It was my daughter's 2nd birthday a couple of days ago so naturally I have been very reminiscent about the journey that lead me to her birth.
My first daughter was born in the hospital, and although I loved her birth, as soon as I fell pregnant with Rori I knew I wanted a Homebirth.
To me it just made sense. I was not sick, I had a 'low-risk' pregnancy and I KNEW I could birth my baby as I'd done it once before.
I had wanted a water birth with my first but it was not hospital policy and the birth suite I was allocated did not even have a bath to labour in.
This time the ball was in my court. I would have my water birth, I would not have to get in the car and travel to the hospital while in established labour, and I would have continuity of care with my support team.
Some very dear friends of mine had birthed both of their babies at home (actually one was in a double-decker bus) with some really lovely independent midwives from a group called Midwives Naturally. I had met one of the midwives Helen after the birth of their second child and had felt a real motherly warmth about her. I knew this was the woman I wanted to guide and support me through the pregnancy and birth of my second daughter.
Legally it was neccessary to hire a secondary midwife to have present at the birth. If anything were to go wrong there would be one professional for each the mother and baby. I knew Nicola was the right choice for me. She came on high recommendation from my friends and others that had birthed with her. She and Helen were so in sync with one another that there was no need for words to communicate when they worked together during a birth.
From the very beginning I noticed a real difference in the care I received during my pregnancy to what it had been through the public system. Don't get me wrong, I met some really lovely midwives through the public system during my first pregnancy, but I never saw the same person more than once.
This time round Helen would come and visit me in my own home. We'd sit and drink tea while we chatted for an hour or more, do the usual check of blood pressure, address any concerns and listen to bubba's heartbeat.
I began to feel really safe and confident not only in my body's ability to birth my baby beautifully, but in the ability of my midwives to support me and my family through our birthing journey with their amazing experience, knowledge and wisdom when it came to birthing women. These were people who really loved their job. They trusted birth, they trusted me, and most importantly of all they genuinely cared for the safety and security of me and my baby.
We had a sit down night with moth midwives and my birth support team where we went through all the different situations that could possibly arise during the birth, what our choices would be in dealing with them, and how we would go about it.
I felt so respected and 'heard'. My feelings, choices and wishes really did matter. It also really gave me peace of mind that my midwives would be totally honest with me if they thought a transfer to hospital were neccessary.
We booked in at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne as they were happy to be back up to a homebirth! They received a copy of all my records, test results and ultrasounds during my pregnancy, so if it were necessary for me to go there no time would be wasted trying to assess my pregnancy history, blood type etc
We made sure I had ambulance cover and a car with a full tank of petrol and baby seat installed. We left nothing uncovered.
The ease and comfort of birthing my daughter at home, in my own territory, with my wishes and safety held at the most importance, was by far the most empowering and fulfilling thing I have ever done.
I felt safe, connected, respected, loved and supported by everyone present.Looking back and analysing the differences between my hospital and homebirth has given me a greater awareness as to WHY it worked so well for me.I developed a real relationship with these women and therefore felt totally safe and comfortable to birth in their presence. They came to my home for all my visits during my pregnancy, birth and after my daughter was born. They knew me personally, my strengths and weaknesses, and I believe this gave them an advantage to really be able to read me and know how my birth was progressing without having to interfere. I was protected from the cascade of possibly unnecessary interventions that were routine at most hospital birthing units. There was no rushing or feeling like I had to fit in with someone elses timetable. It felt relaxed, safe and normal. I get such warm emotions from the memories of my experience and love that I get to sleep every night in the same room I birthed my daughter in. :)
You can read my birth story here http://www.sausagemama.com/?s=Homebirth+of+Rori or here on the Midwives Naturally website http://www.sausagemama.com/?s=Homebirth+of+Rori
Peace and love
Quirky Mama x
