a natural birth, then the third, then the fourth, and I began to see that if a woman has a supportive birth team, and her heart is determined, she CAN have an AMAZING natural birth.

Some of these first-time moms gave birth at home, some at birth centers, although most at hospitals. They had varying backgrounds of childbirth education, ranging from nothing at all to extensive classes, reading, and medical training. All of these moms were very different from each other, but they had a few things in common, do you want to know what they were?

1. They trusted the process of natural birth.
2. They had a supportive spouse.
3. They ALL had a doula!

Is this your first baby?

Are you a little nervous about natural birth?

Can I tell you a secret?

YOU are stronger than you know!
Your body is more powerful than you can imagine!
And you CAN have an AMAZING natural birth!


***Disclaimer: Please realize that this blog is based on my personal birth statistics, not on national standards. I also realize that while we may have the best intentions, that labor comes in many variations, so experiencing a natural birth is not always in our control. I also realize that there are women who prefer medicated births, this blog is to encourage those who desire a natural birth, not to discourage the mother who desires pain medication.