In this birth story, Katherine shares that she wanted an unmedicated birth. She planned a hospital birth with a midwife. During her pregnancy, she hired a doula and she and her husband, Corey, attended both natural childbirth classes and a natural comfort measures class. Katherine had an intense labor but was able to relax between contractions, and with the support of her husband and doula, she managed to cope with increasingly difficult contractions. Her commitment and hard work during labor, and the emotional and physical support she received, helped her achieve the unmedicated birth she wanted. Katherine and her husband welcomed their daughter, Clara Mae, into the world after 10.5 hours of labor.
Keywords: birth story; doula; first-time mom; unmedicated birth; water birth.