The Homebirth of Giovanna-Pearl
Dusk and I had a baby girl born 8.15pm, Friday March the 6th, 2009.
 
I knew I was in labour because I started getting strong Braxton Hicks consistently ten minutes apart on Wednesday evening (the 4th). The next day they continued, becoming more crampy in the evening. By 7.00pm Thursday I let my midwife, Matty Van Oosterom, know that labour had started and at 10.30pm my two mums, Fiona and Te Aroha (labour support) came over. I walked around letting gravity help baby down, breathing through each surge. At first I wasn't handling them very well but I soon discovered my 'Birth Song" and mooed low with each surge. I was burning with fever when each surge came and had to have cold towels on my face and lower back and then freezing shivering cold in between surges so I had to have a blanket on! Dusky was sleeping while Fiona and Te Aroha trailed along behind me with the cloths as I walked.  The surges were two minutes apart and strong for most of the night. (My waters had not broken and I'd had no show).  I found a rhythm and continued through the night, walking the whole time and sipping on Up and Go and miso soup and eating chocolate and muesli bars when I needed energy.
 
When day broke I was exhausted and had to keep jumping into the bath for pain relief and resting on a pillow on the floor, falling asleep between surges. Fiona and Te Aroha had been up all through the night and were also exhausted from tending to me. I found that they were less attentive now and I began to lose momentum and feel a bit discouraged. Matty arrived and said I was only 5cm dilated and could possibly go on for another 24 hours as my contractions had slowed down to nine minutes apart..  At this point I wanted to give up and go to the hospital for an epidural because I was so tired. Luckily Dusky awoke fresh and full of energy ready for the day shift.  He was absolutely amazing, encouraging me and right there for me every moment saying all the right things with lots of eye contact and never once doubting me. It must have been hard work for my support team keeping up with the cold towels and then the blanket in between every surge! I really can't stress what a difference his attitude made. He helped me to let each surge go and relax in between contractions till I pushed past that feeling. Once I relaxed and took the pressure off myself things started happening again and by around 4.00pm that afternoon the endorphins were kicking in ( I felt quite out of it) and the surges became really strong.  
 
Matty returned saying I was now 8cm dilated and I got in the la bassine birth pool for pain relief which was AMAZING. I managed not to push for about half an hour in the pool (with great difficulty) until the second midwife arrived and then I started pushing but I was too relaxed in the pool so I had to get out and sit on the loo for a while to find the right muscles! lol.  In the end I gave birth in a semi-reclined position, leaning back on dusky with the midwives guiding baby down and out. This more intense phase of pushing lasted about an hour. I didn't realise you had to push so hard!  When Giovanna's head came out she didn't cry but hiccup'd and sneezed! It was so cute!
 
We lay with baby on my tummy while the placenta was born and Dusk cut the cord. I didn't require any stitches so the midwives helped me into bed while they did some checks on baby and then I had a shower and we all slept peacefully together for most of the night with baby waking only twice.

 
The two midwives said it was the perfect physiological birth and that they really enjoyed it and had trouble figuring out if I was really in labour or not because I was so calm and talking and smiling between contractions. I didn't realise this at the time - I thought I'd had a really long, drawn out labour. (It lasted 24 hours from when the surges became painful).
 

I am really pleased that we went with the homebirth as Giovanna's reflexes are really strong and she feeds and sleeps beautifully and has already put on 100g since the birth.

 

Having a home birth was the safest, most natural way of giving birth and we know it was the right decision for us.  We would definately recommend using a birth pool to anyone planning to have a baby at home!