Our Birth Story

Kaia June Black

8lbs 9 oz, 20 1/2 inches long

Saturday February 16, 2013 at 12:57am

Proud Mama!

Our plans for a peaceful, beautiful home birth became a reality today through what was one of the most truly amazing experiences of our lives (Tony agrees). I am not really sure I can do this story justice, but here it goes...

Proud Papa!

It is hard to say when true active labor began for me, as I never really fit into the silly chart of the different kinds of contractions. Things were definitely prepping all week though. Akilah went to spend the night with friends on Valentine's Day (thank you ever so much Julie, Dave, and Silas!), which turned out to be a blessing because I was awake from 3am on having stronger than Braxton Hicks contractions. So in the wee hours we sent word asking if she could stay there on Friday as well.

My dear friend Melissa joined us early Friday morning with all the homeopathy and herbal tinctures and oils we had planned for my use while laboring. Then as the sun rose, things slowed down and stalled significantly. So I spent the day resting and walking; and in the middle of the afternoon Tony and I walked around West Asheville and ate some food at the pub. By this time the contractions picked back up and were about 10-15 minutes apart. This continued all evening. I was tired of us having to time them and wanted to throw the stopwatch out the window... The inconsistency was maddening, I just didn't want to know anymore.

At this point Melissa came back and jumped right in with Tony to support me. They would take turns pushing my hips together whenever I had a contraction, which was incredibly helpful. I wandered all over the house, but felt most comfortable laboring on the big ball.  I also had essential oils, each one formulated for the different stages of labor, that Melissa massaged into my hands between contractions. So very very helpful! We also called Becca, another dear friend on my support team.

At some point Tony called my midwife, Meg, (maybe around 9pmish? although I really have no idea) to let her know I was in labor but not quite at 411 yet and that he would call her back when I reached that point. My laboring ended up not really fitting that pattern at all... The contractions were still all over the place time wise and we ended up calling her back when they were stronger and 5-7 minutes apart.

Meg and Becca both arrived at the same time (maybe 11:30pm-ish?). By this time the contractions were 2-5 minutes apart. Becca jumped right in helping and put cold washcloths on my neck. Ahhh so helpful! Meg checked me but we asked her not to tell me where I was unless I was 5cm and able to get in the birth tub. (I was still slightly traumatized from the long prodromal labor I had had with Akilah and super slow dilating progress, and the seemingly inconsistent contraction pattern this time around.) So when she said something to the effect of "sorry Nettie you are not 5, you are 7", I was ecstatic! At which point I yelled (in an inappropriate fashion) "fill up the fucking tub!"

Melissa squeezing my hips during a contraction.

Becca on hip duty and Tony to the rescue with a hot (or cold) pack.

  

Very brief rest between contractions while in the tub.

Rock star Tony support.

With each contraction I made some kind of odd open mouthed sound and I think it really helped the process along. Apparently a neighborhood dog was howling along with each contraction as well! The tub seemed to take eons to fill and I got in before it was anyway. The water was amazing... and then we ran out of hot water so it wasn't as full as one would hope, but still deeper than the bath. My rock star support team scrambled about, boiling water on the stove to add to it without trying to melt it or burn me. At this point things become much more hazy... Meg's two wonderful home birth assistants, Alice and Asha, arrived I think... (I wasn't really aware of their arrival until after Kaia was born.) During contractions my hips were still being squeezed alternating with someone pressing on my sacrum, my hands massaged, and cold washcloths on my neck traded out. Tony, Melissa, and Becca all worked together seamlessly as if they had been a labor support team for years. It was amazing and I am immensely grateful. I had some challenges trying to get comfortable in the tub and ended up on my knees leaning against the sides. Pressure was increasing.

Meg came over to me and asked what I was feeling. I said "Pressure. Lots of pressure." She said "You can go ahead and push your baby on out now." I am thinking to myself, "Oh wow, really? Okay!" I then could feel part of her head out and was on the edge of where the water level was. So Meg told me she either needed to be in the water or out of the water but not in and out, which of course makes complete sense. I opted for bottom out of the water, closer to standing but still leaning over onto the edge of the tub. I am not sure how long I pushed, although I don't think it was very long. After she was born I turned around and sat down in the water to hold her. So immensely beautiful! (Melissa was also the photographer and I can't wait to see all the pictures!) (I was never super attached to having a water birth, I just really wanted the tub as an option to labor in and if she was actually born in the water then awesome and if not, that is awesome too.)

Time to cut the cord.

When the cord stopped pulsing Becca then cut it and then we got out of the tub and into bed to deliver the placenta. We snuggled and nursed in bed for a good long while. Then she snuggled with Papa while I got in an herbal sitz bath the assistants had prepared in our bath tub. Then I climbed back into bed and snuggled back up with Kaia. Yum yum yum! At some point they then did her exam all while we were in bed together. Here they are weighing her:

Yes, this was most definitely one of the most amazing and powerful days of my life. I am so very grateful to have had this experience and so very grateful for all the wonderful support.