More Babies Prefer Home Birth

10 Questions Answered by Homebirth Dads

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 01:52:45 -0500

10 Questions Answered by Homebirth Dads:

A home birth dad has invited other home birth fathers to answer ten questions. Read what nine dads have to say about the home births of their children.

From a Dad to Dads

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 01:51:47 -0500

*The 7 Secrets of Being A Home Birth Dad *

By Ven Batista

Ven Batista wrote this article after his wife, Bel, had her second daughter at home in London.

All Dads-to-be are nervous, or at least skeptical, when their wife/partner first mentions the idea of having a home birth. This is nothing to be ashamed of – us guys are conditioned by a lifetimes constant bombardment that Doctors know best and that it is our patriarch’s duty to always make the safest choices. That’s why when my wife Bel first brought up the idea for the birth of our second daughter, my first train of thought was about risk. Images of John Hurt’s chest cracking open and a tiny, evil alien being screeching its bloody arrival to the universe ran through my mind. I looked up at the walls of our apartment and wondered whether an arterial spray of blood could ever be washed out of that particular shade of off-white.

Ten minutes’ googling dissolved my misconception that home birth is reckless (with Bel peering over my shoulder and directing me to websites she’d already read). In a nutshell, there are studies for and against, but if you listen to your own common sense you will probably agree it’s just as safe, if not safer. You can find all that stuff for yourself, what I want to really want to talk about is the second train of though that ran through my head – why?

Why have a home birth? My wife had her reasons and she laid them out for me. Bel had a horrible experience in hospital with our first daughter and that was a big part of it. As Bel explained it to me I nodded and said ‘umm’ a lot and was happy to go along with it because I knew it was what she wanted. But I never had reasons of my own – from my selfish perspective as a Dad – until after I had experienced it for myself. These reasons are the 7 secrets I want to share with you Dads now so that you can appreciate your home birth the first time round.

Read the article…

Involved Daddies — {This is one of the most (if not the...

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:50:44 -0500

Involved Daddies —

{This is one of the most (if not the most) extreme birth we have included. Be aware, as babe seems to be under water a long time, in actuality it is only 30 seconds. Below, I will add some of the father’s comments on this from the video Youtube page.}

Ocean Birth of Sonoma (via xiodanse)

OCEAN BIRTH OF A BABY BOY!- IN THE SUMMER OF 1994, WE (THE DANSE FAMILY) TRAVEL TO SPAIN TO BIRTH OUR SON “SONOMA” IN A TIDE POOL ON THE SEA COAST OF THE COSTA BLANCA- UNASSISTED AND UNDER THE MIDDAY SUMMER SUN- “SONOMA” IS BORN UNDER WATER AND SWIMS TETHERED TO HIS UMBILICAL CORD- MOM (NICA) FROM HONDURAS HAS AN ECSTATIC BIRTH WHILE DAD (ROE) SUPPORTS AND VIDEOS-

we shipped an american van to europe equipped with an inflatable zodiac boat- after numerous days of searching the sea coast with all the kids adventuring- we found this ancient coastal roman rock quarry which had become exposed to the sea- we then spent days relocating many days relocating many hundreds of beautiful tide pool animals to ready our birthing pool- we camped there for 10 days before and 10 days after the birth!

the water temperature in the open ocean outside the birthing pool was about 70- but inside our protected natural pool the temperature was a perfect 95- so sonoma could swim without risk of triggering the differentiation of temperature switch to breathing response- giving him more time to swim

the salinity of uterine life- the amniotic fluid is about 9 ppt (parts per thousand) while the ocean where sonoma was born was 34- much saltier- yet he moved from a salty environment to another- and opened his eyes in the tide pool with no notice-

Away We Go - The Pain Is So Enlightening Clip (via...

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:42:55 -0500

Away We Go - The Pain Is So Enlightening Clip (via FocusFeatures)

My husband and I watched “Away We Go” last weekend. I was sort of blown away by the line, “Midwives and Doulas are for women whose husbands are clueless and don’t want to be involved…” What? Have you ever heard such nonsense?! Had this been a real family, I’m afraid this daddy would be in for the surprise of his life.

Truly involved daddies often jump at the opportunity to home birth, to catch the baby, to be able to fully cooperate in care decisions with his wife and their support team — instead of negotiating with hospital staff to honor their birth preferences — or even decide with the mother to birth their child in the same privacy he or she was conceived.

Look for us to feature some links and stories especially for dads about the benefits of home birth.

2008 Article on Home Birth in Baltimore

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:10:14 -0500

LIKE ANY 8-DAY-OLD BABY, Jimmy Gaffney spends most of his time either nursing or sleeping. Peacefully alternating between the two while cradled in his mother’s arms in the family’s sun-dappled Hamilton backyard, the robust newborn looks like a promotional photograph for parenthood. And yet, so far as the state and city of his birth are concerned, this baby does not officially exist.

He was born at home, in May, with only his mother and father, Alana and Matt Gaffney, in attendance (his two excited siblings, who had slept through most of the five-hour labor that culminated in his 4 a.m. birth, came in just as their father was placing the freshly born baby on his mother’s chest). The family is in no rush to notify the authorities about Jimmy’s birth; they have been taking it easy for the past week, sticking close to home and bonding with the new addition while Alana recovers. A call to register his birth with the Baltimore City Health Department will summon a visit from a home nurse, and the Gaffneys are not quite ready for outsiders, particularly bureaucrats asking a lot of questions about a process they regard as utterly natural—and completely private.

» Sorry Guys, Homebirth is Still Safe.

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:47:42 -0500

» Sorry Guys, Homebirth is Still Safe.:

This past Friday, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology released an article online about a study–more accurately, a meta-analysis–by Dr. Joseph R. Wax of the obstetrics and gynecology department at Maine Medical Center and his colleagues. The analysis reached the loud conclusion that homebirth, while having significantly better intervention and morbidity rates than planned hospital birth, had a threefold neonatal mortality rate. This is in sharp contrast to previous studies that have been done on the subject, which reached the conclusion that homebirth is as safe as a hospital birth for low-risk women. Bad news for homebirth supporters, right?

…Not exactly.

Continue Reading “Sorry Guys, Homebirth is Still Safe.”

More on Flawed Home Birth Study

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:47:42 -0500

Study the Studies

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:46:43 -0500

“Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.”
Mark Twain

A new study has been published by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Predictably, as the prominent organizations of OB/GYN’s have denounced home birth for years, the study determined that home birth posed a significant risk of death for the newborns. However, having familiarized myself in only a peripheral way in statistical analysis, it was quickly apparent to me that this study was unreliable at best, just from reading a synopsis of it. How could I know that so quickly?

The first step in evaluating a study is determining how the data was gathered. The gold standard of scientific studies is the double-blind prospective study. This means that participants are randomly assigned to comparative groups, with neither the participant, care-giver nor author knowing which group is which, at the onset of care and evaluating the results going forward. Of course, this sort of study would be impossible since parents themselves choose place of birth and care giver.

But, the most unreliable method of studying scientific data is the retrospective study, particularly a meta-analysis. A retrospective study looks at historical data, data acquired any time in the past, whether recently or decades ago. A meta-analysis is a whole group of studies which were designed to evaluate different things, but have some factors in common. Combining these two types of studies consists of compiling all sorts of data from studies large or small, over sometimes a significant period of time. The design of this type of study is usually intended as a first step in designing a prospective study, culling data to lead investigators to factors worth studying. These studies should not be used as a means to draw conclusions on their own. That is contrary to their very design!

In my email, I was forwarded a response to the study in question that has been submitted to the journal which published it, and has been accepted for publication. This Letter to the Editor details specific areas in which the study is flawed.

Maternal and newborn outcomes in planned home birth vs planned hospital births: a metaanalysis •

02 July 2010

Joseph R. Wax, F. Lee Lucas, Maryanne Lamont, Michael G. Pinette, Angelina Cartin, Jacquelyn Blackstone
American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology

This study is so deeply flawed that it cannot be seen as anything other than politically motivated. Below find the letter that Dr. Patti Janssen and Dr Michael Klein sent to the Am J of Obs and Gyn and which has been accepted for publication.
Michael

To the Editors:
The recent paper comparing maternal and newborn morbidity among births at
home, hospital and in birth centers by Wax et al, reported that babies born
at home more frequently experienced 5 minute Apgar scores below 7.1 The
methodology employed brings into question the validity of this conclusion.
This retrospective study utilized 2006 US Standard Certificates of Live
Birth, used by 19 states in the US. To establish a low obstetrical risk
population, multiple exclusions were applied to the data with the result
that only 36.0% (745, 690/2,073,368) of women in participating states were
included. Inclusion of only slightly more than one third of the potentially
eligible population raises questions about the ability of birth certificates
to identify women at low risk and consequently the generalizability of study
findings.
Secondly, ascertainment of the type of birth attendant is missing for 4801
women or 0.6% of the sample. It is possible that at least some of these
births were unattended. If this indeed the case, then these births, which
would be expected to have high rates of suboptimal outcomes, might be
over-represented in the home birth group, where the attendants are less
likely to arrive on time for a precipitous birth. In addition, some women
may have deliberately chosen to have an unattended birth and these would of
course take place outside of a hospital or birth centre.
Since only 75% of the births studies were recorded as attended by a
physician or midwife, fully one quarter may have been unplanned home births.
Unplanned home births are well known to be at higher risk for adverse
outcomes.
Lastly, the authors acknowledge that births for which complications
necessitated transfer to hospital are attributed to hospital rather than to
home or birth centre births. In contrast to the above biases, this bias
would favor home births. They also acknowledge that perinatal mortality is
not measured, which eliminates deaths occurring during labour.
In view of these serous flaws, the statement that this study provides a
“robust evaluation of maternal and newborn outcomes that is generalizable
and reflects actual practice” cannot be supported. Without internal
validity, placed in question by missing data and the inability to attribute
births to planned place of birth, the issue of external validity or
generalizability is irrelevant. Recent studies in Canada2, 3 and the
Netherlands4 have used population-based perinatal databases with mandated
participation by midwives and documentation of intended place of birth and
attendant, as well as relevant outcomes including intrapartum fetal death.
American studies of place of birth must meet this standard in order to draw
valid conclusions and allow international comparisons.

1.                  Wax J, Pinette M, Cartin A, Blackstone D. Maternal and
newborn morbidity by birth facility among selected United States 2006
low-risk births. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009;202(2): 152e151-e155.
2.                  Janssen P, Saxell L, Page L, Klein M, LIston R, Lee S.
Outcomes of planned home birth with registered midwife versus planned
hospital birth with midwife or physician. Can Med Assoc J. 2009;181:277- 383.
3.                  Hutton K, Reitsma A, Kaufman K. Outcomes associated with
planned home and planned hospital births in low-risk women attended by
midwives in Ontario, Canada, 2003-2006: A retrospective cohort study. BIRTH.
2009;36(3):180- 189.
4.                  de Jonge A, van der Goes B, Ravelli A, et al. Perinatal
mortality and morbidity in a nationalwide cohort of 529, 688 low-risk
planned home and hospital births. BJOG. 2009;116:1177- 1184.

We interrupt this blog...

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:05:52 -0500

…to kindly ask our followers to recommend us to the Tumblr directory. If you like this site and want to spread the word about the benefits of home birth, click this link.

Thank you!

Home Birth Story: Unassisted

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:54:00 -0500

This Pregnancy: The First Twenty Weeks
Between Maddie’s birth and this pregnancy, I learned a lot. I’m a childbirth teacher and have worked as a doula. I’ve read piles on childbirth and have gone through three different professional training workshops. I attended 2 homebirths as a doula, and 4 hospital births. By the time I got pregnant with this baby, there was no doubt I was having a homebirth. The idea of going back to the hospital to have a baby seemed too risky to me.

I hired the midwife who was present at the two homebirths I attended. She was very hands-off at those births and I was extremely impressed by her. I knew there was no other attendant I could feel at ease with. I told her that I’d be calling her late in labor, and that I’d rather her not make it on time than get there too early and risk “performance anxiety” slowing my labor. As the pregnancy went on, I realized that deep down, I didn’t expect to call her at all.

In my first 20 weeks, I had two prenatal visits. I had no blood work, no gestational diabetes test, no genetic screening, no ultrasounds, not even listening to the baby with a Doppler (which exposes the baby to ultrasound). After 20 weeks I was able to find the heartbeat myself with a fetoscope. I would not be having a group B strep test, checking my fluid levels with ultrasound, fretting about the baby’s size. I was just enjoying my pregnancy and it was truly wonderful.

Unassisted Birth: My Psychological & Emotional Journey
When I was late in my pregnancy with Maddie, around 37 weeks I believe, the midwife said that they liked to induce at 41 weeks. This was totally unacceptable to me. I don’t believe in evicting babies before they’re ready based on a date that should really be +/- at least 2 weeks. The risks associated with induction were beyond what I was willing to accept without a true medical reason. Needless to say, I started to feel a lot of stress over this impending fight, were I to go past 41 weeks (I actually went to 41 weeks, 4 days). My precious husband said, “Don’t worry about it-if they try to force an induction we’ll just stay home and do it ourselves.

And there, the idea of unassisted homebirth was born. It’s interesting to me that so many women who want homebirths-assisted or unassisted-are thwarted by scared spouses, and the whole idea of unassisted birth came through my husband. Staying home without a midwife had never even occurred to me. But suddenly it became our back up plan, and I started to think about how great an experience it would be.

In the end, the midwives didn’t pressure me into an induction and I stuck with my hospital plan. When Maddie was just a baby, I got a copy of Unassisted Childbirth by Laura Shanley from the library. It was so fascinating. Her way of giving birth felt very right (I later read The Power of Pleasurable Childbirth by Laurie Morgan, which really appealed to my practical nature).

Around 18 weeks I realized I wasn’t going to call the midwife, and knew I needed to talk to her. I gave myself a couple of weeks to think it over, then called her around 20 weeks. She was very supportive of my decision, willing to be there for me if I needed her.

I continued my pregnancy with no problems, and no stress. Once I decided officially on an unassisted birth, it’s like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. I knew it was right for me. I told very few people in my real life, because I didn’t want to deal with negativity, and I also didn’t want to cause unnecessary stress for my family. Most people in our culture don’t really believe birth is safe, and I didn’t want people worrying about the baby and me. I wasn’t worried-why should they be?

The Birth of Grace Alexandra
I’d been having contractions for weeks, real ones as well as Braxton-Hicks. On the night of September 9, I tried to go to bed around 9. Contractions were 15-20 minutes apart, and I wanted to sleep between them. They were really strong, and I’d wake up right at the peak and unable to stay on top of them. Around 10:30 I tried propping myself up in bed because lying down was making them worse, but even with that the waking up at the peak was too much. Around 11:15 I went out in the living room with Chad. We put in a Friends DVD and hung out for about 45 minutes. As soon as I was in the living room, contractions jumped to 5-7 minutes apart.

Around midnight I really wanted to get in the birth pool, but was thinking it was really too early. I decided I didn’t care-the water was calling me. Chad tried to convince me just to take a bath in the tub first, to see if it really was labor this time. I said no. I knew this was it. He filled the tub and I got in. It was heavenly!

We put Friends on the computer and we actually watched it right up until transition. The water got my contractions closer together, not further apart. They were 3-4 minutes apart almost as soon as I got in, then 2-3 minutes. The DVD player shut down and I told Chad to leave it off. I remember sitting in the warm water, with the windows open. It felt so good, and I could hear the crickets chirping outside, and thinking, “This is the way to do this. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

Transition was intense and painful but less confusing and scary than it was with Maddie, by far. I never felt out of it or confused like I did with her birth. Soon it felt better to bear down than to relax, and Chad thought I still hadn’t gone through transition but I was already pushing! He was blown away to realize how quickly things were going-he’d hardly had to do any work yet.

My water hadn’t broken yet, after quite a few pushing contractions, but I could feel her head right there. I allowed the overwhelming urge to take over at first, then forced myself to breathe through and slow down, with Chad’s help. I felt her head trying to come out but the bag of waters was still there. I thought, I wonder if my short, bitten nail could break the thing. I touched it, barely, and it popped. Then I could feel hair and that was all the encouragement I needed. I wish I could describe what the rest of the birth was like but I don’t really have the words. To know that we were doing this, totally our way and that it was going so quickly and smoothly, was just really amazing. Chad and I just looked at each other in awe of what was happening. We felt completely connected to each other, to the baby, and to the entire process as it unfolded exactly the way it was meant to.

Chad couldn’t believe how far along I was already. He thought we’d have hours left. I pushed, gently, through crowning, which took several contractions. I did my own perineal support and could tell exactly where I needed to put pressure to keep from tearing. Crowning was intense but so cool! I could feel the baby trying to help me, pushing with her feet and trying to get out too. Her head and body came out in one contraction, and Chad said “Reach down!” I caught her myself, and pulled her up to me. The cord was around her neck but she was already crying and breathing just fine. I unwound it, and she nursed within about 3 minutes. It was so incredible!

I thought the whole pregnancy that I was having a boy, so it was a little surprising to find out she was a girl! But I knew before she was even out-I changed from “he” to “she” unconsciously-I remember saying to Chad, “The cord is around her neck.”

The water was a little cool so we got out pretty soon. I sat down on some towels on the floor, and plop! Out came the placenta. That was easy! I bled less than I did with Maddie and was much less sore. I didn’t tear, except for a little skidmark I couldn’t even see (but could feel when I used the bathroom for about the first day). She was born around 3:23 am, after just about 4 hours of active labor. We didn’t check the time right away but that’s pretty close. We called all the people who wanted late-night calls, and Chad’s mom came over for a little while to meet her. She went home and we went to bed for a couple of hours. It was so nice to be finished with birthing, take a shower in my own shower, then cuddle up in our own bed. Maddie slept through the whole thing, and in the morning she was SO excited to meet her little sister!

We had lots of visitors our first day with her, and that was nice too-no cooking and everybody brought me stuff! We weighed her Sunday afternoon, and she was 8 pounds, 1 ounce. We also finally came up with her name, Grace Alexandra. My recovery with Maddie amazed everyone I knew, but this recovery was insanely easy. I was out shopping with Chad and my 2 girls on Tuesday (she was born Sunday morning). I wasn’t sore after the first day postpartum, and my milk came in in under two days. That took 5-6 days with Maddie, and I’m 100% convinced it was the interruption in our home life that caused the delay.

Having just Chad and me present for the birth is the best thing we’ve ever done. I wasn’t at all afraid-I just knew everything was fine. We were the only people there when she was conceived, and it felt absolutely 100% right that we were the only people there when she was born. I was able to listen to my body completely, without anyone to depend on but myself and Chad. Chad was wonderful-he helped me remember not to push too hard, and he was my anchor during transition and pushing both physically and emotionally. Her birth was intense, sometimes painful, very hard work…but definitely one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced.

{If you’d like to share your own home birth story, please use the form at right to submit it.}

Leela Birth under the Hawaiian Sky — Home Water Birth (via...

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:25:54 -0500

Leela Birth under the Hawaiian Sky — Home Water Birth (via JupiterOnKauai)

Our Home Birth Story. Unassisted Natural Water Birth with a...

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 03:25:51 -0500

Our Home Birth Story. Unassisted Natural Water Birth with a dramatic ending. (via evewoman)

Home waterbirth of Kyra Amelia (via MsLuschka)

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 03:25:51 -0500

Home waterbirth of Kyra Amelia (via MsLuschka)

Kale’s birth part2.mov (via kjmalone)

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:22:48 -0500

Kale’s birth part2.mov (via kjmalone)

Lila’s gentle home birth (via cositaninowat)

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 02:52:48 -0500

Lila’s gentle home birth (via cositaninowat)

Homebirth of Hazel Rose… Part 2 (via summerchic21)

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:52:52 -0500

Homebirth of Hazel Rose… Part 2 (via summerchic21)

Chloë's Birth Story

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 23:35:55 -0500

Chloë's Birth Story:

Finally ! At 42 completed weeks of pregnancy, and after a week of prodromal labour, I was OVERJOYED to have contractions for which I actually needed to lean on the table and breathe through (they were immediately regular, too - every two to three minutes right from the get-go). They began at about 10:45 pm, Saturday night. I sent out the “IT’S ON !” e-mail to close friends and family in between two hard contractions, shortly after mum took this picture of me (because I said to her “Quick ! please take one last pic of my pregnant self !”). I also phoned Sinclair (my primary midwife) at this time, and believe it or not, told her she might even be able to go back to sleep for a bit… !?!? Yes, days of pre-labour will do this to you, ie., cause you to be in complete denial when it actually does happen, and even when everyone else around you knows it’s the real deal.

Please visit Chloë’s Birth Story to read the rest.

{If you’d like to share your own home birth story, please use the form at right to submit it.}

The Arrival of Sierra Journey

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:49:19 -0500

The Arrival of Sierra Journey:

I woke up with the urge to go take a warm bath. Jesse and I got into the bathtub and I felt so relaxed…and then the contractions started rushing in with gusto. Blood was coming out in little bits. Jesse told the midwives that things were really progressing. They got on their way, and we filled up the big blue birthing tub outside on the grass. I absolutely loved the smell of fresh grass and watched two little spring robins play around.

To read the rest of Sierra’s birth story, please visit Radical Midwife.

{If you’d like to share your own home birth story, please use the form at right to submit it.}

Home Birth Story: How My Baby Came into the World

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:35:20 -0500

by Kara Lea Maynard

4am. I had gone to bed around 2am because baby girl(we knew she was a girl from the moment we found out we were pregnant) was already a night owl so I was up late..I had fallen asleep-finally-but I woke up suddenly with a cramp. I thought to myself, “I have to go to the bathroom, NOW!” I got up on my hands and knees because it hurt so bad and when I stood up, WOOSH! It literally made that sound and I said, “Um Chad, I think you need to wake up, I think my water just broke..” He leaned over and said, “I HEARD that!” So I waddled with my legs closed to the bathroom while I leaked…got into the bathtub and the rest of the water came out.

I asked Chad if he thought we should call A, our midwife. He said definitely! So I took a quick shower and went downstairs to find her number. I felt SO bad calling her that early, but she assured me she was fine, used to it happening. She said babies seemed to have a way of knowing it was night and they liked to come then! She told me to monitor the contractions and that she had a few things to do before they got here, but to call her if the contractions started coming very close before she got there. At that point they had not even started, so she told me to try to go back to sleep and rest because I would need it. Of course, I was much too excited to sleep, so I got on the computer to update my Myspace account and to let everyone on the mothering forum know that my water broke! I wanted to call everyone, but it was only 4:30 am by then, so I figured that no one would appreciate that! I posted on the forum and a few people replied that not everyone was asleep, in fact! , someone on www.mothering.com wished me good baby vibes- A had delivered her baby too! (She offered to cook for us during our babymoon too, wasn’t that sweet?)

We got up and I showered(since I didn’t know when I would be able to again) and got dressed. Then we got in the car and went to the pharmacy to pick up a couple of last minute things. I told the cashier I was having a baby and he asked me when. I told him I was in labor NOW and he just looked surprised and didn’t know what to say. Something to talk about at break time, eh? HAH!

Then we went home and I sat down on the couch to relax. After I updated the internet friends, I ate a little bit because I wanted to be sure I would have energy for the work ahead. Chad and I finally tried to go back to bed and then my contractions started..of course! They were definitely not as bad as everyone had said they would be. So Chad started to fill up the birth tub and we called A again and she told us that she would be by soon. She was stopping at the Birth Cottage to pick up some things and then they would be over. She said to call her if they got closer together. So I went upstairs and got in the regular bathtub while I waited for the birthing tub to fill. A few minutes later, J showed up. She was SO excited to be there, she kept going, “My baby is coming!” Chad brought me up some pineapples and some lunchmeat and some juice while I was in the bath tub. I labored in the tub for a while and J rubbed my back. Then the birthing tub was finally filled, ! so I jumped in there. It was so incredible being in the water, I was floating and I felt almost no pain at all.

After a little while A and A came to the house. They checked my blood pressure and temperature, but didn’t check dilation because I had tested positive for Group B Strep and they wanted to reduce risk of infection(since I was only using a hibiclens rinse and no antibiotics) and then they checked the baby’s heartbeat, which was strong and quick! We chatted for a while and then more family came in. It was my mother and father, my father in law, mother in law and my sister in law who showed up next. J and J were upstairs with me while I was laboring and as the contractions got more intense, they were cheering me on, saying things like it wouldn’t be long now and I could do it, it was the hardest work I would ever do, my baby was coming…To be honest, I love them to death, but it was wearing on my nerves at that point, I was tired and the contractions were getting stronger and did I mention I was tired? I told Chad to take them downstairs. So Chad asked them to make me something to eat. They ran down and made me a sandwich, which I had one bite of and thought to myself that I had better stop or it was coming back up! So I stopped eating and Chad just gave me sips of Recharge, a natural energy drink.

I was sooo tired at that point, I needed to rest. It was around 6pm and I had been laboring for 14 hours already. I started falling asleep in between contractions, which were about 4 minutes apart and man, did I need that break! Chad sat with me the whole time behind me and put cool washcloths on my head because it was so warm in the tub I was sweating. A and A sat and let me rest, they were wonderful the whole time, I couldn’t have asked for a better birth team than I had. I owe my sanity to all of them.

At about 7pm, I was starting to get antsy and wanted to have my baby out, so I asked A if I could start pushing and A said, “If you feel the need to push, then go ahead.” And so I did. I admit now that I just was rushing things and wanted to get it over with, so I pushed before I was ready. I regret that now, because after I pushed for about 45 minutes, I had made no progress and they made me stop so they could check me. I had reversed my labor by pushing too soon and closed my cervix back up to 4cm!!! I was so upset! So then I had to force myself to stop pushing, and that HURT LIKE HELL! I had to get up and stand in the shower by myself. I was crying and I just wanted to die, THIS was the pain everyone must have been talking about. This was worse than anything I had encountered before, not pushing when I wanted too was SO hard! So after an hour of crying in the shower with the water beating on me to try to relieve the pain, I begged A to check me and see if I was ready. She did and I was! She suggested I not get back in the birthing tub because she thought the warm water would stall things, so I didn’t. They got the bed set up with chuxs and then I hopped on(or more like waddled with difficulty!) The contractions were very strong at this time and I was READY to push!

I started the real pushing by kneeling on the bed and pushing against Chad(and in the process I smooshed him~sorry!! He got a nasty bruise and it hurt like heck he said!) Then I started pushing. It seemed to go slow, almost like I was in slow motion, it was weird, but better than not pushing. I was really holding back with being vocal though because I didn’t want my mom or his mom to be concerned that I was in pain(even though I was!). A kept telling me, you need to get vocal so they know this baby is coming, give them a few good screams to let them know we are almost done..lol..and boy did I! It felt great to let it go and I started yelling like mad, but much too high, almost like screaming. They kept saying that I needed to be loud, not high pitched, more like grunting really loudly because I was screeching and in the process, not breathing! A kept telling me to breathe and I was hyperventilating, so they got out the oxygen. It was to help me slow down and concentrate. She put it on slowly and I calmed down while I worked to suck the air down, then she turned it up and I started gulping, so she turned it back down again and that was the trick to keep me breathing slowly and regularly. It also gave me an energy boost!

I finally got on my back and A checked me again and said there was a tiny lip of cervix left, so she was going to hold it back while I pushed to get the head by and then we would be golden. I kept asking, “Am I close to the “ring of fire?” This was something I had heard about on many forums and from many people that it was horrible, horrible pain and burning right before the baby was born and then the baby was out, so I think I had psyched myself out for it! She kept telling me that it wasn’t that bad, that I wouldn’t even think about it, wouldn’t even feel it, once it happens it is over so quick you won’t remember and she was so right! When I got to getting her out, I didn’t feel anything bad. It was such a rush to have her out!

It was almost 9:18 and I had been pushing for about 45 minutes. I was very anxious about the time and here’s why. About 2 weeks before, I had a dream about Nanny, my deceased grandmother. She is who I was naming my daughter after and I knew she was sending my baby to me. I dreamed I was in a car with her and we were at a shopping plaza. All of the stores were closed and I looked at the clock and it read 9:18pm. I commented about how it was weird all the stores were already closed because it wasn’t 9:30pm(which is the normal time most stores close) and Nanny told me that was because the clock was wrong and it was actually 10:18pm. So I knew that Lea would be born at one of those times. I was hoping for the earlier time..lol..but I guess I always knew it would be the later time. So as 9:18 came and went, I knew it was crunch time. I started really paying attention to my pushing, breathing and getting this baby out.

Finally, A said she could see the baby’s head and she put a mirror up so Chad could see it. He said it was huge and he told me he thought “how can she get something that big out” and then I pushed again and it got bigger. He said he almost passed out! So I kept pushing and asking what time it was and when the ring of fire was coming. I was pretty single-minded about the ring of fire..lol…so her head was crowning and I was pushing and A told me this was it. A big contraction came and I bore down HARD because I was not letting her go back again, she was coming out this time! I never felt the ring of fire at all after all that worrying, all I felt was the completely awesome feeling of her sliding out of me, knowing I was meeting my baby finally! And guess what? It was 10:18pm!

She was a beautiful, healthy, alert little girl. They handed her over to me immediately and we looked at her, they put a hat on her and she started nursing. Then they told me I had to deliver the placenta and I gave a little push and it came right out. It splashed out of the bowl onto A new pants(sorry A!) and then they took it downstairs to freeze it so we could plant it in the spring with a tree in memory of both of my Leas.

Here I was holding my baby and loving it. So they asked me if I needed anything. I was STARVING and said I wanted two things: some Advil(which I couldn’t have during the pregnancy..) and something to eat! So they got me stitched up because Lea had her hand in her face when she came out and it tore me a little. That didn’t take long, even though I was nervous about the needle to numb me, but at that point, I couldn’t feel anything anymore and I was done, so I was good. I stared at my lovely little girl and then the family started coming upstairs to see her. Then they took her to weigh her and measure her, so I got up and went downstairs so I could eat. They made me a sandwich and I had birthday cake for Chad, since by then it was HIS birthday(but Lea came on her own birthday! Now we can celebrate for 2 whole days!).

Everyone was amazed at how good I was doing with no drugs and how alert Lea was. My mom hugged me and told me that I was a stronger woman than her and she never would have been able to do it. My dad told me how proud of me he was. Chad’s mom and dad couldn’t stop saying how amazing it was and how perfect Lea was, especially without being drugged out. J was so ecstatic about her little girl and J was just in awe. No one thought I could do it, much less at home and without any drugs but I did! I was very proud of myself and of Lea, she worked very hard too and she was a little trooper!

Everyone asks me how it was and I am honest, except for the hour I had to not push, it was a cakewalk. Yes, it hurt, but it was a good hurt and not a constant hurt and besides, it was worth every minute of it! My beautiful baby was worth a hundred hours of labor(but thank goodness it wasn’t! ). I would and will do it again, life willing. Natural birth is the most amazing, wonderful, fulfilling thing I have ever done in my life.

{If you’d like to share your own home birth story, please use the form at right to submit it.}

Gisele Bundchen & Patriots' Tom Brady Chose Home Birth

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:59:43 -0600

Gisele Bundchen & Patriots' Tom Brady Chose Home Birth:

Two months after giving birth to her son Benjamin the supermodel, who had a home birth in a bathtub says giving birth “didn’t hurt in the slightest.”

The model gave birth in her home in Boston with her husband Tom Brady, her mom, and a midwife by her side. “My delivery was in a bath tub, in water,” said the 29-year-old. “I wanted to have a home birth. I wanted to be very aware and present during the birth… I didn’t want to be drugged up.”