Kim's Birth Biography

As a woman, and a mother of four, the whole process of childbirth challenged me. Ultimately, the memories bonded themselves to my heart as some of the most amazing moments of my lifetime. Each birthing event created in me the desire to truly experience all that childbirth could be and a desire to help women and couples experience the birthing process according to their goals. 

 During my first pregnancy, my husband and I attended childbirth classes yet we were still unprepared to deal with the decisions that had to be made during the laboring and birthing process. Because of this, we felt as though we had no control over our birth experience, our ability to bond with each other and with our baby after his birth. The nurses, doctors and medical staff, although excellent clinicians, were not able to stay with us and walk us through the unfamiliar changes happening in my body. We weren’t given any advice or wisdom about the different methods of pain management; in fact, the only option offered for dealing with the pain was to take medications. Not being advised, I eventually accepted a medication that made me feel intoxicated and incoherent. Instead of making things better, I was left exhausted. After the eventual cesarean, because my medicated state affected my ability to push, I was not able to fully share the experience with my husband or my baby.

Throughout the birth of our second child, we again felt like we had little control in the whole process. Although my physician gave us the choice of attempting a vaginal delivery or scheduling a cesarean, he didn’t educate us on the pro and cons. Not knowing the difference in what I would experience and with no guidance, we chose the cesarean option because it seemed the easiest way to go. After the delivery, it seemed like an eternity before I was able to hold my baby and I felt that I missed out on the first moments of my baby's life. Ultimately the decision to have a cesarean left me with a sense of failure, as if my body didn’t work right. I bonded intensely with the pregnancy experience and wanted the same feelings for the delivery process. 

After several years, we decided to expand our family. However, this time I wanted to be more involved and capable of pursuing my own personal birth desires. I heard that attempting a vaginal birth after a cesarean (VBAC) was risky, but as I researched I began to find information that delivering VBAC was not as risky as once thought. I found little support in my rural town to attempt a vaginal delivery after having two cesarean deliveries; leading me to a physician in a nearby city. My physician’s information about the safety of VBAC deliveries confirmed with what I had already read. I continued researching methods that would give me the best chances of a successful VBAC and began to find articles about doulas. In the course of my research, I read that doulas not only increased my chance of having a vaginal delivery but also functioned to help me obtain my desired birth experience. After choosing a doula, I learned firsthand just how valuable utilizing a doula would be for this pregnancy; her help during the entire pregnancy, labor and birth process was amazing. My husband and I worked together towards the birth of our baby in a way unlike any of the other pregnancies because of our doula’s guidance. As with my first pregnancy, I labored for two days and ended with an eventual c-section (because my water broke causing the need for an induction before my body was ready to labor). Our doula helped us create a birth plan with options for unplanned and unexpected outcomes, including options should the pregnancy result in another cesarean delivery. We made every decision purposefully according to our unique circumstances, which caused it to be an extremely satisfying experience despite the outcome. My husband and I were in control of our entire experience and we were able to choose options that we felt were best for our baby.

My fourth pregnancy, now armed with experience, knowledge and the same wonderful doula resulted in a successful vaginal delivery. As with my third experience, I found labor to be very rewarding leaving me with a sense that I had accomplished something wonderful for my baby. My doula guided me through every step of the birthing process, including teaching me about different natural methods to start labor on my own. This was amazing considering I previously had never experienced my body working on its own. I felt empowered and realized that this is what I had desired for each birth.

My husband and I agree we would not have reached our goals had it not been for the guidance we received from our doula. These experiences inspired me to pursue certification as a labor doula with the ultimate goal of helping others to also reach their “perfect” birthing experience.


Find out more about me at the following places...
www.FeathersFromMyNest.com
www.CollinsPhotography.com
www.facebook.com/kfcollins