Making Big Plans

By Jacob Luecke

Like many new parents, Jenna and Tim Mitchell knew they had a lot to learn as they awaited the birth of their daughter — including the need to research options for the birth itself.

After talking to friends and learning about possible choices, Jenna decided she wanted a low-intervention childbirth experience. 

Low-intervention deliveries seek to create a natural childbirth experience — minimizing many common medical practices such as scheduled inductions, pain-reducing epidurals and other medications given during and after labor.

“We just knew that we wanted a low intervention birth,” Jenna says. “The more we read, the more interested we became.”

The couple discussed their preferences with Jenna's obstetrician, Jennifer Roelands, MD, with Women's Health Associates. They were grateful that Dr. Roelands spent time with them explaining the pros and cons of various birth options. 

“Dr. Roelands was very accommodating, she didn’t balk at the idea of a patient taking up a whole bunch of her time and asking a whole bunch of questions, which is what we did,” Jenna says. “We felt very lucky to have her because she was so open to what we wanted to do.”

Dr. Roelands says she is seeing a rising interest in low-intervention birth options. She says physicians and caregivers now think of birth as an experience rather than a process.

“My approach is to have patients bring their birth plan and we discuss each item to make sure we can meet their expectations while still ensuring the safety of mom and baby,” Dr. Roelands says. “It is a team approach to making sure the patient's wishes are considered.”

One of the choices the Mitchells had been considering was delivering their daughter at their Bucklin, Mo., home. However, the conversation with Dr. Roelands left them convinced that it was important to deliver at Boone Family Birthplace, even though that meant making some compromises with their original plan. 

“We went with Boone because, if something happened during the delivery, we would still have access to immediate care,” Jenna says.

In June 2014, Jenna went into labor. Following her birth plan, which was based on the Bradley Method, Jenna spent much of her labor at home. As she focused on relaxing her body, Tim worked to make her comfortable and monitored her contractions.

“He was extremely supportive, which is vital for you to go through with your plan,” Jenna says. “He was just glowing and very joyful, and it helped me concentrate.” 

When it was time, Tim drove Jenna to the Boone Family Birthplace. There, the couple's doula helped guide Jenna during the labor. Following her plan, Jenna chose not to get an epidural or use other common medications. However, the hospital staff did insist on taking precautions such as having an IV line placed and using fetal monitoring equipment.

When it came time to push, Jenna used a birth bar on her bed and sat in a squatting position as she delivered the baby.

The couple were overjoyed to meet their daughter, Diana. They were also happy to have closely followed their birth plan during Jenna's 13 hours of labor.

“It’s just beautiful the way it turned out,” Jenna says. “I know a lot of mothers plan to have low-intervention births, but just can’t. But we were blessed that we were able to.”

The experience went so well that, less than a year-and-a-half later, they were back at Boone Family Birthplace delivering their second daughter, Zelda.

An extended labor tested Jenna's resolve in declining medical interventions, which included not using fetal monitoring equipment for this birth. However, she was able to persevere through 55 hours of labor. 

“That made it harder to stick to the decisions we had made earlier in the pregnancy,” Jenna says. “But the hospital provided a supportive environment and our doctor had a big part in that.”

 Jenna’s advice for other expectant mothers is to research their choices for pregnancy and delivery. She says more moms should give low-intervention options a look. 

“Go for it,” she says. “Talk to your care provider and plan to have someone there with you while you are out of your mind in labor—your husband, your doula, your mom, you partner. Have an advocate go with your and be your voice when it’s hard to speak for yourself during that time.”