Positive Home Birth Story

This is the story of my Positive Natural and Unmedicated Home Birth. I want to tell my story and hope it encourages you if your considering a natural home birth.

ABOUT THE NAME WE CHOSE

We wanted to be surprised and not find out until the birth if we were having a boy or girl. We already had a name for a boy picked out so we just had to figure out a name for a girl. Adaline came to mind and we loved it. We liked that it’s uncommon and an old name and this was both, it’s the perfect name.

So now we just need a middle name. We liked the idea of using a family members name for a middle name. Me and my siblings all have middle names from a loved one.

So 5 days after her birth we finally decided on Martha after my late grandmother.

We originally wanted to use Rolande as her middle name. Growing up I always heard my grandmother use Rolande as her first name. We eventually found out that it was her middle name. Once we came to that realization my husband and I both agreed to use Martha. It fit perfectly and is a nice way to remember my grandmother.

WHY I AM SHARING MY POSITIVE HOME BIRTH STORY

I never considered a home birth until I started doing some research about home births. Having a baby doesn’t have to be scary.

After I had Adaline, our town reporter heard about us having a home birth. They interviewed us and we ended up being featured on the front page of the local newspaper. It was exciting! I had told the reporter that I wanted other women to know there are other options other then a hospital.

Everyone is scared about home births, with good reason but with proper research, it doesn’t have to be scary. I felt that being confident that my body knew what to do, I’d be able to have a more smooth labor and delivery. Having a baby is normal, my body was made to do this.

Family and friends that I told, thought I was a bit crazy and some said I was brave. I’m hoping that my story can encourage you to consider having a home birth if your having a baby or plan to.

For months I tried reading the book, Hypnobirthing, in hopes I could prepare for an easier and more relaxed labor, unfortunately I did not finish the book. However, I did read positive birth stories and watched positive birth videos about Hypnobirthing. I didn’t even go to a birthing class and instead watched some videos on Youtube.

DECIDING WHERE TO HAVE MY BABY

When I first found out I was pregnant, I did a lot of research. To be honest, I had been doing a lot of research for the eleven months that we had been trying. So once I was pregnant, I stepped it up a notch.

At first I wasn’t sure where I wanted to have my baby; at a birthing center, at home or at the hospital. The hospital was the last resort if I could help it. The idea of a hospital made me nervous, and a birthing center sounded a lot better but there wasn’t one closer then 1 hour away. So I looked into a midwife that could come to my house, I found one that had the experience of 500+ babies born successfully. That made me happy, I felt in good hands. She said I was a good candidate for a home birth since I didn’t have any medical issues but if we needed a hospital for any reason, i.e ultrasounds or emergency, she worked with one nearby.

The positive home birth story of my first child Adaline Martha Rhodes.

So at 39 weeks, when my water broke, just before midnight on October 27th, my midwife told me over the phone to take a shower and try to relax the rest of the night.

What we were expecting to be a long labor, progressed very quickly considering that was my first pregnancy. About 2 hours later I called my midwife to let her know that my contractions were 2 minutes apart. She said she was on her way to my house, which was just over an hour drive from where she was.

The contractions were strong and painful but I was able to relax through them quickly. I wasn’t scared and I feel that helped keep the contractions bearable. I’d focus and say to myself “Just relax” and I could feel my whole body relax instantly while I laid on my bed in the dark, in complete silence.

All the while my husband was filling the birthing pool. I had planned to try for a water birth, or at least labor in the pool.

My midwife showed up around 3 AM and notified me that I’m just about 10 centimeters dilated. She prepped the room as I tried to ‘humm’ through the  contractions. At this point I was not able to use the birthing pool because it was not warm enough and there wasn’t enough time to get it warm.

I started pushing

I then started pushing and for the first 2 hours it progressed slowly. After walking around the house off and on and not seeing much progress, my midwife thought we should empty my bladder. Since it had been hours since I had last used the bathroom, it helped almost immediately. I was so exhausted from pushing. My legs felt like Jello, my eyes were puffy and bloodshot and my voice was hoarse (yes, I screamed a lot).

Things were progressing a bit faster until my midwife noticed that the baby’s hands were at the sides of her face. This answers why I had been pushing for so long and struggling to make progress.

The question eventually arose a few times for an episiotomy or a trip to the hospital. I did not want either one and I managed to push even harder each time it was mentioned. My midwife then told me, that at the last minute, the baby moved her hands down to her neck, allowing me to get her head out finally. Eventually I was able to push the rest of her out and there she was at 8 lbs 5 oz all pink and puffy, our little miracle had arrived perfectly healthy. I thankfully did not need an episiotomy and I had no tears either.
Born 10/28/19 at 7:57 AM

More about my Midwife

If your in the New Hampshire or Vermont area and you would like to consider a home birth or a birthing center you can talk to my midwife and see if this is an option for you. She is currently working on opening up a birthing center in the near future. I was extremely happy with my experience with her and would recommend her to anyone that is in the area to her. You can find her contact info on her website HERE.

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