When we got pregnant with Joslyn, we were so excited to be able to plan for another home birth. Jacob's birth at home was so fulfilling and peaceful, that we knew we'd like to have Joslyn at home, as well. To be able to pick up right where I left off with my midwife, Christie, made me feel so secure and calm about the whole process all over again.
At 38 weeks pregnant, I started labor. Justin and I were so excited and went out for date night to celebrate. When we got home, my contractions were gone. I was so disappointed. This start and stop of labor (called prodromal labor) happened 3 more times before my due date. It was an emotional roller coaster. Contractions were happening, but not getting stronger or keeping consistent.
On my due date, April 19th, I woke up having more contractions. I was convinced this wasn't any different than the other times. Our little family of three got ready for Sunday morning church, ate some breakfast, and went on with our day. By lunch time, I wondered..."maybe this is real?...but nah." I took a nap while Jacob did. By 5pm, I was more convinced that it could be real labor so I called Christie. She agreed to come by and keep us company. When her and our birth team arrived, I still didn't want to believe it. We didn't even tell anyone that labor had begun because I didn't want to get others' hopes up just in case. Christie checked me when they first arrived, and I dilated from a 4 to a 6 while she was checking. She remarked how incredible that was. I was pretty stoked, myself. This WAS real! I remember saying, "I'm so excited!!" in between contractions. Once labor started progressing more quickly, I was not as excited as I needed to focus much more on each contraction.
Jacob was so thrilled to have everyone there. He was hyped and having a great time.
He and Justin frosted Joslyn's birthday cupcakes that I had made that afternoon.
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| SPRINKLES. |
The birth team set up our home with all of the birth supplies.
Justin and I worked through more contractions together. When he was needed to help Jacob, I remember feeling our midwives stepping in to help press on my hips, or lay a hand on my back. My eyes would be closed through a contraction, but I felt SO supported, SO loved. I was not alone. It was an amazing feeling to have these supportive people around me in the comfort of our home while I labored. There's nothing like it.
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Jacob hugging on me through a contraction. I'm SO glad he was there.   |
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| The pool was great for my back labor, even though we barely got to use it. |
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| Justin was great support the whole time. |
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| Our photographer said I mentioned here, "I'm so excited she's finally coming!!" after all of my stop and go labor. |
They had me try lots of different birthing positions to turn our little girl. This part of the labor was incredibly exhausting and difficult for me. I felt contractions DEEP in my back, and had little relief from any counter pressure used by Justin or my midwife. One of our assistants used one of our woven wraps (used for babywearing) and had me get on my hands and knees. She wrapped it around my belly and shook it from side to side. This is called "sifting." That combined with the different positions we tried did the job in turning Joslyn to a better anterior position once again. She was so incredibly wiggly during this labor, it was hilarious. But she maintained a good heart rate every time Christie checked her with the doppler.
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| Checking Joslyn's heart rate with the doppler. I love this picture. :) So privileged to have carried my babies and have these stretch marks. |
Jacob was asleep for the night at this point, and that worked out well because I remember the next parts of my experience as very intense and the most difficult. I spent a lot of this time on my hands and knees through contractions.
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| I wrote some encouraging thoughts and scriptures and left them around the room. |
I believe God gave me the strength I needed to get through the rest of labor. A bit more dilation needed to happen before Joslyn could come the rest of the way down. Christie said I could push if I felt the need. I tried, but didn't get very far. She had me get on my back and bring my knees to my chest. Justin held my right knee and held my head up. I remember him putting a wet wash cloth on my head and kissing me. Such amazing support during the most difficult parts of my labor. I'm so thankful for him. Before I knew what was actually happening, I was pushing. In three giant pushes, Joslyn was born. My water broke as she came out and Christie helped me pull her onto my chest. It was incredibly fast. All I could say over and over was, "I'm so glad she's here! I'm so glad that's over." Haha.
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| SO relieved and elated she was finally born. |
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| Little Joslyn Claire |
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| Hanging out with Daddy |
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| Post Birth snack! |
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| Justin and Carmen, another one of our awesome birth assistants, weighing Joslyn at 7 lbs. 1 oz. |
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| Hey sweet girl! |
It was not as easy of a labor as Jacob's, that's for sure. But, I could not be happier with the experience. The freedom, fulfillment and comfort that it brought me to birth at home again was invaluable.
I cry when I think that Christie delivered both my babies here. We are forever thankful to her. Through both pregnancies and births, she brought me peace of mind and was serious about keeping us safe. But, she also helped us remember to trust the process and know that babies know how to grow and be born when all is going well.
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| Our midwife, Christie, and one of her adoring fans. :) |
I'm thankful for what I've learned about birth while we've lived in Colorado Springs. There is a huge community here of birth professionals ready to give women the birth experiences they're looking for. I've learned so much from them on Facebook and in the mommy meetup groups I've joined. Our sweet friends and family have rallied around us to pray, bring meals, and offer other kinds of awesome support. We feel SO taken care of and are enjoying our sweet time as a family of four. Life is GOOD. Thank you God for how He blesses us immeasurably!!
(All photos courtesy of JCDC Photography.)
