Tell us about your pregnancy, labor and delivery experience. Did you face any complications or unique challenges?
Everything about this pregnancy was perfect! We didn’t have any complications or challenges. The labor and delivery experience happened extremely fast and I’m glad Jen and Stevie arrived on time. From when I had my first contraction until my daughter was born was only a little over an hour! I was planning on an unmedicated birth because this was my second pregnancy and I knew how everything happened during labor and delivery from my first born. Even if I wanted an epidural this time around, I wouldn’t have had time! Jen was there coaching me and reminding me to slow down my breathing. She helped so much in that process. Stevie was awesome at telling me where baby was and how much longer I would be in labor. I think everyone was surprised at how fast it all happened!
How was your recovery? Was it better or worse than expected? What are your best recovery tips?
My recovery went extremely well. I could walk within the hour of giving birth. I never needed extra medicine after we were discharged from the hospital. Exercise wise I could take walks and bike rides within three weeks and started running and lifting again at 6 weeks. It felt great! This recovery was so much better than when I had my son with an epidural (not sure if recovery and epidural correlate with each other though).
Did you have any funny or memorable memories with your doctor/ midwife, nurse?
When Stevie came and checked on me the first time, I was hardly having any contractions. The next time she checked on me, about 30 minutes later, things had progressed so much that we all were laughing (stress laughing probably) that Jen wouldn’t make it in time.
Is there anything you wish someone would have told you about pregnancy and delivery beforehand? What advice would you give your own daughter/sister/ friend to prepare her?
I received great advice from all the midwives about keeping my mind set on having an unmedicated birth—don’t second guess yourself and when it starts getting tough, keep going because it is so worth it. You will forget the amount of pain you were in later that day, no joke. Time is going to pass anyway, so do something that will make you proud, whatever that may be!
What would you tell someone about your provider?
Jen and Stevie are so upbeat and positive! They know their stuff and will tell you how it is. They are supportive and won’t question your concerns.
Do you have any other thoughts or details you’d like to share about your experience? How could we help improve your next experience with Valley Women’s Health?
I do wish I was able to see only one midwife during my whole pregnancy. When I was pregnant with my first child, I had one provider the whole time. I felt comfortable talking to her about everything. Having to go to a different midwife a couple of times didn’t make the experience personal, just kind of felt like another pregnant woman coming in to get checked.
Mountain Point Hospital was where we delivered our baby girl. Jen Krebs and Stevie were in the delivery room with me coaching me the entire time. They were the two midwives I mainly saw during my prenatal visits as well.
