My UNMEDICATED Hospital Birth at 42 WEEKS | Ep 25: Anna's Birth Story

Anna G Hurst: The poor woman at the front desk just leaped out of her seat when she saw me come in like full on labor, like having to squat and make noises through these contractions. And the security guard is like panicked and like doesn't know what to do. And my husband's like, Guys, she's fine. She is okay. She's just in labor. I actually busted out laughing between contractions and was like, guys, I'm fine. Like we're just having a baby.

Bridget: Welcome back to the Built to Birth Podcast. I'm Bridget Tyler and today we get the honor of sitting down with Anna and hearing all about her hands-off hospital birth. I know that so many women desire a home birth-like hospital birth. So if that's you, you are in the right place for an empowering and encouraging birth story. Education was a huge part of Anna's birth journey. So if you want to walk into your birth being informed and feeling confident, check out the Built to Birth course or just start by taking the free mini birth class at builttobirth.com. guys are going to love Anna's birth story, so let's jump in. Anna, welcome to the Built to Birth podcast. I'm so excited to have you on and for you to share. About both of your birth stories. We're really going to be focusing on your second one because you really had an amazing, pretty hands-off hospital birth. And I think that's what a lot of moms want to pursue in this space. But before we can get to that point in your story, why don't you take us to the beginning of your first pregnancy and just kind of what your beliefs were about birth, about pregnancy, and what you were initially planning for your first birth.

Anna G Hurst: Yeah. Well, first, thank you for having me. This has been a huge dream of mine since I gave birth to my first. It's just taken me two years to actually submit anything to you. So thank you. okay, so first pregnancy. We got pregnant in 2023 and it was after we had had a miscarriage with our first pregnancy, and so this was gonna be our rainbow baby. views on Pregnancy and birth, I just kind of thought it happened in the hospital. I thought that's kind of what everyone does. the crunchy weird people have home births and like, you

Bridget: Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: know, you can go with an epidural, you can not at the hospital, but it's just like the hospital is where you give birth. Some backstory, my mom was a labor and delivery nurse for a long time, and she just recently switched to NICU. And so I heard a lot of kind of the like scariest emergency situations from her. And so that kind of shaped some of my perspective on why I believe that birth should be in a hospital. when I got pregnant, I was kind of going back and forth about the epidural. I was like, if I'm really in pain, then I guess I'll get it, which is so funny looking back because I'm like, it was a lot of pain, but I did not have second thoughts. We'll get there. So yeah, I just kind of got on Google and searched like how to have a natural birth because I wanted to go without an epidural. My mom did it six times in hospital and never had any sort of like Pitocin or anything. So I was like, hey, if my mom can do it, I can do it. So that's when your birth course was one of the ones that popped up and I was like, Great, we'll go with that one. Like I didn't really do in-depth research about which one to take. I just kind of took one that I mean, honestly, you looked nice. So I was like, I'll go with that one. So

Bridget: Ha ha

Anna G Hurst: yeah, that was kind of what got me started into looking into natural birth and how to have an unmedicated birth.

Bridget: And was your husband on board right away? Like as soon as you started shifting and kind of wanting to pursue this more natural, holistic physiologic path, was he like immediately on board or what was kind of his journey?

Anna G Hurst: he was hesitant at first only because with my miscarriage, it was like extremely painful. Like we were six weeks and three days. We had just had our first ultrasound that day and that evening, like I started cramping really bad and like completely doubled over in pain and bleeding a whole lot. And like we kind of knew what was going on. and that was a really long emergency room. sit and that was a whole thing. And so after seeing me go through that, he was very much in the mindset of like, I don't want to see you like that again. Like I can't see you in pain like that again. and so it took a little bit of time and a little bit of like us going through the birth course together and him learning about the female body and how our anatomy is literally designed to do this. And even like with the miscarriage, I remember my husband saying like Wow, like your body did exactly what it was supposed to do when you

Bridget: Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: know that baby's heart stopped. Like it did exactly what it needed to do without any intervention.

Bridget: Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: And I was like, Yeah, like it's devastating, but it's also encouraging to know that like my body was working with me to do what it had to do. And so it definitely took time for him to get on board. But once he went through the birth course with me, probably through a couple of those videos of like how our bodies are designed and the endorphins and the hormones. He's like, Whoa, this is really cool. Like basically why would anyone get an epidural? Obviously it was a joke because he knows why, but he

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: was like, that's totally something that I'm on board with.

Bridget: so cool. And I think that is such a big part of preparing for labor is just like understanding the design. Because once you understand, yeah, how the hormones are working together with your oxytocin, with the endorphins, creating this cocktail for your body to just really like have an out-of-body experience when you're birthing, it's just like so crazy. when moms start learning that, it's like, it triggers maybe my body does know what it's doing. Maybe I should trust this process. Maybe I should lean into the design of how my body is made to give birth and give birth well. and I think every parent has to reach that point before they have an unmedicated birth where they are tapping into that information. So I love that that

Anna G Hurst: Yeah, totally.

Bridget: was a journey that he had to go on and that you were able to go on that journey together through the course. I think that's really special. But let's fast forward then to your first birth. And without getting into all the nitty-gritty details, you know, you had prepared for this natural birth. Was it the experience that you had planned for? What were some of the great things that came out of it? What were some of the hard things that came out of it?

Anna G Hurst: So I think everything that I expected it to be and planned for it to be, it was. I had predroma labor for a few days before hitting active labor. And like even that, I was just so thrilled to be feeling something. even though it's like mild little, like kind of period cramp things. I was like, my body's doing something. so that

Bridget: ha ha.

Anna G Hurst: was really cool. I think. what I hear over and over again is like the drive to the hospital is the hardest part, and it absolutely was. I sore up and down that I wouldn't do it again. But we did. at the time we were living, we are living like an hour away from the hospital. So it's quite a long haul. around like 6 a.m. on June 17th. So my due date was the 14th. So this is a couple days off a few days after. Like 6 a.m. I woke up and was having like pretty intense contractions to the point of where like I knelt down next to my bed and like had my arms up on my bed and like woke my husband up and I was like, Can you please time these? Like these feel much more intense. Like I have to be moving through them. And then he timed them and they kind of fizzled out. So we were like, okay, whatever. We got up and my husband had the day off work. So we were just piddling around. We had moved in two weeks prior into a house. So we had quite a bit to do. and then probably around like 10 o'clock, they started getting pretty consistent in duration and like time apart. just kept moving through them, ate lunch. reached out to our doula, I believe around 3 30. And I was like, I feel like I need to go in, but I'm worried that I'm just like a first time mom and I don't really feel like it's time. And she's like, Well, your pattern looks like you should go in because you're an hour away, but also like you're a first-time mom, so you may not be super dilated yet. So, like, either way. Well, my husband was the smart one and was like, listen, we're gonna hit rush hour traffic if we leave any later. And so he got everything ready into the car and we were like, Hey, we're just gonna go. Well, of course, my contractions like completely stopped because of all the adrenaline. And I was like, It's okay. Bridget talked about this in the birth course. I know what to do.

Bridget: Ha ha.

Anna G Hurst: And so, like we did a couple forward-leaning inversions. I think I did two or three, got up and it was like, bam, they were like, Back to back the contractions were. And I was like, awesome, let's go. So,

Bridget: Wow.

Anna G Hurst: throughout the entire birth, there were points that I was like, no, we learned about this. I know what this is, like I know the next step to take. And that alone feels so empowering. Like even my husband was like, remember, we learned this, like, this is a good thing, whatever it was.

Bridget: Hmm. Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: and so there were highlights throughout the birth that were like. really empowering, especially being in a hospital setting. So we get to the hospital around five. I didn't know this, but they didn't have any rooms available. They didn't have any triage rooms available. I was just standing at the triage desk in full blown labor. And my doula and husband were not about to tell me that they didn't have rooms available because they were like, we don't want to make her panic. and then I think it was like half an hour, 45 minutes later, they finally got me into a triage room. And yeah,

Bridget: my gosh.

Anna G Hurst: it was it was rough. I was like after it all, I said, well, I would have just given birth there in the waiting area. Like, what are they gonna do? Send me home? Like, right.

Bridget: It's been done before. Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: So yeah, got into triage around six. I asked to be checked just because I wanted to know more so like station, like where a baby was at. and she was negative two station, but I was a hundred percent effaced and I was five centimeters. And I was like, okay, we're

Bridget: Wow. my gosh, amazing.

Anna G Hurst: halfway there. Like I can do this another eight hours or however long it had been. I guess 10 at that point.

Bridget: Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: and then we were in triage for about another hour in the triage room and honestly time did not like I didn't even look at the clock. I didn't Ask what time it was. I was like, because I know if I ask the time, like it's gonna mess with my head. And so my doula tracked everything, all the time stamps and everything. but I believe around eight o'clock we got into our room. and I used the peanut ball. I sat on the toilet, I did a lot of like squatting, holding on to my husband's arms, kind of like swaying. I did the shower for probably half an hour and that felt really good. when I got out, I got on all fours on the bed and started to kind of feel like nauseous. and I didn't like throw up, but I was definitely like dry heaving. I don't think I had enough in my stomach to throw up.

Bridget: Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: but between like dry heaving, I was like, it's okay, everybody. And then I would dry heave and I was like, this is transition, and then like dry heave again. And my doula's like, yes, girl. So like even

Bridget: my gosh.

Anna G Hurst: that, like what's usually the most miserable, painful part of labor was like exciting for me because I was like, we're almost

Bridget: Hm.

Anna G Hurst: there. We're so close. and then a couple hours more. I asked to be checked, at 11 o'clock. So 11 p.m. And I was on nine and a half. this whole time like the nurses and midwife were like kind of in and out of the room, but like didn't really talk to us, didn't bother us at all. They were like, let us know if you need anything. So I asked to be checked. I was a nine and a half and I was like, okay, get me on the toilet. Like I'm going back to the toilet. Cause I knew that would just like get that last bit of cervix out of the way. And then thank you. Even though it's like

Bridget: Wow, good for you. Did you did you like laboring on the toilet or was that uncomfortable for you?

Anna G Hurst: felt like it was the worst. I felt like the toilet was so tall. I couldn't like put my feet

Bridget: Hm.

Anna G Hurst: flat on the ground. I almost need to like bring my squatty putty, you know, like have something to put

Bridget: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: my feet on. Cause I use that at home and it worked great. so

Bridget: Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: I didn't feel like I was grounded, but I knew that

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: it would kind of take care of that last bit of cervix.

Bridget: And that's why I say good job, because I feel like a lot of times moms hate going into the positions that are actually going to create change in their cervix or their baby's position or their labor pattern. And it's always like, I know it's gonna be hard, especially those first like couple contractions that you have, but once you move on beyond that point, then your body could actually like release and change. And so that's why I say good job, because most women, because it's such a productive labor position, if you will, being on the toilet, it can be uncomfortable. And some moms like it, but I've you know, from personal experience, I feel like most moms are like a little bit worried about laboring on the toilet, but it helps so much for labor progress.

Anna G Hurst: It really does. It really does. yeah. And then one of so we had two nurses and one of them was newer. I was like one of her first labor and delivery patients. And she said, Okay,

Bridget: Wow.

Anna G Hurst: I know you're a nine and a half. Whatever you do, please don't push on the toilet because I can't like I don't want to do that. And I'll be honest, I just kind of ignored what she was saying.

Bridget: Ha ha

Anna G Hurst: And the midwife poked

Bridget: ha

Anna G Hurst: her head in and said, Anna, you can push wherever you want to push. If you want to push on the toilet, I will catch your baby on the if you want to push like in the shower, I don't care. Like wherever your body is telling you to, do it. And I was like, Yeah.

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: that was awesome. And

Bridget: Yeah, that is amazing.

Anna G Hurst: I felt a little bit of pressure. And so of course I pushed because I was like, let's see what happens, you know?

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: and my water just broke like the movies, like just a huge gush. And my husband was standing in front of me. My doula was in the doorway and his my husband's eyes were like golf balls. He like looked up at my doula and he was like, Did the baby fall in the toilet? Like, what's going on? And my doula's like, it's just her waters. Like, it's okay. That's awesome. Like it's progress. Everything's okay. And like we all kind of chuckled about it because

Bridget: Ha ha ha.

Anna G Hurst: he was terrified. I like looked up at him for like,

Bridget: Ha ha.

Anna G Hurst: my gosh, that just happened. And then of course the nurse was panicked and got like pillows and put them on the floor in front of me and was like, We need to get you back to the bed. And again, the midwife was like, Do whatever you want. Like I'm just here to catch your baby wherever you want to push. So

Bridget: Hmm. And what a great learning experience for that nurse who, like you were her, you know, probably one of her first L and D patients, that she's getting this whole new experience where she feels she's out of her depth, but I'm sure she walked away from your birth feeling like, wow, that was such an incredible birth to be a part of. And I learned so much from that. So that's amazing that you were able to give that experience to her as well.

Anna G Hurst: Yeah, yeah, it was pretty awesome. And I felt like a rock star. And afterwards

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: she came to me after everything and was like, that was crazy. Like well done. which kind of felt like a pat on the back, you know, especially in a hospital setting where the norm

Bridget: yeah. Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: is like medication. And then I got back to the bed. I've put on my birth plan that I wanted to push on all fours because I really didn't know like what I wanted to do. Now looking back, I wish that I had used more of an upright position because had like put the bed, the back of the bed up where I could hold onto the back and kind of be at an incline, but I felt like I couldn't get my legs wide enough, if that makes sense. Like I was gonna fall off the bed. And so I almost wish I had been in like, a squatting or a standing position to feel a little bit more grounded.

Bridget: Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: I pushed for 18 minutes. and was definitely holding back because I was terrified of tearing. and the midwife was really like my motivator. She was like, I know you want this baby out. Like you gotta give me better pushes. Like you gotta push for at least 10 seconds. And I had originally put on my birth plan, like I don't want anybody counting like the seconds. I don't want them like telling me how to push. But I was like, like nodding my head like in affirmation, like please, I need more like coaching. And so she did coach me a little bit as far as like, I need you to bear down. Like don't give

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: half, don't give 50%. Like if you're gonna do it, you got to give a hundred. And so

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: I did. And I had a second degree tear, which like I attribute part of that, like sure being a first time mom, but I also think if I had utilized gravity a little bit more, I wouldn't have had as bad of a tear. it still was like a couple of weeks postpartum and I was already feeling pretty good. So our bodies are cool that way. so yeah, and then we did our golden hours. I say hours plural because they did not come interrupt us. We actually

Bridget: Hm.

Anna G Hurst: told them when we were ready. my husband cut the cord after I don't know. We were having our first nursing session, so probably 45 minutes. and Medula got some pictures and a video at the very end, and my midwife passed baby through my legs and I brought her up to my chest and like

Bridget: Wow.

Anna G Hurst: the screen pans to my face. And I'm just like, like I've seen a ghost, like just completely wide-eyed. And I said,

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: my gosh. I have a baby. Like it was just completely surreal. Like you know you're doing all

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: the work to have your baby. But I feel like, especially because she was my first, it was just like,

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: like this is so real. And I was so focused

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: on the work the whole time through that I kind of forgot that, like, okay, this is the reward. And

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: it was incredible. It was awesome. It was empowering. every nurse that came in there was like, So you're a first time mom and I was like, Yeah. And they were like, And you did it without the epidural. And I was like, yeah. Yeah, I did. So it was

Bridget: So cool.

Anna G Hurst: it was really cool.

Bridget: That is so amazing. Was there a moment during your labor that you're like, I don't know if I can keep doing this unmedicated? Or were you just like cruising the whole time like, no, I've got this?

Anna G Hurst: there were points that I thought to myself, I understand why women get the epidural. Like I truly do,

Bridget: Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: especially if you go in without the knowledge of how birth, like physiological birth plays out and the effects that like every little thing can have on birth, like every person that walks in the room, the temperature of the room, the smells in the room, like the environment itself. and so there was A distinct time I remember I was laboring on the toilet and I looked over to my right and there was obviously like a huge mirror and I see my like hair frazzled and I'm sweating and I'm beat red and I'm like, I don't know that I can do this and

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: started saying that out loud because I like I'm the kind of person that just needs to get it out so people can like affirm me and reassure me They were like, no, Anna, like you already are doing this. Like you are like eight centimeters, nine centimeters, however far along I was. And they were like, you are so close. Like you're already doing this. and so there were definitely moments that I was like, I understand why people get at the epidural, but for the most part, it was like, no, I've already committed to this, and I'm very stubborn and hard-headed when it comes to. the decisions that I make unless you can give me a really, really good reason to change my mind. so yeah. And of course, my husband Larry was right there and he was encouraging the whole time. So

Bridget: Hmm, so sweet. Well, that's an amazing first birth experience. And I wanna fast forward then to your second pregnancy and labor and birth. When you got pregnant with your second, were you like, heck yeah, we're gonna do unmedicated? Did things change? what was kind of your mindset going into your second pregnancy?

Anna G Hurst: I think after my first, and we got pregnant when she was nine months old. And during that time especially, I did a lot more reading on like physiological birth and when birth like I say belonged to, but like when midwives were the ones and like doctors didn't really exist. And so I think after all of that, and after having an unmedicated birth myself, it was like there's not really another option for me. Like this is just what I do. so yeah, and I was I was pumped. I was so excited. I was like, I get to feel all of that all over again. Like

Bridget: Wow.

Anna G Hurst: what what a privilege.

Bridget: Wow, love that you said that and how cool it is for moms who are maybe first time moms preparing for their own labor right now, listening to your story, who are scared of experiencing all of the sensations and emotions and the ups and downs of labor that you are, you know, on the other side of it. Like, I cannot wait to experience that again. Like that is so cool. And It's not just that you're experiencing only the good things. Like it's not like you had an easy, breezy labor that like, you know, it wasn't challenging, it wasn't painful. It was. And yet here you

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: are ready for your second birth, so excited to experience that again. think that's so amazing, so encouraging. okay, now walk us through your second pregnancy. And did you prepare any differently than you did for your first birth.

Anna G Hurst: got pregnant and I immediately knew that I so there was a lot of fear during my first birth, just fear of the pain, even though I knew it was like good pain and pain with a purpose. I was just the whole time, it's like I'd never done it before. I had never seen an unmedicated birth before. and so there was a lot of fear there. And so this time around, I was like, I want to clear that out of the way. And I need something stronger to be able to hold on to and a higher power, if you will. I had worship on probably every day, if not most days of pregnancy, just playing throughout the house. I spent almost every single day in the Psalms and Proverbs just like immersing myself in encouragement and in truths and a lot of prayer, a lot of prayer, especially going through first trimester with a toddler. that was really tough.

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: I think every time that I felt a little unnerved or even when I felt excited, it was just like, thank you, Lord, for this opportunity or thank you for my body's ability to carry this pregnancy. And so there was a lot of praise, a lot of thanks, a lot of prayer throughout like

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: my preparation for birth. I went through the birth course again, just kind of like skimmed through the videos I felt like I needed a refresh on. And my husband as well. We went through specifically like the counter pressure one, because he tried that the first birth and it was horrible. He he was not pushing hard enough. And so I was just like, okay, get your hands off.

Bridget: You're like, not for me. Okay.

Anna G Hurst: But this time around, because I was like, I don't want to have a doula. I didn't feel like it was necessary this time around because of how birth like brought me and my husband closer together. Like after my first birth, it was like he was like, you know, whoa. And so I felt like

Bridget: Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: our relationship was stronger and I just wanted it to be him and and so we did kind of a refresh on the counterpressure and just the process of birth and baby station and what positions to do for each station. I I wouldn't say like anything was vastly different other than giving a lot of my fear and worry and anxiety to the Lord and being like, I can't do this without you. And I would say worship was the foundation that we laid, which like carried us through. Even the postpartum struggles.

Bridget: Yeah, it seems like your first pregnancy preparation for birth was more like, I need to wrap my mind all around this. I need to understand. I need to learn. I need someone to like instruct me. And while a little bit of that was, you know, your second pregnancy as well, it seemed a lot more of your preparation was a spiritual soul preparation where where you were

Anna G Hurst: Yeah.

Bridget: having to let go of Things that you couldn't necessarily control, but it was like, I'm not gonna let these fears weigh me down. Is that true? Would you say that that's correct? Okay. Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: Yep. Yep. A hundred percent. Yeah. Yeah. That was it.

Bridget: And so you have this kind of preparation during your pregnancy, this spiritual preparation. You know, you're referring back to some of the information that you wanted a refresher on. How did this help you as labor played out?

Anna G Hurst: I really wanted a home birth for our second. my husband wasn't completely sold on it. around like 36 weeks, I interviewed a home birth midwife and we kind of went back and forth, me and my husband, and we ultimately decided on another hospital birth because that is where we both felt the most confident. and

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: our midwives are just an incredible team of women and we love them so much. And I was like, I wish I could just take them and have a home birth with them. Like if they could just come to my house.

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: so we chose the hospital again for that reason. so I went to 42 weeks and one day on paper, but based on conception it was 42 weeks. So it was like right there, like, you know, one one day is kind of negotiable.

Bridget: But still, I mean, that's like pushing the limit

Anna G Hurst: Yeah.

Bridget: of like what most providers are comfortable with. Were you ever pressured to like start thinking about induction or was it fine?

Anna G Hurst: No, I just kept telling myself and telling my husband, like, baby just needs more time. That's all. Like our first came at 41 and three. We were at 41 and five or six. And we had done two NSTs, non-stress tests at this point, and baby was looking, you know, beautiful and handling everything perfectly, and my blood pressure was stable. And so everything was going smoothly and perfect. And I was like, there is no indicator that anything's wrong and so let's just keep going. And

Bridget: That's great.

Anna G Hurst: the funny part is I went in at my 42 week appointment and I heard my midwife and the nurse. So my midwife had come in and said, hey, what do you want to do? And I said, let's just wait. And she said, Great. I'll see you next week. And I heard

Bridget: Wow.

Anna G Hurst: the nurse and the midwife and the nurse was like, wait. You're not inducing her? Like she's 42 weeks. And the midwife was like, No, she trusts her body. I'm gonna let her do whatever she wants to do. And I was like, Thank you so much.

Bridget: Wow, that is so incredible to have a midwife on your side like that and advocating for you. That is so incredible.

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm. Yeah, it was awesome.

Bridget: so you're forty two weeks pregnant. What happened?

Anna G Hurst: at this point I had had three weeks of predominal labor. And

Bridget: wow.

Anna G Hurst: among those three weeks I had had evenings that I said, this is it. Like this is active labor. I'm gonna have a baby tonight. to the point of where we actually sent my daughter off to my in-laws for the evening because I was like, what's gonna happen tonight? And my contractions would come in the afternoon and then they'd fizzle out around midnight. I could kind of sleep through them. 42 weeks came and it was actually Valentine's Day. And I woke up that morning and I was like just feeling a little extra like sluggish. I was like, it's the end of pregnancy. I'm gonna feel like I just wanna be home. but I got my daughter up. We went and had a special like Valentine's Day breakfast with my in-laws. and at this point I had been doing evening primers oil for like a week. So I said I wasn't gonna start it until 41 weeks. At 41 weeks, I started doing that vaginally. And then

Bridget: Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: at 42 weeks I was like, all right, let's try some castor oil. Let's see if that does anything. And I was only gonna do one dose because I was like, if it does something, great. If it doesn't, my body's not ready. we have talked through it with my midwife and she's like, yeah, great. Like I'm all for it. You know, I've had I've seen moms with great success rates. So I was like, okay, cool.

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: So after breakfast, I went home and around 12 30, I like made a smoothie and had the castor oil in the smoothie.

Bridget: How much castor oil did you put in?

Anna G Hurst: I did an ounce. I'll tell

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: you what though, you try to look it up and everything's like, Don't take it, don't take it, don't take it. And I was like, okay, I just need somebody who tells me like how much to take. Like, I'm going to take it.

Bridget: I know. I know. Yeah. I just want the recipe, yeah.

Anna G Hurst: Yes, please. So I actually ended up looking up like Midwives Brew and that had like

Bridget: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: like, do not take this, but here's the recipe. so I was like, great, that's what I need. Yep.

Bridget: Yes. Yep. Midwives Bruce. That's the way to go.

Anna G Hurst: So I did that around 12:30, lay down with my daughter for a nap. And then like 1:30, I woke up and I was like, man, I can't sleep through these contractions. Maybe that means something. Maybe it doesn't. Like I've had predominant labor for three weeks now. and then at 2:30, I had to like really move through them. And I was like, okay. I called my husband and I said,

Bridget: Did the castor oil create any nausea, like vomiting or like diarrhea for you?

Anna G Hurst: did create a little bit of like wouldn't call it diarrhea. It was just like smoother poop, I guess.

Bridget: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: and so like I went and sat on the toilet and then came back to the living room and was on hands and knees and like using my yoga ball and I was like, okay, like I should probably no no no nausea and

Bridget: Like nausea or anything. Okay. I know moms are gonna be like, tell me more about this.

Anna G Hurst: Yeah, yeah, for real. It was literally and like throughout my labor, it was just like I had to go to the bathroom to like poop a couple

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: of times. But honestly, I was grateful for it because then pushing, I like poop the tiniest, tiniest bit. And I

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: know moms are very much like, I don't wanna poop during labor. But like

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: if you do, you're pushing the right way. And if you don't, like it's fine. it's fine either way.

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: so yeah, I kinda joke that it like cleaned me out before.

Bridget: Yeah, it does.

Anna G Hurst: Pushing. So it all worked out for us. so yeah, and then so that was 1:30. And then by 2:30, I called my husband and I said, Hey, like, you know, I took castor oil, I'm having consistent contractions. Like, just don't dilly dally on your way home from work. And he's like, Great, I'll pack up now and head home. And I was like, Okay.

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: Which I'm grateful for because by 3 30, I was like, you need to call your mom and have her come pick up Eliza. Like, we are gonna get going real soon.

Bridget: Hm.

Anna G Hurst: and so 345, my mother-in-law came and picked up my daughter. then the adrenaline hit and my contractions fizzled out. And I was like, Lord

Bridget: Were you like, my goodness, this is another bout of predromol? And like this isn't like, did you panic?

Anna G Hurst: Yes. Yeah. And it wasn't so much panic as it as much as it was like frustration and just like, come on, like what is going on? And it's battling those thoughts of like what my husband and I have said since our miscarriage, which was my body has always done what it needs to do to take care of me and to take care of baby every single time. And

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: so why would it fail now? And the other part to that is like God had Brought us this far. He's not gonna leave us now. And so my first thing was just prayer. And I was like, I just need peace. Cause if today is not the day, like I just need to feel some peace about that and be okay with moving forward in pregnancy. So Larry, my husband made me lunch and or I guess early dinner at this point. And we sat down on the couch and started watching just a television show. also, no, nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

Bridget: And no contractions right now. Or they spaced out. Nothing. Wow. Okay.

Anna G Hurst: Yeah. It would not even like a twinge. So we have a whole bunch of chickens and my husband was like, I'm just gonna go take care of them for the night now so that we don't have to worry about it when we go to the hospital. And I was like, Well, we're not having a baby tonight because obviously my contractions have stopped. So I went in, sat on the toilet and again had some like pretty loose stool and then a contraction hit me and I was like, my goodness, okay. I was like, Are these gonna stay? So went back to the living room, was kind of like I had my head and my arms like draped over my yoga ball and was just kind of swaying and then another contraction hit. And then like a minute later another one hit. And I was like, I looked up at the clock and timed one of them and it was a minute long. And I was like, okay. And then they got stronger. And I was like kind of humming through them, not quite like groaning and moaning through them, but kind of like humming. singing a song, whatever. And my husband came inside and looked at me and he said, All right, we're gonna go. And I was like, I don't know. Like, I don't want to go and just be kicked out and sent home. And, you know, like I don't want to have to find a hotel nearby because we live an hour away. Like I just I don't know. and for context, at my 42 week appointment, which was the day before, I was five centimeters dilated, 50% effaced and a negative two station. And I had had a membrane sweep done and a chiropractor appointment and had no contractions. So I was like, We have done everything. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like,

Bridget: Okay. Yeah. But still you're sitting at halfway dilated. So I mean it's not gonna take too long for that cervix to just open up five more.

Anna G Hurst: Right. But it felt like forever because it had been three weeks of like

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: on and off. But honestly, like predrama labor is

Bridget: But clearly your body was working for you during those three weeks. So

Anna G Hurst: It was. Yeah. It absolutely was. And I was so grateful for it because like you're telling me I got to a five without even having to like, get huffy and puffy with these contractions. Yeah. So

Bridget: Yeah, being like labor labor. Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: I'm like, hey, we're halfway there. but I had had so much padroma labor that I was just writing it off as pedoma labor again. And my husband was like, please, like, we just need to go and get in the car. And I was like, okay, fine.

Bridget: I love that your husband has so much intuition in this moment that he's like overriding yours and he's like, no, no, like trust me.

Anna G Hurst: Yes. And honestly, like he has always been that way. Like we've, I mean,

Bridget: Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: we've only been together three years, but he just he knows me better than anybody else. And that's really why I was okay with going because I was like, okay, I trust you. So let's go. So we get in the car and of course we hit rush hour traffic because it's like five, five thirty. And he was like apologizing on the way there. And I was like, listen, you can't control it. So just be quiet and turn my music up. and I was like

Bridget: Is this car ride as bad as the your first birth when you were heading to the hospital then?

Anna G Hurst: No, because I could cope better. I was at

Bridget: Okay.

Anna G Hurst: the same place that I was in my first birth. You know, I was five centimeters,

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: but I was coping so much better than I did with my first. I was making

Bridget: What were you doing in the car?

Anna G Hurst: I was kind of in I was in the back row of seats and I had my arms up over the headrest and like would put my head down on the headrest up on my knees with my knees in the seat and would just kind of like sway through the contraction. And then when it finished, I would turn around and I would make a joke to my husband or I would like say something silly or like we didn't know baby's gender at this point. So I was like, I wonder if it's a boy or a girl. Like we were tossing around names. I was texting my family group chat and I was like, we're headed to the hospital. And then put my phone on do not disturb. Like I was just trying to distract myself between and stay in that headspace of like, it's just an hour. Like it's just a car ride. I'll be all right when we get

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: there. but my husband had set it up with like a pillow and he attached my like stroller fan to the headrest just the right way. He had my ice water there. he had set it. all up for me, like a little labor room in the backseat. So it was great.

Bridget: So sweet.

Anna G Hurst: Yes, it was awesome. and then I was like you better call them and tell them like I'm in full blown labor and like I don't know that I can walk all the way up there on my own. they were like, okay, just go through like the emergency room doors. They'll like we'll have a nurse there ready to take you up. Great. We get there, we walk in and The poor woman at the front desk like just leaped out of her seat when she saw me come in like full on like labor, like having to squat and like make noises through these contractions. And the security guard is like panicked and like doesn't know what to do. And my husband's like, Guys, she's fine. She is okay. She's just in labor. And the lady who who was at the front desk was like, Is she okay? Is she having a baby now? And he was like, The baby is coming, but we just need to get to labor and delivery. Like we just need to get to the midwives. Everything's okay. And

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: like I actually busted out laughing between contractions and was like, guys, I'm fine. Like we're just having a baby. you would think that they had like never seen a woman in labor before. And maybe they haven't, you know?

Bridget: And it yeah, I mean I guess it just shows how like disjointed birth is from our society. Is that people see a mom in labor and it's just this like panic of what do I do?

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: Is she is she dying? You know, and it's like, no, birth is not an inherently dangerous panic event. it can look very challenging, but it is safe in most situations, you know. So I feel like that's

Anna G Hurst: Yes.

Bridget: just like A little representation of how wrongfully scared people are about birth because it's just so isolated from society and like what we're taught and all of that. but that is pretty funny that you're rolling up and you're feeling like I'm in labor, but like I'm good, you know, like this is hard, but I'm, you know, everything's

Anna G Hurst: Yeah.

Bridget: fine. My baby's coming in. These people are like, supposed to be the professionals around you and are like,

Anna G Hurst: Yeah. Completely panicked. Yeah. so a nurse came from labor and delivery and wheeled me up there in a wheelchair. I originally was like, I don't want a wheelchair. Like they can't make me sit in a wheelchair with these contractions. And I was like, It's gonna take me an hour to get up there, like if I'm walking. So they did a wheelchair and every contraction I would like stand up, turn around, put my hands on the wheelchair, get through the contraction, sit back down. They would like Wheel me again, like, and this is every like two, three minutes I'm having a contraction. funny note was my mom was supposed to be there for the birth, but she came into town when I was 40 weeks and a few days. And she left when I was like 41 weeks and we still hadn't had the baby. And her name is Christy, and the nurse's name was Christy, and I was like, Thank you, Lord. Like I feel

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: like that was just perfectly orchestrated. And it was just a little

Bridget: Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: like God saying, like, I got you, don't worry about it. So

Bridget: Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: yeah, she was so sweet. But we got up to labor and delivery and she was like, All right, I've got to check you. And I said, No, you don't. And she was like, Yes, I do. And I said, No, you don't. And she was like, what? And my husband was like Anna, like you said, you wanted to be checked, like when you got to triage. And I was like, okay, fine. He was like, you wanted to know where baby was at, so you knew what position to move into. And I was like, okay, you're right. And I was like, okay, fine, you can check. but I think it was just that like somebody telling me what to do. I didn't appreciate that. especially

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: in full blown labor. I'm like, don't tell me what to do. Don't tell me what you're gonna do. I'll tell you what you're gonna do. and so

Bridget: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And I love that you were ready to be like, no, I don't want this. I don't want this. Until you were like,

Anna G Hurst: Yeah. Yeah.

Bridget: well, actually, maybe I do want this. And that's what it's about. It's about consent. It's about you being able to say, as the woman who's experiencing labor, to say, Yes, I want this or no, I don't want this. So I love that you were ready to be like,

Anna G Hurst: He news.

Bridget: no, but then you're like, actually, no, this is something that I want.

Anna G Hurst: yeah. It was a hundred percent the like no the the I'm making the calls. Like the power is in my hands. I'm the one giving birth.

Bridget: Yes.

Anna G Hurst: and so I was seven centimeters hundred percent effaced and negative two station. I was like, okay.

Bridget: And for moms listening, when she's talking about station, she's talking about like where baby is in the pelvis. So there's different levels. There's the inlet, there's the mid pelvis, there's the outlet. And so when your baby's at a minus two, it means that they're higher up in the pelvis. When they're zero, it means they're in the mid-pelvis. And then when they're at a plus two, it means that they're getting ready to be born. And so baby for you was still a little bit high in the pelvis, right?

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Bridget: Okay.

Anna G Hurst: Yep. He was. this was still in triage and they were getting ready to move me. I was like, I want a I want a room with a tub in it. And they're like, Okay, cool. So they it was actually like a hookup. So they brought the tub in, like assembled it and hooked it up and whatever. And like two weeks ago I had asked if I could give birth in the tub and they were like, no. Hospital policy says no. So walked in and the midwife was immediately like, You can give birth in the tub. And I was like, wait, seriously? And she was like, Yeah, policy changed like last week or something. And she was like, You can push and give birth in the tub. And I was like, So two weeks ago, if I had my baby at 40 weeks, I wouldn't have been able to give birth in the tub. But how hospital policy just changed

Bridget: my gosh.

Anna G Hurst: to where now you let me. So I was like, again, thank you, Lord, because he knew how much I wanted a water berth. And

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: yeah, that was just all of it was beautifully orchestrated by the Lord and just such a testimony to like his grace. Mm-hmm.

Bridget: And why trusting timing is so important. You know, we as moms, especially in pregnancy, just want to like rush, thinking like, if it happens on my timeline, then it's good and right and everything's gonna be within my control. Only to come to learn that know our babies, know when the right time to be born, and everything does happen at the time that it needs to happen. So that it can unfold the way it's supposed to. And so I just love that for you. That's

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: just like so evident in your story. It's like, yeah, if you were to have given birth on time, you wouldn't have had that opportunity. But because you were patient with your body and your baby, it allowed you to have a water birth that you wouldn't have been able to have two weeks ago. So cool.

Anna G Hurst: it was really cool. So it actually took them a really long time to get the tub set up. I don't know why. And like my husband was just focused on me. So he was just kind of ignoring what they were doing. for a few hours I kind of went between I was on the toilet a lot because of the castor oil. And then I was sidelined with the peanut ball for a little bit and just kind of leaning over the bed, squatting down, trying to do a lot of asymmetry to work baby

Bridget: Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: down farther. and then eventually I got in the tub. I don't know what time it was. I want to say it was probably like 8 30-ish, maybe nine. and labored in there for a long time. I eventually hit transition because it was the point that I started telling myself, like, I can't do this anymore. And I'm feeling nauseous. And I was like, okay, this is transition. But it was almost harder this time around to be like in transition, I think, because I was like, I felt like I had already been laboring a long time. was having a really hard time just mentally. I had painted some like birth affirmation cards, and so my husband took them out and started doing like flashcards with me. And he was kneeling at the side of the tub and he was like, You need to read these out loud to me. And like you're gonna, you're gonna repeat them until you believe it, until I think I can hear it in your voice that you believe it. And that was just huge because it's taking me out of that, like, I can't do this stage into like, no, my body was built for this. Like every contraction brings baby closer to me. I can't wait to meet my baby. Like, I'm doing the hard work. And That was really cool. I was like, I didn't even ask him to do that during pregnancy. He just like he just knew what I needed. I felt a little bit of pressure and so I kind of pushed and I was like, this kind of feels like my water is gonna break. Like there's a definitive line between like, that's baby's head, and like, that's just my waters like kind of bulging. And nothing was happening. And my midwife was like, Do you want me to check you? And at this point I was getting pretty discouraged. And so I was like, Sure, why not? and so at nine forty, I got checked and she did it like I just kind of stood up in the tub and she checked me, which was really cool. And I was I was an eight and I just remember just being like, just break my waters. Like, please just do something to help me. And she was like, okay, like that'll probably bring baby down pretty quickly. And my husband was like, no, like you have said over and over again in pregnancy, both pregnancies and with your other birth that you were not going to have your waters ruptured artificially. And he's like, you can do it, but I am against it. And I'm not the one in labor. And I was like, you know what? You're right. I trust you. And all of this

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: was said in much less words, obviously. I was like, okay. So I just leaned back in the tub and like was able to get my body down to like only my shoulders were out. And I lay back and like just remember praying, like, Lord help. And that was it. That it was just in my head. And I would it was just like silence. I just remember like my worship music. being on in the background, but then it was just like suddenly gone and there were no contractions for what felt like 10 or 15 minutes. I don't think it was actually that long. I know it wasn't that long. But this was that kind of rest period that we hear about before your body is ready to do the final like finale of work. and I guess I didn't it didn't really hit me that that's what that was. I was just thankful for the rest in that current moment. And then I had a really, really, really strong contraction my waters broke and I felt it like in the tub. immediately like baby's head engaged, and I was like, it's go time. I just want to point out that I went from an eight and like a couple minutes later, I was at a 10 ready to push. Like

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: that's how much. dilation doesn't really mean a whole lot as far as when you're going to give birth because it was minutes later that I was ready to push after being told I was an eight.

Bridget: Yeah. that's why it's like such a fine line between like, do I get a cervical exam or not? And that's why I love that like, yes, you're being told your dilation, but you're really like trying to find out where baby is in your pelvis and that's what I teach in the built to birth course is that when you know dilation, there's not really much you can do about that. There's nothing you can do about that.

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: You can't force your body to open your cervix. But when you know where your baby

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: is at in your pelvis, you can move strategically. You can find positions that are going to create more movement and opening in your pelvis so your baby can make their descent a little bit easier. And so I love that yes, you're consenting to cervical exams, but It's not just so you can find out how dilated you are, but so you can actually get useful information that you can use to help your labor progress. So I love that. But I think it's so funny that you were walking around just doing life. Like, yes, you were having padromal labor, but you were five centimeters just like walking around. You're laboring, you only dilate three centimeters. And you're like maybe feeling discouraged at like eight, like, my gosh, how much longer can I do that? And then within minutes, you're fully dilated,

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: your baby's locked in, and you're ready

Anna G Hurst: Yeah.

Bridget: to push. And it's just again such a good reminder for moms to be patient and to not just use dilation alone as a means to track your progress. Cause you know, you were five centimeters dilated before you went into true labor. And so it's like, yeah, you're not in active labor at that point, you know, like even though progress-wise, you know, you're looking at dilation and you're like, okay, that means you should be in active labor. And it's like, well, no, it's just my body doing what it

Anna G Hurst: I'm not.

Bridget: needs to do on its own timeline. And I'm just trusting that what it's doing is what it needs to do. So you were an eight. It quickly changes, your water breaks. What kind of plays out after that?

Anna G Hurst: I got up on the side of like the tub and kind of draped my arms over the tub and like had my eyes closed and immediately like my body's pushing, I'm pushing with it. And like that contraction finishes. And it's just me and my husband. And we actually had a birth photographer too, who was phenomenal. 10 out of 10 recommend.

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: She was like a fly on the wall, like totally forgot she was there. She was awesome. But it was just us in the room. And I think the nurse was like at the computer or something. And I was like, My water broke and then immediately like enter into another contraction and start pushing and he's like, Huh, like what? And I was like, My water broke. And he's like, Okay. And like kind of like looks at the nurse and is like, her water broke. And the nurse walked over and like looked in the tub and she's like, I mean, it's a little cloudy. Are you sure it broke? And I was like, I'm pushing. So like, whatever you want to do is fine, but I'm getting this baby out. And so she Saul like kind of heard me because at this point I'm like really kind of grunting into those pushes and like moving with them and she like hit the call bell and was like, Hey, I need a midwife. I'm not catching this baby. so the midwife came in and it was a couple pushes and I kind of had like my hand like guiding his head. Out almost. And so I was pushing into my hand, which was actually a really awesome visual because I could think about like the tissue stretching and where baby was at and like how hard I would I could push and feel his head hit my hand. and so that was really cool. His head emerged and I announced to everybody like baby's head is out and they were like, Good job, and just kind of like Quiet after that. Like they knew I kind of wanted the peace and quiet, but they definitely said something at that point. and then I pushed again and one of his shoulders, I guess, was stuck somehow. I don't really know how. I forgot to ask the midwife, but she was like, Hey Anna, is it okay if I go down with one finger and like release his shoulder a little bit? And I said, Yeah, that's fine. Which I was so appreciative, obviously, of her saying, can I do this? before she even like put her hands on me. Cause she was behind me at this point. outside the tub. And so she did that. And I actually thought she, because of how fast baby came out, I thought she pulled him out because she did that. And like immediately the rest of his body just came flying out without me even pushing. And like I screamed because I was like, I thought she was pulling him out. Like it was scary for me. And afterwards, my husband was like, no, like her finger, like she undid his shoulder a little bit for like half a second, and then her hands were out of the water again. And she was just like waiting. And like baby just came out on its own. And so

Bridget: Hm.

Anna G Hurst: that was crazy because I've never experienced that before, you know, baby just flying out.

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: he had a double nuclear cord and it was also wrapped from up by like his collarbone down across his chest underneath his other arm. And the midwife and I just kind of like unwrapped him and I had him on my chest. And the nurse came over with a blanket and I was like, I've got this. And I like took the blanket and started rubbing him and talking to him and I was like, he's breathing. Like he never let out a big scream or anything. And I was like, he's breathing, like he's making respiratory effort. And the nurse was kind of she was freaking out. She was like, he has no tone. And I was like, he is making effort. Give him a minute. Like he'll be okay. And the midwife backed me up and was like, He's okay. Give him a minute. He'll breathe. And sure enough, he ended up letting out a couple screams, but nothing like, you know, the movies.

Bridget: Well, I feel like over

Anna G Hurst: So yeah, and then

Bridget: and over again in that story, it's like patience and timing and avoiding jumping in and intervening right away. And it's true that some babies just take a little bit of time to transition from womb to world. And especially if he like shot out so fast, he probably was like,

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: Excuse me, what just happened? And

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: what an important thing it is to appreciate the nuance of like Giving baby time to take their first breath and transition into this crazy world that they've been born into, and also knowing when to step in and offer support that needs that that can potentially be life saving. But I love that intuitively, like you knew that your baby was okay, and you also trusted your midwife so much. that she was looking out for your baby, looking out for you, and you trusted her and she was there backing you up as well. And so I love that you had someone in your corner who you just deeply trusted for your care and your baby's care. And so despite someone being in the room being like, you know, baby's not doing okay. We need to intervene, she was that calm steady presence alongside of you, where it was like, nope, we just need to be patient. And I love that. Hmm.

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm. Yeah. They also had a really hard time like getting the water warmed up because I was in the tub for several hours. And so they couldn't I guess the handle was broken. They couldn't get more hot water into it. And so he was born into like a it the temperature of the water was cooler than what it should have been. And so I think that ended up being kind of a shock to him as well, which is why I was like just

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: Like give me more, like I I remember being in the tub a couple minutes, maybe not even a couple minutes, but like after I dried him off and I said, give me another warm towel. Like I need a couple more warm towels because I had heard them kind of sub subconsciously, I'd heard them talking about the them being concerned that the water was too cold. and so I think that might have been a part of it too. just he was a little bit shocked. So yeah.

Bridget: Mm, yeah. Yeah. And too that he had a double nucle cord and it was like wrapped around like his body. I feel like we have so much fear wrapped around the cord and if it is wrapped around baby's neck or if there's a knot in the cord. And sometimes that can create dysfunction and complication in labor. But the cord again is so intricately designed that it has this jelly around it that protects it. So even if it's being compressed, even if it's wrapped around baby's neck, it's pretty like loose and it's lubricated and it's protecting the veins inside of it from being compressed. So that baby is still getting the oxygen that they need. And so again, love that that's a part of your story. And there wasn't this fear and panic around

Anna G Hurst: Yeah.

Bridget: your baby being born and having this nuclear cord around him. you being

Anna G Hurst: Honestly, I thought it was so cool.

Bridget: no, that is so cool. I love that. And that probably too played into like him coming out a little bit slower with just like the tension a little bit from his cord where he probably couldn't come out like as fast. But I I'm sure that shoulder thing too had had a had its place in why birth was a little bit slower. So he's on your chest and he's finally like tr making that transition. When did you guys get out of the tub? When did you cut the cord and do all of that?

Anna G Hurst: I announced to the room that he was a boy and I actually several hours before told my husband to FaceTime my my mom so she could be there because she was supposed to be there. And so my parents got to watch the birth via FaceTime, which was so much fun. Like it was awesome for me and for my mom. My dad was a little yeah, I don't know if he enjoyed it, but he was

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: he kind of was in and out of the room, my mom said. But I announced that it was a boy and It wasn't long that I was like, okay, I wanna like I wanna get out of the tub just because it was kind of chilly. got into the bed and had some pretty intense shakes, which was partially because I was freezing cold because I was soaking wet.

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: and partially because just that like labor shock of, you know, the hormones, the adrenaline, like just everything.

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: and so we just kind of sat there for a while and it it was maybe five or ten minutes that I was like, all right, I'm ready to like get the placenta, like ready to push the placenta out. And I was like, nobody touch me. And I was I told the midwife, like, don't put tension on it. I'm gonna do it. And she's like, okay, go for it. And so I kind of grabbed the cord and I didn't pull, but I kind of made that like little bit of tension just enough where I could feel it and then pushed and like I literally did not pull at all. I just pushed. couple of times and it like the placenta came out and the nurses thought that was the coolest thing. They were like, Whoa, like you did the placenta all on your own. And I was like, Yeah, like it just kind of comes out right. I was like, yeah. So yeah, that was

Bridget: Yeah, I just did the baby. Like that's the least hard thing.

Anna G Hurst: I know. but I again like they are not used to women just

Bridget: No.

Anna G Hurst: doing it all on their own. So again, props to my my midwives. They're awesome. So we sat there for

Bridget: Props to your midwives, but props to you. I mean, that's huge that you're like, nope, I've got this. I'm gonna do this. I feel like a lot of women don't have that confidence. But I hope that the moms listening to your story right now are like, I can have that. Like that is within my authority and power to be like, Nope, I've got this, I'm gonna do it. So cool.

Anna G Hurst: Yeah, a hundred percent, a hundred percent. And like I attribute that to just what's the word I guess research but also like understanding birth in and of

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: itself, like before OBGYN's, before Western medicine, like women gave birth unassisted. And that

Bridget: Mm-hmm.

Anna G Hurst: seems so radical today, but like obviously people survived, otherwise we wouldn't be here. You know, and so going

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: back to those basics of like my body was designed to do this and I don't need

Bridget: Mm.

Anna G Hurst: people touching me or pulling my placenta out or cutting the cord

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: prematurely. which goes into like the cord cutting. I don't know how long it was, it was a long time. We got our first nursing session in, our skin to skin everything. And finally I was like, Okay, like I'm ready to cut the cord. And so my husband did that again. he did it with our first and so he did it with our second two. Yeah, that was that was kind of it. And then they checked me for tearing and she was like, hey, you didn't tear at all. Like you don't even have

Bridget: Wow.

Anna G Hurst: so much as a scratch. And I was like, that's awesome. And then a couple hours

Bridget: That is

Anna G Hurst: later, they weighed baby and he was nine pounds two ounces. And I was like

Bridget: How big was your first baby?

Anna G Hurst: eight pounds three ounces.

Bridget: Wow. Wow, that's crazy. Which for your first birth, you were like, I'm grateful for the coaching. But the coaching did

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: result in the coaching and maybe the positions and you know, there's other factors.

Anna G Hurst: Living.

Bridget: You being a first-time mom, it resulted in a second degree tear. And then this one, which was more hands off in the water, second time mom. So it's not just like one thing, but it sounds like, you know, multiple factors played into you having an even bigger

Anna G Hurst: Mm-hmm.

Bridget: baby by a whole pound. And no tearing and that's amazing.

Anna G Hurst: Yeah. I felt like I could like dance for joy when they told me I didn't tear

Bridget: Yeah.

Anna G Hurst: and how big baby was. I was like, are you kidding me? and just one comment on the pushing thing too. Like with my second, like I didn't even have a thought of like somebody needs to tell me how to push. I think I just like just did it. You know, like I didn't even think about it. It was just like my body was doing it. And so then I was doing it like I was also pushing with it consciously, I guess.

Bridget: Yeah. I had

Anna G Hurst: Yeah. And then

Bridget: a question about your second labor. Were you being monitored? Like either Doppler or was there I imagine no continuous monitoring 'cause you were in the water unless you had like a waterproof system.

Anna G Hurst: Yeah. So my first, we did intermittent monitoring monitoring every like 20 to 30 minutes. My second, I was hooked up to the monitor for I think it was like 10 or 15 contractions. So maybe 20 minutes, 25 minutes. and then they were like, baby looks great, we're just gonna let you do your thing. and then I don't ever remember them coming around with the Doppler and checking baby.

Bridget: Hm.

Anna G Hurst: Maybe I was just zoned out. Maybe they're just really good at their job of like Doing it without me noticing with because they had to have used the Doppler. I think I remember like a couple

Bridget: Yeah, I imagine they would have.

Anna G Hurst: times. Yeah. I remember a couple of times on the toilet. And then one time they had me like stand up out of the tub. But for the most part, like the nurse had had several unmedicated births herself herself. And so she was very much like, You've got this. Like, you don't need me. You don't need our help. Like you, you can do this. So again, very thankful for. the team of people that we had around us. So

Bridget: Hmm, so amazing. Well, I think that's such an encouraging story for moms to hear because I think there can be a lot of fear around the hospital and having unwanted interventions. And so many moms want to have a home birth like experience in the hospital. And it sounds like you were able to have something that was very close to that. And I Think a lot of that has to do with how prepared and confident you were in your ability to give birth and your understanding of how birth unfolds. But there was also an element of having a care team that really aligned with that and really wanted that for you. And so I think for moms listening, there are two big takeaways from your story is that one, you have to find a provider who is aligned with you. And I love that you were able to find midwives in the hospital setting that, you know, you loved for your first birth and who were even maybe more amazing in your second birth where you wanted more hands off and they were really like compliant towards that. But then also how confident that you were going into the birth and that you were like, no, I know what I want. I'm going to speak up for myself and tell you what I want. And I think that's such an important thing. For moms to recognize going into birth is that your provider can't read your mind. And so you have to be able to say, No, I want to pull out my own placenta, or, you know, I'm gonna push this baby out. My water broke, you know, things like that, where it's just like if you know what's going on and you know what you want, then speaking up and allowing for your voice to be heard in the first place is so critical in accomplishing a a hands off and just empowering birth in general.

Anna G Hurst: So

Bridget: what is one thing that you want to encourage moms who are listening? Either a piece of advice or some way that yeah, you could encourage them.

Anna G Hurst: Goodness, one thing. Let's see. I think I wrote it down. So I think really, especially with like my second birth, the biggest thing is like you have to have something that grounds you when you get to that point of like, I can't do this anymore. And sometimes it's a person, and sometimes it's a mantra, and sometimes it's something spiritual. But you have to go in with the headspace of like, well, you don't have to, but I went in with the headspace of like, I'm probably going to get to the point of either panic or fear or whatever it is. And instead of like in my first birth suppressing that and pretending like the fear didn't exist, just address it. And like I made eye contact with my husband and said, I am so scared right now when I was in transition. And he said, I know, and you're doing this and you're doing great and you've done it before. And like just spoke all of these affirmations over me. So I guess that's a two-part answer. One, like, know what you're gonna have or have options for when you do hit that roadblock. and then two, like knowing that your body was literally designed to do this. Like since the beginning of time, women have been giving birth. unmedicated. Medication is new in the span of humanity. so yeah, I think that's what I would tell women.

Bridget: I think that is the perfect note to end on. And I think so many moms are walking away from your story feeling encouraged by it. So Anna, thank you so much for coming on the Built Birth podcast. I have loved listening to your story.

Anna G Hurst: Thank you so much, Bridget.

Bridget: I absolutely loved listening to Anna's birth story, and I'm sure you did too. From a positive but a little fearful first birth to a second birth that was so empowering, a hands-off hospital water birth to a baby who was nine pounds with a double nuclear cord and zero tearing. There were just so many levels of empowerment in this birth story. Mama, if you want to start your empowering birth journey right now, check out the built to birth course at built to birth dot com. Thank you so much for listening to this episode and I will see you in the next one.