Born: 4/23/10 at 11:47 A.M.
Weight: 8 pounds 2 ounces
Parents: Joanne and Dave
This was our second pregnancy, the first of which was in a hospital setting with a midwife attending. As a former skeptic (I could never give birth at home-could I!?) I was forced to look into other alternatives when I learned that our insurance would only cover complications and that the hospital would charge $10,000-$20,000 for a normal delivery…I was not willing to take out a loan. When upon second glance I became intrigued and liked what I saw about home births. The idea of sleeping in my own bed, having my baby near but with all the comforts of home was my idea of paradise.
When I had my first baby in the hospital I thought I would have it great… It started when I signed up for our prenatal classes only to have them canceled. When we rescheduled there were limited options and we never made it because our baby was born the day before the only class we could attend was scheduled. I can still remember telling the nurse, “I haven’t gone to my classes yet-I don’t know what to do!” After that it seemed it was one problem after another. Once at the hospital I was convinced that I would be this miserable for quite a while so I decided to get an epidural when the option was presented. After being poked three separate times they finally had it in and then I found out that it was too late and that they would only give me enough to “take the edge off.” It was a quick birth with lots of people rushing in and out and a student midwife that I had never met delivered our little boy. Once you are moved to your room you are encouraged to keep the baby in your room. I was fine with keeping my baby but I only had an uncomfortable glider to try to comfort my baby that had his days and nights mixed up and I was exhausted. After night two I finally brought him to the nursery where I found they had swings. By then my body was so weak I succumbed to pneumonia and was released the next day without my pneumonia being treated. My first night home was filled with coughing and pain. Thankfully I had family to help me through those first few days. I went back to my normal clinic the first day I was home to get treated for my pneumonia.
My second birth with midwife Denise was a completely different experience. I had emailed and met with her prior to conception to make sure it was something that we could do. She was warm and inviting and I felt completely comfortable. After we conceived I started meeting with her and her assistant Tavniah. The information we were given by Denise and at the classes Tavniah held helped prepare us on what to expect and what we needed to have ready.
The day of the big event I started feeling uncomfortable around seven o’clock but didn’t start having contractions until a little later. I called Denise right away because my previous birth had been fairly quick and we wanted to make sure she had enough time to get here. We had the kiddie pool set up (I would highly recommend!) and I began having strong contractions. Denise & Tavniah arrived shortly after. The event was so relaxing if painful. While I knew they were there and they were always there to lend a helping hand and check me every once in a while it was so nice to just be able to fully concentrate on the delivery.
Our baby girl was delivered at 11:47 am. When she was delivered I had asked what the baby was-Denise was careful not to steal that moment from me but let me discover myself what I had! It was precious to watch them measure, weigh, and check my baby next to me and allow me to participate even laying down! They stayed until they were no longer needed (and Denise filled out the awful Iowa birth certificate application!) They took care of all the details and allowed me to just enjoy being a mom and my new baby. I am so appreciative of Denise & Tavniah-I’m sure that they both did so much more than I realize! It was an experience I hope to repeat and am very thankful for the opportunity to have had a home birth.
