Natural Birth in Baltimore - Top 3 list

So... one of the things that has been keeping me from the blog in the last 2+ years has been having a baby! For people who never plan to be involved in a birth, much less one without pain meds, you may want to whistle and look around the room right now. Here are the top three things that allowed me to say, on day two of my hospital recovery, "Why no, I didn't have any IV's!"

3. Bradley Method classes - it's 12 classes - pretty comprehensive - but you learn all kinds of strategies and have a clear sense of what the birth process will be like. You will be prepared!

2. Pregnancy Yoga - Heather Brown at Charm City Yoga was great. The breathing and focus were key.

1. A Supportive Team - my wife, my fabulous doula Laurie, midwife Kathy Slone, the student midwife who gave great backrubs, and Mercy Hospital letting us do our thing. When I was in the moment, there was not a lot of mental space for rational decisions - I had to trust my team.

Finally, I had a friend who took some of the pressure off - the point, she pointed out, is that the baby gets out. I did as much prep work as I could to get the best chances for a natural birth, and things worked out. Sometimes that's not how it goes, I know. And while there were a few things that didn't go totally according to plan, the baby got out, happy and healthy at 9lbs, 5oz. Thanks be to God!