My second birth: surprise unassisted home birth

2/24/18

Wilder's Birth Story

I am writing this 5 days postpartum so I don't forget any details! The toddler is playing with grandma and the babe is sleeping next to me! The images are from my talented husband as our birth photographer didn't work out last minute. It’s longer than I anticipated but hey- the birth nerd in me just had to share all the details!

I want to first of all share that this is probably the most planned home birth to go unplanned. (Although what birth goes according to plan?!) We did not plan on an unassisted birth at all! For 9 months I've received the most excellent prenatal care from Maria Chowdhury at Birth Song Botanicals a woman could ask for. I was nurtured, supported, prepared and guided my whole pregnancy. We followed a vegetarian Brewer's Diet, exercised and practiced relaxation every night. I even taught a Bradley Method class while pregnant and both of the couples were also due around the same time so it was great accountability. We got all our home birth supplies by 36 weeks including the birth tub. We wrote a home birth plan, a transfer plan and even an emergency c-section plan.

We prepared to the max!!

My first pregnancy I used an O.B and while she was efficient & helpful- this was an entirely new prenatal experience for me. More on that later as it deserves its own blog post as their care it was truly the reason I had such an empowered birth. I digress...

My contractions started on Friday 2/16 around 2am. They would come very slowly and inconsistently so we didn't bother to time them. I slept for a few hours and then woke up David after I felt them come more consistently, around 10 minutes. Then as I rested they would space out again to 15, then go away completely. We texted our midwife around 4am and she encouraged us to continue to rest. We got up around 6 as I began to get uncomfortable but still thought it was probably prodromal labor and to patiently wait. We decided around 12:00 that Jules should plan to go to his Mimi's and to prepare for the birth that evening.  While I was laboring on the yoga ball he wanted to sit with me and was very sweet & comforting. We kept telling him "your baby will be here soon" and he was excited. When he drove away to stay with Mimi I burst into sobbing tears knowing the change about to come. A flood of sadness but excitement, (and probably a rush of hormones) knowing things will be different when he gets back home. These are a few photos David captured.

My last images with just me & my first baby :)

I had been in contact with my midwife and she said "today's a good day to work through labor, you'd be surprised how things change once the sun goes down." Our initial thought was it would be a long, slow and steady labor like with Jules. Julian’s labor was about 21 hours from start to finish and followed a rhythmic pattern towards birth. After Jules left it seemed like I was able to focus more on my labor. Anytime I would get up and be active the contractions would start and would be 10 minutes apart. Anytime I would rest or lay down they would space out to 15-20 minutes. To help the contractions I did a bunch of squats, pelvic rocks, walking and lunges- I was impatient that they kept spacing out! So after doing this for most of the day I noticed that my contractions were finally getting consistently 10 minutes apart- then slowly getting closer to 5 minutes apart. While they were still spaced out I noticed that they were gaining in their intensity. I think all the activity helped make my contractions more meaningful & efficient.

Reading my affirmations & verses.

Pelvic rocking really relieved my back labor. I would walk/lunge around the house and then drop to the ground for a contraction.

My furry doula Roman :) 

Did a little photo shoot when contractions stopped-

Our midwife asked us to call her to come when they were 5 minutes apart for at least an hour. I went ahead and got in our bathtub as I started to feel like the contractions were super powerful. The jetted tub really helped with my back labor. I hadn't lost my mucus plug and my water hadn't broke so I was confused why my contractions were so intense! I could see that my cervix was thinning throughout the day but nothing too definitive. I started to get really intense back labor, which I had with Julian. I was hoping the pelvic rocks would help and they did soothe me. I started to feel like I was in transition as I started shaking feeling cold and then was hot. I was uncomfortable and annoyed. "This can't be transition?" I thought. During every contraction in the tub I went on all fours and David applied serious counter pressure to my lower back for relief. He sat beside me like a zen buddha and stayed so calm saying "you're doing great" "these contractions bring you closer to baby". And he kept reminding me to conserve my energy as this was early labor still.

This is our jetted bathtub and the jets really helped with my back labor. 

Soon I began to hear myself make lower, more animalistic sounds- similar to pushing noises and I started getting concerned. My contractions had just been 2-5 minutes apart for 45 minutes, right when we would call the midwife. (David had been sending her the contraction reports he had been timing from the "Full Term" app on his phone throughout the day) I told David to call the midwife to come because I knew these contractions were changing and something was definitely different. I remember thinking it was probably my back labor which made me feel like I needed to bear down and push. When he was on the phone with the midwife telling her it might be time to come, she overheard me have a big strong contraction and I told David loudly, "I think I am bearing down to push!" She immediately said- "Ok, I'm on my way" and left to come to our home which is about 30 minutes away. I went to the bathroom to relieve the pressure and suddenly my water burst out like a cannon! I looked down and saw my water broke and my mucus plug was there as well. I was shocked as I was not even aware if my cervix had even fully ripened. With Julian I got the urge to push before I had fully effaced so I was fearful this was the same thing. To push before your cervix ripens is not good and a cervical tear is devastating.

I got up to go back to the bath and felt a super strong pushing contraction and I reached down and FELT HAIR FROM THE BABY'S HEAD and said- "There's a head down there the baby is coming!!” I was caught in a super powerful contraction clinging to David. David starts panicking and puts the midwife on speaker and is saying- "The baby is coming! The baby is coming! Please get here soon!" (Side note- For those of you who don't know David- he actually wrote in the birth plan that he did not want to cut the umbilical cord, see blood or the placenta or any birth matter as he is incredibly squeamish and light headed around blood.)

The midwife calmly explains on speaker phone- "ok- guys your baby is coming, you can do this" and she coached David to stay calm. David was the most nervous I had ever seen him. I kept asking him to fill up my birth tub (I really wanted to use it dang it!) but he said- "We don't have time for that!" David got me back in the bathtub and is saying "slow down, don't push Katy, the midwife is on her way!" I kept saying "I can't stop pushing this is happening- the baby is coming!!!" So I get back in the bathtub and feel the head completely emerge! I'm holding the head telling David- he's coming! David tells me he can see that the baby's head is there and is facing down and to push with the next contraction. I feel down for the head and feel the cord wrapped around his neck and start to get nervous that it might be wrapped around his neck. I'm waiting and waiting which seems like FOREVER to push with the next contraction and finally it comes and he's here after only a few pushes!! David grabs him from the tub and we quickly unhook the umbilical cord. Turns out it’s not wrapped around just slightly hooked and he places him on my stomach!! He immediately starts grumbling and crying which was the best sound ever! So we ended up delivering the baby by ourselves unassisted! The midwife comes 5 minutes later and assesses him and everything is fine. She couldn't believe how quickly second stage came and we were all in shock! Most of all I was so proud of David who faced his fears and caught his baby. He dove in and played doctor which is the coolest thing ever. Of course for me as a childbirth educator I thought it was the coolest thing ever but pretty sure David has a little PTSD :)

Wilder Andrew was born on 2/17/18 at 6:30pm weighing 8.6 pounds and 21 inches. No tearing, stitches or complications. In total my labor was 16 hours but I'm pretty sure transition and second stage was 15 minutes! I always tell my students to expect the unexpected and here I am a living example.

No pictures of the birth as my photographer (David) was catching the baby!

Cutting the umbilical cord after it stopped pulsating. 

He's wore out from all the work he did! 

Resident Baby Catcher 

Wild Man

After the placenta was birthed and cord was cut we took a wonderful herb bath together prepared by Birth Song Botanicals which contains shepherd's purse which helps with healing and is soothing.

My amazing birth team: Midwife Maria Chowdhury from Birth Song Botanicals, my baby catching husband-coach and Meg Stairs, apprentice midwife at Birth Song. Their prenatal support, encouragement and guidance was so meaningful to me. I never knew that you could enjoy your pregnancy so much and celebrate each step with women who were equally professional & personable. And my amazing husband who helped me work through labor the whole day with massages, encouragement, getting me food & water, keeping me calm & rested and then- catching and delivering our son! 

"In all cultures, the midwife's place is on the threshold of life, where intense human emotions, fear, hope, longing, triumph, and incredible physical power-enable a new human being to emerge. Her vocation is unique."

Sheila Kitzinger