My 1st Homebirth, Daniel's Birth
July 6, 2011
My Midwife, Sarah, called at 8:15am and said she was on her way to another client's house whose water had just broken and contractions were already three minutes apart. Because our appointment was canceled, I went to my chiropractor for an adjustment. She reminded me that babies are not “late” until 42 weeks and I still had two days before reaching 42 weeks. Sarah called at 5:30pm having just finished the birth and scheduled me to come in at 9:00am on July 7. My prayer was to go into labor without using anything to induce it, even though it would be with something natural. However, I only had 2 days until things started getting serious and Sarah was leaving to China on the 13th.
July 7, 2011
I was climbing into bed at 12:10am when the first contraction began true labor for this baby to be born. Praise the Lord for His answer to prayer. I no longer needed to naturally induce. I informed Carl of the five contractions that were ten minutes apart. There was only a small amount of pain so I applied Marjoram Essential Oil on my abdomen. Yay! The pain went away! At 1:00am I got in a Lavender essential oil bath which helped me relax. The contractions became more intense, consistent and closer together. At 1:30am I walked around the house for 30 minutes while drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea with chlorophyll. I relaxed in the Lavender bath again until 2:30am. Carl called Sarah at this point to inform her I was in the beginning of labor with contractions 5 minutes apart. Sarah said to monitor things for one hour and call her back. However, she called back in less than five minutes and said she was on her way. She knew I was 50% effaced, 6cm dilated, and -2 station. She was not going to risk missing my birth and knowing my water could break. We started diffusing the beautiful smelling Geranium essential oil.
At 3:15am my midwife, Sarah, arrived with all her supplies, excitement, wisdom, and best of all, a beautiful encouraging smile. This new experience of naturally going into labor was amazing. I was able to have conversations with Sarah and Carl between my contractions unlike my medically induced birth with Melody. Sarah encouraged me to eat something, so I ate a bowl of watermelon and took another Lavender bath. Gina, Sarah's assistant, arrived at 3:45 am during my bath. They both rested in the living room to give me privacy. I decided to labor in my bedroom at 4:15am and applied marjoram oil again.
I needed Sarah at 4:40am and she did a great job reducing the contraction pain with her comfort measures. By 5:00am Sarah needed Gina's assistance. Having Sarah and Gina a part of my birth team was the best decision we made for this birth. My state of mind was very serious at this point, but not intense. I began to do different squatting positions and abdominal lifting during contractions that Sarah knew would help Daniel drop into my pelvis. It worked after just 5 contractions! At 5:25am contractions were more intense. We asked Danalee to call family to inform them that I was in labor.
Active labor began around 6:00am and I was now needing to completely focus on relaxing my body during each contraction. My mind was clear and tuned in to every encouragement, suggestion and instruction Sarah and Gina gave. I dilated to 8cm by 6:50am then to 9 ½cm by 7:30am. I stayed at a 9 ½ for quite some time because my contractions slowed down to about 5-7 minutes apart. This gave my body time to rest before the pushing stage.
My water finally broke, contractions were more frequent, and Sarah began coaching me during the pushing stage as I labored in the hands-and-knees position. Daniel was gently born at 8:35am with no complications. God answered our prayers and brought this baby forth in His perfect timing. Daniel was immediately placed on my abdomen and his umbilical cord was not cut until the pulsating stopped. He weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces! Praise the Lord for Carl's support and Sarah's work. Sarah showed me all the placenta details, even the amniotic sacs. Sarah and Gina prepared a herbal bath that was comforting and soothing for baby Daniel and I. They also stayed to care for me and Daniel while helping clean everything too! They left around noon once we were examined, given postpartum instructions, and tucked in.
Sarah came back to check on us the next day. Then, we visited her at 2 and 6 weeks postpartum. The 6 week visit was very sad for me only because this was the last visit with my midwife, my friend, Sarah. Her ministry of midwifery had a huge positive impact on my life and has sparked a burden in my heart for other expecting families.
