Christian UC: Unassisted Childbirth

The Unassisted Birth of Joshua L.

Joshua David (b. 10/25/04) was waterborn, at home in our whirlpool tub, unassisted, into mama's loving hands!

Contractions started to get regular around 7 pm (and were a little different this time, as I could actually feel my cervix dilating and hadn't felt that in my previous labors/births). By 8 pm they were getting pretty serious and painful and I needed John to rub my lower back (counter pressure). (Side Note: I've read that childbirth can be painless, it is not painless for me, no matter how much I allay my fears and no matter how many affirmations I tell myself!!) By 9 pm I was ready to try out the whirlpool tub to see if water really does help relieve labor pain. However, the water wasn't hot enough! So, we drained some of the water, turned up the water heater and also boiled some water on the stove to add to it. (I was pretty anxious to get in the tub!!)

By 10 pm the tub was ready. It was heaven for me. I pointed those jets at my lower back and my pain was cut in about half! I didn't need John to help me get through the contractions anymore! (So he went to the living room to watch TV with the girls. Sarah stayed in the bedroom with me, in case I needed anything.) The contractions weren't peaking for as long, which meant less pain, but I was also concerned that maybe that meant it was slowing things down ... I didn't care though. I thought, hey, I'll take an extra hour or two of labor for half the pain!! But apparently, being in the tub wasn't slowing things down a bit.

A little after midnight, I got hit with a contraction that I needed some help to get through. I called John in and had him rub my shoulders. And so started the contractions that would bring the baby down and out!! After 2 or 3 of those contractions, we heard my water bag "pop". The fluid was clear. After a couple of more, I felt a bulge, which I knew wasn't the head and had me a little nervous, but it was just the bag of waters and the mucous plug. Once that was out, the pushing contractions started, and for the first time in all my labors, I roared like a lion and didn't care what anyone thought about it!!

I let my body do the pushing until I felt the head crowning then I pushed along with my body. The baby was out in two pushes. I held the head then pushed out the body and immediately brought the baby up out of the water to my chest. It was absolutely amazing catching the baby myself! I was so much more aware of the baby sliding out! I immediately noticed the cord was wrapped around the neck and simultaneously noticed it was a boy! I unwrapped the cord, as I said, "Oh my God, Oh my God! The cord is around his neck!" It was wrapped around his neck twice, but not tightly. He started fussing a little and breathing and I gently rubbed his back and chest anyway until I got a good cry! (I wanted to make sure he was breathing well after seeing the cord had been wrapped around his neck.) Then I announced, "It's a boy!" Sarah cried and handed me a warm towel to wrap the baby in. The baby pinked up within the first minute.

I got out of the tub (I only stayed in for about ten minutes after the birth, I wanted to get out to deliver the placenta, and I know that my placenta usually comes fairly quickly after I birth.) My placenta came out within 15 minutes. I got the baby latched on and then we discussed what to name him! We previously couldn't agree on any names...the only name we both liked was Joshua David, which happens to be my brothers name, and we weren't sure we should name the baby after my brother, but, about 2 or 3 days before the baby was born, John had a dream that he came home from work and I had the baby while he was working and we couldn't agree on a name in the dream, so in the dream we named him Joshua. I believe God sometimes gives us dreams for a reason... Joshua means God is my salvation, David means beloved...and so....we named our son Joshua David.

My Joshie. He is so sweet and beautiful and perfect. Thank you God.

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