Saoirse just after our home-birth. What a magical experience! Positive home birth story
I love to share my positive home birth story.
May it be an inspiration to create your perfect natural birth experience.
I have to warn you…
It is a read. As it was the most magical experience of my life.
Would I do it again? Or would I do things differently next time?
Stay tuned and you find out.
Why a home-birth?
It wasn’t a question for me. I knew for sure I wanted a home-birth.
Birth is the most important moment in life. At least it was for me when I gave birth to my little girl.
At home is where I feel most at ease. No place like home!
No doubt for me that is where I feel most relaxed. Which is important for a natural birth.
My intention was to have an unmedicated home birth.
Luckily it happened.
And I’m so grateful I chose for natural birth.
I feel blessed to be able to share my positive home birth story.
Why natural birth?
There are many reasons to choice for a natural birth.
First of all.
It is such a natural thing to give birth.
Everyone comes to earth this way. All humans, all animals. For thousands of years. Without any medical interventions.
- If they can do it, I can do it.
My intention was an unmedicated home birth. Because, I truly believe in the power of thoughts, intentions and mindset.
I fully trusted that natural birth at home would be the best experience for my little girl and me.
And so it was.
My natural birth story
Early labour
Lesson learned: Practice Patience
It felt like I was in early labour for a week. Don’t be shocked as it wasn’t as bad as it might sound.
I felt the baby lowering down and thought: this is it! Tonight is the night. She is coming!!! So happy. This was the 28th of July… On 08-08-2020 Saoirse came to us. So I learned my first lesson from my baby girl (who I see as my new guru).
Practice patience.
But that was a hard lesson. I did all I could to make the birth happen. Walking for ages on our mountain, dancing, eating spicy curries. And having a lot of quality time with my beloved daddy to be.
General repetition
Full moon night (the 3rd of August) I got contractions. Eric went straight to the kitchen to prepare us some plant-based food. Fuel for the long night ahead. We decided to have a sleep to stock up some energy too.
All according to our holistic midwife. Who prepared us for the big day.
When I woke up a few hours later the contradictions had left. I felt sad. I so much wanted our baby girl to come.
The real start
On the night of 7th of August I felt some menstruation-like cramps during the night. When I woke up around 9am I felt light contractions.
I didn’t want to get too over-excited again…
But they were coming more and more. I spent this time dancing in the sun next to my birthing ball.
Every time a contraction came I sat down and started breathing. When it left I continued dancing on some lovely ecstatic dancing tunes.
After a while (don’t know the exact timing here) the music got too much. I switched to my birthing playlist full of mantras. I just sat on my ball. Facing the sun. Meditating. Making circles on the birthing ball.
For the whole pre-labour music and a birthing ball were my best friends.
In the meantime, Eric was preparing our room. Cleaning up, tidying and making vegan pancakes. Although I totally didn’t feel like eating!
No appetite at all – by the time they were ready.
I guess my active labour started already…
Active labour
After a big of hour of dancing and meditating. Around 10.30 I sat down with Eric. As my face was getting red from the Spain’s summer sun.
I wanted to do something visionary. So we decided to have a look online to pieces of land in Portugal. Where we love to start our new project. A piece of nature to share with our baby girl. I thought labour could take day(s).
But I couldn’t be more wrong…
Lesson learned: Don’t get stuck in your head
I’ve learned so many lessons during my pregnancy. Especially in the last week.
One of them I learned from my ”general repetition” at full-moon.
That time I got too much in my head.
Googling all sensations I felt.
Cramping in my lower belly? Check! Going to the toilet a bit too often? Check! And so on…To make sure the birth was starting.
Deep down, I knew it wasn’t “the real deal”.
But I wanted to fool myself it was. Crazy how the mind plays tricks on you.
Anyway, it got in my way. It was definitely not the holistic experience I was intended to have.
The next day. After a reiki session with my doula Lieke from “Kawok”.
I experienced another lesson and wrote in my journal:
“Trust, surrender, let go and dive in”
Go with the flow
So this time I wanted to go with the flow.
Don’t over-analyse.
I got my journal out at a certain point to read back. Because I needed a reminder of my lesson learned. And it helped.
But around 11.00 am I decided to start counting my contractions. I did this just by watching the clock. However, at that stage it is hard to remember all the numbers.
It felt like the whole pregnancy I had lost my brain.
“It is time to go to the hospital!”
My more technically minded partner decided to download a “contraction counter app” at 11.32am.
Which told us after 4 contraction counts: “It is time to go to the hospital“. Luckily I was already there, in my home.
Another benefit of having a home-birth. As there was no need to rush to the hospital.
Anyway so active labour had already started.
At this time, it wasn’t bad. I just kept in position on my birthing ball. Trips to the bathroom were better avoided, as it was hard to have a contraction while standing or walking.
At 12 am my dad showed up – unexpected and uninvited. He had a cup of coffee and left soon after. Because my birth was starting to get intense!
All the time I was sitting outdoors.
As it was Saturday it was kinda busy on “our mountain” so hikers and mountain bikers were exercising. I didn’t feel comfortable anymore about being outdoors. But I also didn’t want to spend the whole day inside. Which was a dilemma.
I decided to go indoors because I felt like getting vocal.
Read: I needed to scream!
Transition
The transition started when I went to my bedroom/birth room at 12.46 am.
This is where I intended to have a water birth.
In the mean-time, we were waiting for our midwife with the birthing pool.
This is the moment our doula was part of our birthing team. Which brought me at ease knowing she was near.
I wanted to do most of the part of my birth together with my partner. I didn’t want to much help from the midwife or my doula. As I felt well-prepared.
So, the midwife was called, but not here yet.
Not like I expected – at all
Soon after I came upstairs the contractions starting to become really intense.
In my preparation, I found it difficult to get vocal. For instance by saying: AAH. Now I didn’t have any difficulties with it.
So much different from my expectations. As always.
I wasn’t slowly breathing and meditating in a birthing pool…
I was screaming, holding a big pole in our room (pretending it was a tree) and just visualising myself as a tribal woman.
Giving birth supernatural.
No medication, no relaxing birthing bath.
She is coming!!! Where is the midwife?
Now I really wanted my midwife to be here.
Especially to set up the birthing bath I was craving for. Eric told me she would be there in 30 minutes.
Which made me upset: “way too long!! The baby is coming; I want to be in the birthing pool!”
I could not be on my birthing ball anymore. It felt impossible as the baby was too low.
At that time I didn’t know what to do with myself. Or how to hold and control my body. The sensations were so intense.*
As I experienced a massive car accident when I was 16 I thought I can cope with pain. But these sensations where nothing like the pain I knew. Just crazy intense. What an experience!
*Looking back on it, the pain was only a short moment.
Why was I so much looking forward to giving birth?
Before the birth I was really excited to go through this: “spiritual practice”.
At least that is how I see giving birth.
But at this time I didn’t understand my excitement at all. As it was painful, super intense and I wanted it to be over ASAP.
Luckily I was really close. If I only knew that at that moment.
The biggest fear I faced was that my midwife wasn’t present. And, as I was so focused on my water birth, I didn’t know what positions to hold without the pool.
My partner Eric, doula and dog Woofer were with me all the time. However, I didn’t want any help. I was totally in my own zone.
Unable to communicating anything other than “Where is Marta!? (midwife)”
Eric told me: Saoirse (our baby girl) is so close, she is almost coming. Which helped me deal with the sensations.
Also, I felt pretty bad for making so much noise on her arrival.
I tried to stay calm and breath. However, making myself vocal helped best in coping with the sensations.
I decided I wanted to go to the shower. Hoping that might ease the intense feelings. Eric took me there.
Pushing: here she is!
The earm shower water helped.
But I felt I really needed a big number 2. So I insisted to go to the toilet. Eric told me to stay in the shower. As our midwife told us:” the moment the baby comes feels like you need a big poo“.
As I didn’t want to poo in the shower, Eric brought me to the toilet.
Luckily the midwife came 10minutes after I got on the toilet. Around 15.00 am. She took me off the toilet. I gave her a big hug.
So happy she was here!!!
I feel forever grateful for having such an amazing midwife. I felt so at ease when she arrived.
Again, I was asking for the birthing bath. But she told me we didn’t have time.
The baby was almost there… I told you so!!!
A romantic birthing space
Our midwife set me down at a low birthing chair.
Just in front of the toilet.
On the toilet, Eric was placed to hold me in his arms. What a romantic setting for the birth of my precious one…
The midwife put a mirror under me so I could see the progress. Which was a bit strange as I saw some slime – no hair or head; like you would expect. But no time to give that any thoughts. I was full-on in the birthing process.
Then she told me: “Nikita, now I need you to push really hard.”
Up until that moment, I didn’t push at all. As I learned that your body does the work itself if you let it be.
So I pushed twice and there she was! While pushing, I connected with Lion energy. Roarrrr!!!!! It sounds silly, but I did, and it worked.
Saoirse came to use 10 minutes after the midwife arrived at 15.20 am. 4 to 5 hours after my active labour started.
Saoirse got born on a magical day: Lions gate 08/08. This fierce energy brought her to us. What an experience.
The midwife helped me to get up and walked us to the bed.
Now it is the 3 of us.
An indescribable, unique experience.
Placenta
Being in bed with my baby girl in my arms. I waited so long for this moment. The only thing left was the placenta to come out.
Until the placenta came, I felt intense feelings from my yoni. Or vagina – whatever name you prefer. I told the midwife it was still painful. She said of course; you just birthed a baby.
However, they always tell you the cliche: when the baby is there, you don’t feel the pain anymore. Now, I still felt it. It wasn’t too bad, but it was definitely intense sensations.
Luckily, by the time the placenta got out. About 1 hour later. The intense feelings of pressure left. It made me feel much better.
Also, the “birthing” of the placenta wasn’t painful at all.
Now I could fully enjoy this precious little being on my breast.
Breastfeeding
Not long after birth. When we were laying together in bed, we started breastfeeding. This went easily and supernatural.
It is true that your instincts know what to do.
I feel forever grateful for my birth: unmedicated at home.
As my body and soul knew exactly what to do. Being fully present.
Summary of my positive home birth story
My natural birth at home was the most wondrous experience of my life!
That no words can describe. So, I did the best I could.
My birth was a positive home birth. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I felt well prepared and at ease. However, it went totally different than expected.
My pregnancy journey and natural birth were a spiritual experience.
Teaching me so many lessons. It was perfect!
Time frame:
09:00 Waking up and having light contractions
11:00 Active labour starts: regular contractions
13:00 It got intense
14:00 Transition: It got really intense, didn’t know what to do
15:10 Midwife came
15:20 Saoirse was born!!!
♡ Your positive homebirth story
I love to bring light to natural home birth.
It isn’t something to be afraid of. Giving birth is beautiful and magical.
Birth is the gateway to new life. My natural home-birth was the most unique and spiritual experience of my life.
Now it is time for you mama to be!
If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comment section below.
Also I’d love to hear your positive home birth story!
