My 4th Unassisted Home Birth

Last day being pregnant! I'm
188 pounds at 9months

I finally had my sweet baby boy. With God there in the room every step of the way, and my husband being the biggest most amazing support ever, we buckled down and I gave birth to my son Cendricc (pronounced Kendrick) Levi at home, unassisted, in our bathtub early morning of May 14th.

I'd like to walk you through it all. It wasn't easy. I had moments of fear and wanted to give up.

My body is odd when it comes to labor. A week before Cendricc was born, I had at least 3 false labor moments where I believe fear and a sense of not feeling ready stopped it from progressing. I tend to overthink and I've also found that I don't forget what it feels like to have a baby and this in and of itself chases labor away!

I knew I would feel most comfortable with him coming at night. The kids are in bed..it's just me and my husband..it's dark and quiet and I knew I'd feel more relaxed. Sure enough, Friday the 13th I started feeling contractions later on in the evening, around 6pm. Early on that day, I found I couldn't sit down on the couch, it put too much odd pressure on my insides, so I stayed sitting on a yoga ball when I wanted to rest.

My husband was at work until 10pm, so I busied myself taking care of the kids and baking cookies, not wanting to ask him to come home early due to the false alarms before. The contractions got progressively worse. At around 9pm, I put my 2 year old to bed and my 9 year old son asked me if I was okay. I had to breath through the contractions and couldn't hide it from him anymore. I told him he'd probably be meeting his new baby brother tonight!

After I sent him off to bed, I went upstairs to our bedroom and started cleaning the

My bathroom where I gave birth

bathroom in between contractions to keep my mind busy. I didn't want to stall the labor again. My husband came home and asked me for an update. I had to breath through a contraction before I could answer. His face changed and he said "This is the night, isn't it." I nodded.

Originally, I had bought a cheap blowup pool from Wal*Mart thinking I wanted to give birth downstairs, but now that I was in labor, I found I preferred the more cozy closed feeling of our bedroom and master bath. My husband Chris started lighting candles and brought his dinner and my yoga ball upstairs. It was now around 11pm.

For about the next hour or so, we just talked and enjoyed each others company, pausing while I worked through contractions. My sciatic nerve was throbbing through them and my pelvis ached as well. New sensations to me, never had this with the other 3.

I also felt the urge to switch it up a lot. After the ball for a bit, I leaned over it while he massaged my back. Then I got into a hot shower for a few contractions. Then back out to stand by the bed for a few. At around I think almost 1am, I went to the bathroom and discovered sitting on the toilet with my legs spread apart to be comfortable but also productive. Chris filled up the tub for me and I then transferred to the tub.

The contractions were intense, however, I noticed that they came further apart. The relief was wonderful in between but instinctively, I knew this was too good to be true. I wasn't progressing. I got back on the toilet and immediately felt Cendricc shift and felt a bearing down pressure. Not necessarily an urge to push, but just to let go and flow with it.

I won't lie, it hurt and took a lot for me to keep breathing through them, especially to breath in through my nose so Cendricc got the most oxygen. I also couldn't seem to settle on a position. "I need the yoga ball," I told Chris.

Again, instinctively, I felt I needed to lean over it, legs spread, and just relax into contractions as much as possible. The last time I felt the urge to lean over something was with my 2nd birth and the cord ended up being around his neck. Because of this, I calmly started talking to my husband about checking Cendricc the second he emerged. Chris grabbed the Heart and Hands book and started reading about what to do. I kept reaching down to make sure the cord hadn't slipped out already. I felt something wasn't 100% okay but no signs of anything being wrong either.

I felt mucus and saw a little bit of blood on the towel beneath me. With my last birth, this had been a sign he was coming in the next hour or so.

I stood up. Contraction hit and I couldn't stay silent. Chris came in and I put my arms around him through the next few. I looked up at him and remember saying I was scared and not sure I could do this. He told me I was doing wonderful and God would give me the strength to keep going.

At some point he set up the laptop in the bathroom and softly played Christian radio for encouragement. A candle was the only source of light in the bathroom. I remember looking at that candle and knowing just a little while longer and I'd look at it again while holding my son.

I moved to the tub. Contractions were serious and hard. Pelvic pain, sciatic nerve pain...it all compounded to be worse than the other 3, at least from what my memory told me. My husband sat on the ball right outside the tub and I grabbed his arm through the monstrous contractions, moaning and trying hard not to get loud or high pitched. The lower moan is much more productive for contractions, while the higher pitched you get, the worse the pain and the more the muscles tighten up making labor longer and harder.

Chris kept telling me not to fight it. Keep working hard, we were gonna see our baby boy soon. I knew I was fighting my body. It was so hard not to with the pain and fear...which looking back is what added to the pain of my labor.

I kept switching positions in the tub trying to find something that felt right. At one point, I turned and my legs were closer together. I felt my water break. I asked Chris to turn on the light real quick. He did and I looked down to see waters that weren't perfectly clear. They were slightly cloudy. I knew that wasn't the best scenario. My fear turned into determination: it was time for him to come.

I turned sideways in the tub, legs spread and started pushing with the bearing down feeling I got with every contraction. It wasn't long before I felt his head coming down. I pushed hard and felt on fire. I reached down thinking I had crowned his head out. Nope. It took me 3 long hard pushes to finally get his head out. I was sweating and breathing SO hard, trying to stay calm and breath through my nose. This was so much harder than my last one!

I felt his little head. Chris saw him and said "He's got a head full of hair! He's almost here." I felt a laugh/cry of relief as I got up on one knee. I pushed with the next contraction but nothing was happening. I pulled my body up straight, tucking my pelvis in, then lowered myself and I know I did like 3 other things while pushing and saying "He's gotta come now," as I pushed and wiggled my hips, spreading them as far apart as I could. I think he might have been stuck...but after lots of maneuvering, he popped out and slid gently into the water.

I immediately pulled him out and brought him to my chest, laying him on his side across my bosom. I started massaging his back and Chris grabbed the bulb syringe and I suctioned him out. We were both panting in the hot air, telling Cendricc to start crying. His eyes were open, his color was good. He sputtered and let out his first wail. We both laughed with relief, me crying as I gently pinched him and kept massaging him to keep crying.

Cleaned and dressed, almost 1 hr old

We cleaned him up a little in the tub while waiting for the cord to turn white before cutting it. It was about 25 minutes later before my husband cut his first cord ever! We clamped it and used cord cutting scissors this time around (which was easier than regular ones). I handed him off to my hubby to diaper and dress while I focused on passing the placenta and cleaning up.

Everything came out in a timely manner and intact. I cleaned up and put on an adult diaper with a loose nightgown and a soft elastic postpartum belly wrap. It felt so much better not to be pregnant! I took 3 Tylenol and drank a Powerade with some pizza breadsticks as I found myself kind of famished.

It was almost 4 in the morning, and after waking up the other boys to introduce them

to their new brother, Chris and I cuddled up in bed with Cendricc. I can't tell you how relieved and proud I was! It felt so good to just lay there and soak in my baby's beautiful little face.

I know after this time around, I really want to have some moral support from another female...or 2. I think it would've helped make me more comfortable during labor to have that female encouragement (not that my hubby didn't do an excellent job).

Cendricc was 8.8 pounds and 21 inches long.

I'd love to hear from you, so please don't hesitate to comment or ask questions! :)

Now for postpartum recovery and getting back into shape!

~Caroleena Kay

How I Avoid Morning Sickness

I've been wanting to sit down and write about morning sickness for awhile so here goes!

     Firstly, I have successfully never thrown up during pregnancy unless it was a short bout of the flu 6 months pregnant with my first son, or overstimulation of the uterus for 24 hours a week before having my third son. Some people will say genetics...luck...all pregnancies are different, etc. While there may be some of that present, I worked hard to avoid morning sickness and found some keys to success:

1.   Good prenatal vitamins are a MUST. If the dosage is 1 a day, it's not a really good vitamin. You need quality and quantity. It's worth the money to invest in no morning sickness! I use Vita Natal Prenatal Vitamins (4-6 a day). I have tried other brands, but I keep going back to this one because it works. If I'm consistent in taking them, I don't notice nausea.

2.   MUST EAT PROTEIN!! I cannot stress this enough. While pregnant, your body is growing another human being. Fitness gurus constantly push getting protein to feed your muscles after working out so they can grow and repair...how much more so do you think you need to grow a baby?? If you do not eat it, you will most likely throw up and be nauseous all the time. More than likely, you'll end up with health issues later in pregnancy. Eat at least 90 grams of good quality protein a day.

3.   Stay hydrated, drink water. Because of the extra blood from pregnancy as well as placenta fluids and your organs working more than normal, your body will require more fluids than before. Keep yourself flushed and rejuvanated by drinking at least 1/2 a gallon a day, working your way to a gallon. This will also help ward off urinary tract infections. I like buying a 1 liter water bottle, like Aquafina or Dasani, then refilling it throughout the day. Four of these is a smidge over a gallon, so my bare minimum is 2 a day. I take this bottle wherever I go.

4.   Fruits and/or veggies at every meal. This may be difficult to incorporate...I know it was for me at first. Fruits and vegatables contain perfect balances of the vitamins and minerals our body needs and in perfect quantities for the body to digest. For example, most people think that drinking milk = getting a lot of calcium, but it needs magnesium in order for your body to digest it. If milk has no magnesium, then you're absorbing little to no calcium. However, if you eat a cup of raw spinach, it has the perfect digestable balance of calcium and magnesium, so even if there's a small amout, you're getting all of it instead of little to none from a huge quantity.

5.   Don't forget plenty of sleep! Give your body a break and let it rest! Being pregnant is a big adjustment, especially in the beginning, both for you and your body. Not sleeping enough can aggrevate morning sickness.

6.    Eat when you wake up. Don't put off eating once you wake up. Even if you don't feel like eating, or you've never been a breakfast person, grab something small like a banana or a fruit smoothie, even a piece of cheese. Morning sickness usually comes from your body searching for nutrients and not finding what it needs, so get a head start on it and feed yourself!

7.    Have a small snack before bed. Make it a yogurt cup (I love Chobani Greek Yogurt!), a handful of nuts, a cheese stick or 1 serving of cottage cheese. If you stick to something high protein, it'll last all night to help prevent morning sickness, PLUS when you are in post partum recovery mode, this is a great fat burning secret to already have established!

8.   Stay away from sugary treats and fried foods. Yes, I do have to touch on this one! These empty calories are no good and won't satisfy you, thus if they aren't contributing to your body's need for nutrients, you've basically wasted an opportunity to keep morning sickness at bay. Also, pigging out on these foods won't help weight gain, AND during pregnancy you're more prone to yeast infections. Foods and drinks high in sugar feed yeast.


         In the beginning stages of pregnancy, there's a lot going on. You've got the added blood running through your body, tons of new hormones getting themselves established, and a higher demand for nutrients suddenly required. I do mean nutrients, not calories. According to mainstream experts, it's only in the second trimester that you need 300 additional calories a day for your growing baby. However, in the beginning, it's nutrition that is a vital key in keeping morning sickness away. Focus on these key points, and you'll find yourself feeling energetic and empowered.  


~~ Caroleena

When Parents Aren't Supportive....

A subject I've been feeling the need to blog about lately is when parents aren't supportive of your pregnancy. It's a bit of a painful subject, but one I want to address because of the impact it has on pregnancy.

I didn't have my parents support with my last pregnancy. I was stationed over 2000 miles away from them and my baby's father at the time was deployed. I reached out to my mother, but because of my lifestyle at the time (I had just gotten divorced, my pregnancy was unexpected and with someone I wasn't married to), she wasn't thrilled with me, and kept a distance. Communication was through Facebook and not often. My father and I have had a rocky relationship for the last...well, ever, so he and I weren't talking.

I wanted my mother there for the birth of my last son, like she'd been for my other two, but she came up with an excuse and said she couldn't. It upset me at the time, scared me too, but I figured she didn't want to because of my situation. As I often have found in my life, I was sitting smack dab in the middle of an ungodly lifestyle, even though going into a situation I have good intentions.

I ended up birthing at home with a good friend, read my story Here.

This time around, I'm not even sure my parents know I'm pregnant. I haven't talked to either of them in over a year.

I've noticed I miss my mom the most when I'm pregnant. It's one of those things that typically is shared and experienced between mother and daughter. Daughter calls mother for emotional support and questions...to share aches and pains and frustrations, and then at the end, to share joy...then there's sharing growing moments of the grandchildren...a lot of life is missed out on with the canyon of bad communication between us.

How I've handled not having parents is focusing on positive things in my life. It is a MUST. I also have been very blessed to have other people in my life who see me for me.


I want to encourage you if you are in a situation where your parents aren't supportive, to let it go and forgive. Being unforgiving affects the body and the spirit. What affects the body and spirit can have an impact on the labor and delivery of the baby. My fear of birthing without my mom ended up adding to my being 2 weeks late. Once I let go of my fears and my frustration, things progressed. Where a woman is at psychologically impacts her body, especially during pregnancy.

Hope

Take the time to look for support during pregnancy. This is especially important if you find yourself dwelling daily on the pain of not having your parent's support. With online resources, there's lots of places to look! Support groups, blogs, forums, discussions, fellow pregnant people in your neighborhood. There are plenty of people out there who believe a baby is beautiful blessing no matter the circumstances of his/her origin!

Reading other women's stories about overcoming major obstacles in their pregnancies can also help encourage and give you strength and confidence! I know this really helped for me.

I personally did rely on my faith and belief in God. This helped me the most. Sometimes if you have nothing else to hold onto, holding on to God won't seem so far fetched. I'm not saying use Him as a last resort, but if you have nothing else, what do you have to lose? In God you can find a safe source of strength and trust because He won't let you down, even when your parents will.

Taking a chance and giving Him that trust has been the best decision of my life. It has given me confidence, strength and the ability to handle situations I never thought I'd be able to. Plus, He's helped me forgive and release bitterness and anger toward my parents without needing them to do anything on their part. To truly and honestly stand up and say "I'm healing!" and have a sense of unconditional love toward them is not something that can be done without the help of His grace!

Perhaps you have a similar situation where your parents have wronged you or hurt you immeasurably and you truly believe there will never be healing, so you walk around with a hole in your heart. Just know as impossible as it seems, there is hope, and nothing is impossible for Him.

Embrace the unknown. Release your fears and doubts. Having peace and confidence will strengthen you in your pregnancy and ultimately will help you have a smooth labor and delivery.

God bless you and keep you strong in this emotional yet beautiful journey of pregnancy!

~~Caroleena

 

How to Prevent Pre-eclampsia

I was reading my book this week, Heart and Hands, and I came across where they go into detail about Pre-eclampsia, which is where blood pressure can skyrocket and the level of protein in urine is high. 

Typically, it occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but sometimes it doesn't develop until later on in the 3rd trimester. As with most of the issues doctors will bring up, there is a way to decrease your odds of getting pre-eclampsia dramatically: by eating about 80-90 grams of good protein a day. 

By good protein, I mean some of these examples:

*Fish Fillet--24 grams

*Greek Yogurt--13 grams

*Peanuts/Cashews--7 grams

*Whole Grain Bread--5 grams/slice

*Cage Free Eggs--6 grams

*Turkey Burger Patti--30 grams

*Chicken Breast, 4oz--22 grams

*Cottage Cheese--12 grams

The awesome thing about these foods is they are low in calories and bad fats, which means you wouldn't be overeating if you ate several of them in one day; you'd have plenty of room for veggies, fruit and small sides to complete your meal. 

When I read this, I realized my diet has been slacking a bit due to life being busy and me being tired. Some of these days I've forgotten my snack or ate lunch way later than I should have. Hence why I try to read a little everyday to keep me on track and refresh these little facts that could save me a lot of heartache later!

I highly recommend the book Heart and Hands, can't say it enough! This one is packed full of detailed information on everything pregnancy, including problems in pregnancy. There are percentages of the likely hood of having a certain issue and then where it comes from as well as ways to prevent it. If you want a home birth, or just an educated pregnancy, regardless of if you're planning unassisted or not, this book is still extremely helpful.

Fit N Fancy for Life,

Caroleena Kay

 

Emergency Childbirth Kit

I've been looking into birth kits and came across this Emergency Childbirth Kit w/ Umbilical Cutter.

It has quite a few helpful items that I'd like to add to what I plan on purchasing. It has umbilical cord clamps and cutter, among other things, plus these are sterile and ready to go. Also, it has a bio hazard bag for the Placenta. Don't freak out at the title emergency childbirth kit, often looking for emergency birthing products can give more thorough results than just home birth. 

I'll keep posting items that I have bought before or plan to buy for this birth! I try to cover everything including a few of the larger emergency scenarios. My job this time around is more stressful, so I'll be taking extra cautious measures because of this. 

Fit N' Fancy for Life,

Caroleena Kay

Empowered by Unassisted Home Birth Stories

Before I made the decision to birth unassisted at home, I read other unassisted home birth stories written by women who had experienced it first hand. This is one of the things that empowered me and helped lead me to decide that I too could do this. 

Here are a couple links to the birth stories I read: 

* Unassisted Childbirth, Laura Shanley's Website


* Birth Stories & Pictures, Birth Without Fear Blog 

Going through these helped build my confidence and paint a picture of what giving birth unassisted at home is like. The stories of women who let their bodies dictate what happened next; stories of women who believed in themselves, believed that giving birth is not something to fear, but is something that is a natural bodily function best left unhindered. 

The more I read, the more I felt ready, and now sitting here preparing for my 4th unassisted home birth, I still enjoy grabbing a cup of coffee and settling in to read success stories. It strengthens my resolve as to why I do this. I tear up at the beauty and peacefulness of home birth. Nothing compares to it and the accomplishment a woman gets from letting go and letting God's design function the way it's suppose to. 

I felt a natural high from the success of my last birth. I was on cloud 9 forever! It has strengthened not only my faith in God, but my faith in myself, as well as given me the pride and fullness of being a woman.   

Fit N Fancy for Life....

Caroleena Kay 

5 Ways I Prepare for Unassisted Home Birth

Here are 5 ways I Prepare for Unassisted Home Birth, to at least give you a foundation for success:

1. Read up on Nutrition during Pregnancy. Google this. Read books about this subject. Most pregnancy, labor and delivery issues can be avoided/helped simply by a good and well rounded diet.

2. Read and Educate Myself on How the Body Works During Labor and Delivery. This one is a big deal. The more I know how my body works, how it prepares itself to give birth, how the uterus works, exactly what a contraction is, how and when to push etc, the better prepared I will be AND the less afraid I will be when the time comes to experience it. Fear is a HUGE hindrance to the labor and delivery process. The more afraid I am, the more pain I will experience and the greater the risk of encountering problems. This I experienced with my first 2, I was uncertain and trying to force myself into labor on my time frame resulting in more pain and slower recovery, but with my 3rd, labor and delivery was very mild in the pain department, just really hard work with a lot of pressure and discomfort.

3. Watch Other Home Birth Videos. There are YouTube videos, ladies online that are selling their own for educational purposes (I bought one with my first birth, it was helpful to see all the things I'd been reading about put into practice), and websites out there dedicated to free birth and unassisted home birth, essentially the same thing, but looking up both phrases will give more material to read.

4. Connect with Other Women on Forums. Getting support from other women who have been through unassisted home birth kept me encouraged and helped build confidence. Plus it'll be a wealth of information! Don't underestimate using that Search Bar on forums for past entries! I learned so much personal, real experiences that way. When going down the road of a home birth, much less an unassisted one, there is SO MUCH NEGATIVITY encountered from others. There were a lot of people trying to scare me or make me feel dumb and irresponsible for making this decision. I didn't let them shake my confidence. In reality, I am taking responsibility for not only my health, but my baby's as well. The typical pregnant female will blindly trust a physician and just follow "what they're supposed to do" without asking questions or figuring out what and why.

5. Preparing Myself Physically by Staying in Shape. Pregnancy Yoga is great! The more I stay active and prepare, the easier labor and delivery will be. Think of it as preparing for a marathon! Squats strengthen pelvic floor muscles to easily handle labor and delivery. Walking several miles a day, getting on the elliptical, swimming, doing kegels... staying active is key. Not over doing it, but keeping blood flow circulating! This helped me stay healthy and kept fresh blood and oxygen pumping to my baby. Also, I was constantly stretching. Every day is one more to prepare for the hard work ahead and then the reward: my baby!


These are 5 key things I have found that helped me prepare for unassisted home birth. As far as supplies for a home birth, I will write a post about the list I buy. As you read and watch videos, you'll start to see and compile your own tailored list. I usually start buying around the time I'm 6-7 months preggo.

More to come!

Fit N Fancy for Life,
~Caroleena

 *****Please NOTE: I am not a healthcare professional, nor have I had any expensive, official college education on my blog's subject matter. I have had 3 children naturally, at home, unassisted. I was able to feel comfortable doing so because of my extensive research. I have spent many hours reading books (most written by officially educated healthcare professionals), studying websites, picking the brains of those who have had multiple children at home, as well as watching at home birthing videos. I am sharing my knowledge and experience for inspiration purposes! Please be responsible and do your own due diligence before deciding if a home birth is right for you.********  

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My Active Duty Unassisted Home Birth Story

 Here is my story having a home birth while active duty Army. I wanted nothing more than to avoid the Army hospital and have a home birth, and thankfully, I was able to!

 When I found out I was pregnant in June of 2013, the first thing I had to do was attend a bunch of briefings at the hospital on post and fill out mountains of paperwork. Such is the Military. I was somewhat fearful because my biggest concern was I'd be forced to have my baby at the hospital. I'd heard horror stories of pregnant soldiers being "escorted" to the hospital because not doing something that is considered "safe" would be misuse or abuse of government property (because essentially that's what I am).

To make matters worse, the first brief I had consisted of a nurse telling us that birth was not a natural thing to go through, that it puts a strain on our bodies and has a high level of risk to it. This made my blood boil, but I managed to stay calm and not confront the ridiculous statement of a so called educated individual.

20 weeks pregnant, bathroom selfie!

I feel very blessed that the care provider I ended up with was a retired Lieutenant Colonel midwife, and thus she was actually very open to supporting natural options throughout pregnancy as well as labor and delivery. HOWEVER, I did not, and do not, tell my care provider that I am planning an unassisted home birth. I have given birth in California, Maryland and Kentucky. I do not know the details of state laws, but some like to threaten that I am either endangering my child, myself or doing something illegal. I've read about some women who've had CPS called on them around the time they were going to deliver because they mentioned unassisted home birth to their care provider. I'm not willing to take that chance. How IRONIC is it, that it's okay a few months prior to kill your baby but not okay to give birth where and how you want to??? Some things are seriously twisted. Anyways, I digress.

I did tell my provider that I wanted to find a midwife. Generally if you tell them this, they won't ask as many questions and will not be as suspicious when you refuse certain care or when you insist on waiting for your baby and body's time to deliver when you're past your due date. I did consistent prenatal care, several ultrasounds and everything came back healthy and progressing normally throughout my pregnancy.

At 41 weeks and 5 days, I was off to another doctor appointment, gearing myself to fight off induction. They were pushing it despite the fact I’d had stress tests done plus my fluid measured, everything coming back stellar. My Dr. asked again about induction and I firmly said NO, following that up with, “Who do I have to fight?” She looked nervous and I knew my decision was putting her in a tough spot as far as her following hospital regulations/procedures for pregnancies that were overdue.

“I’ll go talk to my boss about it, she’s a civilian so that will help...I’ll be right back.”

  Last thing I wanted was to have an Army doctor pull rank and try to order me to get induced. I’d read some of the stories on the internet and knew this could be a possibility. I was ready to push back even if it meant getting in trouble, but I was nervous too.

  

She came back and said they’d let me go a few more days as long as I came in twice more for repeat stress testing. ‘That’s enough to cause stress!’ I thought to myself, but agreed to compromise. She asked if I wanted to try to get my membranes stripped and I agreed to this (which I will never do again!). My cervix was softened but I was still dilated to just 1 cm. My heart fell. I’d tried Castor oil in chocolate ice cream more times than I could count, primrose oil, Black Cohosh, walking, constant sex...all ended in ‘false’ labor. She had blood on her glove though and said this was a good sign. I started cramping as I redressed to leave.

  

Later that night, the contractions got stronger. I started feeling very nauseous and cold. I spent that night throwing up and having diarrhea praying labor wouldn’t start. I didn’t think I could handle the pain of labor and being sick. I googled my symptoms and came back with uterine over-stimulation from the membrane stripping. Or possibly the flu? I was exhausted and finally fell asleep later on that morning. I spent the rest of the day resting and re-hydrating, with no more serious contractions.

  

I was scared. I wanted so badly for all this to be over but I was doubting my abilities to do it at home with a couple friends for support. I was prepared. I’d already had two babies at home with my mother and her best friend for help...this time it was just me. I sat down on the kitchen floor and cried. I let it all out and started talking and praying myself to bravery, working my way back to courage and peace. My baby boy would come when he was ready, I wasn’t going to be pregnant forever.

  I relaxed, a feeling of peace slowly enveloping me. I spent another 20 minutes praying and listening to the Christian radio station. When I got up, I was finally ready. I’d let go.

  I spent the rest of the day cleaning and enjoying my son and boyfriend, not thinking about anything labor related.

 

 The next morning, Friday the 31st, exactly 42 weeks from my due date, a strong contraction woke me up around 9 in the morning. I switched positions and ignored it. They kept coming but I refused to acknowledge them doing my best to sleep and stay relaxed, not wanting to get my hopes up.

I finally got up around noon, my boyfriend and son were watching TV. I felt rested but starving. I was having contractions but not in a consistent pattern, however these were different than the other ‘false’ ones. It took a lot of effort not to focus on them. I suggested to the boys that we go out to eat, thinking a distraction would be a good idea. We left around 1:30pm. Contractions were getting more intense and I found myself bracing through them, breathing gently in through the nose, out through the mouth. My boyfriend noticed my focus and breathing pattern. He got quiet, nervousness lurking on his face. This would be his first time experiencing a home birth and I knew he was worried about how everything would go, but he’d still been very supportive.

  I chose a light but filling meal knowing I would need the fuel for what was going to happen. I kept my focus on the moment at hand and didn’t time the contractions or allow myself to think too far ahead, just work on getting through each one when they hit. By this time I had to stop eating to get through them.

  

We got home by 3pm and I spent the next several hours walking, bouncing on my yoga ball, breathing and watching movies. I laid down around 5pm to rest. Contractions were getting a lot harder and felt very productive. I knew today was going to be the day, so I knew rest would be needed. My body wouldn't really let me rest though, so I knelt by my bed in the dark, puppy training pads, shower curtain liners and sheets spread on the floor. My boyfriend kept checking in on me and I could tell he was nervous.

It was about 7pm when I felt the urge to move. I got up and went into the bathroom, laying down the pads and sheets in there instead. I was standing up going through contractions that were roughly 5 minutes apart and needed my 100% focus. I could not talk during them. I had to make low moaning sounds to help every part of me relax and let the contraction do it's work. I did not sit and stare at a watch during contractions. I really didn't want to focus on time, but instead focus on my body and being in tune with everything.

I looked down and saw a couple spots of blood on a towel beneath me. I was wearing a wife beater. I don't really remember when I decided it was time to take off my sweats. I felt excitment at the blood. It was a very small amount, nothing to worry about. Just a sign that my cervix was stretching and opening to prepare. My boyfriend freaked out a little because of the blood and the fact I couldn't talk during contractions and they lasted quite awhile, so he called a good friend of ours who had offered to be there for the birth. She had had 3 babies, all hospital births, but was willing to be there to encourage.

I'm really not sure about time from this point on. I had my radio set up in the bathroom playing the Christian music station on low. This really helped keep me calm and focused. Our friend Crystal showed up and talked to me in between contractions. It was really nice to have a female there. I was ready to go it alone, but I didn't realize how nice it was just to have the support and kinship of a positive feminine influence.

Shortly after she arrived, I decided to get into the tub so we filled it halfway. From here on out, I don't know time at all. I just stayed focused on breathing in through my nose, out through my mouth, low moaning (this relaxes the uterus and makes every contraction way more productive). I felt when my water popped inside me. It was a sensation and noise that I heard. I let Crystal know. This was a good sign! I knew I was close.

The discomfort/pain increased as well as the pressure. I knew exactly where his head was and how far down he was, all this instinctively! I was telling Crystal and my boyfriend everything that was happening in between the close-together contractions. I told them when I was crowning. It hurt yes, but nothing like my other 2 babies. I never panicked, and I never raised my voice. Just low moaning and staying as relaxed as possible. His head came out. I reached down and touched his soft, silky head...I couldn't wait to be done! However, I DID NOT PUSH until the next contraction came. This prevents tearing and putting stress on the baby. I only had to wait a little while, then I gently pushed with my body and his shoulders came out. Another contraction, back to back, and he came out completely into my arms.

We wiped his face and suctioned his nose, checked his color, looked at the tub water to see if there were any signs of meconium, which there were not; He was just then taking his first poo! He wasn't crying, just looking up at me blinking his big eyes, breathing was good but a bit raspy like he needed to clear his throat. He did have white vernix on his skin, but it was creamy, not dried or scaly. Nothing was blue about him. He was born 10:18 pm on January 31st, exactly 2 weeks past due.

I pulled him to my chest and Crystal helped me get a towel around him and take my tank top off to nurse. He latched on right away. Nursing helps stimulate the uterus to pass the placenta as well as help prevent hemorrhaging. I waited 30 minutes, but the placenta still hadn't come. Another friend, Brenda, showed up at this point and I asked her to make me a very strong cup of Raspberry Leaf Tea. She put 4 teabags in and I drank it. It was still 45 minutes after my baby was born that I finally started contractions again. I passed everything about an hour after. Longest time yet, but I didn't force anything, just waited on my body. Forcing the placenta out is dangerous.

I waited until the cord turned white before we cut it using a pair of scissors and shoelace I'd previously sterilized.

I didn't bath him either, just gently wiped him clean and wrapped him in a warm blanket. I showered and wrapped my stomach, then climbed into sweats. I felt amazing! Not only was I high on the accomplishment of doing this, but also physically I felt fine. Just tired and hungry. I took 3 Tylenol and chilled on the couch with my brand new baby boy.

2 hours after delivery

6 hours old!

Fit N Fancy for Life,
~~Caroleena

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