Nama and Michael Best's Homebirth Story
Birthing with no electricity, Apgar 9/9

Vikram Andrew

January 31, 2000

He weighed 8 pounds was 21 inches long

Well it all started on the 30th of January. My midwife had planned on coming the day before, but she had another birth and cancelled. That morning I didn't feel the baby move when I got up to pee (he usually did a LOT). I asked my husband to try to make the baby move, which he tried to do with no movement from baby. I freaked and called the doctor on call and my midwife (having double prenatal care as back up for a homebirth with a midwife). She advised me to drink some juice and eat something sweet. There was still no movement from baby, so I called my midwife. JUST as I was calling her I felt a kick and hung up. But after I hung up, he stopped moving, so I redialed. JUST as she picked up the phone he kicked again, so I felt stupid when I told her, but she said she understood my fears. I also told her that I was having watery marks in my undies, which might be amniotic fluid. She told me that she was really tired from the birth and would come and see me on Monday. There had been some really bad weather so I understood why she didn’t want to come out here. In fact how many doctors make home visits anyhow? :-)

Anyway, she called later on in the day and said that she wanted to come and check me. I was SO happy! When she got to my house, she gave me an internal. I was 3-4 centimeters, 50% effaced and baby was high (-2). She said that my cervix felt ready and my water was bulging, like I would go within twenty-four hours. There was supposed to be an ice storm that night and she was scared that I would go into labor and she wouldn’t be able to come. She asked if she could strip my membranes, which I assented to. AS she was doing this, I started to get contractions and my water bag bulged. She quickly withdrew her fingers. I continued to get contractions at regular pace, so she decided to stay and see what happened.

An hour later, still having regular contractions, she checked me to see if I had progressed. I was at 4-5 centimeters, 60% effaced, but baby's head had moved down to -1. I asked her if my husband should prepare the Jacuzzi. She said that would be great. After it was filled, I got in. Can you say RELIEF?!!! The contraction hardly hurt at all. I was already to rave about the painkiller, but I wondered if I had continued to progress since my contractions didn’t feel as intense. I got out and she checked me (an hour since my last check). I was 5 centimeters and still 60% effaced, but baby's head was at 0. Despite the change I felt that was pathetic and became depressed. I said I was going to bed. The midwife decided to stay the night as she was afraid I would keep going and she wouldn’t be able to return soon enough. We made her up a bed and everyone crashed.

The night passed very slowly for me, getting a rest in between contractions, but not really sleeping. At midnight I woke up to go to the bathroom and woke up my midwife saying that I couldn't sleep through the contractions and asking if there was anything I could take to help the pain. She (half asleep and sort of out of it) told me she wanted to time them. I started telling her when I got one, but by the time I finished it she had fallen asleep again. I didn’t want to bother her again, so I went back to sleep.

At 4:30am I woke up to pee again and I noticed my mom had lit a candle! I realized that we had NO electricity. I peed and went back to bed. My husband and I talked as I had woken him up and I could no longer even lie there without some coaching. We got up at 6:30am and he called the power company, waking the midwife in the process. My mother-in-law came over because she was wondering what was going on. She walked me to the bathroom and I mentioned that these HURT! We all assembled in the dining room and I told everyone "if this wasn't active labor, then shoot me!"

I didn't want the midwife to stay if nothing was happening, so I asked her to check me (she asked "do you like knowing where the mile markers are on the road?") and determined that I was at 6 centimeters, 80% effaced. She told me that breaking my water would speed things up. I asked my mother-in-law and my husband and we decided that since I was getting tired of the slow dilation, this would be a good idea. After she broke it she checked me again (6-7 centimeters still 80% effaced), but half an hour later I was 8 centimeters and 90% effaced.

At 9:30am I asked if I could get on the birthing stool. She checked me (yes I do like mile markers) and I was happy to hear that she thought I was complete. She said yes I could get on the birthing stool. I got on it, but I told her there was no urge to push. She said that was okay, but not to push hard until I felt the urge. I started to push lightly, but did not feel the baby's head moving down. She checked me during a contraction and told me that I was NOT complete yet and I had a small lip that wouldn't move. Let me tell you, I was NOT a happy camper....

I got back on the bed, where I labored through a few more contractions. My mother-in-law was great the whole time, with her "visualization technique" and I welcomed each contraction as a wave that I went up with and enjoyed. I missed the stool though, so I asked her if I could get back on. Without checking me, she said that I should wait for the urge to push, so I did. When I FINALLY felt the urge I couldn't help myself. I screamed as loud as I could while I pushed. I heard a little voice in the hallway yell "calm down in there!" Jahnu amused us and we needed that.

I got BACK on the birthing stool and continued pushing. There was no doubt now, the baby was coming! The midwife said that the baby was coming out of my cervix at a funny angle (asynchlictism) and that was why I was having a hard time pushing him out. I pushed and pushed, ever so often feeling inside to know how far away the baby's head was from my perineum. At this point everyone who was in the house (except my brother-in-lawl who was sleeping) gathered in my room, eagerly awaiting the baby's arrival. As Vikram crowned, my sister-in-law was pointing and saying, "look baby!" to all the children present. Jahnu was saying, "push him out Mommy!" and before I knew it out popped his head. OUCH!! The midwife looked up at me. "Okay now you get to birth his shoulders." I pushed and out he came. The midwife wrapped him in the towels and receiving blankets and gave him to me. "What a long cord," she remarked. When they cut his cord, she told my husband that it was thick too. She also noted that it had been around his neck, but not too tightly. His apgars were 9/9.

We had brought a propane heater into the room long before he was born, but despite the heater, it was very cold and Vikram was not pinking up. He wouldn't nurse at all and his body temp was low. We wrapped him up with another blanket and he slowly began to lose his bluish skin tone. The midwife measured him and I was shocked to learn that he was 21 inches long! His head was 14 inches (no wonder why I had a hard time pushing it out) around. I wondered how much he weighed and EVERYONE was surprised at how much he weighed -- 8 lbs!!! At two (three?) weeks early too...

I had not torn at all, just a had a small rip that would not need suturing, which I was SO happy for as both my previous births I had torn quite a bit. I was having chills and just as I felt like I was going to be shivering for the rest of my life, the power came back on!

In the aftermath:

The after PAINS are not pleasant and they are a constant reminder that I don’t want to do this again anytime soon. My body is really sore and I think I may go to the chiropractors sometime this week. But my milk has come in and THAT takes the cake.

Vikram is eating well and seems to be okay. I will take him for his first doctors visit on Friday. The midwife came today and gave us both a clean bill of health :-)

our faithful midwife, is the most tolerant and patient person I have EVER met and I cannot imagine giving birth without her there. Her assistants were so sweet and I'd trust any of them with my life (I DID sort of..) My mother-in-law was invaluable once again and MOM I am so glad you made it this time ;-) Sister-in-law thanks for watching the kids and just being a great help.