Ever's Story: A beautiful home water birth

Ever's Story
April 27, 2012
Submitted by Autumn 
Originally published on at Playing House Full Time

On Thursday April 26th we did it all… pineapple eating, stair climbing, sex, super long walk, spicy thai food, evening primrose oil and raspberry leaf tea. I was 40 weeks 3 days and feeling beyond finished. We put Nolie to bed and around 9pm I started having a few easy peasy contractions. They didn’t feel painful, at all, but were consistent. They stuck around at around 6-9 minutes apart but didn’t feel like much of anything. They were stronger than braxton hicks but not painful.

I tried to go to sleep but was too excited. Charlie slept and I watched TV just passing the time, keeping one eye on the clock.

At about 4am they started to get stronger. I felt that even though these were very manageable that they were the real deal. I woke Charlie up to tell him…

He was excited too. I told Charlie to go back to sleep and I started to get ready.

I started praying and praising God. I couldn’t believe that we were at this point. That I was close to that Moment. We were going to do this. I started praying about her position. Worrying about her position. Fearing what might happen. I didn’t want to call the midwives. I was terrified that they would come, check me and send me to the hospital. I was anxious about ending up having the rug pulled out from under me all over again.

I did what I always do when I am overwhelmed, worried or anxious- I got into the shower. It was about 7am. While I was in the shower Charlie called the midwife. She decided to head over and check me and then get all of the supplies set up and then head to the Birth Center for her days appointments and come and check in on me in between.

Nolie woke up. My contractions stayed very manageable and about 5 minutes apart, lasting about a minute. They still didn’t hurt, they felt like a very tight and long braxton hick. When Nolie awoke Charlie went into her room ” Nolie, this is it! This is the day Mama is going to push the baby out!” …she was so excited. She and Charlie sat on the bed and cuddled while I stood and swayed through contractions. Nolie was darling through it all “Mama you are working hard. Your body does it.” Those sweet words spoken so truthfully from two year old lips were the perfect ‘birth coaching’. My body kept going and it felt easy. This was so different than last time.

At about 8am the midwife showed up and while she was checking me my parents showed up too. It was a whirlwind. Our tiny home was bursting now. E, our midwife, checked me and found that I was 4cm, 75% effaced and that the baby was in the perfect position (!!!!). The joy, relief and excitement was palpable. I said hi to my parents and stayed in my bedroom, starting to want to be alone. Everything got stronger. My baby was in the right position, my Nolie was cared for by people I wholly trust and my body was trudging ahead slowly. I was only 1cm more dilated than I had been the week before but I felt like this was the real deal.

E noticed that I was sounding a lot different than I had only moments before. She let me know that she didn’t feel comfortable leaving me unless she checked me again. It had only been about 30 minutes since the last check so I didn’t really expect much change. She found that I was now 5(stretchy to 6)cm and fully effaced with the baby low. She decided to stay since that change all happened so fast. We were now officially in “active labor” (5-10cm).

I was done having our house so full. I felt strong and ready but was starting to have to really pray and focus through each contraction as it happened. My parents left to take Nolie to Seattle to await our call (thinking it would be hours and hours away, if not overnight).

As soon as they were out the door I started to feel very different. I stood pushing down on Charlie and looking at him in hopes of finding some relief in his calm- instead I threw up. That lasted two contractions (they were close together but very short). The force of throwing up caused my water to break. I headed into the tub.

Charlie was cooling it off with cold water- it was still hot from filling it moments before. This was the opposite problem than what we thought was going to happen. I was so worried it would be too cold by the time I could get into it. Instead he was putting cold water into it as I was gingerly stepping in.

I felt calm for an instant and then it immediately got intense and so hard again. Our Doula showed up just after I got into the tub and started rubbing my face with a cold cloth. I said ” Nothing is comfortable” and then “she is low, she feels very, very low!” the baby was moving down and I could feel it.

I didn’t feel any of pushing with Nolie. I was aware of when I was having a contraction but I didn’t feel her move through my pelvis or crown. I just pushed hard for the 10 seconds that they counted for me and that was that. This time was far, far different.

I felt like my body was opening up and pushing her down and out. I had no control over it. ” I think I am kind of … pushing?” was all I could manage to say and my midwife just said “that is fine, just go with it” and I did. I moaned, yelled, sang a deep and loud song. And without giving a single decided push our sweet girl came right out.

“Charlie, her head it out!” Our midwife said this and it was a shock to me. I didn’t realize she was already out! With the next contraction the rest of her came out and we met her.

I was so shocked. So in love.

I just kept saying. “She’s here. So fast, this was so fast.” She was born at 10:06am only half an hour after my parents left. I progressed from 5-10cm in an hour and a half and my body pushed for less than 8min. The whole birth was a dream come true. A huge answer to my biggest prayers and felt like an endless miracle.

I called my Mom from the birth tub and they hadn’t left town yet. I was so thankful- Nolie got to meet her sister before she was even 30min old. And both girls wanted to nurse immediately… it was just right.

We ended the morning by sharing a meal with everyone who was there. My parents, Nolie, our doula, our three midwives and our photographer (who didn’t get there till just after the birth because everything moved so fast!). My favorite meal. My Mom’s veggie lasagna and a big glass of our favorite champagne.

I can’t even begin to say how incredible and different Home Birth is. I feel like it contributed so wholly to why our birth experience was so calm and easy. I felt at ease to labor and as soon as Nolie was cared for and I didn’t have a worry about her I was able to just have the baby… no fuss. I was checked twice total and pretty much never left the comfort of my own bedroom.

This birth was the redeeming and encouraging experience I have dreamt of prayed for and prepared for. I cannot encourage other expectant Moms enough to research, read, pray, talk to everyone you can and make every effort you can to have the birth you want. You can be your own advocate and go into birth informed and ready to make decisions.

If you have any questions about why we chose home birth, our experience or anything else… please ask! I am an open book and would love to share more. Here is a link to our birth video made by our awesome photographer, Merrilee there is no nudity or blood (a placenta picture though!) but the photos of my pushing and laboring are very intense.

Elaina's Story: A c-section with a happy ending

Elaina's Story
April 20, 2012
Submitted by Laura

"The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry."

I had been planning a natural birth using the hypnobabies home study course. I listened to the tracks daily and was really excited to have the birth I didn't get with my now 8 year old son.

I was due May 6, 2012. At about 34 weeks, baby was head down already but by my next appointment, she was back to footling breech. We had an ultrasound to confirm though I knew that the giant ball pressed into my ribs was her head. I was very worried about her not turning so I started doing the exercises that are supposed to help baby get in the right position.

On Thursday, April 19, I had an appointment with an OB about doing an ecv [external cephalic version] to manually turn her. The thought of having this done frightened me but not as much as a c-section did. We made an appointment to have this done on the following Monday. I got ahold of my old acupuncturist to see if she could get me in to try moxibustion and I was excited she had an opening that day. Afterwards I felt great and made dinner that night, something I had been too exhausted to do in the previous weeks. I watched a few shows with my boyfriend while sitting on the exercise ball and then bought the "Turn Baby Turn" track from hypnobabies and listened to that. I went to bed visualizing my baby changing positions.

At 4:30 that morning I awoke to a stabbing pain in my cervix and what I thought was pee flowing down my leg. I stood up and it gushed out. I kept telling my now awake boyfriend that it was pee and that I was going to take a shower. He convinced me we had no time and needed to rush to the hospital. It was 16 days before my due date so I wasn't really prepared. I changed while Scott called St. Joseph's Hospital. They had never heard of my doctor. Come to find out he called some hospital in New Hampshire!

Once we got to the proper hospital, it started to sink in that I would have to have a c-section. I used my relaxation techniques while three nurses tried to get IVs in me all while I had intense contractions. I was alread at 4 cm so they rushed me back after a talented nurse got me a pain free IV in my arm. I was panicked but my doctor, who got to assist in the surgery, calmed me. I was in shock when they showed me my giant baby girl at 7:04am and I cried the same as I had when I first saw my son. I learned later that her foot was actually coming out and they had to dislodge it before delivering her!

Besides not getting my natural birth, my biggest disappointment was not getting to hold my precious girl for at least 45 minutes, but she did nurse well when I did get her.

I am thankful for c-sections and will never say never again!!! Elaina Gray was 8.5 pounds,19 3/4 inches, and ready to come out on her terms. We have no idea why she was breech! But she is a healthy little girl now almost three months later and I'm finally feeling normal!

Ellie's Story: A home birth surrounded by love

Eleanor Rose's Story
August 12, 2011
Submitted by Colleen

Starting at around 38 weeks, I began to feel a very strong nesting urge. For the next two weeks, I was cleaning every day and working hard to stay on top of the kitchen, the laundry, etc. Every day, I felt the need to be extra prepared in case labor started. Beginning at around 39 weeks, I noticed that my body was showing more and more signs of change. It was becoming increasingly difficult to get comfortable, sleeping was more challenging, and my Braxton Hicks contractions were getting more intense and frequent every day. Some nights they would fall into a regular pattern for an hour or more, but then back off. They remained focused in my belly, however, and they were never painful.

On Thursday, August 11th (nearly 40 weeks), I experienced a low back ache for most of the day. I also began to feel a real strong urge to finish last minute errands. I did a full round of food shopping, and at night I drove back into town to buy a gift for Amelia. I just knew it had to be done that night. I went to bed as usual, but at 2am, I realized that I was waking up to contractions that were now causing back pain. I was able to go back to sleep, but each contraction would wake me up, and it was very uncomfortable being in bed during them.

At 4am I finally got up because I could not get comfortable. I made myself some peanut butter toast and orange juice, and began walking around the living room. I turned on low lights and George Winston on Pandora, and it was an incredibly peaceful time. I knew there was a real possibility that the baby would be coming soon. It felt best to sway my hips side to side during each contraction as I leaned over the counter or the back of the couch. During this time, my contractions were approximately 5-6 minutes apart and 30-60 seconds long. I sat down in the rocking chair at 5:30am, and relaxed to the music. My contractions spaced out to 10-30 minutes during this time. At 7am I returned to bed and was able to sleep until 8:45am. I experienced only around 3 contractions during that time.

Upon getting up, I found that the contractions mostly ended, but that movement encouraged them. Dan stayed home with me because I was unsure whether labor would pick up again. I thought that maybe it would be a starting/stopping prodromal labor, but I also knew that it could kick in at any time. We let our midwives and doula know what was happening, and promised to keep them updated. At 11am, I experienced my first bloody show during the pregnancy, so I knew things were happening.

In the early afternoon, Dan and I took Amelia for a 1.5 mile walk around our block. I didn't experience any true contractions during this time, but it was nice to get out in the beautiful, sunny weather. We all sat down to watch a movie together around 3pm. I tried a little nipple stimulation to see if it would trigger contractions, and it easily started very hard contractions that I had to really focus on relaxing and breathing my way through. While sitting in the rocking chair, my contractions were 5-10 minutes apart and alternating from 45-80 seconds long. I got up to walk around at 5pm, and the contractions quickly changed to 2.5-3.5 minutes apart and 30-60 seconds long. The low back pain was very intense, so we made the decision to have our doula come over. Our midwife Eloisa asked us to keep her posted, and she would remain ready to come out. My fear was that I was calling people too early and my labor might easily slow or stop again. I realized, however, that it was in my best interest to have them around me sooner rather than later, and they would forgive me if they had to go home and come back another time. We also arranged for Grandma Ann and Aunt Hana to come over to help with Amelia.

When Jen (our doula) arrived, we quickly settled into a routine together. While not terribly long, my contractions were quite intense, and she provided constant low back counter-pressure during the contractions to ease my pain. I continued the low moaning during each contraction that I had been using all afternoon to ease through the difficult contractions. Eloisa, the midwife, arrived at 8:20pm. By this time, Grandma Ann & Hana were transitioning Amelia into a bath and getting ready for bed. My contractions were still hard, but they had spaced out quite a bit. It was so interesting to see the psychological component of labor at this point. Up until this time, the house had been well-lit, more active, and my daughter was a very vocal presence. I was also trying to direct things like getting her dinner and a bath. As soon Grandma and Aunt Hana took her into her room to go to bed, we dimmed the lights, lit some candles, and got the soft music playing. It was like a switch instantly activated and my labor became even stronger and more intense. I realized that my body had been holding back until my daughter was in bed and being taken care of by others. There was no question about it being hard, active labor at this point. Letting others take over helped me to fully enter into my labor, an there was no slowing down from there on out.

Around 9:30pm, we decided to administer the antibiotic dose I needed due to being GBS+. Up to this point, I was still laughing, talking, and interacting well with everyone between my contractions. This lulled me into a false sense of being less advanced in my labor. During the antibiotic administration, I quickly started experiencing shakiness and nausea during the contractions, sure signs of transition. I remained relatively lucid, however, in between the contractions. The one thing I wanted more than anything was to get into the labor tub as soon as possible.

When the antibiotic was finally finished (about 15 minutes) I moved upstairs as quickly as I could. I had one contraction leaning over the edge of the tub as soon as I reached the bedroom, but I then quickly took off my clothes and climbed in. The tub was so amazingly soothing, and I knew that I wouldn't ever want to get out. After one contraction reclined back, I quickly turned over onto my knees, leaning over the edge of the tub. Jen soon brought a towel to cushion the edge of the tub, and I stayed in this position for most of the remainder of my labor. The water didn't take away the labor pain, but it felt so good to be immersed. I had been standing all day since I hated sitting or lying down, so the water helped me to relax more fully. My contractions were incredibly hard and just burned in my lower back. I felt like I wanted to jump out of my skin to escape the pain and make it all stop. Many of the contractions were incredibly long, the kind that feel like they are going to ease, but then they just go on and on. Those were mentally exhausting for me. If I had been in the hospital, I would have been sorely tempted by the available medication. As it was, I knew I was too far away from the hospital and too close to the birth to even contemplate this option. Luckily, my birth team was so amazingly supportive. My husband, my doula, my midwife...they were my lifeline. While I moaned as low and loud and long as I could and repeated over and over in my head, "I can do this...I can make it through this contraction...it will ease soon...", they were there every step of the way encouraging me, telling me what a great job I was doing, applying counter-pressure, wrapping my forehead in cold washcloths, etc. This went on for less than an hour, and soon it was time to push.

What was so amazing is that I could really feel our little girl moving down with each contraction. I was fully aware four or five contractions ahead of time that I would be pushing soon, because I could feel the building pressure down low and the changes occurring in my body. Shortly before 11pm, I began to experience small, grunty pushes at the peaks of my contractions. I was encouraged to simply listen to my body and do what felt natural. Nobody did a vaginal exam, nobody directed my pushing, I was simply allowed to turn inward and listen to my own body. It was such a wonderful and empowering experience after my first birth with directed pushing. I was soon pushing during the whole contraction, and again, was aware of my daughter's descent through the birth canal as she came closer to birth. At this point, the pressure was intense, and it didn't really ease between contractions. I kept praying for relief, but none was forthcoming. As my daughter's head began emerging, the stretching, burning sensation was incredible, but I worked really hard to listen to my body and let it gently stretch after each hard push. It was so hard to do, because I really just wanted to get her out as soon as possible. After each hard push, however, I waited and let the burning ease a little before pushing again. Since I didn't tear this time, I know that waiting between pushes was definitely the right decision.

Close to the birth, both my husband and the midwife had their hands at the perineum to feel the baby's progress. Before the birth I had been sure that I wanted to feel our baby coming out, but during the pushing I found that I was afraid to feel because I was scared that I wouldn't feel enough of her head to assure me that progress was happening quickly. I was so ready to be finished. At 11:12pm, I finally pushed our baby out into her father's and the midwife's waiting hands, and she was brought up onto my chest as I reclined back for the first time in hours. I was able to discover her gender myself, and it was simply a glorious feeling to be done!

While we had a good, natural birth experience in the hospital with my older daughter, I can't rave enough about our home birth experience. To be so wrapped up in a cocoon of warmth, love, laughter, encouragement, trust, and understanding was awe-inspiring. I feel so truly blessed to have experienced birth as it should be.

Daniel's Story: An (unplanned), unassisted home birth

Daniel's Story

May 10, 2010

Submitted by Rachael

In the three and a half years between having my first baby and getting pregnant with my second, I became a bit of a birth junkie.  I HAD felt empowered by my birth, amazed that I'd done that.  In reading more information and other people's birth stories, though, I came to realize that there were other choices.  I read a lot of birth blogs, and then I watched "The Business of Being Born."  I was hooked.  I was incensed.  I hated that I'd been so afraid of labor and birth when it should have been something to look forward to.  I hate that we don't educate young women as to ALL of the choices available to them when it comes to birth.  I hate how our country seems to view all of this as a medical condition, and I hate that people think they need a doctor when in many cases a midwife is more than enough support.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to do things very differently.  I asked a long time family friend who is a hypnobirthing instructor and doula for a recommendation, and I hired a midwife.  We took hypnobirthing classes.  I watched tons of videos on YouTube and read hundreds of birth stories - all positive, all empowering and amazing.  I couldn't wait for my birth, to really feel the power of doing it myself this time.  I trusted my body.  

At 30 weeks I realized I was not comfortable with my midwife.  I am generally very confrontation-phobic, and I have often sat back and just accepted something because it was easier and I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  This time, I didn't.  I realized that I absolutely did not want someone attending my birth who I was not comfortable with.  It would have been setting myself up for discomfort and problems during labor.  Luckily, I found another midwife I'd heard good things about who had room to take me, and as soon as I met her I was 100% happy with my decision.  I connected with her in a way I hadn't with the first woman.  We planned to have the baby at our local birth center, about 20 minutes from our home.  I thought about a home birth, but we were living in a house owned by my father in law and I knew the only place we'd be able to set up a pool would have been in the kitchen, and I really wanted to be able to be in the water, and didn't want to have my baby in the kitchen.  We were also 25 minutes from the hospital, and I felt more comfortable being closer just in case. 

My due date was on Mother's Day, May 9, just 7 days after my older son turned 4 years old.  It came and went.  I was unhappy and uncomfortable.  I had been having some practice contractions in the evenings, usually for about an hour and 8 or so minutes apart, then they'd stop until the next night.

On May 10, I woke up got Sam ready for preschool.  I went out to Thai food for lunch (my husband plotting to feed me spicy foods) and then shopped for my husband's birthday presents since his birthday was the next day.  Pretty early in the day I started having a few contractions - about one or two every hour.  They were very spaced out and not very intense, but it was something different to be having them throughout the day instead of just in the evening.  I was hoping that this was a good sign.  I met Sam at the bus after school around 4:00 and we played outside until my husband got home around 7:00 after dealing with filing a police report because his car had been broken into at work.  Since he'd had a bad day, I decided he should open his birthday presents early, so he did that and he and Sam had some cake.  

Just before 8 pm, I started having some regular contractions.  They felt a little more intense than my usual nightly contractions, and I started hoping that it was for real this time, but I was cautiously optimistic because I didn't want to get my hopes up only to have it not be the real thing.  At 8:20, I started timing with the contraction timer on my phone.  For the next hour, my contractions were 40-60 seconds long and between 7 and 12 minutes apart.  I felt skeptical that this was really it because they were so far apart, and at the least thought that it would be quite a while before we'd be heading to the birth center.  I was wondering if my water would break like it did with Sam, and I texted my Mom and sister that this "might be it."  

There was a lot of doubt in my mind about how I would know when it was "real" and how long to wait before calling people or heading to the birth center.  I knew that the "rule" was 5-1-1 - contractions 5 minutes apart, a minute long, for at least an hour, so that's the guideline I had in mind in regards to calling my midwife.  I later realized I was supposed to call her when they were 10 minutes apart to at least check in according to her written instructions since it was my 2nd baby, but it would not have impacted the situation in any way.  At this point, my husband was getting nervous.  He kept asking me how far apart the contractions were and if they were getting more painful, but I didn't seem worried so he didn't push it.

Around 9:40, a little under 2 hours into it, the contractions got closer.  For about 30 minutes, they stayed around 5-7 minutes apart and a minute long.  I was starting to wonder if I was a little crazy for opting for a natural birth because they were getting pretty painful.  I also realized at that point that I literally had no memory of having ANY pain during my first labor despite the fact that my family told me that I was in pain, and I said I was at the time.  My husband asked me if I was able to talk through the contractions since we knew that was another good indicator in terms of heading to the birthing location.  At that point, I was lying on the couch on my side and was still able to talk through them. I tried listening to my hypnobirthing CD, but quickly realized that it was not going to work.  I couldn't relax.  I got up from the couch and turned if off, emphatically telling my husband "This is NOT going to work!" I think if my labor had been longer and I'd had more mild contractions for longer, it would have been great.  If they'd been spaced out further it would have been nice to relax in between.

My husband was packing a bag for Sam so we could drop him off at a friend's on the way to the birth center and getting a few things for himself together.  I walked around the house, stopping to sway and moan during contractions.  I was still very calm, and my husband was moving at a medium pace.  The contractions were not really regular, and weren't getting closer together and he was thinking about how long my first labor had taken.

Suddenly, around 10:15, the contractions got very hard.  They were coming every 2.5 - 3.5 minutes and I was no longer able to talk or walk through them.  I was vocalizing through each one, moaning and trying to keep my voice low and remember to breathe deeply instead of panting or yelling.  I picked up my phone and found myself on my knees in our family room with my elbows on the couch.  I called my midwife and told her that it was time and we would be there in 20 minutes.  She said she would meet us there.  I was sweating and felt my body working hard at that point.  When we looked back later at the contraction timer, my contractions had gone from being 10-12 minutes apart to 3-5 minutes apart in less than 10 minutes.  

My husband was running around the house a bit crazily now, trying to get everything in the car.  At 10:25, he called my Mom and told her to meet us at the birth center, and was about to carry a sleeping Sam out to his carseat.  That's when my water broke.  It was a completely different experience having my water break while in hard labor, I was caught off guard by the loud pop and flood of fluid.  My husband heard it from across the house and called out to ask if my water had just broken.  I could barely answer him.  As soon as my water broke, my contractions were one on top of the other.  That's when the pressure started.

I barely remember walking to the bathroom, one room away from where I was.  I sat down on the toilet, and I could hear my husband rushing around to get ready.  At this point, I knew that we were not going anywhere.  I could feel my body bearing down with each contraction, I was pushing and there was no stopping it.  I knew there was no way I was getting in a car.  At this point I was yelling during the contractions, and my husband came into the bathroom.  He told me I just had to stand up and walk to the car, and I said "I can't."  He thought I meant I thought I couldn't because the contractions were painful, and was getting frustrated because he didn't understand.

I remember saying that it hurt.  After only 7 contractions that were right on top of one another - probably about 10-15 minutes on the toilet - I reached down and felt my baby's head.  I said, "he's coming, he's coming right now" and my husband asked what he should do.  I told him to put down towels and I got on the floor on all fours with my arms on the side of the bathtub.  My husband asked again what to do, and I said "catch him."  And he did.

After four pushes, the head was out, and after two more, our second baby was born in our home into his father's hands.  Sam slept on the couch through almost the whole thing, only waking briefly when I screamed during the final pushes.  I sat down and turned around, and my husband handed me our baby.  I wrapped a towel partway around him, but honestly was a bit in shock.  My husband swept his mouth out and made sure he was breathing.  He looked up at me and he didn't cry, he just made a few noises, enough that I knew he was fine.  

Daniel John was born at 10:55 pm on May 10, 2010.  He was 8 lb 3 oz and 20 inches long.  I held him in my arms and my husband rushed outside to call our midwife and the people who were headed to the birth center to tell them to come to the house.  He stayed fairly calm until he started making the calls, then started to get shaky and called my Mom twice.  Our midwife arrived at our home about 15 minutes after Danny was born.  She looked at the placenta, which I had already birthed, and clamped his cord so that my husband could cut it.  Holding him for about 30 minutes after he was born, skin-to-skin, without any interruption was amazing.  Once we cut the cord, our midwife helped me up to my bed and my Mom and her husband arrived.  Soon after, my stepdad and my sister also got to our house.  

Our midwife weighed and measured Danny and we wrapped him up in a couple of sleep sacks and a blanket because he had gotten a little cold from when I was holding him without a blanket on him.  She stuck around for an hour or two and made sure we were all okay.  A couple of hours later I got up to go to the bathroom and sit so my husband could clean up the bed and get it ready for us to sleep in. Unfortunately there was a bit of a mess to clean up (one of the reasons I HADN'T planned on a home birth!), so it took a few minutes. We did have chux pads on the bed, but they were insufficient.  I was feeling VERY dizzy and weak, and my Mom started to get concerned. After I sat for a few more minutes and had a couple of bowls of cereal we decided that it was just a combination of getting up from bed too soon, the adrenaline rush wearing off, and not having eaten since lunchtime. With all the commotion, my midwife forgot to remind me to eat something before trying to get up, and it didn't occur to me apparently.

I moved to the floor in the bathroom, and then when the bed was done I got up to walk across the hall back to bed. My husband helped me up, but when he turned around to get something from the bathroom I was in the hall and passed out. It was really weird, I have never passed out or fainted before and I just felt my body become SO heavy and fall to the floor, then I woke up and it just felt like it was morning and I'd woken up. I crawled over the bed and climbed up, and I felt okay. Luckily, I didn't hit anything on the way down!

Danny slept like a champ, which was nice since I didn't fall asleep until after 3:30 am and he slept for a good 5 hour chunk.  We had so many other people around, he just got passed from person to person who loved him.  Despite the mess, I love that I had my baby at home and just like my first birth, he was surrounded by people who love him immediately as he came into his life in the outside world.  It was kind of great not to have to go to the hospital or anywhere and just be at home.  

My recovery was more difficult with Danny than it was with Sam, I think because he came so quickly that my body didn't have time to adjust.  I didn't have any tears or stitches, but I was just really, really sore and spent most of the first week on the couch.  My stomach muscles hurt a lot until my midwife suggested binding my stomach, which I did with an elastic type back brace I happened to have in my house.  After wearing it for 24 hours there was a huge difference, and she told me that in a lot of countries they do that for all women after birth.    

In the end I had two very different birthing experiences.  Both were wonderful in their own ways, but it never stops being fun to tell people about my unplanned, unassisted home birth!  Now I encourage all women I can to educate themselves and decide what they really want - you can have the birth you want, even if sometimes it happens differently than you'd expected.