My positive homebirth story
My baby was right on time. The last few weeks of my pregnancy I was very anxious. Anxious for my life to change and anxious that I didn’t know when I would go into labor. It’s amazing how little control we have over a huge life change like having a child.
Two weeks before my due date, my midwife encouraged me to consider taking steps to help naturally induce labor. I had already been eating the dates, taking the evening primrose oil, doing the hip-opening excersizes. But when it came time to do a membrane sweep, I hesitated. I wanted to see if my baby would come exactly when she needed to. I decided to wait until the week I was due to take more action toward natural induction. I ended up going into labor the day before my due date and gave birth the day after my due date.
Sunday
I started feeling contractions in the morning and they died down during the day. That evening they picked up again and I called my doula. She told me it was very early. I sat up on the couch the whole night because it was the only place comfortable to ride out the waves of contractions. They didn’t move or get closer together all night.
Monday: due date
I knew I was in labor but the contractions didn’t change the whole day until 8 in the evening. I called my doula, birth tub service and midwife. 9 to midnight I went through a Miles circuit and movement to try to position baby in the right spot before getting into the tub. The doula had my husband take a nap while she was with me.
The birth tub was so relaxing.
It didn’t take away the pain, in fact the pain changed and got worse in some ways. But that was just bringing me closer to delivery.
It was such a hard night.
I was giving up around 3 or 4am. I didn’t know how I could do it and I kept demanding to be done. Hubby was with me and so strong holding it down by my side.
My only relief was sleeping between contractions.
And for a few hours that was 30-60 seconds between each one. My Mom came around 6 a.m. and she played music.
Tuesday morning
After laboring all night, dawn started breaking and I knew we were close. I looked out our back window to see a light snowfall. My midwife checked my cervix dilation and it was time to push. By that time, I wasn’t afraid of pushing, I was so ready.
I rested for a little bit in the tub relaxing and knowing the pain was almost over. And then I gripped the sides and my husband’s hands and pushed a few strong times before my baby came out.
The tub had so much blood that I couldn’t see, so my midwife caught her in the tub and brought her to my chest.
Of course that’s you!
When I first saw her it was like I already knew her. I held her and cried, then my husband and my midwife helped me out of the tub onto the couch with the umbilical cord still attached to each other. After a few minutes, Daddy cut the cord and she went to his chest while I birthed the placenta. My baby was ready for the world.
