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The emergence of Julia By Elizabeth Pentz |
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Birth Stories -
Homebirth Birth Stories
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Friday, 16 January 2009 09:02 |
I finally went into labour at home after natural induction with jalapeno peppers and a dose of castor oil and orange juice! We had decided to do this as my due date was unclear.
Labour progressed slowly, I walked, ate, watched movies and mooched around trying to find a comfortable place to do contractions. I settled on a dresser with a pillow on top on which I leaned forward to help turn the baby from posterior to anterior, and to relieve backache.
After 27 hours (and plenty of sleep in that time) I had a good cry on my husband at 12 am and afterwards found new strength. At 4 am we called the midwife who had been back and forward to our house, and she said I could get into the birthing pool we had ready. It was wonderful, and I progressed in leaps and bounds after that. She arrived, and did all checks as well as continuing to encourage me to take sips of liquid as well as yoghurt. I was feeling incredibly powerful, connected to the spirit of womanhood, and continued to chant AAAAAUUUUUUUMMMMMM, (AUM), which really helped me focus.I then, at my midwifes sugesstion, changed that to deep breathing, channeling energy downwards, opening and releasing. I had an incredible urge to push, but an anterior lip, which had to be freed before I could, so breathed through the contractions a little more. I was still in the water, and just lifted my belly to be checked. My water had broken on one of my exams out of the pool.
The midwife prepared everything ready for delivery,and I began to push. It was wonderful. I was overwhelmed by the sensation and went with it, very much like body surfing, rather than being engulfed by the wave. In fact, I found contractions to be like that. I stood up, in hard labour, and said "This is so wonderful!". It was like rediscovering my true nature, my animal instinct, my power within. The baby's head began to emerge, and I felt it, and I think that was the first time I really believed there was a baby in there!
My body stretched naturally in the warm water, and her head appeared. We rested, her and me now waiting between our own worlds, her born yet unborn, me a maiden and a mother. Then another urge, and her body was out, free to stretch in the water yet still comfortable in her liquid environment. She was scooped into the midwife's loving hands,untangled from her cord, and lifted out into the air into my waiting arms.
We gazed into each others' eyes, she into her fathers eyes over my shoulder, and took in our new lives beginning. It was later we cut the cord, and suctioned the mucus she had still (family tradition, lots of mucus!). Unfortunately the placenta would not budge from its' cosy cave, so we tried all sorts to get it to shift. Almost three hours later, when it became apparent a trip to the hospital was becoming a possibility, we asked everyone to leave the room, and I sat on a birth stool. I willed it out, and my husband said, "you're opening again! Push it out!" And what do you know, out it came.
Then into my bedroom with my new family to take a well earned rest! We had done it, and it was more beautiful than I could ever have imagined.
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Home Births 
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