On July 11, 2021, at 3:30 p.m., I gave birth to my beautiful 7lbs. 10oz. daughter, in the comfort of my home. This is her beautiful home birth story.
For months I had been prepping myself for a homebirth. My husband and I decided to keep our decision to birth at home quiet because we knew there would be resistance from family. I knew how important it is to be in a relaxed and calm state prior to and during birth so I had to make sure I was in the right frame of mind. I had chosen to have a hospital birth with my son and after that experience, I felt prepared and confident to birth my second baby at home. I dove into researching home birth and made sure that I was prepared both mentally and physically.
I believe that no matter where a woman decides to give birth, her decision should be respected, and supported.
If you have had a healthy pregnancy, and are considering a home birth for yourself, I hope my birth story and other blogs will provide you with the encouragement and empowerment to help support you in making your decision.
To prepare for my home birth, I followed the three pillars of a happy home birth:
1. MINDSET: You have the power to control your perception to experience each moment fully, and to prepare yourself with coping techniques.
2. SUPPORT: Choose a team that you love and trust who is well-skilled in physiological birth, and who knows that you are the leader of your birth team.
3. INFORMED DECISION-MAKING: Educate yourself so that you are confident and ready to make decisions for yourself and your baby.
The week leading up to the BIRTH
On July 6, 2021, I went in for an appointment with my midwives. I remember telling one of my midwives that I could tell my body was getting ready and that I thought my daughter was going to come early. She said I was probably right and that the body can give us many clues and signals to the changes and the nearing of birth.
Each day that week, I could feel the baby dropping more and more. I started having Braxton Hicks contractions. I was also feeling quite nauseous and noticed my mucous plug was falling out. I did my best to rest but also prepared my house for the birth since we were planning on having her at home. We began setting up the pool and tarping off the mattress for an easy clean-up. I had also prepped lots of meals in the freezer to help make the transition as easy as possible.
My mom had called me on July 10 to make plans for my birthday dinner the next day. I had a weird feeling that the dinner plans weren’t going to happen but I went along with them as usual.
July 11 at 6:00 A.M.
On July 11, my birthday, I woke up at 6 a.m. with a huge urge to pee. I thought to myself that it felt so strange to have that much pressure. I came into the living room and my son and husband were making breakfast. I sat on the couch and tried to relax. At 6:30 a.m. I felt my first contraction. It was very mild but it was obvious that it was a real contraction and not Braxton Hicks. My contractions did not have a pattern and were still very mild. I figured I had quite a bit of time to go for my labour. I called my mom shortly after and told her that I didn’t think my birthday dinner would be happening that day as contractions had started.
The entire morning I made an effort to eat nourishing food and to stay hydrated so I had energy for when the time came. I consumed bone broth, coconut water, filtered water and third-trimester herbal tea. I had learned a huge lesson from my first birth to consume liquids and food prior to birth to help with energy.
10:30 A.M.
At 10:30 a.m. my contractions stalled. I was confused and disappointed. I assumed that this was a sign that my labour would be long and that my body wasn’t ready yet. An hour and a half went by and I finally had another mild contraction. I decided to lay down and listen to uplifting music (The Blessing & Palm of Your Hand). I continued to make sure that I was in the right mindset. I avoided using my phone or going on social media during this time and just focus on breathing techniques and staying calm and relaxed.
I highly recommend this playlist for moms of faith: Rose Uncharted Playlist
12:30 P.m
At 12:30 p.m., I went to go put my son down for his afternoon nap. He was still nursing at the time so I nursed him before his nap. During the nursing session, I noticed my contractions were intensifying and I had to breathe through them. Once I had my son asleep, I decided to have a bath to help alleviate the pain. While I was in the bath, the contractions quickly intensified. I went from having a few mild contractions to intense contractions in a matter of an hour. I continued to listen to the music and each time I had a contraction I would tell myself this was my body doing its job perfectly as it moved the baby down through my body. Around 1:30/2 p.m. I got out of the bath a began timing the contractions again. They were frequent but short so I assumed I still wasn’t ready since my last birth had very long contractions during active labour.
2:00 P.M.
At 2 p.m., I decided to lay in bed to rest while I tried to massage my lower back. I had experienced low back pain with both pregnancies but in my second pregnancy, I also had hip pain from a fall I had when I was 13 weeks pregnant. My husband kept coming into our bedroom to ask if I needed anything but I just wanted to be alone so I could concentrate. I began to have strong urges to go to the bathroom. I had never experienced these urges during my first labour. My body just kept wanting to sit on the toilet with my feet elevated on the squatty potty as if I had to go to the bathroom. I laboured on the toilet for half an hour. I then got up and tried laying back down on the bed but my body didn’t want to be there anymore. I jumped up and leaned over the bed and my body started going into squats. I kept listening to my body and moved into different positions that felt right with my body. I then felt intense pressure that I had never felt before. I called for my husband to come into the bedroom and told him to grab me a mirror. I could see that things were opening up and I told him to call the midwives even though my contractions did not resemble active labour as they were only 20 seconds in length. I was talking to my midwives on the phone when a massive contraction came over me. I felt like I wanted to scream but I remembered listening to different holistic doulas who said to not scream, instead grunt. I grunted and my body went into the squatty position again. The “bloody show” appeared and my midwife said she was heading over right away. My body began pushing and I couldn’t stop it, I listened to my body and pushed when I felt the urge to do so. I pushed and squatted again and my water broke. At this point, I knew that my midwives wouldn’t be making the delivery so I got myself in the right frame of mind and removed any fear or doubts. I just focused on my job at hand and I knew she would be out very soon.
3:00 P.M.
My husband and mom were quickly trying to fill up the birthing pool. My husband had the hose filling it up and my mom was pouring buckets in to try to get it filled quickly. I walked over to the pool as quickly as I could and climbed in even though it was only half-filled. I leaned over the side and squatted down so my back was submerged in the water. I felt instant pain relief and calmness. I laboured in the pool for about 10 minutes which included about 4-5 big pushes. I made sure to only push when my body told me to push. I could feel that her head was out which I knew was the hardest part. I was feeling relieved and still stayed in a calm state of mind. I waited until I felt my body gave me the urge to push again and the rest of her body came out.
3:30 P.M.
My husband grabbed her out of the pool and placed her on me. The cord was quite short so I had to prop myself up on the side of the pool as she only reached my belly button. She was covered in vernix and I could see her mouth was opening and she began breathing. We placed a towel over her and I rubbed her back. I laid in the pool with her on my stomach for about 5 minutes and the midwives arrived. They helped me out of the pool and onto the mattress where I could deliver the placenta. The midwives evaluated me and the baby and could see we were both doing well. Approximately 15 minutes later, my placenta came out naturally. I had a first-degree tear which thankfully did not require any stitches.
Once I was settled in my bed with the baby, my midwife told me it was her birthday and she was excited to share it with my little one. I told her it was my birthday too and we all thought it was amazing that three people during birth were all celebrating the same birth date.
I spent the rest of the day snuggling my newborn and in complete awe of what had just happened. Our little girl has already been such a blessing to our family. I feel so blessed to be raising a little boy and now a little girl!
I hope my story inspires you to feel empowered during the birthing process. Let me know your birth story in the comments below.
holistic physiological birthing Resources that helped me:
Freely Rooted Podcast: Prenatal + Postpartum Nourishment
The Functional Fertility Podcast: Free birthing and Pregnancy with Noelle Kovary
Holistic Birth Guide
Alexandra Wellness Holistic Doula
Rose Uncharted: Homebirth Highlights
Womanlymadeco
Birthuprising
Instinctualbirthing
Dr. Courtney Kahla
Pain Free Birth