I knew before I got pregnant that I wanted to work with midwives out of hospital if possible. Then I got pregnant and found New Birth! Unfortunately, I lost that first pregnancy at week 7. The midwives were an amazing support through that whole process. I went back when I got pregnant again a couple of months later and they really went the extra mile for me during my pregnancy. We did extra bloodwork, and they kept me really comfortable and well informed the whole way through. Every visit I felt heard and cared for, and never rushed. The midwives were present and I felt like I got to form relationships with many of them leading up to my delivery.
I went into labor at home and after a couple of hours my doula came over to help. After my water broke we headed to the birth center. My doula had already called the midwives for me so they were ready to receive me. I had a contraction in the lobby because I couldn’t make it all the way to the room (sorry ladies who had to witness that!) When I did finally make it, the room was calm, the tub was filling, and I just let my birthing team guide me. I always felt in charge, but they were wonderful about making suggestions, getting me to eat and drink, and helping my partner figure out what to do.
After laboring for a couple hours in various positions in the tub, out of the tub, on the bed, on the stool, even on the toilet, I was ready to get back in the tub. Something had changed and my body knew it. My midwife then checked my cervix and I was at a 10! After a brief reprieve, we got some music on and I had about an hour of pushing. My doula and midwives were the best coaches, calmly cheering me on and keeping me focused. I had a little chat with my baby after a particularly hard push: “Baby, it’s time to get this show on the road. Momma is tired.” She listened. One more big push through the ring of fire and her head was out!! The midwife directed daddy to come and catch and the baby shot out. They got her up on my chest and we got to hear her sweet voice for the first time. After making sure baby and I were ok, we got out of the tub, climbed into bed, got my little girl nursing, and spent golden hour together as a family undisturbed. They came back in, checked us over, and stitched me up. I was home in my own bed 5 hours after giving birth. 10 hours of labor gone nearly exactly to plan thanks to the amazing team at New Birth and some luck. The home visits after birth were the cherry on top!