My Home Birth Story
Let me start by saying at first I was all for having my baby in the Hospital. Mostly because I was scared being a first time mom and all, not knowing what to expect and having peoples opinions cloud my mind. Being a first time mom I had so many thoughts running through my mind. Is it gong to be too painful? Am I going to tear? Am I going to poop while giving birth? lol. Will I be okay? One thing every mom can agree on is it doesn’t matter how our baby comes into the world as long as they are strong and healthy. But then again don’t you want your child coming into the world in a peaceful environment not only for your baby but for you as well. You matter too! A hospital environment to me is cold, loud, bright and you have no freedom to walk around as pleased because you’re stuck to a monitor. Not for me. Sadly I have heard more stories about complications during pregnancy in the hospital than having a home birth. A Midwife doesn’t take you on as a patient if you are a high risk pregnancy because that is their license on the line.
What changed my mind on having a home birth 22 weeks into my pregnancy was a few things. One, my OBGYN and I didn’t see eye to eye on things. She considered me a possible high risk because I had a fibroid on my uterus wall and in my condition during delivery it could block the birth canal. So instead of trying for a vaginal birth they would just perform a cesarean. I did my research and got a second and third opinion and knew I could have a natural vaginal delivery. Secondly, Covid wasn’t allowing Levi to be apart of my Dr Visits and he would be the only one allowed in the delivery room. No other family members or doula. Thirdly & fourthly what changed my mind was watching the documentary “ The Business of Being Born” and reading the book “Ina Mays Guide to Childbirth”. Must watch and read! I even had my man Levi on board with having a home birth. It was the best decision I made. Obviously finding a good midwife is very important. My Midwife Christian from Fertile Moon Midwifery was amazing and has delivered over 100 baby’s. She made me feel safe and well taken cafe of. Christian and her assistant during labor checked my baby’s heartbeat every 5 minutes. My baby’s blood pressure and mine never raised because we were in such a loving, peaceful environment. I had a great support system. I had my man, my sister and my best friend by my side and my mother in law who said prayers all day. My mom couldn’t make it in time. I played a Hypnobirthing playlist from Spotify that played meditation music all day, dim lighting and candles, it was the perfect setting.
Being educated on childbirth is very important. I knew I was prepared for whatever was to happen and I wasn’t going to allow my Doctor to tell me I shouldnt take the 1% risk on having her at home. To be honest I felt safer delivering at home than in a hospital. Especially because I wanted to have a natural, vaginal childbirth with no unnecessary medical interventions which are common in hospital births.
Aug 18th at 5:10am I was laying in bed tossing and turning from being uncomfortable and suddenly felt a small pop and then a gush of water. I ran to the bathroom and it was just a clear fluid and wondered “did my water just break?” then another gush came and then some major cramps started. I was in labor.
I tried laying back down to nap before the contractions got worse to conserve energy but laying down was too uncomfortable. From there I went into the living room to hang out with my best friend Sandra who acted as my Doula and started to time my contractions which were about 14 min apart. Sandra had flown in from Florida a day before I went into labor hoping I would go into labor when she was visiting me and I did! It all worked out so perfectly. Sandra made me feel very comfortable during my contractions and knew where to press on my back and hips to make the pain more tolerable. Sandra and Levi would take turns pressing on my back and hips. It was about every 4th contraction that was pretty painful to where I would vomit.
Around 10:30am I tried eating an açaí bowl and cranberry walnut bread but I had no appetite and accidentally through up in my hair during a contraction. So I showered which the warm water helped and then Sandra blow dried and curled my hair for me. So sweet. By 1pm I found myself in our master bedroom leaning on my dresser for every contraction and stayed there for about 2 hours because moving around wasn’t an option for me anymore. During my contractions to get through the pain I would make a loud humming sound. Levi, Sandra & my sister would feed me spoon fulls of honey and electrolyte water to give me energy. By 2 pm my contractions were 4 to 5 min a part and Levi called our midwife to come.
When she arrived she checked me and I was about 10 CM dilated. My Midwife filled up the birthing tub and I got in to push but wasn’t getting anywhere so Levi got in with me and I laid in between his legs against his chest to rest. The water was so comfortable that I actually fell asleep for about 30 min which was nice and gave me a boost of energy for what was about to come. The Pushing! Sadly being in the water slowed my contractions down so I got out and went back to the bedroom dresser to stand. I tried squatting on the floor to push and tried to push on the toilet but I wasn’t making much progress and was getting exhausted so I got into bed and laid on my back to push. I was against this position because it reduces your pelvic outlet and it works against gravity but for me that is the position I was making most progress in at the time.
I pushed with the help of Levi and my midwife pushing my legs back during every contraction. What was nice is that Christian (my midwife) during every contraction when I would push she would take a hot compress and Olive Oil to my vagina. I remember finally getting so close to pushing Harlee’s head out and Christian saying “Okay this next push your going to feel the ring of fire” because of the burning sensation felt as the tissue stretches around the baby’s head. I finally pushed her head out and I reached down and could feel her little head. I was so close to seeing my baby! I just had one more big push. Levi was so excited to be able to deliver her and be the first to touch her. My last push Harlee came out and Levi grabbed her and laid her on my chest. It was love at first sight.
I gave birth to a healthy 7.4 pound and 20 inches long beautiful baby girl. I was in labor for a total of 13 1/2 hours. It was the most beautiful experience I have ever gone through. Harlee was born in such a peaceful, loving environment and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I delayed cord cutting for about an hour. After I birthed my placenta my midwife put it in a bag next to me so Harlee could receive all the benefits from delayed cord clamping. It was cool to see the blood flow through the cord and into Harlee. Delayed cord clamping is so important even for 30 sec to 10 minutes after giving birth. It boosts blood supply contributing to higher red blood cells as well as better iron supply, increases oxygenation and survival for preemies. The list goes on. To learn more CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE .
I encourage every woman to consider having a home birth unless you have a medical condition. To me I thought if I can do that, I can do anything.
Here are some tips that helped me have the best childbirth experience along with my baby being in the perfect position for delivery.
Exercise during your whole pregnancy. Even walking an hour every day. I learned a lot from spinningbabies.com . You and your baby are working together! Your job is to dilate, baby’s job is to rotate.
Empower yourselves with daily activities, body balancing techniques, and smart birth positions for a more comfortable, confident birth. I spoke to my baby every day and close to my 3rd trimester I spoke to her about getting in Occiput anterior Position. This position is the most common. It means that your baby is head down with their back against your stomach and their chin tucked into their chest. She listened! :-).
Drinking Raspberry Leaf Tea starting around 32 weeks of pregnancy. It is a well-known traditional herbal remedy to strengthen and tone the uterus in preparation for labour, to soften and prepare the cervix for labour and to induce or ease labour.
Massaging coconut oil on your perineum every night, 2 months before your due date to prevent tearing. It worked for me. I didn’t tear!:-)
Stay Hydrated and drink lots of water. I would drink at least thirteen 8-ounce glasses per day of water, tea and juices.
