Sorry it's taken me so long to get back. I have little opportunity to type with 2 hands and 1-handed takes FOREVER!
Briee, Have you seen the video of the woman who gives birth in the sea and the dolphins are there? I haven't seen it but I've heard my midwife talk about it. Doesn't she bring the baby back to the sea and the mama dolphin goes to get other dolphins or somehitng????? My memory is fuzzy on it!
As far as the details you wanted...
HB just WORKS! We listened to the cd's every night at bedtime and occasionally I did during hte day. I pictured a totally relaxed birth where I would be working WITH my contractions, not against them. Gosh, it's so hard to put it into words in a post.... Not exactly sure what/how to share! I felt NO PAIN in my labor. There was PRESSURE of the contractions no doubt! But I wouldn't classify it as PAIN.
From my first contraction to her birth my labor was just under an hour.
My 2 DDs, ages 4 & 6 at the time, were in the room for a few minutes while I was laboring and could've cared less as to what I was doing. Because I was so relaxed they were like "oh, mom's just practicing HB again!"
Dh was insisting that I get into the truck to make the 30 minute drive to the birth center so I went into the garage to walk to the truck. But at that point my contractions were a minute apart and I knew I couldn't make it. I went back into the house into the bathroom. I got on all fours and reached down and could feel her crowning. I took a deep breath and out came her sweet little face. It was the most awesome exhilerating fantastic moment of my life. I felt every part her little face come out and her chin tip out and up. Another deep breath and out slid the rest of her body. I leaned back and scooped her up in one fluid motion. She wasn't crying a bit - she was just looking around like "oh, this is mommy's bathroom, no big deal" You could see she was breathing and she was turning her head looking at things. She was absolutely perfect. My mom had called the paramedics to come and they came rushing in wanting to suction her face, cut the cord, etc etc. I told them kindly we were just fine and they weren't needed, but thank you for coming. They insisted on taking my blood pressure and it was something freakishly normal.
They saw that we did in fact have everything under control and they headed out. My midwife got there about an hour after we had her. By then I had gotten into bed and delivered the placenta which we later had encapsulated. (A very awesome thing, btw!) They did all the laundry and did the babycare (weighing, measuring) right there in our bed. No harsh lights, suctioning, pricking....just mama and baby, the way it should be. They drew me an herbal bath in our Jacuzzi and tucked in me, Mike and Julia into our bed all together.
We had planned to go to the birth center to have the midwives deliver Julia. The home birth was unplanned but if we ever have another baby I would do a homebirth in a heartbeat! I truly cannot imagine laboring/delivering at a hospital ever again. Planning Julia's birth I had wanted DH to deliver her, but now that I've done it myself and FELT THAT HIGH.... I get to do it again if we have another one! It truly is the most amazing thing ever to deliver your own baby.
Well, that was a novel! Sorry!
