My Home Birth Experience

EARLY LABOR

Saturday night after getting power back at my house, mom helped me pack my things and move me back in. Towards the end of unpacking I started to have some very mild lower abdominal cramps around 10pm, which Emily (my midwife) told me would be how the start of labor felt. I had some water, laid down and texted my mom, but 30 minutes later they were still happening and I went to the bathroom and had the “bloody show” so I told her to come back over to be with me. I updated my midwife and doula, then started timing them. About an hour later I lost power at the house and we let the midwife and doula know. Candice sprung into action and coordinated with mom to have extension cords, a tea kettle and 2, 5 gallon buckets filled with hot water from their house with a generator. My mom’s boyfriend’s truck has a generator, so he let us borrow it to power my freezer in the garage, refrigerator and the line for the tea kettle. We had candles and I had a battery powered fairly light holding up my birth affirmation cards in the corner where my birthing tub was. Candice helped me get into different positions, used my essential oils, took some great photos during labor and birth, as well as showed my mom some techniques for comforting me like massaging my low back and sacrum during surges, which felt great! My dad came over to bring me roses and was teary eyed as he saw me in labor. He also help clean up my backyard after hurricane Milton blew down my back fence. Candice later recommended that Dr. Ashley come over and adjust me around 1:30am after consulting with the midwife about my progress. Emily recommended that I lay on my left side as opposed to my right like I was previously doing and that I try all 4’s leaning back into child’s pose. This proved to be a lucrative position and the adjustment helped Emma get into a better position to progress.

Sunday morning, Candice put on our church sermon via YouTube which was an uplifting message about fighting fear. Luckily, I was never fearful about birth, in fact I was excited about experiencing it, but it was helpful nonetheless to get a fresh filling from the Holy Spirit. Around 11am Candice felt that another boost from an adjustment might help things progress, so Dr. Ashley came over again and adjusted me. They also did side lying release which really intensified the contractions. I then went outside in my backyard and did some grounding. This is when I started trying the squatting position which was another lucrative position to get Emma down into the birth canal.

ACTIVE LABOR

I entered the birthing tub, which was geniously kept warm via a tarp and the continued filling via the tea kettle by my mom. I partially expected it to be cold, but it was the perfect temperature! My midwife arrived around 2:30pm and observed how I was doing.

Candice played great hypnobirthing tracks, validated how I was feeling, did some pranic healing, put cold compresses on my head, took me through some hypnotherapy, gave me water, coconut water, laboraid , honey and lactation energy balls to snack on, since I wasn’t wanting a real meal during labor. I noticed that when she did give me honey or the lactation balls my surges intensified, so I know my body was a bit depleted, but I was in the zone. She was also pouring water from the tub in a cup over my belly which felt nice. That cup was symbolic of one of my best friends from high school who passed away, being present at my birth, because it was a cup she had written her name on during my 16th birthday party, that I had kept ever since.

As I was approaching transition/pushing stage, Emily encouraged me to touch Emma’s head because during my surges they could start to see her sac emerge. I was hesitant at first, but eventually did and it helped me to focus my energy down there. After trying different positions in the tub, they encouraged me to get out and try child’s pose and squatting. They helped me out of the tub and I got into the child’s pose position and had an intense surge, then walked to the kitchen and squatted down through another surge. 

PUSHING

This was when Emily brought over a mirror for me to see Emma’s progress. I stayed in that position for several more surges until I experienced the ring of fire!  

At that point her head was 1/3 of the way through and I went back into the tub. I was afraid for a minute that Emma didn’t want to be born in the water, but we made it! Candice helped me get into a deeper relaxed state and release any outside energy that may have been holding me back and played me the rainbow relaxation track, which I peacefully pushed her out to. During that time my dog Callie was excitedly yipping as Emma was making her entrance earthside.

The fetal ejection reflex was a welcomed feeling after all that effort through the surges to surrender and breathe/grunt her down. Candice had told me it would be and she was right. I had my hands down by my inner thighs to help spread some tissue and catch baby Emma as she entered the water. She made her exit with her left arm across her chest and by her right jaw, which did cause a 1-2 degree perineal tear on the right. I got to slowly pull her to my chest and had immediate skin to skin with her. We had some sweet moments of eye contact and then she let out her first little cry.

I stayed in the tub until my placenta was delivered, which was about 10 mins later.

We then got to lay in bed for over an hour with the placenta still attached. We tried latching during that time and the midwife and birth assistant started getting things cleaned up. Candice made sure that I ate my Jimmy John’s lunch order of a beach club sandwich on wheat with chips, as I held Emma before she had to leave. Mom got to cut her umbilical cord. Nothing was rushed, besides getting the newborn exam done before we didn’t have any sunlight. We also ate some of Emma’s birthday cake that I had my office manager Tristen make us to celebrate the occasion!

No screams from baby. No shots or injections. No unnecessary interventions. They knew what I wanted before going into labor. And guess what?! Around 9pm we got power back to my house, so we didn’t have to sleep without power with a newborn! And my sweet Callie girl never left our side after I gave birth. She didn’t go for a walk or even eat dinner that night. I now lovingly refer to her as my doggie doula.

I'm so grateful for my birthing experience, it was everything I wanted and more! I had prayed to see God’s strength and peace work in and through me during this birth and boy was He faithful!