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BIRTH STORIESEach woman's and famliy's passage through pregnancy and birth is unique. Many thanks to Kimberly, Erika, Lailah, Sarana and Kim for their kind permission to share stories that describe what midwifery care and home birth was like for them. Lea's Home Birth, by Kimberly (first baby)Thursday was a beautiful day. 
We headed out for a long bike ride to Lakefarm Park (the site of our marriage party) along the Capitol City Trail. I was excited to explore this new route from our new home and felt excited to be on my bicycle thinking about this new being growing inside of me… We arrived at the park, walked for a while, and sat down with a picnic blanket. I read Harry Potter to Brian as we enjoyed the sunshine, warmth, quiet, and serenity of nature. After a couple of hours we headed back to our bicycles and rode directly downtown and had a lovely dinner. We then went for a lovely walk, stopped at a café, and biked back home. I woke up the next morning with what felt like menstrual cramps and when I went to the bathroom there was some bloody show. I had remembered from my sister’s experience that this was a sign of early labor. Despite the rain, Brian and I headed out for a walk and I noticed that the “menstrual cramps” were now coming and going. On our walk I had to stop when the cramps came and Brian was wonderful at sticking with me. At that time the thought hadn’t occurred to me that this could actually be labor. I hadn’t experienced the Braxton–Hicks contractions yet so I thought I still had time. We had a lovely walk. We explored territory we hadn’t been in before in our new neighborhood and enjoyed the smell of luscious white flowers on nearby trees. Brian even picked some and brought them home for my bedside. Shortly after we arrived home the “menstrual cramps” were happening more frequently and got more uncomfortable. I got the birthing ball out and rolled on it when the pains came on. Brian suggested we have lunch at this time but I told him I had no appetite. We started to realize that this could be the real thing! Both of us got into our OKAY, LET’S GET DONE WHAT NEEDS TO GET DONE HERE mode! I wanted to accomplish a few things in my office and Brian was doing his own organizing. I made a business call to Seattle and had one of the pains toward the end of the conversation. I told the woman there was a possibility that I might be in labor and thought to myself that it had been sort of crazy to make the call in the first place. I also wrote up a lease for a future tenant because that was something that NEEDED to be accomplished (or at least at the time it felt like it needed to be). A friend also called. We had a nice talk although I didn’t really hear the last part of what she said during one of the pains. By the time I closed my office door behind me the pains were getting more intense. Brian and I decided we needed to set up the pool to have it in time if this indeed was the real thing. This created a tense situation because by this point I needed to crawl down on the floor when the pains came up and Brian wanted to be with me, but he was also committed to getting the pool set up. We were alone at this point. We called Ingrid and she suggested that we start timing the pains. She said she’d come over when we simply wanted her with us or when the pains came about every 5 minutes for about a minute each time. The pains quickly worked their way up to this. Brian called Ingrid back shortly to report that indeed they were that close together and lasted for that long. Ingrid said she’d be over soon. Brian had also called his friend Tom to come over and help him with the pool. (We planned on Tom primarily assisting Brian during the birth). I made my way upstairs with Brian and managed to squeeze in a shower, which felt really good before the pain got too bad. When Ingrid arrived the “contractions” (I could call them this by this time) were feeling pretty intense to the point where I was really vocal and had to get down on my hands and knees when they came up. Ingrid wanted to do an internal exam so I made my way up on the bed in between contractions. She reported that I was close to 8 centimeters dilated and that I was in advanced labor. I was pleased to hear that she was staying, and I accepted the fact that this was the real thing! I labored for a while up in the bedroom on the floor. I asked for the big green pillow, which helped support me when I got down on my hands and knees on the hard wood floor. By this point I could feel myself turning more inward and going further away into my own world. I also had no sense of time throughout the rest of my labor. The pains came on harder, stronger, and were getting more frequent. It felt like a tidal wave was rolling through me. From this point on my memory is vague. I remember hearing the voices of my other two support people (a friend and a doula) who were to be at the birth, although I wasn’t sure when they showed up. I was so inward at the time though that I didn’t make any kind of outward connection with them, although I was comforted to know they were there. Brian was right by my side the whole time, too. I couldn’t imagine now having done it without him! 
I made my way downstairs and into the pool. The warm water did offer some relief but I was still screaming and acting with animal-like instincts as my body jerked in all kinds of wild positions. I remember thinking that what was so hard about it was that no matter how I moved or what I did there was absolutely no way to control the pain. There were a few moments when I didn’t know if I could go any further, but deep down inside there was no doubt that I could do it! I kept screaming out, “It hurts so bad” and “How much longer do I need to do this?” Despite the pain, I remember thinking that I could definitely do this! I was especially confident when Ingrid listened to the baby’s heartbeat, and each time it was really strong. She kept reminding me that I was laboring beautifully and that there were no foreseen problems. She said my body was working beautifully to deliver this baby, and I believed her. With the help of my support people (by this time a nurse-midwife assistant by the name of Cathy also came), I made my way to the bathroom very slowly with intense contractions the whole time. Before getting back in the pool, Ingrid did another internal exam. She said I was all the way dilated and whenever I wanted to start pushing I could. I managed to make my way back into the tub and I remember the warm water providing at least some relief. Brian lay under me in the pool and did a dance with me. As I moved, so did he. As I groaned, he echoed my sound. I knew how completely connected we were throughout the labor and delivery. By this point I wanted this baby OUT of me! Do you remember ever having to make a really big bowel movement but there was no bathroom in sight? The feeling of waiting is extremely uncomfortable, isn’t it? It felt like this to me but about 100 times magnified. And it only got MORE intense as it moved further down.
By the time I was pushing I at least felt more active, which was empowering. I felt like this was actually going somewhere and there was a reason I was doing this. It was by far the most incredible pain I’ve ever experienced though! At one point I asked Ingrid, “Can’t you just pull the baby out?” Her response was, “I’m sorry Kimberly, but the baby doesn’t have handles.” (I later realized how funny this was, but at the time I certainly didn’t laugh.) Well, I pushed for less than an hour and her head emerged with the body passing through shortly there after. Wow! It’s so hard to describe in words. A baby had been born, at home, under water, completely naturally, with people around me who I love and completely trusted. My one real regret of the birth is that I didn’t open my eyes. Even though I had a sense that the baby was coming out, the pain was so intense I was numb to what was actually going on. If I had my eyes open I may have been more aware of Lea’s arrival. Nonetheless, there she was! This tiny body lying on my chest! She cried right out of the womb, her skin was bright pink right away, and she couldn’t have been more perfect! I think we were all in such amazement simply with a newborn baby that it wasn’t until about 10 minutes later that I said, “we don’t know her sex,” as I lifted her off my chest. I was SHOCKED! I had convinced myself it was going to be a boy. My intuition was so strong. (I had also thought that “Junior” would come right around my due date or late, so it was a real surprise when labor began 9 days before my anticipated due date.) After Lea was born, we lay together in the tub and laughed, cried, and ooooo’ed and ahhhh’ed over our brand new miracle! We held her close and told her how absolutely perfect she was in every way! She made her way to my breast shortly after she was born. I absolutely loved that, even though it took a little while to get used to each other, and for Lea to latch on properly.
I noticed that my body hurt all over, but that didn’t seem to matter. I had a hard time walking but managed to make my way up the stairs and into bed with my new family. By far, Lea’s birth was the most intense experience of my life. I’d also say the best. And now I have the rest of my life to watch this incredible being that we created grow and develop into her own person in the world…. Some important notes about Lea's birth: Time of Birth: 6:53pm Athena’s Home Birth, by Erika (third baby)The short version:Athena was born at home with the assistance of two lovely midwives, Ingrid and Debbie. She was born at 4:54am on December 4th after laboring in the birthing pool in the playroom. Skye (big sister) cut the cord. 9 pounds, 11 ounces of Love! And the long:Athena’s birth was different from my other two girls’. On Sunday evening the third, after dinner and a movie, I was having sporadic contractions, but they were very strong and I was feeling lots of pressure. We hung out a bit to see if things picked up but they didn’t, so we went to bed. In bed they started coming about every 8 minutes and were uncomfortable. I waited about an hour as they continued and then called Ingrid. So exciting! I told her what was happening, but that I didn’t need her to come over just yet. She had asked me to call even if they were 10 minutes apart - she says in moms with a few kids, those distantly spaced contractions can do a lot of work, but still, it was hard to believe things were happening. I got up and walked around the house, trying to see where I would be most comfortable, I didn’t really want to be in the bedroom. I had to pee a few times but every time I sat on the toilet, I felt a ton of pressure and also some pushy sort of feelings. I didn’t think I was about to push but this was a weird thing about this labor. I was also feeling nauseated, which usually doesn’t happen to me until I get to transition. With those pushy feelings I decided to call Ingrid and have her come. I was relieved after making the call, this was the point I felt it was real labor, when that relief came over me. The contractions stopped coming on their own, but when I walked on the stairs or squatted, which I had a huge urge to do, strong ones happened right away. It was confusing. They were intense, and I had a lot of lower back pain with each one. It was strange to be the one initiating them, and it got harder and harder to stay in the squat, since it would result in a bigger surge.
My friend Alison and Debbie (Ingrid's assistant), along with her 5 week old daughter, arrived, as Chris (my husband) and Ingrid set up and filled the birth pool. While everyone was coming and there was a hustle and bustle, my contractions died down, but I told myself it was OK and I just had to wait for things to settle down. It was very dark in my living room, I had one little lamp on in the corner, a Mother’s candle, and white Christmas lights. I ha d a small birth altar set up next to the tub with some special items in it. I really liked the atmosphere. A great difference from the hospital. Amazingly, the cats didn’t hide when the new people and all the strange equipment came in the house (they always do). They stayed right out in the living room watching it all. Somehow, they knew something special was happening. Soprasetta tickled my face with her tail as I labored on hands and knees. Smoky sat on our coffee table and watched silently. During the contractions, I was most comfortable standing in the yoga pose where you put your hands on the wall and walk your body back so it makes a right angle.I stayed that way for most of the labor, until the contractions got too hard and I went into child’s pose. Cat-cow felt really good in between. In the pool, it was hard to squat and my contractions didn’t happen, so I got out again. I couldn’t get comfortable, and Ingrid and Debbie reassured me: ”you’re not supposed to be comfortable” (Haha). Chris woke Skye up, and right after she joined us I threw up. (I was so happy to know this probably meant I was in transition.) Skye thought Debbie's baby was our new baby - it was so cute. Skye hung out with Grandma Clara, while Ingrid and Debbie helped me labor. Debbie did counter pressure on my back during contractions, and it was wonderful. I had a hard time staying centered on the breath, because I was moaning a lot with each contraction. During one of my contractions in child’s pose, I started pushing. It felt so good. I had a small rupture of my membranes, nice clear fluid. I got back into the pool and squatted along the edge, holding on to Chris to get the contractions going, then I would get on hands and knees to push for the contraction. The pushing was hard, hard work, much harder than when Irini (my youngest) was born. It felt like she wasn’t coming down at all with the pushes. I was glad Ingrid had prepared me for this prenatally, when I told her I thought my baby was bigger this time. Finally I was able to feel the head with my hands, which was amazing. The head always feels so strange and soft when it is coming down. But, I couldn’t bring it down more. I changed positions so I was leaning against the edge of the tub with my feet supported on the sides to see if that helped. It hurt a lot, and I didn’t feel like I was making much progress so I turned back. Athena cried right away, and Ingrid handed her to me through my legs as I got back in the water. She looked a lot like Skye did when she was first born, except she was bigger and fatter. Her strong healthy cries worked all the fluid and mucus out of her airways. When I talked and sang to her she got quiet and looked in my eyes. I birthed the placenta about 10 minutes later, and Skye got to cut the cord some time after that.
We are so happy with the care that Ingrid and Debbie gave us and Athena. We have become empowered and strengthened in our belief in the innate ability of our bodies to do the things that they are supposed to do, such as birthing a baby and sustaining a baby with our milk, and that baby growing and thriving on milk and love. With Athena, we had a "babymoon," where we stayed at home as a family for some time before re-entering the world, nourished by delicious meals brought by dear friends and neighbors and resting together with our new daughter. What a wonderful gift those days were and will remain as some of the best of our lives.  Mayana’s Home Birth, by Lailah (first baby)
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I labored the whole time with my eyes closed. The stimulation I was experiencing within felt like too much to me to open my eyes. Even though I knew the support people were around me, I didn’t see them and I didn’t hear them (I had requested that everyone be quiet), but I couldn’t have done it without them, especially Brian.
It was a while before we got out of the tub and I continued to hold Lea as we were wrapped together in towels and blankets. A turkey sandwich was brought down to me and boy, did it taste good! We hung out for a while - ate, talked, and continued to be amazed at our angel’s presence.
Ingrid arrived around 1:50 am. I hoped that I hadn’t called her for nothing. It was strange to feel so uncertain. Because I had had some pushy feelings, she asked if she could check me to see if there would be time to set up the birth tub. I said OK but asked her not to tell me how dilated I was. I was pretty uncomfortable but also afraid that there wasn’t much progress. Ingrid didn’t tell me where I was but did say I had a bulging bag of waters, and that I had gotten past the part of labor that takes the longest. Phew. (I later found out I was at 5 cm – YEAH!).
More of my waters gushed, and with that she finally came down with a huge movement and was sitting right at my perineum. I was very uncomfortable and couldn’t help but push. Ingrid asked me to slow down, but I couldn’t. At one point the baby went back up in between contractions! It was so intense and I was crying out “help me!” I pushed as hard as I could and her head was out. I turned around and sat, holding her head, trying to push her body out, and looking down at her. It was incredible. Ingrid checked for the cord, and it wasn’t around her neck. Ingrid and Debbie had me stand up and put my left leg on the edge of the tub. I think Ingrid said, “Push the baby out,” and I did. (Chris told me that the image of me standing with a head sticking out of me, looking at him, will be seared in his memory forever, LOL.) I heard Ingrid say “Healthy baby” and all was instantly blissful in my universe. That was such a powerful, wonderful moment.
We went up to the bedroom to snuggle in and bond. The girls fed me orange slices. When we finally weighed her,and her head was 36.5 cm (the biggest girl head Ingrid has had so far, she says). No wonder it was such hard work to push her out! Ingrid and Debbie did the newborn exam right on my bed, with Skye and Irini looking on. It was a sweet moment, with light snow falling outside.
My back was sore for about a week after the birth, and I tore my perineum as I was pushing her shoulders out, but otherwise I felt great. Alison took care of me the morning after Athena was born — I am lucky to have such a great friend. Athena is big and healthy and chubby. The girls are doing well and love their new baby sister. Also, my milk came in at 2 days!
few minutes instead of sleeping.
I rested for a few minutes in the tub. And then while dad held his new baby, I got on the futon and was shakey all over. I couldn't stop shaking. Ingrid immediately went to work on my uterus. She must have pushed about 5 or 6 clots out. It hurt so bad, but I am thankful for it now. Ingrid and Kim helped us to the bedroom.
