Evie's Birth Story

I finally got a chance to write this post! I loved having a homebirth! There are definitely things I would change next time, but the simple joy of being in your own bed 30 minutes after giving birth was just amazing. The women that were in the room to support me were such an amazing blessing. I'm happy that I have very distinct memories of each one of them throughout the labor. Steve was exactly what I knew he would be; calm, supportive, everywhere at once. He was my rock. So here's the story...

Labor And Birth...

On Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, I had been having consistent contractions throughout the morning that would stop when I laid down for a nap. It was frustrating to feel like something was finally happening only to have them stop a few hours later.  When contractions started again on Thursday afternoon, I was hesitant to make the call that these were for real. I started having consistent contractions at 2:00 PM and called Steve around 3:30 PM to let him know that he probably needed to come home. At this point, I was still able to walk around and do things in between contractions. I called Margaret, our midwife, after I called Steve, and filled her in on what was going on. She said she would head right over to check on the baby.

Long story short, labor was nothing like I anticipated. I expected them to build slowly and take hours to progress. I waited to call everyone coming to the birth, because I didn't want them sitting around, bored, for hours on end. We ended up being worried that all of them would make it in time! Labor just took off; when Margaret checked me around 5:00, I was dilated about 3 cm. She didn't check again till around 7:00, and I was at 9 cm! The pool had just finished being filled, so I was able to get in and do the heavy pushing in the water. In my opinion, the water really helped. It was a little bit physical and a little bit mental, but I felt instantly calmer once I was in the pool.

This is Whitney and I...I had already had some big pushes and Margaret wanted me to move into a squatting position to allow the baby to move a little lower. Whitney was so amazing! She just held onto me and kept saying I was almost done!

I'm hoping I cropped this picture enough so that it's not inappropriate! I like to think that this picture would win me a spot on a soap opera based on my facial expression alone! Cathy and Mel took turns supporting me from behind. I'm pretty sure both of them ended up with bruises on their arms; I was holding on so tightly! Mel was holding me when the baby actually came out and that is a special memory I will have of us.

When Evie finally came out, there was no pause between her head and her whole body; she just kind of shot out! I'm sure that was my fault because I was desperate to have her out of me. Luckily, Steve was standing in the pool with me, and he was able to catch her and scoop her onto my stomach.

These black and white photos are all ones that Ellen Adkins took. She did a great job of being present and invisible at the same time, and I'm so incredibly thankful that she was there! I can't wait to see her entire collection of the birth and newborn pictures!

Our First Night..

Our first night with the baby was very...real. :) [This picture was actually taken the next morning, when Ms. Betty brought Bella back to the house, but I loved it, so I had to include it.] That first night felt like non-stop nursing, but I was still on such an adrenaline rush, that I was awake more than Evie was. I have always been a "why would you wake a sleeping baby?" kind of person, but problems nursing Bella and the decision to stop nursing after 2 weeks ended up being really emotional for me. With Evie, Steve and I decided that we would accept whatever Margaret suggested.

Margaret recommended keeping the baby in bed with us through the night and nursing every two hours. If Evie was asleep, we woke her up. That was definitely the most frustrating aspect of it. For some feedings, it took me 15 minutes to wake her up and another 30 to feed her - by the time you're done and both of you are back to sleep, you only have an hour before it's all supposed to start again. So, yes...very real.

Settling In...

  

Overall, I would do a homebirth again in a heartbeat. I would definitely be mentally prepared to have labor move so quickly, and I would make sure that the pool was filled right away, but besides the crazy pain (I mean, craaaaazy, gut-wrenching, you have got to be kidding me! kind of pain), there was no downside. Everything moved so quickly, there was no time to be nervous or wonder if this was the right decision. We are so thankful that Evie and I are safe! There were zero complications and everything went exactly like we hoped and prayed they would!

Bella has definitely had some adjusting to do, but we knew to expect that. At first, she did not like it at all that there was someone else in the bed next to Mama. She would wake up in the morning, and come over to my side saying, "Move the baby. Mama, make baby move." But she has come a long way in just a few days and really likes being involved in helping out! Since I have watched so many different children in our home, I think she's still secretly hoping that someone will be coming to take the baby home soon! Whenever one of our friends have come to bring dinner over, she points to the woman and asks if she is the baby's Mama.

Thank you so much to everyone who prayed! Evie is already an incredible blessing in our home, and Steve and I are so grateful for a healthy baby girl!

Evelyn Scout Wires

8 lbs; 21 inches

Born on Thursday, April 26th at 8:06 PM