Birth Stories

 

Katharine and Flash's home birth of Sisu

By Katharine

Early in my first trimester, we met with Blue and we were sure we wanted a hospital birth. We assumed hospitals would be the safest place for delivery, but the more we learned about the ‘cascade of interventions’ so common in hospitals, the more questions we had. The statistics for successful home births surprised me, as did the high hospital cesarean rates. I knew I’d be likely to do best in a private, calm place, with familiar supporters. I also knew that our baby had a pulse, and good position for a normal delivery. I thought seriously about what could go wrong, and what Blue could do in an emergency, and weighing it all out, we briefly considered a van birth to be closer to the hospital. Finally, at 37 weeks we decided on a homebirth.

After scurrying to get the homebirth supplies in order, we waited. Two weeks past the supposed due date I downed bitter tinctures, castor oil, curried food, fried food, Dove bars, and kept busy between breast pumping, acupuncture, reflexology, and every other labor induction method we could think of.

We started to discuss the latest possible time for an unwanted induction, and we went to Brewster for an ultrasound and non-stress test to make sure the baby was ok. The tests confirmed that Sisu had enough amniotic fluid and was head-down, and the pressure monitors showed I was having mild contractions. Slightly encouraged, we drove up-valley and enjoyed a reflexology session at a friend’s house through a two-hour downpour. I let my mind wander with the finches singing outside in their fluid tones, and welcomed the sense of safety.

Finally, the next morning the contractions were stronger and more regular. We went for an hour walk, used the breast pump one more time to encourage further progress, and monitored the time and duration of the contractions throughout the day. At 9:00 pm Blue came by and watched a couple contractions. We chatted and she encouraged us to get some rest  (which seemed challenging with notable pain at regular intervals). Our progress seemed slow, but at least the contractions kept coming, and we started to watch a movie. Outside another downpour started and the smell of wet pines and soaked earth blew through our bedroom window.

By 11:00 pm the contractions were coming every 3-5 minutes, and Flash helped ease the pain with strong back pressure. He found enough time to call Blue, and we were both so glad to hear her car arrive and see her calm, strong face. As I labored I found some primeval sound with each contraction. “Keep it low,” was Blue’s main advice, and Blue’s capable presence helped immensely. “Oooopen” I repeated again and again, as if convincing my cervix to understand.

Somewhere around 1:30 am Blue checked my dilation and said I was a 6 cm. This was discouraging news as I had been picturing a long day of alpine climbing, and I thought that we were at least nearing the hardest pitches. Instead it seemed like we were still on the initial bushwhack, stuck in steep wet alders. But somehow from then on I shifted into a deeper place. I may have contracted too much with the pain, but I couldn’t seem to help it. Every muscle clenched and my legs started to cramp, but most of the time I could still relax between the contractions, and I felt that some progress was happening.

I was thinking that it might be time to try out the kiddie pool that Flash had been filling downstairs, but I was near sleep between each contraction, definitely in ‘labor land.’ The next think I knew Blue said, “you can probably reach down and feel the head,” which I did. In a couple more contractions the head emerged, and then we waited for one more contraction to push out the rest of the body.

Blue helped guide my hands and catch Sisu, and we looked at her with complete awe for a moment. We turned Sisu over and she immediately took a breath, and we held her up and looked at her open eyes. She looked from Flash, to me, to Blue, and there clearly was ‘someone’ in there from the start. The next thing I knew she was squirming up my chest looking for my breast. Blue helped her latch on and I looked on in amazement as her little jaw started its methodical sucking, just like that.

Blue improvised a small operating table at the end of our bed to stitch me up, and she and Sarah Berns, her assistant, did an impressive job cleaning our house and checking our vitals several more times before they left around 6 am.

The rainstorm blew through to a sparkling morning, and there I was with a beautiful daughter sleeping on my chest, and with Flash and Stella by my side. Flash brought up some carrot cake that Blue had given us for breakfast, and life felt absolutely complete and beautiful. We are deeply grateful for all the care that led to this peaceful start to our family.

 

 

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Water birth stories

Home birth stories