If anyone had told her before she had her first child how she would deliver her third child at home without any medical assistance, she would laugh. Natural delivery, no pain medication, with only her husband by her side instead of medical staff, would never happen to her. Yet, this was the most empowering thing that ever happened to her.
The last weeks of her pregnancy were challenging, both physically and psychologically. Physically, she was in more pain than she had ever known. Her child was applying pressure on her nerves, causing shooting pains through her legs and hips. In the psychological part, the pressure was also the same. As a mother who had a C-section in her first pregnancy, the coming of another delivery was a psychological nightmare. Thoughts of a C-section and VBAC, uterine rupture, due dates, baby estimates, old maternal age, and pressure to induce, among others, dominated her mind. This would be her first time experiencing a completely natural delivery. The first baby came through a scheduled C-section, and the other through a VBAC in a hospital, with an epidural. This one was different in all aspects. At her 41-week appointment, she met with an OB from the practice. There was no hesitation, no mulling over.
They recommended inducing because of her age and because she was far enough along. She said no. She also said no to a cervical check, refused to find out the size of her baby, but all she asked was for the ultrasound to check baby health and fluid levels. Those all came back fine. She left the appointment squeezed in half because of her nervous pain, and less than an hour after getting home, her water broke. The labor progressed quickly. She contacted her doula and started preparing, ready for the rhythm she knew so well. The contractions began promptly and intensified shortly afterward. Coping with these on the birth ball and leaning on pillows while Hypnobabies songs played in the background, breathing deeply as her husband held close Massage therapy didn’t matter to her then; his company did. Toilet runs indicated how fast she was moving.
As the contractions became stronger, her husband was encouraging her to go to the hospital. She wouldn’t go before her doula. She shuddered at the thought of car birth. She tried the tub to see if she could slow down. The contractions became stronger instead. She immediately got out of the tub, still refusing to dress. On the toilet, though, gravity took its hold again. She shifted, and her vocals changed, warmth spreading through her body. She knew that she was transitioning. As she reached for the head of the baby, what was happening finally clicked in-what was obvious to them all night was that they were not going to make it to the hospital. She instructed her husband to stand nearby and help her move the bed to the bedroom floor.
But for a brief moment, she thought of uterine rupture. She pushed the thought aside. There was no room for fear. Her body went into action. She roared, she moaned, she shook, and she tried. When she felt the baby’s crown, she knew she was almost there. The pain was there, but she knew that it would quickly pass.
Her doula rushed in just in time, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Soon, the EMTs came into the room. Directed, the mother managed, with one mighty push, the birth of her child’s body. Then came a rush of relief, wonder, and empowerment. Cupping her daughter in her own arms. Her baby girl had been born less than three hours into labor, healthy and robust. This time, despite some hemorrhaging, she felt fabulous, no tearing, hardly any pain, her easiest recovery ever. The accidental childbirth had been a revelation in itself, a reminder of all along of what she knew—that her own body was capable, powerful, and birth-worthy.
