Just had to share - I just came from attending a beautiful water birth. She was a first time mama, having her babe at home with her dh, a midwife and me in attendance.
I arrived just before dawn. Her midwife had already been with her for a couple of hours and she was well along. When I entered the room, everything was quiet and dark. They just had one little lamp glowing. It was so still and silent. Everyone around her was quietly concentrating on her and the only sound was her breathing. She was standing by her bed, leaning forward onto her elbows on the bed.
At one point on laid my hand on her back. She gently moved my hand away - she did not want to be touched at all. I should have simply stayed with her longer to get a sense of what she needed. Bad call on my part. Thus we learn.
Soon she wanted to get into her birth pool, and the mw agreed now would be a good time. As she walked to the pool, she squeezed my fingers as if to say, "I'm glad you're here, no worries about before" and I squeezed hers back to say, "I understand."
In the pool, she was able to move around just as she felt she needed to. Sometimes kneeling forwards, sometimes laying sidelong, sometimes on her back. It was amazing to see how instinctively she moved as her labour compelled her to. She had not done a heap of preparation because as she explained, she is one of those people who don't like to read guidebooks before going to a country. She did a read a book called "Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful" which is about yoga and birth, and she also liked Sheila Kitzinger. (SK is great - be it Homebirth, Breastfeeding, Birth Your Way, Birth Crisis - all excellent reads.) it was awesome to see her instinctively using her body and her breath to help her labour along. She needed very little guidance from her attendants, but she did like the encouragement and reassurance.
Sometimes she leaned her arms over the edge of the pool and held on tight to my trouser legs. I felt then that she wanted to connect with someone who'd given birth before and gained reassurance from that. Other times she held my hands very tight. A lot of the time she wanted her dh near, holding on to him. She began to use her voice more and soon we could see she was nearing transition. She started expressing fears and the feeling of being over it. The midwife acknowledged her feelings and said, "This is how you feel now - but you will move through it." That seemed to settle her, as if it gave her hope that yes she could move through it. She did. She was only unsettled for a few contractions before she found her stride again - different now, because she was feeling pushy now, and beginning to 'roar' with her contractions. She had lots to drink between each contraction.
She positioned herself kneeling over the edge of the pool to push. I was really impressed with how she instinctively used her breath as the baby's head was being born. A few times, the midwife asked her to stop bearing down and just breath. I helped her 'blow'. She got it right away. But as the head was being born, she suddenly switched straight to these little short pants which were just perfect for gently easing out the head - just at the right time. Awesome work for a first timer!
The midwife caught the baby under the water then passed him through her legs to her - she lifted him out of the water and held her to him. The daddy, mummy and baby were all crying together and the midwife and I just smiled and smiled. They all cuddled together for a long time, admiring him and getting acquainted. The room was still so quiet, dark and warm.
The only interruption she had was when the midwife used a doppler to check the baby's heart every once in a while. She got out of the pool to birth the placenta, while daddy held his baby boy. She had a couple of small tears that did not need stitches. He was 3.5 kg!
Soon all three were cuddled up in bed together. When her friend called, right after the birth, and asked, "How was it?", the mama replied, "IT'S HARD WORK!" Very true! A few days later, she described her birth as "lovely and perfect". She thought the peace and quiet, privacy and the pool really helped make it easier and more manageable for her.
It was a real privilege to be part of this birth. Lovely for a first time mama to have a gentle, unrushed experience in which she had the freedom to do as she felt to.
I don't think I would ever give birth without a birth pool again. Not everyone loves pools but it sure is nice to have one in case you want to use it. Some women are confirmed landlubbers when it comes to the actual birth, but even having the pool for comfort during labour is so nice. Baths, showers, hot compresses, ice - water and birth just seem to go together.
Homebirth might not be for everyone, you have to be keen, confident and determined - I think it helps if you want the homebirth a lot more than your dh, midwife or doula wants it 'for you'. But homebirths in Victoria have a 4% c/s rate, not bad eh? And there's a twice as much chance of having an intact perineum. The baby stats are favourable too.
Homebirth is pretty favourable for a straightforward birth for a healthy woman & baby - as the stats prove (90% rate of physiological vaginal birth). But like anything it's not a 100% iron-clad guarantee. I once supported another gorgeous first time mama who laboured at home brilliantly. We finally transfered to hospital and her baby was eventually born with the help of synto, an epidural, and the best ventouse I've ever seen done, by an obstetrician who was really gentle and considerate. No stirrups or episiotomy! Even though she had to let go of the dream homebirth scenario, this mum explained to me as we de-briefed, that the whole experience was not traumatic for her (although obviously it was immensly challenging) because she felt in control of all decisions, was not rushed or pressured, was treated with dignity and respect, and because technology was used wisely and appropriately & only when really necessary.
Last edited by Julie Doula; October 30th, 2008 at 08:31 AM.
Wow, that is a beautiful waterbirth experience! I love hearing about women who are supported to follow their natural birthing inclinations. It certainly sounds like she is going to be surfing that birthing high for some time!
She's doing so well. She had a few glitches with breastfeeding during the first few days - oh that brought back memories, I had the same deal with my first baby - but now she's gotten over the hurdles and beginning to just enjoy the experience. Wonderful to see. Her baby is sleeping 4 hours stretches at night!!! She feels just about normal again!
Sometimes you hear, "Oh I'd love a homebirth but not for the first time, I think I'll go to the hospital for the first one, then I'll have the confidence to stay at home after that."
It doesn't seem to work out that way very often. Seems like the first birth in hospy is often so traumatic, (not to mention ending in surgery) that the mother is left thinking "I wish I'd stayed home" - or is too scared to even think of homebirth: "I could've died / we could've lost the baby" or has an even harder time asserting her wishes for subsequent homebirth: "But you needed a c/s last time - what about the CPD the doctor said you had - etc etc." She ends up persuaded that she is incapable of giving birth without the technological help of the hospital - - - or her loved ones do.
As a doula, when a first time mama (who desires a normal birth) plans a homebirth, I can't help feeling quite relieved, because then she has a 90% chance of having a normal vaginal birth and a 4% chance of having a c/s. So she has a good chance of getting set up with a positive obstetric history. I wish more first time mothers could have an experience like the one I witnessed last night. I couldn't help thinking, "Whew, another one saved!"
So if you're wondering whether it's a smart thing to have a homebirth when it's your first - GO FOR IT, say I.
Sarah Buckley's work on the impact of the surrounding environment and the benefits of an unhindered birth in being conducive to a normal physiological birth, because it promotes the optimal secretion of hormones, makes sense to me. Relaxation skills can only help, no matter what the environment, - but how much easier is it to practice those skills when you are not in an environment that undermines and hinders the secretion of birth hormones that drive the normal birth process??
Barbara Harper's site, Waterbirth International, is a great place for info on how the use of water can be a comfort and help during labour and birth. Michel Odent says, "labouring women are instinctively drawn to water" and I've observed this many a time. Some births are easier, some are harder, some are really, really tough - but I think every tool that could potentially bring comfort and support to a hard-working woman should be readily at her disposal. Contractions still hurt in water - it's not going to make your excellent uterus quit working! But watching women seem to melt and relax in the water, and be able to move any way they want as their instinct leads them, is awesome to see.
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