Home Birth - Graphic Descriptions.

[greenrootsmama]

I noticed that there are no topics on home birth, which I feel definitely falls into the SS category. I had my last baby at home with the help of a midwife and, with any luck, we'll be having our next one at home as well this June. I'll include my birth story here and would love to read about anyone else's home birth.

Ok, here's the skinny:

I had my appointment with my midwife, Mary, on Friday where we talked about castor oil and sweeping membranes again since just the sweep alone didn't do the trick last time. It was around 1pm after she left that I took the first dose of castor oil. I started having some contractions but nothing I could identify as the real thing. So when 11pm rolled in and still nothing, I took the second dose. It was around 1am when I went to bed. I woke up a few times to the usual urge to pee and the subsequent contractions a few times during the night. Then at 5:30am Saturday morning I had a contraction that had me trying to sit up in an effort to find a position that would bring some relief. As soon as I sat up I felt a little gush. Not sure if it was fluid or just urinary incontinence again, I made another trip to the potty where there was a much bigger gush. Definitely NOT pee.

Our bedroom was full of kids so I quietly woke Josh and told him the baby was coming. We went down stairs and he started down the "Labor To-Do List" starting with laying out the tarp and blowing up the pool. It was around 6am when Josh called Mary. He told her we hadn't timed contractions at all but they were coming and my water had broke. She started out on her way over and arrived about an hour later. By then both boys were up, Josh was filling the pool and had laid the futon out and outfitted it with the appropriate dressing.

The contractions were pretty regular and strong throughout the morning while Josh did some pretty impressive multi-tasking. This man is not typically a multi-tasker but somewhere deep inside he found the ability to cook a turkey, make breakfast and lunch for the kids, hold me through contractions and play host to our midwives and hypnobirth attendant. He was the hero of the day. I don't think any of us would have had a shred of sanity left when it was all said and done if he hadn't been there to hold everything together.

Once the pool was filled I got in and the contractions began to space apart and lose intensity. It was around 11am and by then I was dilated to about 4cm. Disappointed that it looked like the show was over, I got out of the pool, got dressed and went for a walk in the rain. I had a couple of contractions but nothing like it should have been. At the suggestion of our midwife Josh and I retreated upstairs for some "private time" to get things moving. When that didn't work either I decided it would be a good time to take a nap. The birth crew took the lull as an opportunity to go out and grab lunch.

I think it was 1:30 or 2pm when we all regrouped and started brainstorming plans to get the show back on. I started with running up and down the stairs and pacing the floor. We assessed that although I was dilating the baby wasn't descending and seemed to be hung up on my pubic bone. Then Mary had an epiphany: when a contraction would come, I needed to place my hands at the bottom of my belly, right above my pubic bone, and push in HARD to shove his head back far enough that the contraction could push him down. This action caused the contractions to intensify and then progress was underway. We warmed up the pool again and I got back in.

It wasn't long before the dreaded transition hit me smack in the face. At that point, although it hurt more than anything I can imagine, I trusted that I was going to meet my baby in just a few minutes which made it a little easier to endure. Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong. Mary checked me and I was complete except for a rim or lip of cervix left. With my efforts to push it became swollen and was really handicapping my progress. This intense, earth-shattering pain continued for the next two and a half hours. During that time I got out of the pool and camped on the floor for a little while. Then I made my way to the couch. I just wanted to lie down and have a little rest. Mary kept checking me and concluded that the baby's head was turned to the side which was causing the lip. In an effort to remedy the presentation, she used BOTH hands to reach in and turn him. I thought I would die. I was screaming and crying for her to stop. She kept apologizing but didn't let up. Good thing too because she did manage to get him turned. Once he was facing the right direction I was ready to push. Lying on the couch became very uncomfortable in a hurry so I stood up. I had my left foot on the floor, my right foot up on the couch and my arms around Josh's neck. That was exactly where I needed to be and it felt so right.

Show time. Three contractions: first brought him down, second had him crowning about a silver dollar and third he was completely out in one big gush. I let go of Josh and looked down between my legs to see a very goopy little baby wrapped up in a towel. I reached down to pick him up but was trembling so much that I was having trouble getting a hold of him and needed Josh to help me. I pulled the towel back and saw that he was a boy. I was so happy - I announced that I had my boy and then sat down on the couch to look at him and cuddle him. I just kept saying, "My baby, my baby, oh, my baby." All the kids, who were previously silent and riveted, were immediately surrounding me, wanting to get a better look at their new brother.

Hamilton Hart Mulholland was born at 6:40pm on Saturday, March 8th. He weighed 8lbs., 13oz., was 22.5 inches long and his head was 14.75 inches around. He made a good cry when he first came out but hasn't cried since. He's got a great appetite and is too big for at least half of his clothes. He smells so sweet and is very laid back and calm - even with his brothers and sister constantly running amok around him. He has completely transformed our family for the better. I can already feel a closeness with Josh's kids that wasn't previously there. Brennin feels the need to continuously announce, "that's MY baby!" while Damian and Kierstan just can't get enough of ogling and fussing over him.

Recovery is slow and quite painful but our beautiful little Hamilton gives me a positive to focus upon. I'm eagerly anticipating the days when I feel well enough to take him out and show him off.

Edited to put warning in title, some might find so much detail disconcerting.

 

[the simple life]

uh........:/

 

[patandchickens]

Good topic THank you for sharing your story! (e.t.a. - seeing Natalie's reply, it might be a good idea to put *WARNING- GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS* in the subject line?)

Both my kids were delivered by midwives. Here in Ontario, the province even covers the cost, same as they would a MD... these are midwives who work on their own not as part of a medical practice, have some nursing training but only as a component of their midwifery training, which is done at university. They can do hospital or homebirths, whichever, although there are various criteria for when they are required to transfer the pregnant woman to a doctor's care (although they remain involved in the pregnancy and birth).

My oldest was born in hospital b/c I couldn't talk DH into a homebirth and was a little bit on the fence about it myself anyway. But even though I am SOOOOO not a doctors-and-hospitals person, it went really well, the only non-midwife person I dealt with the whole time was the admitting nurse putting me into the computer In retrospect I do feel that the labor was longer and more back-labor-y and horrible than it would have been at home, but still, I have no real complaints.

By the time the second one rolled around, I had my act together enough to be able to dump a bunch of xeroxes of research papers on risks and outcomes in front of DH, and got him on board for a planned homebirth

I think I was *starting* early labor on the morning of my official due date, but then Happy Fun Child #1 accidentally locked me out of the house and I got stuck headfirst belly-down climbing in the bathroom window til I could get him to bring a chair so I could climb down, and what with all that the contractions stopped Because I was older (42 at the time) and at my due date, and the midwives are required to refer clients to a Dr for induction if they are more than a week overdue, and I did not want to be arguing with doctors, after much dithering I agreed to their suggestion that they sweep my membranes the next day (rationale being, it sometimes takes a couple times to work and it'd be better to have the baby come less than a week overdue). So, they did.

That evening I was POSITIVE I was not going to have a baby any time soon. I even told the midwife that on the phone, and we scheduled an appointment for another sweep the next day. I'd always had a huge amount of really strong really frequent Braxton-Hicks contractions for the last 6-8 wks of pregnancy, especially if I *did* anything, but that evening I'd walked really fast all around the whole horse pasture looking for a lost horseshoe with nothing whatsoever happening to my belly. Which in retrospect should have told me something probably...

I woke up at about one o'clock in the morning with what seemed like my usual strong/frequent B-H contractions only they kept getting stronger and longer. It dawned on me that this might be labor so I got up and puttered around to see if things would stop. They didn't. I woke up DH and started doing all the stuff I should probably have done before, like try to figure out where I'd put the spare bedsheets I called the midwife on duty at the time and although she said she doubted I was going to have a baby anytime soon she'd come out anyhow just in case (she lives like 1.5 hrs away from me).

By the time she got here, around 3:30 or so, my water had broken (flippant comment here edited out to spare delicate sensibilities) and I was having 2-3 minute contractions every 2 minutes or so. It hurt. For whatever reason, all I wanted to do was stand there in the bathroom. So I did. YOu have to understand this is just a 4x5' room with nearly all the space taken up by the sink and toilet. But I was *there*, and I was *not going to move no matter what*. It was just inconceivable to even try.

The midwife decided that probably I *was* going to have a baby sometime soon, and hurriedly phoned her backup (they are legally required to have 2 midwives present for the delivery, 1 for the mom 1 for the baby I guess). Who, of course, also lived like 1.5 hrs away. She also phoned the final-year midwifery student who was working with her.

So basically I was just standing there in the bathroom this whole time, having near-constant contractions (I do not recommend this to anyone, not that you have a choice one wya or the other!), when suddenly I realized the baby's head was crowning. I said something brilliant to the midwife, like "I think I'm going to have a baby!". She said "well, quick before the next contraction, get over here onto the bed". I said, "I can't." She said "sure you can". I think I used unladylike language. Somehow I managed to stagger across to the bed and heave myself down onto the edge. The midwife told me to not push, not do anything, just lie there. A couple of contractions later, a little after 5 a.m., what do you know, I had a baby

(It was actually incredibly cool. It didn't hurt, and I didn't have to *do* anything, my body did it all on its own, squooged the baby on out just as nice as you please. BIG contrast to my first child's birth btw. In fact, as it was happening, I said loudly "whoa, this is really cool!". I am STILL being kidded about this, both by DH and by the midwives when I occasionally run into them )

The baby gave me half a heart attack by being all bluey-white and hardly moving for the first 45 seconds or so, but after some vigorous massage he apparently figured out that he was going to have to do some breathing or something, and he pinked *right* up and was totally fine. She put him on my bare tummy, and did, he actually DID, just like they say a baby can, squirm his way up to my chest and found himself a boobie to poke at in a puzzled sort of way I don't really remember much of that part, although I remember being asked after the placenta came out whether I wanted the midwife to put it in the fridge (answer: EUUUWWWW! ), I just remember lying there being very very very tired and having this little critter that I'd wondered about for nine months lying naked on my chest holding onto my finger for all he was worth

(The midwifery student, by the way, arrived in between the delivery of the baby's head and the rest of it; the second actual licensed midwife arrived about 30 minutes later, just in time for paperwork )

So that was pretty much it. The midwives stayed a few hours to do paperwork (MAN there is a lot of paperwork for them!) and to make sure everything remained ok. Our older son eventually woke up and stuck his head out of his room and saw the midwives and went back in and then came back out an hour later despite them and got to meet his little brother. The two cats who'd been hiding elsewhere during the birth (as opposed to the two who kept hanging around wondering what was going on, and had to be discouraged from *helping* once the baby was born ) also came out and met the baby (they were unimpressed and wandered off again). The midwives came out a couple times over the next few days to do the first few postnatal checkups, then the others, til their job was 'over' at 6 wks, I drove down to their office.

I wish that everywhere had this form of midwifery readily available (indeed I wish it was more readily available here -- there is a shortage of midwives even in the more populous parts of ON, and midwifery is not "in", or covered by, all Canadian provinces... yet, anyhow...). I cannot recommend it highly enough. Obviously I would have transferred to a doctor's care, or been transported to a hospital during labor or afterwards, had there been anything to warrant it... but there wasn't, and the birth went much more smoothly than my first (hospital) birth and probably quite a LOT more smoothly than if there had been doctors involved.

To my reading of the available research studies (as of about 2 years ago, have no idea if anything's come out since), the dangers of a planned professionally-attended homebirth for someone with no obvious risk factors are no worse than the different BUT NO LESS REAL dangers of hospital births. In fact, since some of the KNOWN risks of hospital births do not get tracked by those studies, it is possible that the playing field is "even more equal" than those studies suggest. There are risks in childbirth no matter where and how it happens.

So that's my homebirth experience, and my take on the subject


Pat

 

[farmerlor]

I didn't have any homebirths (toxemia, placenta previa, and all C-sec babies) so all three of my bio kids were born in hospitals and it was a terrible experience each time. I hate the way doctors and hospitals treat pregnancy and birth like it's some kind of dread disease. I hate bringing my babies into the world in germ infested environments. I hate being rushed and anxious and having tired, hardened, BTDT nurses tell me my concerns or needs are ridiculous.
I can't think of anything more wonderful than laboring in your own home where you're relaxed and comfortable and happy.

 

[shareneh]

I think that if you have a baby at home it is a more wonderful experience for everyone involved. I never got the chance to do that because no one else in the house supported the idea. I feel that giving birth is a natural experience and it would definately be more enjoyable if it could be kept at home instead of a hospital. I laid in bed for 29 hours with the first one and it was only because the docs needed to monitor the contractions/baby heartbeat that I had to lay there.

With the other two children I gave birth to I stayed home and walked the floor and those births took about four hours. I did better in recovery as well.

Women didn't lie down for birth until doctors came into the picture. I think it's all for the sake of the doc to have a good view etc.

I think that if you want to and you haven't had deadly complications with other births go for it.

 

[PamsPride]

A homebirth is never to be for me! I would just like to have more babies but I am not sure it is worth the risks yet. My last baby (two and half weeks ago) took a lot out of me. I have had preeclampsia and toxemia with all of my pregnancies and this time was definetely the worst.

 

[greenrootsmama]

I'm sorry I didn't put a warning in the title. I'm used to posting on my birth board where the birth stories sometimes are much more graphic.

Home birth is definitely not for everyone. According to the WHO 10% of pregnant women will require a c-section. That number is much, much higher in the US because of all the intervention that is so popular in hospitals here and the fact that most doctors do not support VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section). I am low risk and have already had 3 babies with no complications. So home birth for me is perfectly safe. I truly feel for the women who desire a home birth but cannot have one. It's an amazing experience.

 

[patandchickens]

I truly feel for the women who desire a home birth but cannot have one. It's an amazing experience.

Big hugs from here too to anyone who would have liked to try a homebirth but circumstances just didn't permit.

Still, the amazingness of the experience is really the part where first there's nothing and then there's a baby growing inside of you and then it's kicking your spleen like the dickens and then one day no more spleen-kicking cuz it's actually in your arms and you get to actually meet this cool new little person.

And no matter how or where a baby's born, there is ALWAYS that


Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

:/

yea to me this topic just doesn't belong here. This is just nasty if you ask me to be chatting about on an open forum in SS.

I know this kinda can be considered SS and it is natural, but I don't want to read this at all.

and of course I won't open this thread again....I know, if you don't want to read it don't....but I saw it and thought, hmm...but it is way to detailed in that I don't need to know this about any of you!


no more opening this thread...LOL-LOL

 

[the simple life]

Yeah, I agree. WAY too much unnecessary information, especially for an ss forum.
Then, I have always felt that the birth of my children was an intimate affair to be shared between my husband and I,
a special memory for us to treasure.

I also don't think how anyone gives birth is anymore ss than anyone else, women have been pushing out kids for centuries and the pain is the same, the work is the same and no one is any better at it than anyone else.
If someone gives natural birth in a hospital, with a midwife even,it in no way detracts from the work and pain involved that they didn't do it on a couch or wherever else.