**** This blog post is written by Kathi and the experience we are sharing here is from her perspective ****
The energy to bring a new life into this world is nature’s most amazing blessing to humanity and humanity’s continued existence. Having been able to experience that magical process of creation through pregnancy and birth, not just once, but twice, is very humbling. 
Our story and our first baby
I delivered Nora in Austria, and it was a natural birth with very minimal medical intervention. During early ultrasounds, a tiny hematoma was found in my uterus for which I had to take medications during the first few weeks of pregnancy. And later, during the third trimester, due to the standard for Haemoglobin being high in Austria, I was advised to take iron supplements, which I did for the last few weeks of pregnancy. Our baby was born healthy with no complications.
And when our baby was four months old, Sam and I decided to pack-up our entire life belongings into two bags and go on world travels, possibly for the rest of our lives. We traveled to many countries as a family and the experiences we are gathering are incredibly rich and humbling.
We always had the wish to have another child but we were not sure when it would happen and which part of the world we would be in when it happens. But I had the wish to make my next pregnancy and delivery experience as natural as possible with very little to no medical interference. I have the confidence that my body knows how to get pregnant, how to healthily grow a baby in my womb, and how to respond during labor, and how to deliver a baby. Also, everything that I would need during the pregnancy and delivery will be provided to me by the universe at the appropriate time. My job is simply to deal with every situation presented to me from a position of love and possibility, and not from a position of worry and fear.
My second pregnancy
Our family travels brought us to India, and while we were here I found out that I was pregnant. It was about two years after Nora was born. The first decision we had to make was about the country where I would want to deliver the baby. I had my first ultrasound in a multi speciality hospital in Hyderabad but the heavy handed processes, frequent reliance on medication advice, and their imposing approach made me very uncomfortable.
I had a few specific wishes for my second pregnancy. I wanted to -
- Take full responsibility of my pregnancy and I needed someone who would be well experienced to support my pregnancy, but most importantly act as a partner and adviser for me and Sam during the pregnancy, labor, and birth.
- If possible, give my unborn baby an opportunity to start life with no medications in its body (during pregnancy and during breastfeeding period) so it has a chance to build its own immunity and prepare for its future on its own terms.
- Eat healthily and take no medications or vitamin supplements during the entire pregnancy. Try my best not to take an epidural, not to induce labor and no painkillers during the pregnancy, during labor, and after birth during breastfeeding. If there are any vitamin or mineral deficiencies, I wanted to adjust them using diet and exercise, as much as possible.
- Not get caught up in pregnancy related statistics on what number should appear at what stage of pregnancy, but rather listen to my body and respond to it as necessary.
- Deliver the baby naturally, but in case of emergencies, I also wanted a hospital/birthing place to be adequately prepared to deal with those emergencies.
- Have Sam and Nora next to me during all appointments, tests, and during the entire labor and birth.
Our online research lead us to Sanctum Birthing Centre in Hyderabad. Luckily we were staying just a few hours away from Hyderabad. We scheduled a ‘first visit’ appointment. We met with Crystal who is one of the veteran midwives there. She gave us a walkthrough of the centre, and explained the ways they would support our wishes. The birthing centre looked like a nicely planned, and strategically thought through environment, where a pregnant woman and her family can come and try to have a delivery that they would like to have. And the team at Sanctum would act as the champions and advisers to make their pregnancy and delivery wishes come as close to reality as possible. The discussion with Crystal and the visit gave me the confidence that this might be the only place in India that would get me this close to the birthing experience I was looking for.
During the next few meetings we had with the people at the centre -- from the watchman, to support staff, nurses, mid-wives, and doctors, one thing was clear to us was that they knew what they were doing. Each person was there with an attitude to serve and support. They had all the knowledge, medical services, and support that you would receive at a big hospital, and in spite of that, everyone was friendly and very supportive and all the interactions they had with us were personal and kind. In line with our thinking, they also operate with the guiding principles not to interfere with the natural process of pregnancy and birth, unless it is absolutely necessary, or it is a wish of the pregnant woman and her family. This made our partnership a lot more natural.
During our meetings with them over the months, they made sure that we met everyone who would be with us during labor and delivery. Even during the routine appointments, we were scheduled in a way that we got to meet Crystal, Kiran, and Dr. Vijaya Krishnan who would be actively supporting me during labor and birth. It was incredibly comforting to know that I will go into labor and I would’ve already met everyone who will be supporting me and bringing my baby into this world.
Once the second trimester kicked in, my energy levels, that were a bit low during the first trimester, started coming back. So I decided with my family to continue our travels for a few months. Sanctum team was fully supportive of our wishes and offered to give us remote support if necessary. We traveled through Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, West Bengal, and Odisha for 3 and ½ months. I hiked, walked, and saw incredible places and made memorable experiences.
Nutrition and Diet
We visited Sanctum again after our return from our travels when I was about 28 weeks pregnant. I had my blood tested for Haemoglobin (Hb) and the values came at 10.6 gm/dL. I had my Hb values above this at the same time during my first pregnancy when I was in Austria, and I was asked to take iron supplements. I talked with Sanctum staff and expressed my wish to use only diet to maintain my values this time. They were extremely supportive of my wish. During my second pregnancy, I used only diet to get the necessary vitamins and minerals like Folate, Iron, Calcium, Zinc, Vitamin C, Magnesium etc., During my first pregnancy, Sam and I prepared a spreadsheet with the list of foods and corresponding vitamins and minerals that they provided. Over time it lead me to eat each meal healthily and focus on how to adjust and combine my diet to get maximum nutrition. For example, I avoided calcium and increased vitamin C intake when I was eating iron rich foods, as calcium hampers iron absorption and Vitamin C increases it. As I had no diet restrictions or food allergies, it was all about good planning and willingness to eat what is healthy for my body and the baby in my womb.
Physical Activity and Weight Gain
I did not gain a lot of weight during this pregnancy. Overall, I gained only 7.3 kilos. I think one of the reasons might be that I maintained very high physical activity. I walked at least 3 - 4 kms on average during the pregnancy and during my travels during second trimester I hiked and walked sometimes about 7 - 8 kms per day. I also tried to practise pregnancy yoga every 2 - 3 days based on a program created by Sam (who is a yoga teacher). During the entire pregnancy I felt healthy and I was able to climb up and down a few flights of stairs and walk a few kilometres without much difficulty until the day before the delivery. Also having a two-and -half year old baby gave me no choice but to be active, as it was only Sam, myself, and our baby traveling and staying together. We did all the chores like shopping, cleaning the house, cooking, cleaning dishes, washing clothes, playing with our baby, carrying her, and all other stuff to keep our family going all by ourselves. I participated in everything I could until the due date.
Everything happens when the time is right
We moved to Hyderabad two weeks before the due date, 20 minutes from the birthing centre. The place we were living was a few hours away, and in case the contractions started early we needed at least 2 - 3 hours to get to the centre. So we shifted our base to Hyderabad for a month. During our meetings we were told that a second pregnancy could progress from early, active, to transitional stage very fast. So we were keeping all options open to go to the centre during the day or anytime during the night.
Sam and I had a lot of projects we wanted to do on our own for this delivery. And we wanted to finish all of them before the baby arrives. We made cloth diapers for the baby, stitched cotton sanitary pads for me using old towels and sarees, hand stitched a few clothes for the baby, stacked up food, made home-made energy bars with dates/oats/nuts etc., and a few other things we wanted to take care of.
The evening before the contractions started, Sam and I sat down and told each other that we are truly ready for the baby to arrive. Not just wishful thinking, but we realised that we were physically, mentally, and emotionally ready for the baby to arrive any time from now on. We went to bed. Contractions started about two hours after this. I was 39 weeks 4 days pregnant.
Labor
I woke up around midnight and found that my mucus plug came off, at least part of it. A few minutes later, contractions started. They were very mild, not rhythmic (3,4,8,10,15 minutes apart, randomly), and the duration of each contraction was also very non rhythmic (10, 30, 5, 20, 40 sec). I waited for two hours and just to be sure sent a WhatsApp message to Sanctum. Dr. Vijaya Krishnan replied within a few minutes and advised us to monitor the contractions and call her when they are more rhythmic, getting stronger, getting closer to each other. Another two to three hours passed by, it was about 4:30am and the contractions were happening at about 8 minutes apart but they were still weak. We called Dr. Vijaya Krishnan and told her about the current situation. She asked us to continue to monitor the situation. Around 8 in the morning, after I went to the toilet, I felt a small gush of water come out. It was clear liquid with no smell of urine. Sam called Dr. Vijaya Krishnan and told her that the water might have broken. She asked if the contractions have intensified after that but they did not yet. She asked us to pass by the centre to get me checked out.
On the way to the clinic, which took about an hour, the contractions became stronger. And they were about 8 minutes apart. Once we arrived at the centre, Dr. Vijayalakshmi, a Gynecologist who also works at Sanctum, was waiting for us at the reception. She, along with a few nurses, checked me in, and did a few tests to see if my water actually broke. They could not conclusively figure out whether my water broke or not. In case the water breaks in the upper area of the uterus, amniotic fluids might drip a bit but it seems like it will not show up conclusively in the tests.
The contractions started slowing down, and they even stopped for over an hour. They wanted to check the heartbeat of the baby but the baby was sleeping. So, I was asked to take a walk, eat something and come back in about half and hour.
Our two-and-half year old Nora was happy running around the centre and playing with the staff while Sam and I were having conversations with staff at Sanctum.
We walked to the nearby food-stalls and supermarket and had some food there. After we came back, they wired me up to a Cardiotocography (CTG) machine and measured the baby’s heartbeat and contractions. Crystal and Kiran already visited me a few times by now. They saw that everything was fine with the baby and I was given the option to either stay for a few more hours and then go home, or go home right away and come back when the contractions get strong. As this was my second pregnancy, no one was sure when my contractions would get stronger and how fast the labor might progress. It could happen within a few hours, or it could extend for a few days. Sam and I did a bit of research on Google Maps and found that the traffic coming back to the centre from our home in the afternoon is usually less as most of the HiTech city traffic will be heading back towards our home, not towards the centre. So we decided to go home - that was around 1pm.
The mild contractions continued without any rhythm after I came back home. I had my lunch and took a short nap. Around 5pm, I decided to take a warm shower for about 15 - 20 minutes. The contractions got a bit stronger, but they were still not rhythmic. As we were unsure when we might need to head back to the centre, Sam started making dinner.
While we were cooking, I was a bit anxious about how long the contractions were going to last and if I had to deal with them for a few more days. After talking through my worries with Sam, I made up my mind that whatever it takes, whether it is a few hours, or a few days, the baby is going to eventually come out and all the contractions I am going through would be worth it. Also, I reassured myself that each contraction I was having is one less contraction I have to deal with before the baby comes. I consciously let go of my expectations why the labor is not progressing fast, and also said it out loud to Sam.
About 10 minutes later, when we were eating our dinner, the contractions started getting stronger and closer to each other. They were so strong that I was no longer able to sit on the floor and I had to stand with a support on the wall during contractions. Sam called Kiran and told her that the contractions were about 4 - 5 minutes apart, lasting between 35 - 50 second, and they were very strong. Kiran asked us to immediately come in to the centre. It was about 7pm. Luckily, an Uber cab was just a few minutes away and we were at the centre in about half an hour. During the ride, my contractions were consistently getting stronger and stronger. Nora was also with us trying to support me and give me hugs and massages.
When we arrived at the centre, the nurses were waiting for me and checked me in to a room. Kiran arrived a few minutes later and found that I was between 7 - 8 cms dilated already. The staff at the centre quickly started filling warm water in the bathtub in case I wanted to relax in the water to reduce discomfort/pain during contractions. It was about 8:30pm and I was involuntarily pushing already. By then there were two nurses, Kiran, and a few support staff trying to support me in whichever way they could. Sam was next to me massaging my back after each contraction. Nora was running around the birthing room and interacting with everyone in the room. And stopping by me regularly to give me kisses, massages, and feed me water after contractions. Kiran was regularly checking my progress to make sure all was going well. Our baby also joined Kiran and was happy to imitate everything she was doing.
Dr. Vijaya Krishnan joined soon after and joined others in supporting me. She asked Sam which position I gave birth to Nora, as she said the body remembers the position it pushed the previous baby and it might feel a bit more relaxed in that position. He told her that I was lying on my back when I was pushing Nora. She wanted to recreate the position for me. So she had someone bring a long scarf and wrapped it around her own waist. The staff set up a few pillows behind my back so it supported my back and I was elevated a bit in a way it was during my first pregnancy. Dr. Vijaya Krishnan asked me to hold the two ends of the scarf and take support of her body for my legs while I was pushing. I was in this position for a few minutes and I was pushing with every contraction. The baby started crowning. The staff brought me a mirror to look at a tiny part of the baby’s head. A few minutes later, the baby’s head started coming out. They used coconut oil to lubricate my perineum and the area around the baby’s crowned head. With the next two contractions a few more centimetres of the baby’s head came out. The pain was excruciating but I knew I was almost there.
At this moment, Dr. Vijaya Krishnan asked me to stop pushing and wait for the next contraction. The room was absolutely quiet. It was only Dr. Vijaya Krishnan giving me instructions and me completely focused on her instructions and letting my body relax even in that excruciatingly painful situation. All the yoga, meditation, and relaxation I practised during my pregnancy came handy during these crucial few seconds.
With the next two contractions, I pushed and the baby’s head was out. Nora erupted in joy and started shouting, “there’s a baby’, “there’s a baby”. It was a very sweet moment for me to watch Sam and Nora, both with intense joy and excitement, standing next to Dr. and watching the baby come out. The baby’s head was out, and the baby turned to the side by itself, the first shoulder came, then the second shoulder, and then the rest of the baby was out. Dr. immediately put the baby on my belly. Sam and Nora were next to me. It was a moment of complete bliss. While we were all bonding, the placenta was delivered. Dr. Vijaya Krishnan showed us the placenta and explained which side was connected to my womb and which side the baby was exposed to. The placenta was still healthy. It took a few minutes before the umbilical cord stopped pulsating, after that Sam cut the cord. The baby was born a few minutes after 9pm. Our second baby was born healthy, with about 3.5 kg weight, and totally naturally.
It was another humbling experience of my life. The entire team at Sanctum were my true champions and advisers who joined me in this beautiful journey of bringing another healthy life into this world. I am ever grateful to everyone who helped and supported me during this incredible journey.
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