Christian UC: Unassisted Childbirth

The Unassisted Birth of Evan

I'm still not sure where to start this story. I don't think that words will ever do it justice. The birth of our first UC baby was a journey that began at least 2 years ago. Our daughter was born in a hospital at 35 weeks in May of 2000. It was our first child and we naively expected our birth to follow the plans that we had outlined. Instead, we had a horrible experience that didn't resemble a natural birth at all. I received an epidural and a nice sized second degree tear. I returned home with a beautiful and healthy baby, but knew that I had let us both down. I had wanted a homebirth with her, but had been unable to find a midwife and never considered UC. I thought that I had found a great doctor and a nice "homelike" hospital. LOL. Silly me.

I immediately learned everything that I could have done differently. I searched the internet for hours, wanting to understand why what I thought would be so natural and beautiful had become so institutionalized and systematic. I stumbled across several UC sites, and finally had my answer. I knew that our next baby would be UC.

I prayed to conceive another baby. When Kelsey was a little over a year old, we got pregnant again. And what a great pregnancy it was. Instead of rushing to the doctors every few weeks, we walked in faith. I ate better and got lots of rest. I developed a prayer journal and made myself strong in God's promises. I knew that my little one would have the most wonderful birth possible.

We experienced preterm labor at almost 34 weeks. I drank some wine and took lots of baths. I dilated several centimeters but then it stopped. I had a lot of early labor after that. At 37 weeks, my contractions became more regular. I even called my dh home once. And then nothing.

Throughout my pregnancy I had listened to hypnobirthing tapes. We never practiced as a couple, because I was confident that I didn't need to put myself in an altered state, just needed to relax and get out of the way. I knew my body could do it alone, so I just conditioned myself to relax. I listened to the tapes, read my affirmations and prayer journal, and practiced yoga.

On Saturday night, March 16, things were looking hopeful again. I had lost my plug weeks earlier, but now noticed some bloody show. I knew this was it, but was surprised that there was no discomfort. I timed contractions and they were about 3 minutes apart. I sent dh to bed with Kelsey. I tried to lay down, but was much too excited. Instead, I spent the next several hours sitting on my birth ball, trying to help my posterior baby turn. I stayed in the bathroom and read my prayer journal by candle light. It was the most peaceful time of my life. I couldn't help but rejoice and praise God for the wonderful miracle that was occurring. I had no pain or discomfort, but I knew things were progressing.

A little before 4 a.m. on Sunday, my water broke. I woke my dh and told him this was it. We were finally going to greet our baby earthside. My dh seemed a little unsure. We had labored for almost 10 difficult hours after my water broke the first time and he expected me to start screaming long before we saw a baby.

I decided to get in the shower, as my back was hurting as the baby began to turn around. The next 15 minutes or so, were the only ones that were uncomfortable. It took some mind over matter, but I eventually regained control. I decided to get in our jacuzzi tub. I was dead set against a water birth, but the jets sounded good as we went through transition. My wonderful dh still thought we had hours to go, and made himself comfortable whistling on the toilet. LOL.

It wasn't long before I could feel his hair. What excitement! He seemed to get a little hung up as his shoulders were descending (I'm guessing he still hadn't completely turned). Although I had planned on letting my body gently expel him on its own, the urge to push was overwhelming. I bared down and out came a head. It took another 4-5 minutes for the next contraction to come. With it, the rest of his body was delivered. My dh had come to sit next to me and we were both overwhelmed with emotion. The next few minutes were spent rubbing our baby's back and praising God. I couldn't believe that we finally had our baby, and a painless birth! I eventually looked between his legs and realized we had a baby boy. Praise the Lord!

We got out of the tub and I delivered the placenta. After cutting the white cord, I took a shower and we woke our dd. I had no tears and his head was over a centimeter larger than our daughter's! I had more than two cups of bleeding, but no complications.

I had eaten well the previous weeks and firmly believe my body did what it needed to do to heal itself. We had our UC, and it was better than I could have imagined. It was the single most spiritual and empowering event of my life. I gave my son the best start that he could have. Despite our lack of support from family and friends, the journey was a wonderful one. It solidified our family and reaffirmed the value of our faith. I am so thankful to the women that have walked this road before me, and have stayed to help the rest of us along the way.

Love, Tiff

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