My birth story actually started the week before when the baby's movements started slowing down. I knew that fewer movements were normal in late pregnancy when the baby has less room to stretch. However, after several days of her moving much much less than she had, I was concerned. On Tuesday, October 27, three days after my due date, I called the midwife and scheduled a non-stress test (NST) for that afternoon. The NST results showed that the baby was fine, her heart rate was fine... everything was FINE. But I wasn't convinced. I went home from the appointment and asked my Facebook friends to pray. I also prayed, hard. I wasn’t sure what I was praying for, exactly, beyond the health of my baby. I asked God to let this baby come out soon... I even told Him that afternoon would be a terrific time. I asked for wisdom to know what to do in the following days... do I ignore my intuition, or do I ask for an induction (which I was totally against doing at that point)?
I opened my Bible, hoping for some words of wisdom. I randomly turned to Psalm 113 and stumbled upon verse 9: “He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord.”
I thought about my life 10 years ago, newlywed and, due to my infertility issues, unsure if I would ever have children. I thought about my firstborn daughter, who was born 5 months after my mother died- a gift from God in the middle of deep grief. God had used her to help fill a void left by my mother’s death.
I thought about our twin boys, K and A, and how we had switched from the fertility medicine we had used to conceive our first child to one that was less likely to cause multiples. I remembered how I cried- and not tears of joy- when we found out it was twins. Now I look at the two of them- best friends and cohorts, forever playing together, and am so thankful that God knew what he was doing when He gave us two.
Then I thought about this surprise pregnancy, and how we were totally unaware of just how much we wanted another baby. How this baby was truly a miracle and would make the perfect addition to our home.
I realized I had been the barren woman, now the joyful mother of three children with another on the way. I felt like God was reassuring me through that verse that I would soon be the joyful mother of four children.
That afternoon, dh came home from work, we ate supper (Digiorno pizza and veggies- I didn't have a lot of energy) and I told him I needed to cut his hair before the baby came. So while the kids were playing Legos I started trimming his hair when my water broke. Realizing we probably didn't have a lot of time left, I quickly finished his haircut and we headed our separate directions to finish preparations. Dh went upstairs to hammer down the plastic sheeting that he had pre-cut and sized for our master bedroom carpet. Dd helped me clear the supper dishes and clean up a bit while I made a few phone calls letting people know that my water had broken but since I wasn’t having contractions yet there was no need to come to the house yet.
I went upstairs and took a shower, where the contractions started. I lay down on the bed and had Dh start timing them. 4 minutes apart... 3 minutes apart... within 10 minutes of me laying down they were 2 minutes apart. We called everyone back and said to come immediately. I started shaking uncontrollably, which I tend to do during and after my labors. Unfortunately, it was making me tense up which made the contractions harder to deal with. When the midwife, Patti, arrived, I asked her if I could get in the tub (I was hoping for a waterbirth), and she thought it would be fine. Immediately the warmth of the water caused the shaking to stop, helping my body relax. She checked me and found I was completely effaced, but only 3 centimeters dilated, which was upsetting to me. By that time my contractions were on top of each other and I had little time to talk in between them. She promised me it would go fast from that point.
During my entire labor, Dh was dutifully feeding me Sonic ice cubes, which turned out to be the absolute best thing for my labor. For some reason, those tasted like heaven to me at the time.
Soon after I was in the tub, everyone who needed to be there arrived- my two sisters, my dad, the midwife and her assistant, and my friend/photographer. I felt like the center of attention but really did NOT want to be at that point. While I wanted to just go inside my head and be in my own world, their presence didn’t bother me as long as they kept their voices down. The three kids wandered in and out, curious but also a bit bored. When someone asked K if he wanted to stay and see the baby be born he said, “No, I just want to go downstairs and play with my Lego guys.”
Half an hour after the first check, Patti asked to check me again. The pain had increased, and apparently, so had my reaction to it. She found me to be 7 cm. That was rather encouraging, because at that point I didn't think the pain could get much worse.
I never really felt a difference between 7 cm and complete, which she pronounced me half an hour after that. After I reached 7 cm, it was beyond anything I'd ever experienced before. I'd get through a contraction, take a breath, and experience another one. All I could do was hope and pray it would be over soon. Another half an hour, and the midwife told me I was complete, and I started pushing. It took me a few minutes to get the hang of pushing because it actually hurt worse to push than not to. I pushed for 15 minutes (although, surprisingly enough it felt like just a few seconds), felt the “ring of fire” I've always heard of but never experienced, and out Baby came in one push. The midwife placed her on my belly, where she lay quietly, looking around, with her tongue darting in and out. She was quite gray in color, resulting in low Apgars, but it had nothing to do with the home birth. She just needed to get acclimated to the world.
We all stayed where we were, watching her in awe, as the midwife rubbed her vigorously. DD was overwhelmed and crying, and asked if she was a boy or girl. It was confirmed that she was indeed a girl! We also told everyone her name, and A started crying. Since we had spent the entire pregnancy asking the kids what they wanted to name the baby, he had high expectations. “Z” was not on his list! For the first few days after her birth the boys asked what her name was repeatedly, but it didn't take long for them to remember and actually like the name.
The placenta soon came out and was placed in a plastic bag, still attached to the baby. We wanted her to get all possible nutrients from her former lifeline. She went in the master bedroom to be coddled and admired while I got out of the tub, cleaned up and went straight to bed. The midwife washed the baby and brought her to me to nurse. She seemed like an old pro at it! Afterward, DD was able to cut the cord, releasing the baby from her blood supply after about an hour. Patti weighed Z, and I was shocked to hear she weighed 9 lbs, 1 oz - My biggest baby by a pound and a half! She was 21 inches long, the same as DD was. Her Apgars were 6 and 8. Everything about her was healthy and strong.
After everyone had their turn holding her, the midwives finished their final paperwork and left, and my dad prayed for us and for the baby. Eventually everyone else left. The boys had fallen asleep reading with grandma in bed, and DD finally went to sleep around 10:30, still very excited but exhausted. Dh and I stayed up late talking about the events of the last few hours, still amazed that only 6 hours ago we were eating supper, completely unaware of what the evening held for us. I didn't get much sleep that first night. I just sat and looked at her, in awe of her, of what I had done, and of God's goodness to us.
Having a homebirth had been my dream since my first birth, and since this was most likely my last, I had been praying the entire pregnancy that God would allow it to happen, and safely. As late as that very day I had doubted that it would. But it did, and perfectly. It was not painless by any means, but it was empowering- I did it myself! It was fast- 2 hours and 50 minutes. It was a waterbirth, which I really wanted. It was easy- no complications. No tearing. My family surrounded me and encouraged me. I slept in my own bed that night. Upon waking the next morning, my family of 6 was all gathered together in our bed.
I could go on and on, but I won't. I am simply grateful to God that I was able to experience homebirth and that He was in control of every aspect of it. Most of all, we are so grateful for a healthy, beautiful baby.
Regarding RRL tea:
I started taking large quantities of it around 35 weeks. I started late in the pregnancy, so I made 2 cups of tea in 1 gallon of water every night and let it steep overnight. The next day I would drink the entire thing. They say it helps shorten the labor and the bleeding afterward- and I definitely had a short labor!
ETA: I realize a lot of you ended up with births that didn't go how you wanted... I have cried with you as I read your stories... this post is *not* intended to make anyone feel bad, but to give hope and encouragement to those still hoping for a homebirth...
I opened my Bible, hoping for some words of wisdom. I randomly turned to Psalm 113 and stumbled upon verse 9: “He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord.”
I thought about my life 10 years ago, newlywed and, due to my infertility issues, unsure if I would ever have children. I thought about my firstborn daughter, who was born 5 months after my mother died- a gift from God in the middle of deep grief. God had used her to help fill a void left by my mother’s death.
I thought about our twin boys, K and A, and how we had switched from the fertility medicine we had used to conceive our first child to one that was less likely to cause multiples. I remembered how I cried- and not tears of joy- when we found out it was twins. Now I look at the two of them- best friends and cohorts, forever playing together, and am so thankful that God knew what he was doing when He gave us two.
Then I thought about this surprise pregnancy, and how we were totally unaware of just how much we wanted another baby. How this baby was truly a miracle and would make the perfect addition to our home.
I realized I had been the barren woman, now the joyful mother of three children with another on the way. I felt like God was reassuring me through that verse that I would soon be the joyful mother of four children.
That afternoon, dh came home from work, we ate supper (Digiorno pizza and veggies- I didn't have a lot of energy) and I told him I needed to cut his hair before the baby came. So while the kids were playing Legos I started trimming his hair when my water broke. Realizing we probably didn't have a lot of time left, I quickly finished his haircut and we headed our separate directions to finish preparations. Dh went upstairs to hammer down the plastic sheeting that he had pre-cut and sized for our master bedroom carpet. Dd helped me clear the supper dishes and clean up a bit while I made a few phone calls letting people know that my water had broken but since I wasn’t having contractions yet there was no need to come to the house yet.
I went upstairs and took a shower, where the contractions started. I lay down on the bed and had Dh start timing them. 4 minutes apart... 3 minutes apart... within 10 minutes of me laying down they were 2 minutes apart. We called everyone back and said to come immediately. I started shaking uncontrollably, which I tend to do during and after my labors. Unfortunately, it was making me tense up which made the contractions harder to deal with. When the midwife, Patti, arrived, I asked her if I could get in the tub (I was hoping for a waterbirth), and she thought it would be fine. Immediately the warmth of the water caused the shaking to stop, helping my body relax. She checked me and found I was completely effaced, but only 3 centimeters dilated, which was upsetting to me. By that time my contractions were on top of each other and I had little time to talk in between them. She promised me it would go fast from that point.
During my entire labor, Dh was dutifully feeding me Sonic ice cubes, which turned out to be the absolute best thing for my labor. For some reason, those tasted like heaven to me at the time.
Soon after I was in the tub, everyone who needed to be there arrived- my two sisters, my dad, the midwife and her assistant, and my friend/photographer. I felt like the center of attention but really did NOT want to be at that point. While I wanted to just go inside my head and be in my own world, their presence didn’t bother me as long as they kept their voices down. The three kids wandered in and out, curious but also a bit bored. When someone asked K if he wanted to stay and see the baby be born he said, “No, I just want to go downstairs and play with my Lego guys.”
Half an hour after the first check, Patti asked to check me again. The pain had increased, and apparently, so had my reaction to it. She found me to be 7 cm. That was rather encouraging, because at that point I didn't think the pain could get much worse.
I never really felt a difference between 7 cm and complete, which she pronounced me half an hour after that. After I reached 7 cm, it was beyond anything I'd ever experienced before. I'd get through a contraction, take a breath, and experience another one. All I could do was hope and pray it would be over soon. Another half an hour, and the midwife told me I was complete, and I started pushing. It took me a few minutes to get the hang of pushing because it actually hurt worse to push than not to. I pushed for 15 minutes (although, surprisingly enough it felt like just a few seconds), felt the “ring of fire” I've always heard of but never experienced, and out Baby came in one push. The midwife placed her on my belly, where she lay quietly, looking around, with her tongue darting in and out. She was quite gray in color, resulting in low Apgars, but it had nothing to do with the home birth. She just needed to get acclimated to the world.
We all stayed where we were, watching her in awe, as the midwife rubbed her vigorously. DD was overwhelmed and crying, and asked if she was a boy or girl. It was confirmed that she was indeed a girl! We also told everyone her name, and A started crying. Since we had spent the entire pregnancy asking the kids what they wanted to name the baby, he had high expectations. “Z” was not on his list! For the first few days after her birth the boys asked what her name was repeatedly, but it didn't take long for them to remember and actually like the name.
The placenta soon came out and was placed in a plastic bag, still attached to the baby. We wanted her to get all possible nutrients from her former lifeline. She went in the master bedroom to be coddled and admired while I got out of the tub, cleaned up and went straight to bed. The midwife washed the baby and brought her to me to nurse. She seemed like an old pro at it! Afterward, DD was able to cut the cord, releasing the baby from her blood supply after about an hour. Patti weighed Z, and I was shocked to hear she weighed 9 lbs, 1 oz - My biggest baby by a pound and a half! She was 21 inches long, the same as DD was. Her Apgars were 6 and 8. Everything about her was healthy and strong.
After everyone had their turn holding her, the midwives finished their final paperwork and left, and my dad prayed for us and for the baby. Eventually everyone else left. The boys had fallen asleep reading with grandma in bed, and DD finally went to sleep around 10:30, still very excited but exhausted. Dh and I stayed up late talking about the events of the last few hours, still amazed that only 6 hours ago we were eating supper, completely unaware of what the evening held for us. I didn't get much sleep that first night. I just sat and looked at her, in awe of her, of what I had done, and of God's goodness to us.
Having a homebirth had been my dream since my first birth, and since this was most likely my last, I had been praying the entire pregnancy that God would allow it to happen, and safely. As late as that very day I had doubted that it would. But it did, and perfectly. It was not painless by any means, but it was empowering- I did it myself! It was fast- 2 hours and 50 minutes. It was a waterbirth, which I really wanted. It was easy- no complications. No tearing. My family surrounded me and encouraged me. I slept in my own bed that night. Upon waking the next morning, my family of 6 was all gathered together in our bed.
I could go on and on, but I won't. I am simply grateful to God that I was able to experience homebirth and that He was in control of every aspect of it. Most of all, we are so grateful for a healthy, beautiful baby.
Regarding RRL tea:
I started taking large quantities of it around 35 weeks. I started late in the pregnancy, so I made 2 cups of tea in 1 gallon of water every night and let it steep overnight. The next day I would drink the entire thing. They say it helps shorten the labor and the bleeding afterward- and I definitely had a short labor!
ETA: I realize a lot of you ended up with births that didn't go how you wanted... I have cried with you as I read your stories... this post is *not* intended to make anyone feel bad, but to give hope and encouragement to those still hoping for a homebirth...
