The Home Birth of Zephyr

Here is another positive birth story from one of my Prenatal Yoga students, who is also a childbirth educator.

I went into labor at about 10:30pm on Sunday night 04-06-08 (the day after my last yoga class!). We had taken a huge long walk that day, and I spent about an hour in the afternoon visualizing and telling the baby that it was a good time to be born. At my midwife appointment the previous day (40w 3d), La Shel had mentioned that if I was still pregnant the next weekend, she’d want me to go in for a NST. I did NOT want to do this, so I became very focused on having this baby before that became an issue! My contractions were almost immediately 2-4 minutes apart. They weren’t too long, only about 30-45 sec, but I had to vocalize through them from the start. I had a ton of bloody show, and knew that things were happening. I was still convinced that I could get some sleep in ‘early labor’ but I honestly don’t think I had early labor- I had to work through contractions from the start. Ian got going getting everything set up, and around midnight he called our doula to have her head down. We texted La Shel a few times to keep her apprised. Around 12:30am, my water broke while I was on the toilet. I had been spending a lot of time there because of the bloody show and I felt better there. Our doula arrived around 1:30 or so and I was full out in what I think was transition. I felt really nauseas during each contraction, but only threw up once. I alternated between the toilet, leaning over the bathroom sink, and all fours on the floor. When our doula arrived, she encouraged some squatting and gave me light massage on my back, which was about all the touch I could handle. She helped Ian get the tub up to temp. and I got in about 3am or so. The water felt miraculous! Ian called La Shel, and she arrived about 3:45am. I was convinced that I was only at a 2 or 3, so I didn’t want her to check me, but she insisted. She barely reached in and told me to feel for myself. The baby’s head was about an inch up- I could hardly believe it. Around 4:30am, I started pushing, or really my body did- I didn’t have any control over it. I was squatting in the tub. I have no recollection of the time passing at this point, but it felt like I only pushed for a few minutes before La Shel asked me to get out of the tub to try using gravity. In hindsight, I think it had been about an hour or so. From that point on, I pushed in every position known to man- squatting, toilet, leaning, etc. I was yelling so so loud and cursing a ton (so much for my gentle peaceful birth)- it was like an animal took over. Ian said he’s never heard a human be that loud. I was vaguely aware that I was pushing for a long time. I had a hard time getting out of my head and I was thinking that I wasn’t doing things the ‘right’ way (this is where all my education hindered me, I think!). The baby’s heart rate stayed totally steady and calm through the whole thing- she didn’t seem fazed at ALL about being there in my birth canal for so long. There was never any drama or tension- they kept encouraging me and having me try different positions. Even though I knew it was taking a long time, I never once thought about transfer or that something was wrong. Jamin played ‘bad cop’ a bit- having me eat, try new positions, and especially having me stand up straight in between contractions, which at the time was the most impossible task I had ever encountered- I just wanted to lean over! Even though I remember being pissed at her during it, I needed that from someone, and she provided. I pushed on the bed with my feet pressing against my doula and La Shel’s chests, I pushed on the birth stool, it went on and on. It became daylight and I was so so tired and worn out. Beyond belief. This is where the yoga really helped me- they kept commenting about how strong I still was (as I bruised their chests) and I was able to be in some pretty difficult squats and positions. The yoga practice got me ready to use my body in ways that were unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable but in the long run satisfying and important. At one point towards the end I felt bones grinding inside me- bizarre! The baby’s head was visible for a while, but she never really crowned. I was squatting, and finally I just sat down for one push. I went from everyone seeing a tiny circle of head to the entire baby out in ONE PUSH at 9:09am on 04-07-08 after 4.5 hours of pushing! She was asynclitic, and apparently decided to tuck her chin and when she did I was still pushing full force as I had been for the previous hours and she literally shot out of me like a champagne cork! La Shel almost missed her, and we all were shocked that a baby had just shot out! She didn’t cry, but was wide awake and alert and coughing. I held her against me and after a bit I looked and saw we had a daughter. After about 15 minutes, I passed her to Ian, and I delivered the placenta. Her cord was super long- like 18 inches or more, and wrapped all around her body. I got a shot of Pitocin since I was bleeding quite a bit, but it wasn’t all that bad after all (most of the blood was from tearing). I tore a lot since she shot out so quickly, and got about 12-14 stitches. We waited to clamp or cut her cord until about an hour after her birth. Ian just held her attached to the placenta while I was getting stitched up. I was very sore and stiff and swollen and bruised for a few days because of all the pushing, but within about a week was feeling much more human! I spent the first few days in bed with Zephyr, and the first time we left the house was when she was one week old and we went to the pediatrician. She has nursed like a champion right from the start, and I have a ton of milk. Things are going really well, and I am so so lucky that Ian is home with us- I don’t know how people do it who don’t have a supportive partner!

Overall, it was definitely NOTHING like what I’d been picturing for the past 4 years as I planned my ideal homebirth. I didn’t get my waterbirth (maybe next time!) and I was loud and crazy and didn’t focus the way I thought I would. Ian or I didn’t get to catch her, I had a ton of directed pushing (which I didn’t think I wanted), etc. But I certainly got the birth I needed to have to learn that I can’t plan everything and that things work out the way they need to. We are so thankful we planned a homebirth. I know that she would not have entered this world the way she did if I had been in the hospital. I would have probably ended up with a cesarean because they would have never let me push for 4.5 hours, and at the very least I would have faced vacuum or forceps and/or episiotomy. As it was, she did great and entered the world as gently as possible. She never left our arms, and never had any procedures done to her. What a beautiful thing. She gave me a very easy pregnancy and a very fast labor, she just made me work a bit to finally meet her. Time will tell if this is indicative of her future personality- doing things her own way and only giving in when she feels like it! 

I know this is long and wordy, but I figure a fellow childbirth educator appreciates the details in a birth story!

I want to sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you gave to me during my pregnancy. I have spent the entire pregnancy telling people how awesome [www.yogajanda.com] prenatal yoga is, and I will continue to do so. I firmly believe it is one of the very best things I’ve ever done for myself and my body. I have never loved my body more than while I was pregnant, and your classes really contributed to that. I only gained 19 lbs and am easily back in pre-pregnancy clothes, and while perhaps genetics have something to do with that, I think we can also thank yoga. I loved spending time in your Prenatal Yoga classes[ at Blue Raven Yoga], and am so sad that I won’t get to be there each Saturday. 

Tags: prenatal yoga, Liza Janda, natural childbirth, midwife, home birth, baby, pregnant, www.yogajanda.com, water birth, yogajanda, Blue Raven Yoga