As we have fought for homebirth freedom in Nebraska, we have heard many people declare that birth is dangerous and women should be protected from it. There is so much fear and negativity surrounding birth in the modern countries. We rarely hear a positive birth story coming off the screen or in normal conversations. I have heard from several moms that feel the same negativity, but that have been encouraged by positive birth stories. Because of this, I feel called to share my positive experience with you. We live in a fallen world where nothing is risk-free, and it’s very important to understand those risks, but we also don’t need to fear child birth.
I experienced the most peaceful, natural homebirth, with the most amazing recovery so far. Even when I realized that my midwife wasn’t going to make it, I still felt peace that surpasses all understanding. My recovery was so good that I took a walk outside with my husband a few hours after delivering our baby. We, along with many friends and family members had been praying for a peaceful birth with an easy recovery, so all glory to God for His wisdom and peace.
For two weeks before our baby was born, I had been experiencing sessions of contractions that felt like the start of labor. My husband and I had planned to go to the hospital if these would have continued. I found that the only thing that would stop them was Epsom salt baths. Two weeks before my due date, (we had been praying that we would make it at least to this exact day) after getting into bed about 10:00 pm, I started having intense contractions. I remember thinking, “I am not ready for this.” I had been trying to take a nap every afternoon for the last two weeks in case my contractions didn’t stop, but I had worked hard all that day with no rest. I felt some fear and wondered how I would have the energy and strength to get through if this didn’t stop. My husband and I prayed, and I was filled with peace. That calm feeling lasted throughout my labor (other than a few short moments during transition).
When my contractions started, I told my husband to go back to sleep, and I would wake him if I needed him. I started listening to hymns and Psalms and hopped in the bathtub to see if the Epsom salt would stop things like it had been doing the last several days. Nothing changed, and I found it more comfortable to walk the circle in our house. My husband joined me at midnight, and we walked together repeating Isaiah 41:10, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
During my labor I reminded myself that the work was good, and that I needed to work with my baby and keep breathing. I thought about some of the positive birth stories I had heard or read. One of the stories that my daughter shared was how some women in different countries would be walking to their work with other women, go into labor, have their babies in the undergrowth, and then catch up with the others like it wasn’t a big deal. I also thought about positive stories that friends had shared with me in recent months. One of the moms I talked to didn’t realize she was in labor at first because she had the stomach flu. When she finally realized it, she sent her husband to drop off their kids with his parents, and in the meantime, her labor progressed very quickly. She got everything ready and felt the urge to push before the midwife or her husband arrived. She started to push and realized the baby’s umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. She simply removed the cord and pushed the baby out. The midwife and her husband showed up shortly after the birth. There was no fear or regret of her homebirth.
My husband and I prayed that I could get some rest earlier in the night and by 2:30 a.m. I was able to sleep off and on until 5:30 a.m. I can’t describe how thankful I was for that sleep. I felt so rested. By 5:30 a.m. my contractions were intense again. Time was going so fast. Around 8:30 a.m. my husband asked if we should call the midwife, and I said, “I’m not sure if we need to yet. “I’m still smiling and this isn’t hard to deal with.” I wasn’t convinced that labor was going to continue.
Shortly after this, I asked my husband to start applying back pressure, and I told him that, “Maybe we should have one of the kids call the midwife, but please don’t to leave me.” After a few more contractions, I realized that I may have waited too long. I remember feeling anxious and saying, I can’t do this,” but then immediately feeling peace again as I prayed. I told Cory to remind me that I was getting close and help me to remember to breathe. Cory and I both assumed that he would probably need to catch the baby. When we had met with our midwife a couple weeks before that, she asked my husband if he wanted to catch the baby, and he said he didn’t. I said that when it was time to push, I would probably want her to do it too. My husband and I laugh now, because sometimes we get to do the very things that we don’t want to do.
In all my past pregnancies, I feared that we wouldn’t make it to the hospital or the midwife wouldn’t get to our house on time. Around 10:00 a.m. I knew I couldn’t wait until the midwife made it, and I still had no fear. Praise the Lord. I started to push, and after a couple gentle pushes, I then pushed our baby out very quickly. I was so relieved to be done and thankful when our baby started to cry right away. We heard cheering and clapping outside the bathroom door. Our kids told us later that they had heard the baby crying.
Cory announced that it was a boy, and I noticed that his Apgar score was perfect, and he didn’t need any suctioning from the bulb syringe. We were so thankful that our baby was born healthy. Then we both looked at each other and said, “What do we do now?” Thankfully the midwife was on the phone with our daughter and there wasn’t much to do except start nursing the baby. We believe in delayed cord clamping, so I was able to sit and feed my baby for about an hour before the midwife arrived. It was so peaceful and relaxing to be in my own home and fun to have our children right there to meet their brother.
Sharing this unexpected, wonderful experience with my husband increased my faith and brought us even closer together as husband and wife. I want other women to be able to experience the peace and joy of child birth wherever they give birth, and that is why I share my positive, fearless birth story. Surrounding myself with encouraging birth stories, having like-minded providers, being very prepared and knowledgeable about problems that could arise, nourishing my body with a nutrient-dense, traditional diet, and seeking the Lord, all made this a great experience. I believe it’s time to take back our right to birth how and where we want and stop fearing something as natural and wonderful as childbirth.