Such a Wonderful Feeling HarshaThachery

For Harsha and JugualThachery, having their baby in the water was not something that was pre-planned. In many ways a typical urban couple, Harsha and Jugul waited to have a baby when they were ready to have one. And when they conceived, it was Harsha’s mother who recommended they check out Lamaze classes at the local birth centre.

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Through attending the classes, the couple got to know more about the whole journey of pregnancy and childbirth. “I never wanted a C-section” says Harsha. “And everyone in my family has had a history of normal births, in a hospital, of course...so I wasn’t too worried about that.” Throughout the pregnancy, the couple did simultaneous consultations with their obstetrician in a hospital, as well as visits to, the at the Birth centre. “But the experiences were so different. In the hospital it was quite impersonal – we were just another case to them. There was no connection to me or my baby. At the birth center, we could take our time talking about our doubts and ask all the questions we wanted. The midwife was better than the nurses I met at the hospital. They bonded with us, so it became a personal connection, which was so reassuring.”

“I had a checkup at 35 weeks with my doctor, and a little while later with the midwives at the Birth centre. When I was checked through palpation, she found out that the baby was in the breech position – which the doctor had not told us, even though we there just minutes before! They told us what exercises to do to get the baby to turn around, which I did. A week later when we had a scan, the baby had turned around and was all set to come out.”

We saw several videos of water births. “The mothers were so calm, with their eyes closed… so involved in the experience they were having. It really made me want to have a similar experience, without having a whole group of people fussing around me, says Harsha. Jugul adds, “we really wanted to keep an open mind, and deal with things as they came. Without being completely for or against anything. Fortunately, as the pregnancy progressed we felt more and more comfortable with this option and we were able to go with it.”

The baby decided to begin her entry at 40 weeks and 3 days. This was past the estimated ‘due date’. The contractions began very slowly, and were very spaced out. “I actually went shopping that day, and had an occasional contraction” laughs Harsha. By the evening they were closer together, but I was not in discomfort, so we went out for dinner. It was in the middle of dinner that they started intensifying. We got in touch with the birth center; they confirmed that this was just the beginning of the process. That night I couldn’t sleep. There were the contractions, and I was also so excited that I was so close to seeing the baby!”

Harsha kept track of the contractions with an application she downloaded off the internet. Jugul was good at assisting – “She was managing it well, and all I needed to do was massage as we had been instructed when the contraction happened.” Later in the evening, Harsha’s water broke, and the next stage of labor began. At the Birth center, things were pretty cool “All I wanted to eat was fruits, so I was eating mangoes and walking around when the contractions came.” By 8.30 p.mHarsha was dilated enough to enter the pool.

“It was so soothing. The relaxing music and candlelight had me so relaxed that I actually dozed off for a few minutes in between! I asked them to switch the music off because it was making me go to sleep.” Things felt different in the water. “Being in the water made the contractions much easier to handle. And my caregivers were there throughout. No one was giving me any specific instructions – I just allowed my body to do its own thing, and pushed according to my body’s need.”

“I remember the baby’s head crowning…it was such a wonderful feeling. The next thing I remember was holding her in my arms in the water. I kind of spaced out in between for a few minutes. There was a little bit of a tear, which was sutured so perfectly by the midwife. I had absolutely no problems sitting or any additional discomfort in my body!”

Harsha adds that no medication of any sort was required, and baby Veda started feeding normally without any trouble. “The best part was that I went home in a few hours and that night I slept soundly in my own bed!” Looking back on the experience Harsha muses, “I’m actually considered the weakling of my family. No one could believe that I could do this. Now, I feel that I can handle any situation and I’m really proud that I had my baby in this manner and did not resort to any medication or intervention.”

For Jugul the decision was reinforced by the trust he felt in the team at the birth center. “I always knew that Harsha was capable of handling anything that she put her heart into. And I knew that the support team would always be upfront and honest about the situation, whatever happened, so I was not worried. You know, if we are in the hospital there is so much tension, anxiety, separation from the family – so many negative things associated to such a positive experience. Plus, at the center the atmosphere is so cozy, just like a home – so in so many ways I was happy we did this. Whatever happened, I was more confident about the situation if I was present in the room, and not waiting in some other room in a hospital. And throughout the birth, Harsha was never in distress, so I was not tense at all.” After this experience, the couple is sure that if and when they have another child, they would go for the water birth option again, without any hesitation.