Jonah's Homebirth
"Finally, 8 days after the wonderful home birth of my 4th child, I am getting a chance to sit down and write out the story!
Quick BG - my 1st was a long traumatic hospital birth (for both my daughter and I that ended up with a week in the NICU), 2nd was a short, intense and lovely birth center birth (another girl), 3rd was a good home birth, but slightly overwhelming (3rd girl).
This birth was planned for home, again, with Kate from Rising Moon, whom I had used for my 3rd birth. I felt really confident with Kate, and her confidence that I could handle another home birth reassured me throughout my pregnancy. Looking back, Kate's belief in me was hugely important. My blood pressure has been an issue in every pregnancy and while it stayed better a little longer than in my previous pregnancies, it was still going up towards the end.
One the day of my scheduled home visit (37 weeks and 5 days) my blood pressure was the highest it had been up to that point. Kate and I had talked about this many times, and we both felt it was best to try to move things along, if baby was going to be agreeable! So out came the tincture, the castor oil milk shake, another dose of tincture, my birthing ball and the breast pump! I started the first of those at about 10:30, then Kate and Jill headed home and told me to let them know if they needed to come back. The castor oil hit me about 11:30 and until about 1:30 was really brutal. After that, it eased up and was annoying, but not bad. After a second round with the breast pump (probably about 1:30) I started have very regular BH contractions, lasting maybe 30 seconds, about 2 or 3 minutes apart. I had had these kind of contractions over the past weekend, and they weren't "real labor" contractions, so I pretty much ignored them and continued on with my day. Because of the castor oil, I didn't want to walk to the bus stop to get my daughter, so I called my mom and had her come over to pick up my 2nd child (about 6 blocks away) and bring her home. After they got back (so just after 4pm) I was sitting and visiting with my mom and felt the contractions change. I felt "something" in my cervix and they became a little more powerful (still not much) and lasted about 45 seconds (mom timed them). Next trip to the bathroom I had a tiny spot of show, so I figured things might be starting up, but that I probably still had hours ahead of me – the contractions just weren't that strong, plus I hadn't had much show or lost my mucus plug at all. The only thing that puzzled me is that the contractions were still only about 2 minutes apart - which seemed really fast! I kept asking my mom if they were coming on as fast as it seemed, and she said yes and that even though I had emailed my midwife, maybe I should give her a call and speak with her.
So I called Lori (my doula), told her what was going on and asked her to come over, then called Kate and Jill. I told them that it wasn't very intense, but the time between contractions seemed so short! Called my husband as well (he was at work) and told him he better get home soon. I think everyone had been called by 4:30. My mom agreed to stay until my husband got home, and when he did (about 4:45) I took one of the 2 minute breaks to scramble up the stairs and hop into the shower. Things would get a little more intense, maybe every 15 minutes, but nice steps up, never a jump to crazy contractions. Still no more show or anything, so I figured it was going to be a longer labor than my last (Sophie was about 2 ½ hours after almost 2 weeks of prodromal labor!). I had Roger put on my hypnobirthing CD and sat with the shower running over my belly. We both figured it was still really early in the labor and Roger took a fun picture of me sticking my head out of the shower and smiling. I relaxed hugely once I got into the shower (although my husband was completely freaked out until Lori got there) and started humming or moaning with the contractions in order to stay on top of them. I was listening to the instructions on the CD and reminding myself to move the energy with sound (thank you Mary Anderson), relax different parts of my body (my arms and shoulders kept tensing up) and that it was pressure and power that I was feeling. When Lori arrived I got an extra minute between a contraction or two – it's amazing to me that she, and then a few minutes later Kate and Jill, could have this effect on my labor when I was welcoming and inviting them in. I can just imagine how much more I would have been affected by the change of a car ride, hospital arrival, etc! After Lori arrived (maybe 5:15) I was able to relax even more. She read me perfectly, helped keep the mood light, and helped my 8 year old be “part” of my labor – my 8 year old sat by the tub with us and scooped water onto my belly during contractions. I am so glad to have that amazing memory to with her! I had turned off the shower when I realized the hot water was starting to run out and had started filling the tub, so I ended up sitting in the warm water. There are some very specific moments/emotions I remember (I also wanted to try to remember what it all felt like – but I think that is already gone!). I remember when Kate and Jill arrived because they were both calm and smiling and happy – I remember the peace and calm that they radiated. I remember Lori laughing about forgetting to turn on the CD (I didn't want to hear the “pushing” part, just the “easy first stage” part) – the lightness and laughter is a beautiful memory. I remember telling Lori that the contractions seemed to be coming really fast, and her assuring me that yes they were – and her reassuring me that I was handling them well!
All of a sudden I started feeling those odd contractions that make the sounds I make during labor stutter. I knew it hadn't been very long, and said as much and questioned that I was really feeling “pushy,” and Jill said it was entirely possible! I took advantage of another one of the 2 minute “breaks” between contractions to get out of the tub and into my bedroom. I saw Kate get out the birthing stool, saw the chux pads spread out on the bed and dove for the bed! I remember thinking no way was I sitting on that birthing stool (someone described it as torture at the birthing stories and that stuck in my head, true or not!). I crawled up on hands and knees in modified child's pose and stayed there until the baby was out. Thanks to Anne Duch's class, I felt like I had a lot of control and awareness of my abdominal muscles and really used them to slowly (I thought) push the baby down. Slowly was actually 4 gentle pushes (about 4 minutes) – the bag came out first, then the baby into the bag of waters, then the rest of the baby! I asked what it was (boy or girl) and Kate told me to see for myself! It was so perfect to be able to look down and see for myself that I had just had my first little boy! He was born at 6:05pm, less than 2 hours after the first contractions started, 8lbs., 8 oz., 20 inches – all of them completely perfect. Emma actually saw him being born, Roger got to cut the cord and Sophie got to pick out his first outfit (hence the pink hat!). Something else that struck me was Kate's thoughtfulness and consideration of my family during the whole thing. She was very aware of Emma watching the birth and of not doing anything that might scare her and she had told Sophie that she could pick out the baby's first outfit, and made sure that she hunted her down when it was time to dress him. We created memories of his birth as a family, which is very special.
I still grin thinking about the birth – I couldn't have asked for a better experience. It was peaceful and beautiful, I never felt overwhelmed or out of control; I felt loved and supported. Joyful, is probably the best word for the entire experience. There was so much joy during, after the birth, and even now as I remember it all."
Quick BG - my 1st was a long traumatic hospital birth (for both my daughter and I that ended up with a week in the NICU), 2nd was a short, intense and lovely birth center birth (another girl), 3rd was a good home birth, but slightly overwhelming (3rd girl).
This birth was planned for home, again, with Kate from Rising Moon, whom I had used for my 3rd birth. I felt really confident with Kate, and her confidence that I could handle another home birth reassured me throughout my pregnancy. Looking back, Kate's belief in me was hugely important. My blood pressure has been an issue in every pregnancy and while it stayed better a little longer than in my previous pregnancies, it was still going up towards the end.
One the day of my scheduled home visit (37 weeks and 5 days) my blood pressure was the highest it had been up to that point. Kate and I had talked about this many times, and we both felt it was best to try to move things along, if baby was going to be agreeable! So out came the tincture, the castor oil milk shake, another dose of tincture, my birthing ball and the breast pump! I started the first of those at about 10:30, then Kate and Jill headed home and told me to let them know if they needed to come back. The castor oil hit me about 11:30 and until about 1:30 was really brutal. After that, it eased up and was annoying, but not bad. After a second round with the breast pump (probably about 1:30) I started have very regular BH contractions, lasting maybe 30 seconds, about 2 or 3 minutes apart. I had had these kind of contractions over the past weekend, and they weren't "real labor" contractions, so I pretty much ignored them and continued on with my day. Because of the castor oil, I didn't want to walk to the bus stop to get my daughter, so I called my mom and had her come over to pick up my 2nd child (about 6 blocks away) and bring her home. After they got back (so just after 4pm) I was sitting and visiting with my mom and felt the contractions change. I felt "something" in my cervix and they became a little more powerful (still not much) and lasted about 45 seconds (mom timed them). Next trip to the bathroom I had a tiny spot of show, so I figured things might be starting up, but that I probably still had hours ahead of me – the contractions just weren't that strong, plus I hadn't had much show or lost my mucus plug at all. The only thing that puzzled me is that the contractions were still only about 2 minutes apart - which seemed really fast! I kept asking my mom if they were coming on as fast as it seemed, and she said yes and that even though I had emailed my midwife, maybe I should give her a call and speak with her.
So I called Lori (my doula), told her what was going on and asked her to come over, then called Kate and Jill. I told them that it wasn't very intense, but the time between contractions seemed so short! Called my husband as well (he was at work) and told him he better get home soon. I think everyone had been called by 4:30. My mom agreed to stay until my husband got home, and when he did (about 4:45) I took one of the 2 minute breaks to scramble up the stairs and hop into the shower. Things would get a little more intense, maybe every 15 minutes, but nice steps up, never a jump to crazy contractions. Still no more show or anything, so I figured it was going to be a longer labor than my last (Sophie was about 2 ½ hours after almost 2 weeks of prodromal labor!). I had Roger put on my hypnobirthing CD and sat with the shower running over my belly. We both figured it was still really early in the labor and Roger took a fun picture of me sticking my head out of the shower and smiling. I relaxed hugely once I got into the shower (although my husband was completely freaked out until Lori got there) and started humming or moaning with the contractions in order to stay on top of them. I was listening to the instructions on the CD and reminding myself to move the energy with sound (thank you Mary Anderson), relax different parts of my body (my arms and shoulders kept tensing up) and that it was pressure and power that I was feeling. When Lori arrived I got an extra minute between a contraction or two – it's amazing to me that she, and then a few minutes later Kate and Jill, could have this effect on my labor when I was welcoming and inviting them in. I can just imagine how much more I would have been affected by the change of a car ride, hospital arrival, etc! After Lori arrived (maybe 5:15) I was able to relax even more. She read me perfectly, helped keep the mood light, and helped my 8 year old be “part” of my labor – my 8 year old sat by the tub with us and scooped water onto my belly during contractions. I am so glad to have that amazing memory to with her! I had turned off the shower when I realized the hot water was starting to run out and had started filling the tub, so I ended up sitting in the warm water. There are some very specific moments/emotions I remember (I also wanted to try to remember what it all felt like – but I think that is already gone!). I remember when Kate and Jill arrived because they were both calm and smiling and happy – I remember the peace and calm that they radiated. I remember Lori laughing about forgetting to turn on the CD (I didn't want to hear the “pushing” part, just the “easy first stage” part) – the lightness and laughter is a beautiful memory. I remember telling Lori that the contractions seemed to be coming really fast, and her assuring me that yes they were – and her reassuring me that I was handling them well!
All of a sudden I started feeling those odd contractions that make the sounds I make during labor stutter. I knew it hadn't been very long, and said as much and questioned that I was really feeling “pushy,” and Jill said it was entirely possible! I took advantage of another one of the 2 minute “breaks” between contractions to get out of the tub and into my bedroom. I saw Kate get out the birthing stool, saw the chux pads spread out on the bed and dove for the bed! I remember thinking no way was I sitting on that birthing stool (someone described it as torture at the birthing stories and that stuck in my head, true or not!). I crawled up on hands and knees in modified child's pose and stayed there until the baby was out. Thanks to Anne Duch's class, I felt like I had a lot of control and awareness of my abdominal muscles and really used them to slowly (I thought) push the baby down. Slowly was actually 4 gentle pushes (about 4 minutes) – the bag came out first, then the baby into the bag of waters, then the rest of the baby! I asked what it was (boy or girl) and Kate told me to see for myself! It was so perfect to be able to look down and see for myself that I had just had my first little boy! He was born at 6:05pm, less than 2 hours after the first contractions started, 8lbs., 8 oz., 20 inches – all of them completely perfect. Emma actually saw him being born, Roger got to cut the cord and Sophie got to pick out his first outfit (hence the pink hat!). Something else that struck me was Kate's thoughtfulness and consideration of my family during the whole thing. She was very aware of Emma watching the birth and of not doing anything that might scare her and she had told Sophie that she could pick out the baby's first outfit, and made sure that she hunted her down when it was time to dress him. We created memories of his birth as a family, which is very special.
I still grin thinking about the birth – I couldn't have asked for a better experience. It was peaceful and beautiful, I never felt overwhelmed or out of control; I felt loved and supported. Joyful, is probably the best word for the entire experience. There was so much joy during, after the birth, and even now as I remember it all."
