Mom Shares Incredible Photo After Unassisted Home Birth

There are plenty of ways to give birth. You can give birth at home with a doula, in a hospital with or without medication, or in the back of an Uber, if you must. While most of us think of a hospital, surrounded by doctors, as the optimum place to bring a child into the world, Marissa Heckel had had a less-than-stellar experience during the birth of her first child and decided to do things differently at the end of her second pregnancy. That's why she ended up having a home birth.

She told Popsugar about the decision, "I had a not so great experience in a hospital three years ago when I delivered my daughter. I was bullied for not wanting an epidural and was harassed throughout my labor about getting one. I was also forced to lay on my back during delivery and was told to 'push' against my body. I ended up with a second-degree tear and some stitches. My husband and I decided that an unassisted birth in our home [would] be much more peaceful and my research guided me to show it was the right decision. I was never afraid throughout the entire process."

You May Also Like

WellnessAbdominal Pain and Cramping After Sex: Here's What You Need to Know

WellnessWe Need to Talk About "Thin Privilege"

She was apparently two weeks overdue but still remained peaceful about the process and about the decision she'd made to let her body do it's thing. Her labor lasted for 36 long hours, but she managed to make through the pain by telling herself, "The pain is only temporary." That's a good mantra for any trying time.

In a post a friend reposted with Heckel's permission to Facebook, she writes of the experience, "I let my body do the pushing. I just sat on the toilet. My husband was worried I'd been pushing too long so I had to reassure him in between contractions that I could feel his head descending (the beginning of the ring of Fire) Finally my husband said he could see his head. He encouraged me to keep going. He also expressed concern that our son would hit his head on the toilet or fall in (haha). I then told him to help me up and that I was going to deliver the shoulders standing up. My husband looked at me like I was nuts but helped me anyway. I stood up, held onto the towel rack and let my body do one last push and he was finally out."

You can read the rest of her post here on Facebook.

---

Related:

---

Everything You Need to Know About Skincare When You're Pregnant:

Follow Rosemary on Instagram and Twitter.