PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW DOENCH
I headed into the birth of my fifth baby feeling tired—not from the late nights and diaper changes and exhaustion of parenting, but from the idea that I’d have to endure another birth without an epidural. Due to a medical condition, epidurals don’t work for me. I’d felt I’d had all of the birth interventions Cincinnati doctors had to offer.
So, it was a completely unmedicated birth standing between me and meeting my first daughter after four sons. That is, until I met Certified Nurse Midwife Michelle Zamudio, a 28-year Air Force veteran who’s now a certified nurse midwife affiliated with The Christ Hospital Health Network. My fifth birth unfolded quickly, and without the traumatically painful experience I’d had into the past.
“[Women] aren’t aware of the options,” Zamudio says. “And to be fair, sometimes the providers aren’t aware of the options.” She says women learn it’s “epidural or nothing.”
Zamudio says the maternal mortality statistics have increased interest in self-education about birthing options. “Women aren’t willing to accept a patriarchal approach to labor and delivery.” Neither was I. And it was worth the extra steps to learn and advocate for my body and baby.
These are a few of the tools Zamudio hopes more patients will ask their providers about:
- Doulas who know what they’re doing: Ohio is legislatively working to support doulas, she says, as having a support person is essential and leads to more successful birth outcomes. If affording a doula seems out of reach, look to student doulas, Zamudio says.
- Massage, heat, and cold therapies: Prenatal and labor massages can be helpful, whether done by your partner or a doula. “There are pressure points you can hit that will interfere with pain signals that can help women during labor.”
- Water immersion: Most hospitals offer water opportunities such as showers and baths, which often feature jacuzzi handles. If you plan to complete the birth in water, seek out a team specially trained in waterbirth.
- TENS units: For contraction pain, Zamudio says she has researched the TENS unit, which uses electrical stimulation through small pads placed on the lower back, which are rentable through labor and delivery units in some cases.
- The birthing environment: Aromatherapy and music can make the birthing room a much more manageable place to be. Zamudio even shows up with playlists. “I have different music for different labors,” she says. “Labors progressing quickly, labors that need to speed up a little bit, for people focused on pain who need a little laughter.”
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