An Unassisted Birth
Many women have opted through the ages to give birth unassisted. They choose not to invite a midwife to their home. Not to rely on someone else to "deliver" them. A woman is truly birthing in her own power. This does not mean we are to ignore the post partum rule of "mothering" the mother. The post partum is still a transition for a new mother while her body adjusts to making milk and adding a new little person to the family. Women still need lots of support and rest. In fact Dianne created a 30 day seclusion for herself inorder to get the rest she needed after her delivery. I am blessed to know Dianne! She shares her story on this page.
Nathaniel's Birth January 14, 2002
This is the story of my fourth home birth. Midwives caught my first two sons, and I birthed unassisted with Nathaniel and his brother before him. This labor lasted 37 hours! My longest birth. It was a very emotional labor for me despite my visualizations and belief that I would have an easy labor. This labor was very intense. While laboring I never took heart tones, as I could feel the life force of my baby kicking inside me. Every so often I did a vaginal check on myself to see how close his head was. Near the end of labor we thought we would go to Wendy's (about 20 miles away). I didn't think I could make it so we went to McDonalds just up the street. My labor seemed to intensify at this point.
As we drove home I felt the slightest urge to push. My husband helped me get inside and started filling the pool while I sat in the recliner. At 5:15 I couldn't resist the pool any longer. My husband kept boiling water on the stove to keep the pool warm.
I thought it was a bit early for my husband to light the 50 candles I had purchased special for this birth. Once they were lit and the lights out, the warmth of the pool, and the glow of the candles were so very relaxing. My water broke at 5:40. I felt inside...lots of hair. It wasn't long before I could no longer resist the urge to push.
My three toddlers gathered around the pool. I sat back to deliver the head. Then I got on one knee to deliver the body so they could see better. My baby was out in less than two minutes of pushing. I am so glad my husband let me catch this time. I let Nathaniel float under the water for a minute and then brought him up. That's when I saw I had another boy! He whimperd for a moment and then fell asleep. He had no problems breathing. He weighed nine pounds thirteen ounces! My biggest child yet.
After four hours we decided to cut the umbilical cord rather than doing the lotus birth we had talked about. My husband felt it was best that this child be our last birth and he has opted for a vasectomy. I am disappointed in this decision and in many ways am still grieving that this is my last birth. My husband said we may adopt a daughter in the future. I am already praying for her and her birth mother!
As an addendum to this birth, Nathaniel was born tongue tied! It caused my nipples to be very sore and he couldn't nurse well until I cut his frenulum. He has since had no problems nursing. I am very glad that I took the intiative to do that for him. Click here to go to page 7 Click here to return to beginning.