Home Birth Photos

These are from my most recent birth I attended as a doula and photographer.  This mom worked SO HARD!  Labored for a few days and had amazing power and endurance.

Home Water Birth Photos

Melina Briella's Birth Story

Story told by Amanda (not sure why it is blue!)

Sunday afternoon, while Mitch and Luke took a nap, I did half an hour of hypnobabies preparation for childbirth and then half an hour of a pregnancy yoga routine that I found on YouTube. I had been doing both of those every day for a couple of weeks. After bouncing around on my birth ball for a while and eating some more pineapple, I decided that the baby wasn’t coming any time soon even though it was already 5 days after her estimated due date and I might as well make a big to-do list for the next day so I could at least be productive while I waited. I planned on going to the DI, picking up a belated Christmas gift, scheduling a pregnancy massage, going to the bank, and making a few phone calls. Unfortunately, or rather, fortunately, none of that happened because I had our baby the next day!

I woke up with a contraction at 2:30 Monday morning and felt a flutter of excitement, but stayed in bed and went back to sleep. I woke up with contractions off and on throughout the night, some of which required me to concentrate and breathe through them, but I was always able to get back to sleep. I got a decent amount of rest, despite being woken up several times during the night. I didn’t turn the light on or time any of them, because I knew it was still early labor and I wanted to get as much sleep as I could.

I got up around 8 am per usual and started eating the breakfast Mitch made me while he continued to get ready for work. I told him I had been having sporadic contractions during the night, but that he should go ahead and go to work and I would call him when I needed him to come back. He convinced me that I should at least call my midwife, photographer, and both of our moms to give them a heads up. I did so and let them know I would call them later when it got more serious. At this point I was still planning on going on my errands with Luke and trying to ignore the contractions for as long as possible. During breakfast I timed a few of them and they were only about 2 minutes apart and lasting 30 seconds long. I was still feeling excited and pretty relaxed between contractions so we were blasting “The Circle of Life” from the Lion King, which was currently Luke’s favorite song to listen to and Mitch and Luke were dancing around the living room. Mitch started watching me closer when I told him they were that close and he realized that I was having to give them my full concentration and didn’t want to talk to him or watch Luke at all during a contraction. He said that I should probably just plan on doing two errands – eating breakfast and taking a shower.  Pretty soon after breakfast he decided that he wasn’t going to go in to work at all. He took it upon himself to text everyone and tell them that actually, we’re going to go in now, not this afternoon.

Mitch’s mom and sister showed up at our house a little before 10:30 to take Luke as we had previously planned and we left right after she showed up to go to the birth center. My midwife and photographer were already there when we arrived and my mom and sisters showed up a few minutes later. 

 

My midwife checked me for the first and only time during my whole pregnancy and labor and said that I was almost at a 6 dilated and that she was at a +2 station, which is very low. When Luke was born I was at a 5 when I got to the birth center and he was born about 6 hours later, so that was the sort of time frame I was expecting.

 

I sat on the birth ball for a while and leaned into Mitch during the contractions while my mom pressed a hot bean bag to my lower back, but then decided to move to the pool pretty quickly.

 

The water felt so good! I knelt in the water facing the side of the pool. Mitch sat outside the pool so I could lean on him during contractions. It was very comfortable and I was able to fully relax in between contractions. At one point I had to get out to go to the bathroom and that was hard. I had several contractions trying to walk there and back. I just wanted to get back to the water as fast as I could. 

 

 

Pretty soon after I got back into the water I felt my water break and then I started to feel the need to make some noises during the contractions. Up until then I was completely quiet throughout everything. The midwives didn’t actually know when I was between contractions or in the middle of one because I looked and sounded the same whether I was in the middle of one or not. Mitch always knew though. He said I breathed differently during contractions. 

 

I started having little sighs and moans but quickly changed to grunting and louder moans and pushing sounds. I involuntarily pushed for about 20 minutes, just going along with what my body was doing until one of the assistant midwives asked me after a contraction if I felt a “little pushy” at all on that one. Chris, our main midwife, responded that I had been pushing for a while now. When I heard that I realized that my body had indeed been pushing, and that I should go ahead and actively push when I felt the urge to do so. 

 

I pushed hard for about 10 minutes and she was born at 12:30 pm! I was kneeling in the pool so our midwife helped catch her and quickly handed her to me and I brought her up out of the water and then flipped myself over so I was sitting on the floor of the pool with my back resting on the side of the pool. 

 

 

I patted and rubbed her back a little and talked to her and she quickly pinked up and gave a hearty cry for just a few seconds before she calmed down and lay quietly and contentedly on my chest. She didn’t even need to get suctioned out at all. 

 

 

After a few minutes I held her up to verify that she was indeed a girl. She didn’t like being held at arm’s reach and cried a lot about that although she quieted down again pretty quickly after I tucked her into me again on my chest. After the cord stopped pulsing Mitch cut the cord and then held her skin to skin with her while I delivered the placenta and then got out of the pool and into bed. 

 

 

 

 

After about an hour, Mitch’s mom and sister got there with Luke and he was very excited to see the baby. Mitch brought him into the big king size bed with us and he gently touched her toes and fingers and gave her a kiss on her head. We told him what happened and how mama pushed the baby out so we can hold her. He loves telling everyone the story now about how we got our baby, complete with sound effects.

 

After cheering Melina’s birth with a bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider, and eating some crackers, cheese sticks and mini oranges, I was feeling pretty good so I took a shower and got dressed and we all went home. 

 

 

We went through Taco Bell’s drive through on the way home because some bean burritos sounded pretty great to me right about then. We got home about 4:30 pm and tucked into our own bed.

Melina was born on Monday, January 4^th, at 12:30 pm, 6 days after her estimated due date. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and is perfect in every way.

 

The Birth Story of Baby Eden

Baby was "due" May 11th, 2014, Mother's Day.  One week later it was Sunday the 18th and I was still pregnant.  I went to church and taught my last Temple prep class for the series. This baby must have known I needed to finish the class.   I knew that if I went past 11:14pm that night it would be my longest pregnancy.  I was emotional at church.  I heard lots of advice on how to go into labor.  I took it all in stride.  People meant well.  I was not really worried.  I knew she would come when it was the right time.  My body would be ready and she would be ready.  That night Brian and I went on a walk alone.  When we got home I took a steamy shower to help my annoying cough that I had been dealing with for a month to loosen up.  I went to bed with plans to get up and do laundry and fix my hair.

At 3am I woke up to a strange feeling in my abdomen.  I laid there and thought it might have been a contraction.  I got up and went to the bathroom.  Nothing new.  Went back to bed.  I would have a contraction again.  Not to intense, but more than the light ones I had been having here and there for weeks.  I tried to time them.  Some were ten minutes apart, some three.  Some weak, some stronger.  I stayed in bed for an hour trying to sleep, watching the clock and hoping this was it.  I was thinking that if this was labor, then why are the contractions so inconsistent.   I wondered if she was in a good position.  But the contractions were low in front where they should be, so I didn't do anything about it.  At 4 am I decided to get up and move around a bit.  If this was labor, I would rather get it going before the kids were all up, but at the same time I wanted to let my birth team sleep as long as possible.  At 4:30 I woke Brian up.  The contractions were steadily coming and getting harder.  He called the Midwife and Doula.  They were on their way. 

I had planned on a water birth and really hoped to catch my baby this time.  I had fears that I would be alone.  I had fears that she would be in a difficult position.  I had filled my bathroom wall with positive affirmations and words of encouragement from friends.  In the time leading up to the birth I read these things often.  The positive affirmations helped me a TON!!

As I was standing in the bathroom and when I would have a contraction, Brian would rub my lower back and hips as I leaned on the counter.  That felt good and I wondered how he knew to do that.  Usually I would want my hips squeezed, but that didn't feel right this time and I never had to tell him.  He was filling the tub and getting it ready.  I would rotate between leaning on the counter and sitting on the toilet.  At one point as I leaned against the counter I felt her come down quite a bit.  I told Brian she is coming soon.  I told him she is moving down.  He called Chris and told her I was going to have the baby soon.  She said she was 2 minutes away.

I climbed in the tub and it seemed like no time at all she told me to reach down and feel my baby.  I remember thinking it was too early for her to be there.  But I felt her crowning.  I felt her head emerge.  I kept my fingers on her and felt as her shoulders slowly came out and then her body. I do not know if my eyes were open or closed because everything I "saw" at this time was through my hands.  It is hard to describe how this felt.  It was amazing to feel her body emerge from me.  I reached down with my other arm and lifted her up out of the water.  I had done it!  We had done it!  It was over.  I had never felt so aware during any of my births.  It was an amazing feeling and I was so happy to see her and know the journey of this pregnancy was over.  She was here and now we would begin our new journey together. The fears I had could finally be put behind me.  I loved seeing her stretch her legs and arms out.   The cord quit pulsating rather quickly and the placenta was delivered.  We kept the cord attached as the placenta sat in a bowl. 

I just caught my baby!  Born at 5:05am

 

After I got out of the water and into bed we got Aubryn to come in and cut the cord.  It was more difficult than I think she thought it would be.  She was proud of herself and has enjoyed telling people her big role in the birth.  She also was taught all about the placenta by Chris.   Aubryn  loves to hold the baby and would do it all day if I let her.  She has been so good with her.

 

This was an amazing birth experience for me.  There is no way I can think of to improve it in any way.   Now it was done.  Everything was well!  Everyone was there that I needed!  I was able to catch my baby!  The birth went smoothly!   ALL IS WELL.

9lbs 2oz