Alison's Home Birth Story

When I was pregnant with my second, I decided to hire a midwife and have a home birth. I was using the same doula that had been present with me from my first birth. I hired my midwife when I was 12 weeks along. She made regular monthly prenatal visits. I decided to also see my OB and get dual care since I had insurance that would cover those visits. I also felt that it was good for her to know what was going on in case I did have to go to the hospital. All my visits went great and my son who was 2 years old loved to help take my blood pressure with my midwife. When it was coming to my due date I was already dilated so I thought this meant I might have the baby early. Ha, how we can't rush things! As my due date came and went I started having prodromal labor. This is where you go into active labor and then it stalls out. This happened 3 times in the week and it is really draining. I would call my midwife and get all excited and you really have to mentally get in a zone and it is crushing when it stops. My midwife was great, she would come over and sleep on the couch to see if labor would start again and then tell me not to worry, this happens and this is what she was here for! Finally my son needed to go to the dentist and I started active labor while we were there. We went home and I tried not to get my hopes up. I pushed him on the swing for awhile and I remember having to stop when the contractions hit. After an hour I could tell this was it. My midwife and doula came around 2pm. I was in the tub but my contractions seemed to be slowing so my midwife got me out and moved me to the toilet. This seemed to help a lot and I lost my mucus plug and moved to the couch. My water broke and since I was not in the water the pressure and pain of a baby hitting a nerve in my leg was unbelievable! I was having my husband push on my leg every time I had a contraction. Up until that point he had been taking care of our 2 year old by giving him snacks, having him help massage my back and playing with him which was a great way to keep him occupied and would not have been as easy at the hospital. My two year old thought the tub was cool and was having a good time! I moved into the tub to take the pressure off my leg nerve. My midwife started giving me homeopathic pills to increase my labor contractions and I remember crying and saying I couldn't do it. All of sudden I started growling and pushing and no one had told me to do it. I just did it since my body wanted me to. I remember feeling his head move down and pop back up and I thought no you don't! I pushed with all my might and summoned the power of the universe and I pushed that head out in two pushes. My midwife said he was big! I tried to push more but he did not want to come out since his shoulders were so big. My midwife had to flip me over to get hold of his shoulder and help get him free. He came out but was blue. I brought him to my chest and talked to him and held him by my nipple and was happy to see the cord still pulsing. Even though it was a scary minute he started crying and within a half hour he looked great. My midwife had the doula call 911 when she saw he was stuck so they all walked into the room just as he was crying and they started laughing and saying, we hear a baby crying, it must be okay. Then one of them said, I told the others when I saw a midwife that it would be fine. Luckily my midwife had lots of experience with shoulder dystocia and everything worked out well. We weighed him at 11pm and he was 10 lbs 10 oz and we burned my his cord. We then woke up my 2 year old so he could meet his brother. He had slept like a baby on the couch through the labor and the arrival and departure of the paramedics. Even though I will not be having another birth, I know if I did I would without a doubt have another home birth.

A big thanks to Alison for sharing her birth story! A few things to note from this story...

• You CAN receive dual care, and this can be a good choice for couples who may be apprehensive about using a midwife or pursuing a home birth. Some states (but not all) allow access for midwives into the hospital. In the case where your midwife will not be allowed to act as your primary caregiver in the hospital (should you be admitted), it is a good idea to have a relationship going with an OB who already knows you and can take over your care. In this case, your midwife will often act in a supporting doula-type role. It is a good idea to talk to your midwife up front about what should happen if you are admitted to the hospital and what her role would be in that instance.

• Those last few weeks of pregnancy can be exhausting! As your body prepares for labor, it can be confusing as to when the baby is really coming. It is in this time that the relaxation measures that you learn in your childbirth classes really come into play. Your body is simply preparing for the big event. No matter how many "false alarms" occur with mommas, you almost always hear moms saying that they "just knew" when it was really happening. When you are able to relax, let go and ride the wave of labor, something instinctual kicks in and your body signals to you that your baby is almost here!

• I love how Alison records her experience of the natural urge to push and how her body just took over. It is a pretty unbelievable experience for a woman when she lets go and allows her body do its work. Many women explain labor as an "out of body experience," and are amazed by how instinctual and natural the process can be.

• Help is always near. When you are choosing a midwife, it is crucial to ask up front what the emergency protocol is for your labor. While home births have been shown to be associated with a much lower rate of intervention, emergency situations can happen and it is important to have a plan set up ahead of time to ensure the safety of you and your baby. Notice how the midwife called 911 immediately when she suspected a possible issue and how quickly help arrived.

• I love hearing stories of family-centered birth where other siblings are present. One of the beautiful aspects of home birth is how it involves the whole family in their own environment. Involving siblings in the prenatal care and the birth itself can often make the transition to "+1" smoother.

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