My 2022 Home Birth Story Pt 4

Once the birth stool was set up, I got right on.

Pushing felt so weird at first. I always thought it would be a relief, but it was just a different type of sensation than contractions- not necessarily better. The first couple of pushes, I had a faint flicker of doubt in my mind that he would come out that way.

I was so thankful for my midwife who was literally sitting at my feet coaching me with the calmest tone of when to breathe and when to push. That faint flicker of doubt disappeared and I was ready to get to work.

I pulled on the handles of the birth stool and got ready to bear down with every push.

Gabe was sitting behind me to support me, and at some point, he rotated out in front of me and one of our doulas jumped in to support me so Gabe could catch our baby

At one point I reached down and felt the hair on his head peeking out. When I looked up at Gabe and saw his face, I knew we were so close to meeting our little dude.

With a few more pushes (maybe even against what I was coached to do), Shay’s head popped out, and I heard him crying out.

With one more push, I felt a huge release as he slid out and into Gabe’s arms. Our midwife helped guide him out and unwrap the umbilical cord from his neck on the way out.

I just sat there in awe as they passed Shay to me to lie on my chest. I really did feel fantastic!

Accomplished, exhausted, triumphant, badass, empowered, enamored. All words I’d use to describe how I felt in that moment.

We transitioned to the bed so I could rest and finish birthing my placenta. As our midwife helped me with the afterbirth, Gabe cut Shay’s cord and took him for some bonding time.

Gabe then changed his diaper, got his measurements, and I got to watch him become a dad 😍

I had all sorts of hormones coursing through my body and I was sharp as a tack after birth whereas just 50 minutes earlier all I wanted was to sleep.

Shay was born at 4:04 am on 12/7/2022.

Our birth team cleaned up our home while we tested and spent our first few hours of the rest of our life together as a family of 3.

This birth was hard, I won’t lie. But it was exactly what I needed it to be, and for that I am so incredibly grateful 💛