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I had a wonderful home birth experience with my daughter (now four months old), thanks to the expert care and guidance of the midwife team--Alyssa, Sara and Teresa. This was my first birth and my partner and I didn't know very much about what to expect about the pregnancy, birth and early days of life with a newborn. I loved having regular check up meetings with the midwives where I felt like I had their undivided attention for as long as I needed to ask any and all questions, borrow books, share my worries and more. I felt very respected through the whole process leading up to the birth, and I felt trust that they were tracking my health and the growth of our baby throughout.
I had a breech pregnancy up until the last few weeks, and I had a lot of uncertainty about what kind of birth I would end up having, whether a natural birth at home or a C-section in the hospital (with the midwife team supporting me there). The midwives helped me with exercises as well as with connecting with an acupuncturist, chiropractor, and obstetrician to do an external version that ultimately flipped our baby head down.
I ended up having contractions start a full 60 hours before our baby was born, and I called the midwives several times as the contractions built in intensity and frequency. They arrived before I was fully in active labor in order to help my labor progress using several natural methods--pumping to stimulate oxytocin, taking tinctures, and moving me around. Finally it did progress and I had to fully dive into the intensity of the experience. I was so relieved to get in the birthing tub (provided by the midwives) and labor in there for awhile. I was so focused and in my own space that I didn't realize until later that the midwives were continually monitoring the baby's heart rate and mine throughout. There were times when they helped coach me with visualization exercises and they checked my dilation progression a few times. Most of the time I just wanted to focus on my own on the contractions and pushing, so their presence seemed just the right amount throughout. They helped me try some different pushing positions toward the end, and I ended up giving birth on the birthing stool. It all happened very quickly then and I was so exhausted and overcome with joy that I couldn't track all that was happening, but immediately I had our baby pressed to my chest and she quickly stopped crying and latched on to start nursing. It was so wonderful, everything we hoped it would be. Immediately I felt fully present with our daughter and the moment. We had plenty of time to be together before weighing and check up, while the midwives worked to clean me up. They didn't leave till we were totally secure and ready to rest.
It was so great to sleep in our own bed with our baby right there, and then to not have to move for any of the subsequent check ups over the coming days. I felt so supported in those early days while we figured everything out. I could call them any time I had a question or concern and they came to check in frequently.
I would definitely recommend having a home birth with Alyssa, Sara and Teresa to anyone reading this who is considering it. I thought I would share photos of the checkups, birth and after birth to help anyone visualize what this experience with them might look like!
Julia
La Plata, MO