Home birth story: Baby born at 38 weeks

There truly is power in words, I say that all the time. The due date given was July 1st, 2020, but the entire pregnancy I said I didn’t think I was going to make it to July. Mid May, I started telling people June 15th, I would have the baby. I even told my midwife and she said, “OK I’ll mark it on my calendar!”

June 15th, 2020, a Monday, I was 2 days from being 38 weeks. I woke up and had a convo with baby (still didn’t have a name yet) saying “ok today is the day, let’s do this.” The whole weekend I felt very tired. Physically tired, not sleepy, so I had rested all day Saturday and didn’t do a whole lot Sunday either. As I got in bed that Monday night, I thought, “Well, shoot.” 

At 12:34 AM on June 16th, I woke up needing to go to the restroom and also felt a “stomachache” feeling. Half asleep on the toilet I realized I know this feeling! I decided to give it a few minutes before calling or waking anyone. I said to myself - “if I have 3 contractions, I’ll know this is it.” I grabbed my phone and thought I would give the whole “timing your contractions” a go. They were all over the place. No set amount of time apart or any of the things you hear happen, which was also the case when I had Aiden. I did have 3 contractions so I walked out of the bedroom and woke my husband.

“Babe, I think I need to call Renata,” I said. “YOU DO???!!” was his reply.

At 1:42 AM, I gave my midwife, Renata, a call and told her it was time. She asked about my contractions, how I was feeling, what I had eaten and when I had eaten last, etc. She was packing her things as we talked. My water partially broke, which made me nauseous, so I started puking in the sink. Meanwhile, Paul is freaking out! He eventually calmed down and started getting all the things needed out for Renata and her helper, Jenna.

I’m walking around the dining room table, just breathing through it all, when again my water breaks. I made it to the trash can, Paul held my hair back, as I threw up again. He suggested I get in the shower which sounded amazing at the time. He helped me get in and continued cleaning and setting up. He’d come back to check on me and make sure I didn’t need anything. 

Around 3:00 AM, he said, “Renata text and said Jenna is on 98.” When he walked out, I physically saw my stomach shift and knew baby boy was ready. Thankfully, 10 minutes later, Jenna and Renata were walking in! They helped me out of the shower and Renata did a check. “We’re about to have a baby,” she said, to which I replied, “I KNOW!” 

Paul had everything set up in the living room perfectly (if you know him, this isn’t a surprise). I had my elbows on the couch cushion and would hum through each contraction. Paul suggested leaning on the birthing ball, another great idea, so he grabbed it and I put my chest on it. It allowed me to move some which was relieving. Paul would rotate cold rags on my head and neck while Renata had warm rags from a crock pot on my bottom and Jenna massaged my outer hips/lower back with oil which was 100% amazing. Highly recommend those things!

Baby was ready but was just under my pubic bone. I never had this huge urge to push like a lot of women have. Obviously, I was ready to have the baby but never had the feeling of “I can’t help but push.” Renata had me move some, switching up my legs and encouraged me to try and push on the next contraction. I asked Paul to grab my hands and next contraction, here we went. Two big pushes and [baby] came into the world screaming at 5:51 AM, right in our living room, with Riley Green playing, the sun coming up and the birds chirping. It was a strangely cool morning for June in Mississippi so Paul had the doors cracked. 

The whole experience could not have been more perfect. I know home births are not for everyone, but I have now had a hospital birth and a home birth. There really isn’t a comparison in my opinion. I don’t foresee ever doing it any other way. The comfort level of being home and having a say in what I do and where I do it is great.

My midwife isn’t just a caretaker, she is my friend.  She is so knowledgeable, explains the why behind many things and her postpartum care is exceptional as well. I felt so prepared and comfortable with everything.  Afterwards, my husband even made the comment of why anyone would want it any other way. We were home, in our bed, with our family and dog.  We finally decided on a name two days after his birth, Asher Prince, 7lbs 13oz and 21 inches of perfection.