03/06/2022
✨ Home Birth Story ✨
Lisa had been with me through my first two pregnancies and births, therefore it was only natural for me to turn to her care when we became pregnant with our third. Our sweet baby was due July 2020, which meant half way through our pregnancy, we were faced with the changes COVID brought. Lisa was consistent and helpful in providing peace and laughter, as well as knowledgeable information.
As we got closer to our guess date, I really worked on releasing anxiety and control. At 37+6, while at a dear friends house for dinner, my water broke around 6:30pm. We giggled and excitedly went home to put the big kids to bed and finish setting up our bedroom for birth. At this point, I was not having any waves, and after a long conversation with Lisa, she convinced me to get some rest. Around midnight, I began mildly experiencing waves. For the next couple of hours, I sat on the birth ball, listening to my Hypnobirthing tracks and repeated, “Open, open, open” throughout each wave. Around 3:00 am, I needed the assistance of my husband to provide pressure on my hips. His touch was such relief. The interesting thing about this labor was that my waves never became consistent. I would have them 15 minutes apart for sometime and then 3 minutes apart, back to 8 minutes, back to 5 minutes, back to 10 minutes. Whenever we thought about contacting our birth team to let them know things were ramping up, they would space out again. Finally around 5am, we called Lisa to give her an update, but decided it wasn’t quite time. I also jumped in the birth tub at this point. Around 6:30am, I began throwing up- my normal sign of transition- however because of the inconsistency in the contractions, I didn’t believe I could possibly be that far into labor. Just after 7, I turned to my husband and told him to get Lisa here because I need her help to get me rest or get labor consistent. I decided to hop out of the birth tub at this point, because I was worried she was arrive to tell me I wasn’t very far progressed and I wanted gravity to help.
After several waves on the toilet, I began crawling back to the birth tub. For the first time, I started experiencing the Fetal Ejection Reflex. I called to my husband and assured him I wasn’t trying to push but that I couldn’t stop what my body was doing.
In the middle of the bathroom, the three of us worked as a team to bring our baby earth side. My husband and I, gently observed that it was just us, but we were filled with peace, not fear. Our baby’s head was born with the cord wrapped, my husband gently slipped it off, and the rest of baby’s body was born with the next wave. We both sat in awe of what had happen. Within a few moments, Lisa arrived and helped manage the delivery of the placenta.
It was such a funny, peaceful birth. Our older children came in to meet baby and found out they had a new BROTHER to love.
Lisa so sweetly award my husband an honorary midwife certificate.
Charlee Haller as a lovely sidekick student and assistant during this birth 🤍
