A Personal Home Birth Experience
“I had a home birth” are words I never thought I would say let alone say proudly. But now I can’t image our son being brought into this world any other way. At first, I was very hesitant. I hadn’t heard of anyone having a home birth.
I had gone to several doctors just to be disappointed with how impersonal the care was. So, a consult wouldn’t hurt I thought. When I told my fiancé, I had booked an appointment with a midwife for a home birth he said, “No. Absolute not.” He’s a bit of a worry wort. He couldn’t believe it was safe. I convinced him to go to the consultation with an open mind. We went into to the appointment unsure and nervous and left confident. Excited for our next appointment and the chance to get to know Carmen.
Carmen was so wonderful during our appointments we felt comfortable asking questions and really talking about what was going on. Having her as our midwife we were able to contact her at her office, through email, text, and even her personal cell phone after hours. It felt like a weight lifted off our shoulders knowing we could get through to her at any time need be.
She really cares about her clients, taking the time to get to know you as a person and family. This was so important to me. I knew before deciding on a home birth that I wanted to have a natural birth. When labor came, and I was at my most vulnerable I needed someone I trusted and felt comfortable with. I had mild contraction all day on a Friday. We had an appointment with Carmen that day. At our appointment Carmen encouraged us to relax and stay calm. We went about our day and evening.
Then late that night around 11 my water broke. My fiancé text Carmen to let her know that my water had broke. We weren’t expecting a response right away, because labor takes a long time. But Carmen called right away, she calmed my Fiancé. I tried to get some rest. Carmen kept in close contact texting my Fiancé to see how I was doing.
After just a few hours my fiancé called Carmen to let her know that my contraction were getting closer. It seemed a little soon since my water had just broke. But that didn’t stop Carmen from coming right away. During her 45-minute drive she stayed on the phone with my fiancé. She could tell he was worried. She talked him through everything to keep him calm. Once Carmen arrived at the house she went right to work getting everything ready. She was there to do anything I needed to stay comfortable. If I felt like I needed to walk, get in and out of the shower, sit down, or rock on a chair she encouraged it. It became all about me and my needs she was so supportive. She had so many encouraging words when I started to doubt myself.
After making very little progress pushing she suggested trying a different position. Once our baby’s head was out Carmen noticed he was stuck due to one of his arms being up. He tried to take a breath but was constricted. He couldn’t get the air he needed. Carmen stayed very calm she had me switch positions. She talked to me the whole time letting me know what was happening. She was able to get him out quickly. Once she knew he was okay she put him in our arms.
We instantly fell in love with our sweet little boy. Carmen stayed for a few hours after to make sure we were all okay. She cleaned everything up, started laundry and even made sure I had something to eat. She headed home, she would be back the next day.
But once she left I started not feeling so good. I told my fiancé. He called Carmen and told her something was wrong. She immediately turned around and came back. My uterus had stopped contracting and I started to hemorrhage internally. Carmen knew right away and started working on stopping the bleeding. After she got the bleeding stopped she stayed.
She talked with us explaining everything that happened, why it happened, and what she had done. It may sound scary but to me the unknown is so much worse. We never felt out of the loop. We never had that mind racing, heart pounding fear of not knowing what was happening. I was a little weak after the blood lose. So, during all our checkups for the six weeks Carmen made the 45-minute drive to our home. She put us first even after our baby was here.
We couldn’t be more happy and thankful for everything Carmen did for us. She is such a wonderful knowledgeable midwife who really enjoys helping each family with their own unique story.
Note: actual birth experience published with permission.
