Our state is not midwife friendly, and so we also considered going unassisted if we couldn’t find anyone to come to us. We were not going to have this baby in a hospital if at all possible.

I took very good care of myself throughout this pregnancy. I followed the Tom Brewer diet and consumed at least 80 grams of protein a day. I also ate 2 eggs everyday after the first trimester, because the thought of eating eggs early on made me sick to my stomach!! I drank as much water as I could. I had pregnancy-induced hypertension at about 12 weeks. I also had PUPPP (Pruritic Urticated Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy) at about 16 weeks. Both conditions are treatable with herbs and do not require diuretics or steroids, which are harmful to mother and baby.

I was awakened by a big contraction on Sunday morning about 4:30. I had to sit up in bed to get through it. I really didn’t think much about it, because I had been having some good Braxton Hicks contractions all along. The contractions came every ½ hour until 7:00am when I fell back to sleep until 8:00am. That’s when another massive contraction hit and woke me.

I came out of the bedroom to look for my husband. He was on our porch busily making a cradle by hand. I told him that I was having some good contractions, but I didn’t really make a big deal out of it, because it “wasn’t time yet!” You know, Denial. I just really expected to have to double over, or be the type of woman that says her water broke all of a sudden……… Anyway, I just assumed that my body decided to practice a little bit. Besides, it was the 4th of August, and this was our first baby, so we surely couldn’t have our baby on its due date!

So, the day went on and I did all the usual things. We had breakfast and my husband went back to work on the cradle. I had a contraction every half hour or so. They were slightly more intense than a period cramp. So we spent the afternoon running errands, buying stuff that my husband needed to finish his project. We even returned a video. While in the car, I braced myself as the contractions came. I would, of course, announce to my husband and my mom when a contraction would begin and then end. Remember, we had absolutely no idea that we were in labor! When we got home, I told my mom that we weren’t in labor, because the contractions were only 20 or 30 seconds long. Well, she proved me wrong; she looked at the clock when I announced the start of one and they were 50-60 seconds long and coming about every 10 minutes. We were confused, because I would have 2 contractions that would be 60 seconds long and then I would have 1 only 30 seconds in length. So, it would be 2 long, then 1 short, etcetera…..then I used the bathroom! When I stood up, I noticed a lot of blood in the toilet. I immediately called my husband to take a look and asked could this be bloody show? I was a little scared by the fact that the blood was fresh. But, I knew now though that we were in labor.

We called our midwife at about 3:30pm and she returned our call around 4:30pm. I explained to her how the contractions were coming and about the blood in the toilet. I said the contractions weren’t that bad so I couldn’t be in labor, right? She said, “No, you’re definitely in labor, just call me back when there is some sort of pattern.” So, we labored and kept track of length between and duration of each contraction until it was hard to talk through them. We called the midwife back about 7:30pm and I had to tell her to hang on cause a contraction was coming. She said she was going to get her stuff together grab the apprentice and they would be on their way. She lives about 3 hours from me. It was probably at that point that I realized this little baby was on his way!

At that point the realization of the impending birth showed on my husband’s face! He started to get a little anxious. We were just sooo blown away by the fact that we were unaware that we were in labor. He got snacks and the cooler together for the midwife and I of course didn’t help matters any. My house was a mess, and we were about to have company! We had 5 dogs in the house and only one didn’t shed!! I hadn’t done much housework during the last couple of days. So much for nesting! Anyway, I think I hen pecked Keith enough, and he split for the store for a few last minute items. When he got back, we put the dogs out on the screen porch. My old Lab wasn’t happy about the new arrangements and he barked for hours! Poor boy.

We headed back to the bedroom; I guess about 8:00pm or 8:30pm. By this point I had to really focus to get through the contractions. I do remember using the bathroom and Keith getting my juice cup ready. I later found a comfortable position backwards on a chair; I leaned over and buried my face in a pillow. It felt so good to moan into that pillow. We progressed pretty rapidly at that point.

I remember looking at the clock and telling my husband that I felt like pushing! It was approximately 10:15pm and the midwife hadn’t arrived yet! Now what!!? My husband is really a laid back guy, but very smart and supportive. He basically said, “Then push if it feels good.” I was so confused, should I push and risk delivering this baby without our midwife? So, I decided to compromise and just bare down a little!

My brother-in-law let us borrow a make shift footstool and I kept changing positions on it. It worked perfectly, from standing supported, to kneeling between my husband’s legs while he sat in a chair. Finally, at about 11:00pm my midwife and the apprentice showed up. I was very grateful to finally see her. She was 8 months pregnant herself, and she found moving around a little awkward. She really had to waddle! But she was in good spirits and looking forward to catching this baby.

She immediately got the history about the happenings that night and then said she wanted to check me when I felt comfortable. The baby’s heart rate was great and I felt good. I really moaned through the contractions and leaned on my husband for support. When she finally checked me, approximately 45 minutes later, I was fully dilated. I don’t remember effacement, but she was very pleased.

Of course, there was a lip of cervix, and the baby wasn’t facing quite all the way anterior. She didn’t tell me this at the time, or maybe she did, and I was elsewhere! Anyway I tried lying in reclining position and on my side in the bed through a few contractions, and believe me, I hated that!! I couldn’t feel the contractions like I was before. So after probably 2 or 3 contractions or so I got out of bed and got in the kneeling position. My midwife moved the lip of cervix, and that’s when I really started to bear down.

By that point I was really tired and my contractions seem to peter out on me half way through. I just didn’t think I could do it anymore. I remember feeling the head come out half way, and then slowly slide back. That was probably the most frustrating for me. But, my midwife kept saying what a good job I was doing, and that we were almost there. I always felt that I would deliver this baby in the squatting or kneeling position, and I can tell you it felt good to be on hands and knees and rest in between contractions.

I think I probably pushed for an hour or two on hands and knees with my husband constantly there almost face to face supporting me, when I finally felt the head come out and not slide back in. I remember my husband saying that he could “see all this black hair!!” (I’m getting teary-eyed just writing this!) That’s when all hell broke lose!

I expected the ring of fire to be the delivering of the head, but it was the shoulders that I thought I would have to stop and have someone “cut this baby out of me!!” I squealed like a stuck pig. Literally, you have to turn the volume down when you get to that point in the video! I said, “I can’t do this it burns,” and my midwife said “You are doing great, keep pushing the head is out and here come the shoulders!” Well, that’s all I needed to hear!! I squealed and finally the shoulders were born. The rest of that little thing just slithered out onto the shower curtain with my midwife’s hands to ease the baby to the floor. I whipped around so fast to see my little bluish gray itty-bitty thing lying on the floor. I scooped it up, and said, “Oh my God he’s beautiful!”

At approximately 4:16am Harrison Vernon Voss was born!! He weighed in at 7lbs 4 oz and was around 19inches long. I never loved anything so much in my life. My husband cried, my mom cried, I cried. He was simply the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. He was a little blue and hyper-stimulated because he waited a long time in my birth canal before his head was born. He nursed immediately and was given some oxygen under his nose for probably 5 minutes. He pinked up very well and went back to boob.

I, on the other hand started bleeding a little more than the midwife felt comfortable. I only had what she called “a skid mark” at my perineum and she felt comfortable not suturing me. But, when she thought I was delivering the placenta, a big blood clot came out instead. It was at that point that her expression changed. Having a little medical background myself, I felt scared. She told me she wanted to give me something to stop the bleeding. I didn’t argue. I really trusted her. After 10-20 minutes, the bleeding subsided and she had to pull a little on the cord to get the placenta to come. After placenta was born, and the cord was cut I got into the bed with my baby. I was felt really light headed, and my husband was concerned. I was pretty pale, but I quickly bounced back. I stayed in bed and just nursed Harrison and got up periodically to use the bathroom. My husband and mom prepared sandwiches and made sure I got plenty to drink. In just five days I was up and on the beach going for short walks with Harrison in the sling.

It was the most perfect birth ever. My advice to any woman out there is to trust in your body to do what it was meant to do and trust in your midwife, she knows normal birth and will guide you in the right direction. Remember that when you start doubting your ability, millions of women have birthed their babies just as you are doing! We will definitely have another homebirth when we get pregnant again.