When pregnant with my second child, I was really looking forward to having a positive birth experience. My first birth at 18 was in Jamaica wasn’t a great experience as I had no education at birth. This time, I wanted to go about changing my mindset and making sure I had a positive attitude. The thing that helped me was having my husband by my side, watching births and staying away from negative stories.

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My baby came right on his due date! It was also my 5 year old piano recital; something I couldn't miss. We all went and during her recital, I was having some mild contractions. When we got home, I made a few phone calls before my neighbor came by to get my daughter. We then went to the hospital at about 7pm. My labor was very short. By the time I was registered and got settled in my room, the pain increased. I labored in bed and by switching from my side and my back, the medical staff and everyone in general was amazing and I was going back and forth on whether or not I wanted pain medication. By the time I made the decision and went with pethidine it was too late. I gave birth shortly after around 9.30pm before the drug even kicked in.

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"Every birth is different and has the potential to be wonderful.''

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Five births later and working as a birth doula now, I always tell my clients to have a positive mindset and not to focus on the negative that they may have heard about birth from other people and especially from movies. Every birth is different and has the potential to be wonderful. When you're afraid, your body tenses up. When you're tense, things hurt more. Then, you become afraid of the pain which leads you again in the cycle of FEAR, TENSION and PAIN.