Sravanti birth story

Hi Gowri 

 I wanted to share with you that I gave birth on 21 May 2023.

 It was a beautiful natural birth with no pain medication or induction or vacuum/suction/ interventions. 

I was initially told I had no tearing at all and just some abrasions needing very small stitches, but then informed there was one very small tear. This was easily stitched with gas and air to help me and I believe a little local anaesthesia injected at the area, while my husband held our baby on his chest, minutes after I had given birth.

Overall I just had an incredible happy birth and I credit the Gentle Birth Method for it. I have been breastfeeding too and it’s going really well. I have a healthy happy and peaceful little 4 month old baby girl Siya, and I spend every day filled no busting with happiness, joy and love. 

I lost only around 300ml blood during the birth.

And my recovery was really good. I gained virtually no weight during the pregnancy, just 4-4.5kg so basically the weight of the baby herself (3kg) and placenta, amniotic fluid etc. 

I followed the postnatal steps too, the detox cubes and the belly wrap and the homeopathic pills. I have to say I struggled to find the time for the postnatal visualisation or anything more. My baby girl was all I had eyes and ears for once she entered my world. 

But back to GBM - the diet, the massages, the visualisations, the teas and oils, the amazing birth stories - all of it contributed to my amazing birth experience. 

My lovely midwives also supported my wish for a natural birth throughout, and gave me acupuncture and massage and teas and oils and their own homeopathic medicines too (and an enema!)

My pushing stage itself was something like 20 minutes, midwives commented this was incredible for a first birth.  

I needed a few pushes only because I didn’t actually push properly the first few times, I was quite tired near the end and needed some cheering on from the midwives to get going and then on my last (but actually the first real push) baby came out entirely. She was placed on my chest and I also birthed my placenta effortlessly without any pitocin and my husband cut the umbilical cord. He had been by my side the entire time supporting me as explained in your book, as he had been also through the pregnancy, with the partner massages etc. 

I gave birth 6 days after my due date and I did start Labour contractions and dilating etc around 4 days before giving birth but it was very slow and coming and going. 

On Saturday afternoon 20 May 2023 4pm I was around 3cm dilated and settled into my birthing room at the hospital. I was labouring for some hours, under the shower, on the toilet, listening to your audio, working through some hard contractions, and taking the homeopathic remedies as indicated, but dilation was slow, then finally at 2am on Sunday 21 May my water broke and then Labour progressed fast and it got pretty tough and intense for the next 6-7hours till Siya was born.

Around 5am I entered the birthing pool, and  was pushing around 8am. As Siya’s head was emerging we all felt I wasn’t able to push very well in the water, as I felt I had no traction to be able to really bear down, and my husband, midwife and 2 lovely young female doctors moved me to the bed. 

In my 2 pushes on the bed lying on my left side, I pushed Siya out completely, beautifully and painlessly, with my husband by my side, holding and supporting me. 

I am so so grateful that I was able to experience such an incredible natural birth, and shortly after it, step out of bed on my own two feet and take a shower, and the next day, get dressed and go for a walk with my husband and baby.

The gentle birth method helps prepare the body for birth and helps a mother know in her heart and mind that she can do it. The entire experience following the GBM also brought my husband closer to the whole experience in a truly bonding and beautiful way.  

I only started with the program around halfway into the pregnancy, and I couldn’t always follow the prescribed exercise requirements. Perhaps if I had my Labour would have been even shorter. 

Nonetheless for a first birth, we did great and I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

What I wanted for my birth was for it to be natural (vaginal with no induction or pain drugs), no/almost no tearing, no use of vacuum/suction and no trauma to baby or myself during the birth, and all of this worked out and how, that too for a first birth in a hospital setting. 

Thank you Gowri.