Child Birth Videos

Still on a High

I pushed through my contractions and the head began to crown as I watched in a mirror. I could see it but couldn't believe it! A few more pushes and more of the head crowned. "Here it comes!" I said, and push, push, out popped the head. Push, push, out popped the shoulders along with the rest of the body.

Everyone was smiling. Our son arrived at 7:00 a.m. exactly."I did it," I shouted. "Pinch me so I'll know it's not a dream." Soon I looked at our baby as I nursed him, and my heart was filled with love. Love for myself, love for our son, love for my husband, who, with his strength, determination and support, helped make this birth an experience we will never forget.I gave birth two weeks ago. I'm still on a high, and proud of myself.

~Marsha Sussman

Dear Jody,

I have to tell you that your email made me cry. I have a 2 1/2 yr old (still breastfeeding) and a baby due in March and my husband and I have been struggling for several years now. He's a freelance writer and I paint and design in spare moments, and although I wouldn't change anything, it's been tough! We've invested whatever money we had into our child and pregnancy -- we don't have insurance, but having a doula and birthing with midwives are our priority (along with raspberry leaf tea :).

Thank you for being so so kind and generous. I love what Compleat Mother stands for -- your website has been so helpful. I can say that I'm 'poor and pregnant' AND 'broke and breastfeeding' with a smile. :)

Most sincerely,
Jill

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The birth of Karma Sim

I%uFFFDd been having some good warm-up contractions since Saturday, so I didn%uFFFDt think much of it when I began having some more on Thursday. I went to visit my midwife and had another uneventful visit. She went over her protocols for reaching and passing the 40 week mark, offered me an exam (which she knew I%uFFFDd decline) and I left pretty sure I wasn%uFFFDt going to have the baby for nearly another week.

As the day progressed, however, the contractions continued. They weren%uFFFDt lasting long and were sporadic, so I just ignored them and carried on as usual. My mom and I went to my girls%uFFFD community meeting at their school at 6:30pm and I tried to sit and listen. I was still contracting and they seemed to be forming a pattern. By 8:30pm, I had to leave. I was breathing through the contractions and my mom could see they were becoming more intense.

I arrived at home and we began preparing. I was surprised that things hadn%uFFFDt stopped! I couldn%uFFFDt believe this baby was trying to come only 9 days late! All of my other kids had been at least 11 and as many as 13 days late, so this was unusual for me. By 10:30pm, my mom had called my midwife, but told her I wasn%uFFFDt ready for her to come yet. My husband, began setting up the birth tub and we found we needed some duct tape, so my mom ran out to the store. Within 10 minutes, my contractions went from about 10 minutes apart to 3-5 minutes apart.

At some point, through my labor fog, I called my midwife and told her I was ready for her to come. I also called my brother and his girlfriend and told them they should head over. I continued to labor, still thinking in the back of my mind that they might stop any moment. I%uFFFDd had no mucous or blood, but the contractions were definitely steady and strong. I couldn%uFFFDt find a good position, so I just kept moving. I told my husband that he needed to fill the tub%uFFFD I had to get in!!

My mom got home and she and my husband filled the tub as I labored on the bed. My brother and his girlfriend arrived and began taping and photographing. Then, my midwife arrived and I got in the tub. They turned down the lights and lit some candles%uFFFD ahhhhh%uFFFD. The hot water was such a relief. My oldest daughter woke up at some point and came to hold my hand.

Heather's homebirth story

My water broke at 8pm on Saturday night. I was in the kitchen and I heard a funny sound, like paper tearing. When I looked down I was all wet! I called our midwife and she was at another birth 2 hours away. We talked on the phone for a while and decided to call another midwife to come and "labor sit" until she could get there.
The backup midwife arrived and we talked for a couple of hours and then decided a little after midnight to go to bed and try to rest. I went to our bedroom and tried to lay down but that was so painful. I couldn't lay down for my entire labor. I woke my husband up and he pressed on my lower back through the contractions.
At about 1:30am I was checked because I was feeling shaky, nausea, etc. I thought all right I'm already in transition. I was only at 4cm. Our midwife arrived at about 4:30am. I labored all though the house. I really found comfort in the bath tub. I got in twice during labor. We decided that I needed to be more upright so I tried many other positions. I finally ended up on the toilet for the last part of labor. It was so comfortable that I was able to sleep between contractions.
I started pushing at about 1:30pm on Sunday. We tried many different positions for pushing also. I have a flat pubic bone and it felt as if I was pushing up against a brick wall for a long time. We finally found the magic position that worked for me and delivered a wonderful baby boy at 3:50pm.
I LOVED giving birth at home. It was a wonderful experience that I hope to repeat soon.

~Heather Henderson
Central California

Ecstasy at Birth

My husband, 14 month-old-homebirthed-nursling-daughter, and I, moved to rural New Mexico when I was six months pregnant. I found a wonderful midwife right away and settled in to nursing, drinking raspberry tea and reading in the sun every day.

I went into labour in the night. I only wanted to be alone, so I got up and did a little dance-walk all over our house. The night was quiet and I felt like a giant goddess woman rolling my pelvis with each wonderful contraction. Every rush brought me close to my baby and I could feel my cervix open every time one came. I started having a show and lost my mucous plug and just kept walking.

Two hours later I started to go into transition and suddenly found myself wondering if I could do this thing at all. I woke up my husband, James, and he ran me a bath. I climbed in and told him I could not have a baby...it was impossible. He reminded me sweetly that I was made to birth, and women just like me have done it for millions of years. Transition passed and I told him thanks for the reminder.

I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to get on the toilet. I felt better as soon as I was there. James came in and asked if he should call the midwife. I told him there was plenty of time and I did not want her to have to spend hours waiting, doing nothing. A few minutes later I changed my mind when I felt the baby spin around and drop into my birth canal. I called James in from the kitchen where he was busy boiling birth scissors and string and a bulb syringe. I told him to call and tell Barbara to HURRY!! She was 45 minutes away.

James was running past as my baby's head was gently born into my waiting hand. I never pushed and there was no pain. I was still on the toilet. I called out to James and he stuck his head in to see what I needed. I asked him if he wanted to see his baby's head. He chuckled and said, "Yeah, right."

The next contraction came and out gushed my beautiful baby boy. He was wonderful.The midwives arrived in a fluster 15 minutes later. We were seated on the bathroom floor feeling holy and checking out our new baby as they ran past the doorway to set up the birth area. Suddenly a midwife's face appeared in the door and said, "The baby is already here!"

Natalie Bias

Dear Pat,

Thank you for subscribing to Compleat Mother and for letting me know how things are going.

It sounds like you had a favorable first appointment. Which doctor are you seeing?

You may want to remember that many parents have been told, 'No problem, we will do it your way." Then when it is time for the birth, they are often told, "Oh, I said you could labor however you want, but now it is time for ME to DELIVER the baby."

Also, I still hear stories of labor, which continues to be normal, is somehow determined to be 'abnormal', so the plans have to be changed.

The parents are made to feel grateful that the doctor saved the baby.

As long as you know how to deal with the obstacles you may encounter you and your wife will be in better shape to deal with whatever comes along. I also have a book here about making a birth plan.

I personally don't like the idea of parents having to write a 'birth plan' because it is an indication they have chosen a birth attendant that is operating under a different belief system about labor, birth and the type of care the mom and baby will be getting.

Thank you also for ordering the gift subscription.
Would you like me to include a gift card for your sister and brother-in-law?
What would you like it to say?

Greet your Mom warmly for me.
My Best to You and Your Family,

The Home Birth I Could Not Plan

Our second daughter was born at home, privately, with just me, her father, and 3 1/2 year old sister in attendance. It was the birth I had pictured in my mind, but could not plan, for fear that social services would deem us unfit parents should anything go wrong.

We arranged for a midwife to come from Vancouver, a six hour drive, and left the place of birth open. We live 45 minutes from town; the only doctor I felt remotely comfortable with I did not want 'in charge' of us in the hospital.I saw three doctors before him. One 'fired' me when I asked him to use a stethoscope instead of the (ultrasound) Doppler.The birth itself was seven hours of mild labour and one hour of overdrive. I instinctively gravitated toward the toilet, and remembered to get up and move around in-between contractions, then when they came on, I rushed back to my throne. I regret not having a cassette recorder to record the birth; at the time I did not want anything.

"I prayed to the angel of unattended births%u2026."It took all my concentration at the end, to cope with the tremendous contractions. I willed my baby to push against the top of my rock hard uterus wall, and prayed to the angel of unattended births. My water never broke. I never actively pushed. I felt like I would split in two, and then her head just slipped into my hand and I was stunned.We made one mistake. I lifted her up to her dad to hold her while I got off the toilet, forgetting she was still attached to the cord. This yanked the placenta down to lodge in my cervix. I had to wait through more contractions until the midwife arrived, four hours later, and was able to pull it out.

Now she is 20 months old, fully breastfed, and still nurses a ton. She eats about two tablespoons of solid food a day, but is active and healthy, and can have breastmilk as long as she wants. Who knows what is around the corner?

Kjerstin dunk, General Delivery, Eagle Creek, British Columbia V0K 1L0

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