These birth stories were orginally published in the first edition of Birthsong Midwifery Workbook they were removed to save space in future editions and placed here
I started having heavy contractions on Wednesday, and had the baby on Saturday. My early labor was classified as a “slow boat to China;” that is, the contractions would start at regular intervals, stay consistent for several hours, then quit cold. This went on for two days. My midwife, Daphne Singingtree, was most patient in waiting for progress. As far as she was concerned, no medical intervention was needed because “the baby is not in a hurry.”
The “slow boat to China” humor evolved when the other midwives were contacted about my being in labor, but told not to hurry because I wasn’t doing it yet. Later, Daphne phoned her midwifery partners with the report that I was “off the boat and walking to China.” Humor was in order.
By this time, my good friend Charlotte was there and the energy was high. As a single parent, having my good friends — the midwife and Charlotte — here all seemed balanced. We took walks up to the mountains and hiked around, hoping to stimulate contractions, all in a relaxed frame of mind.
The great aspect of this home birth was that nobody was pressuring me about progress. This baby was on its journey into the world at its own pace. As night fell, contractions started up again, stronger and more consistent. A dilation check confirmed real progress. There was a real focus when contractions got strong: a cleansing breath, and everyone would tune-in and breathe along. This was comforting and very helpful when rushes got intense.
The other midwives were called and notified that I was “back on the boat and it was clipping right along.” Everything was set up in the room where the birth was to take place, and there was good energy from these fine friends. I had been convinced for years that home birth was the best option (risk factors permitting). In my home was where I wanted to have my child.
Time went on and the backup midwives arrived. By now, contractions were far too strong to permit sleeping. It was 3 A.M., and I needed a rubdown so I would not tense up. Daphne, still a reserve of energy and patience, gave me a massage, then a dilation check. Seven centimeters...Hallelujah!Everything went into gear. Cold washcloths on the head; ice chips in the mouth; acupressure on the foot; and counterpressure on the back. Another midwife, Kristen, on breathing; Daphne on perineal massage and hot compresses; and yet a third midwife standing by for anything else needed.
After this, I remember only waiting for the go-ahead to push. Then, in between contractions, Kristen said, “You’re flying to China now.” There was still some time to breathe through contractions; this took the most focus to keep together.
No matter what anyone said, all I wanted to do was push that baby out, end the mystery of how and what it was, and hold that child in my arms and love it. Shane has a peaceful, calm disposition. He is a blessing in my life. I am glad we were able to be at home for this event that I’ll never forget.
Jerome's Birth --A HOME VBAC By Carla
With my first birth a cesarean, and my second a hi-tech hospital VBAC, I was determined that this third birth would be a peaceful, natural, family-centered birth. From what I could discover, that meant homebirth. I had done a lot of reading on VBACs. I had also lived in Germany for awhile, and knew that mandatory, repeat cesareans were unheard of there. That made me feel completely confident that my body had healed strong, and that a home VBAC was safe.
When I moved to Eugene seven months pregnant, my problem was finding a midwife who would, or could, help with a home VBAC. Luckily, I found Daphne and Angie. Just two weeks before I called, their certification organization, the Oregon Midwifery Council, had changed guidelines to allow home VBAC. It turned out to be my first and theirs!
I went into labor a couple of days before my due date. I awoke at 3:00 am, having contractions and some bloody show. I called Daphne, and she told me what all good midwives say in the middle of the night, “Go back to sleep,” so I did. Morning came and everything started moving, except my labor. My husband, Andy, got up and made popovers. Daphne and Angie came over along with two apprentices, Aliya and Evan. After breakfast, Andy took our two boys, Nicholas and Tyler, to get a Christmas tree. Daphne checked me, and I was 4-5 cm. dilated, but just poking along.
Everybody settled in for a day of waiting. Evan helped my kids make Christmas tree ornaments. I went for walks, took baths, and had a massage. Andy kept us all fed. At one point, Nicholas, age 5, took a poll to see if people thought the baby would be a boy, a girl, or a penguin. The penguin won! It felt so comfortable and relaxing to be at home with my family. The midwives were so patient.
Finally, things started getting more intense. I went off by myself to watch the sun go down, and knew my baby would soon be born. Daphne came and suggested that I move to my bedroom to get ready for the birth. Then things got real intense. Standing up felt best to me, but when I got tired, I would sit back on the edge of the bed and lean on Andy. During one contraction, sitting down like that, my water broke all over Daphne. Just a couple more contractions and out slipped another baby boy! He was born with his fist in his mouth, and he was soooo sweet.
I felt great after the birth, I didn’t tear at all. Angie helped me take a shower. Then, when everything was cleaned up, the midwives slipped out, leaving me nursing my baby with my family gathered around. Not once during the day had I worried, or even remembered that this was a VBAC and might be considered risky by some people. Later, Angie told me that she had been a little nervous, (it didn’t show).
It took us a week to name our new boy, we had lots of girl names. We called him Angel until we decided on Jerome. Since then, I’ve had another home VBAC--another boy, of course.
Gabriel’s Birth By Sandy and RichardSandy: It was strange to wake up this morning and realize that it was a whole week since my water broke and I had the baby. I had scrambled to the bathroom, though not frantically. I was amazed at myself. Maybe I would stay calm and collected. Still dripping, I tried to wake Richard. Unshaken, he thought we should try to get some more sleep.
Richard: When Sandy woke me with the news that the bag of waters had broken, I didn’t understand why she was so concerned. Isn’t this what we’d been preparing for all these months?
Not having gotten everything for the birth, we went out for some herbs, film, and a fruit tree to plant with the placenta after the birth. On the way home, the first discernible contractions started and we timed them at seven minutes apart. I called the midwife and my friend, Helen.
When we got home, we took a walk through the neighborhood amidst flowering trees and sweet smells signaling the arrival of Spring the next day. I felt full and good.
It felt so good to be out in the sunshine and know that by that time the next day our baby would be here. It all seemed so appropriate to the season — the natural course of events.
Shortly after we got back, Helen arrived with flowers, music, camera, and food, not to mention love and support. Then one of Daphne’s assistants, Pat, arrived to check on me. The contractions were perhaps four to five minutes apart now.
From the onset of moderate and regular contractions at 3 p.m., the rest of labor was divided into “contractions” and “between contractions”. During contractions, we focused on breathing, relaxing, and applying counter-pressure to ease the pain on Sandy’s lower back. Between contractions, we rested and talked about what was happening. Sandy continued to look calm and beautiful. After a few hours, her blood pressure rose sharply, and the midwife had her stay in bed to minimize stress. The blood pressure steadied and then dropped some. The night moved fast. Sandy continued to dilate; her contractions were strong and she seemed to handle the labor with ease.
Time seemed to have no meaning in the usual sense. The contractions came and went. I urinated, drank water, herb tea, and fruit juice — my whole existence! I remember asking a friend about a week before whether her labor had been painful. Not really painful, she told me; just intense.
Then, suddenly, no time for breathers, no time to pee, no time to drink anything. My only relief from increasing dryness was from sucking a wet facecloth. The contractions were back to back, and sometimes when I thought one was ending, I’d immediately be back up at peak intensity with pushing urges. But I was not fully dilated, so I couldn’t push. I could tell by looking at Richard and Pat when they knew I couldn’t fight the urge to push. I usually couldn’t meet their eyes then, being too embarrassed because I couldn’t control the urges.
By the morning light, the progress of dilation halted. Contractions were very strong, but the midwife felt a swelling of the cervix. Sandy’s blood pressure began to rise and the risk of infection to the baby increased with each hour. These factors weighed heavily in Daphne’s strong recommendation of moving to the hospital.
I was amazed when Daphne came back into the room and told us she’d phoned several people and they all thought I should go to the hospital. I looked at the clock and wondered how it could have gotten so late.
Sandy and I spent a few precious moments together, preparing for the radical change in environment and circumstance. It was a difficult moment, but we accepted the inevitability we saw in each other’s eyes.
We dashed off with the midwives, Richard still helping with my contractions as we drove the eight blocks to the hospital. Daphne arranged a wheelchair, and I glided in, signing I-knew-not-what papers with a shaky, decrepit-looking scribble. Once in the room, they left us alone briefly. Richard’s eyes were bloodshot and he was crying. He wasn’t sad, he said, just so worn out. Dr. Will came in and advised immediate Cesarean section. We discussed his reasons and asked about alternatives. All carried greater risks. They pushed me down the hall. I had to do one contraction alone, giving myself counter-pressure on my back with one hand and covering my nose and mouth with the other, hyperventilating. By the next contraction, one hand was strapped down and I had to ask the nurse to give me some counter-pressure. Then, with great relief, I could feel the spinal take effect and I didn’t have to fight the contractions anymore.
As Daphne entered the operating room, we found ourselves under extremely bright lights and in the hands of competent strangers. I sat next to Sandy’s head and held her hand, and I had a partial view of the operation. Daphne was standing on my right. The doctors worked quickly: “It’s a boy!” “He’s big!” “He’s posterior.”
I was amazed because, within a minute or two, I heard a cry and the baby was out. It was so fast! Someone said he was big and had all his parts. Something in me that had been tight let go. Some feeling that I hadn’t blown it completely.
Within seconds the cord was cut and two nurses whisked him away. I followed. He was quickly cleaned, suctioned to remove mucus, had his stomach pumped, vital signs checked and generally inspected. Amidst all this activity, he managed to initiate me with his first worldly pee. He was bundled and I took him to show Sandy — her first view.
In a few minutes, Richard came back carrying our little boy, and I got to touch him for the first time, while Richard’s eyes beamed at me above the hospital mask. That moment made everything worth it.
From there, we went to the nursery for a chest x-ray, blood test, and bath, while Sandy was put back together. Within the hour, we were reunited and began our three-day hospital camp-in — three of us in a private room with our own food, music, and abundant love.
My First Birth by DawnI had been taking classes at Birthsong Midwifery School for a few months and had read a lot of obstetrics books and birth stories, but I had never been to an actual birth. At the time, I was living with Angela, Daphne’s apprentice. Angela’s sister, Sami, was pregnant with her first baby, and was due.
One night, after class, Daphne asked me if I would like to go to Sami’s birth. One of the midwives was not able to go, and Daphne wanted to have a third person there. She thought it would be a good idea to ask me, since Sami and I already knew each other. I said yes, of course, and I was very excited.
Sami was overdue at the time, and was getting pretty impatient to have her baby. She took castor oil when she was two weeks overdue to see if she could bring on her labor, but it didn’t work. She ended up being 3 weeks overdue.
One night Angie came in my room and said, “Tonight might be baby night!” I was really thrilled, and I prepared myself to be awakened at any hour. It didn’t happen that night, but Angie’s husband drove me to Sami and Ed’s house at about 5 P.M. the next night.
Angie and Daphne were there when I arrived, and Sami was in the bathroom throwing up. She threw up a lot. Daphne was concerned that she might get dehydrated, and checked her urine often for ketones.
Soon, Daphne was beginning perineal massage. I boiled the water for the hot, comfrey compresses and for keeping the olive oil hot. I also poured the olive oil on Daphne’s gloves, so she could do the stretching, and charted the fetal heart tones that Angie was taking.
Sami began pushing at about 8:30. Ed was supporting her back, and Angie was coaching her. I was amazed at how hard Sami was working. When the pushing got really intense, the veins in her breast were sticking out. When Daphne broke the waters, there was meconium, but the baby’s heart rate was fine.
In about 2 hours, I was able to see the baby’s dark hair showing. It would show for a few seconds, and then suck back up. At 10:45, the head crowned. It was at that point that Sami said she didn’t know if she could go on because of the burning sensation or “ring of fire.” Daphne assured her that this was the end of the line. At 10:50, the baby’s head was born.
While the baby's head was on the perineum, Daphne suctioned it with a DeLee trap to get rid of any meconium. Angela told Sami not to push until that was done. Seconds later the baby’s body was born—a baby girl! The cord was cut right away, so she could be suctioned more and given oxygen on the resuscitation table. It was a few seconds before she started breathing, but it seemed like eons. I counted off every thirty seconds to Daphne, so she would know how long it took for the baby to breathe. After she was breathing, she went right onto Sami’s abdomen.
Angela delivered the placenta, and there was a fair amount of blood lost (500 cc.). That seemed like a lot to me, but it really isn’t that much. I went into the bathroom to look at the placenta with Angie. We noticed a lot of dead, calcified spots on it, because of the baby being so postmature.
Then I got to watch the newborn exam. The baby, (Charmagne Rose), passed it with flying colors. She was very healthy and weighed 6 lbs., 10 oz. The only thing a little out of the ordinary was that her nose was completely squashed to one side, and we figured this was because of her postmaturity and because there was a tight fit in the pelvis. When Sami took the baby to the doctor the next day, he said that her nose might always go a little to one side. She is almost a year old now, and her nose is fine.
We cleaned up after the birth and sat around with Charmagne Rose so that Sami could get some sleep. She really wanted to suck, so we took turns letting her suck on our little fingers. She was beautiful and I thought that she looked exactly like baby pictures I had seen of Angie’s boy, Aris. I had never been with such a new baby before, and it seemed to me that she belonged there and had been there the whole time. (She had!)
Aris’ Birth by Angie
I went into labor at 6 A.M. on January 1, 1981. I was very excited, because I thought maybe I’d have the first baby of the new year in Eugene. I called Daphne around seven, and felt really bad that I’d gotten her out of bed; but, she always says to call when you first start having contractions.
Daphne came about 10am, and the other midwives got to our house around noon. I was having contractions every 10 to 15 minutes, and dilating very slowly. We lived in a really small one bedroom apartment and, with so many people there, it seemed like a party was going on. There were three midwives, two of my sisters, my husband, my son, and my mother there most of the day. People kept taking turns going to the store, and we kept eating all day long. It really was a lot of fun.
We had bought an Atari for Christmas and it was fun to see midwives playing video games! At one point, some friends stopped over, not knowing that I was in labor, and things got so chaotic with the games going and people talking that Joe had to ask them to leave.About eight or nine that night, my contractions were real close together and intense. I just felt like laying in bed and deep-breathing through them. They took my total concentration, but didn’t hurt at all. It really was a painless labor, almost like being on drugs. Everyone was getting tired because it was so late. People were sleeping on the couch, and one of the midwives even slept on the bed with us.
I remember going to the bathroom when it was real late, and Joe took me out to look out the front window. It was snowing for the first time that winter and was just beautiful. Everything was fresh and clean, and it seemed a perfect time for our child to be born.
We had not invited my mom to the birth, but she was so worried she couldn’t leave. Suzie, one of the midwives, asked me if it bothered me that she was there. I said no, she could stay if she quit saying how worried she was, and quit asking everyone how I was doing every few minutes.At four in the morning, I was finally completely dilated, and started to push. Joe sat behind me; it felt good to lean back on him between contractions. Daphne asked me if I remembered the burning sensation when my first child was born. I said no, and just then I said, “It burns! It burns!” Daphne helped ease the skin back as his head was born, and then his whole body came out. Another boy! He was born at 4:44 A.M. on January 2. He had lots of dark hair on his head, and we named him Aris Elijah.
He seemed so small. He weighed 7 lb. 12 1/2 oz, which was two pounds less than our first boy. It was a long, mellow labor, and Aris still always takes his time doing things. I really think my children’s personalities affected their labor.
I had been at the Harvest Festival all day. My feet and hands were really swollen, and I was fairly miserable. It was a beautiful sunny day though, and I had really enjoyed being outdoors. On my way home from the festival, I drove past Leslie, who was one of Daphne’s apprentices. She yelled out her window, “Is this gonna be the day?” I yelled back, “Not today!” Boy, was I wrong!
I started having contractions around 6 or 7 that night. Daphne was living in Cottage Grove, and had just gotten home from the festival when I called her. She had to turn around and drive back to Eugene in her partner's giant flat bed truck because her car wasn’t working. When she got to my house I was having contractions about every twenty minutes. I thought it was going to be another long labor, and really tried to talk her into going home, but she decided to stay the night. My contractions were still every twenty minutes, but very intense. They hurt!It is always so exciting to be in labor! We decided it would be best if we got some sleep, so we finally went to bed at midnight. As soon as I got into bed, I started having contractions, one after the other. This wasn’t supposed to happen! It was supposed to be the other way around.
At one point, I thought to myself, “If I’m only 3 cm. dilated, I’m going to have to go to the hospital and get drugs. This is killing me!” At the time, I didn’t know I had dilated from 2 cm to 8 cm in one hour. I tried to wake Joe up, but he was totally out of it, so I went to the top of the stairs and called down to Daphne, but she didn’t hear me either. I had to shake Joe to wake him up, and he got Daphne to come up and check me. She couldn’t believe I was that close, and got on the phone right away to tell Leslie. Joe called his mom, and she came right away. Daphne was still nursing Trillium and, of course, she woke up with all the commotion. So, Joe’s mom took her for a drive to get her back asleep.
Leslie got there just in time to help me get into a good pushing position. I was holding Joe’s hand while I was pushing. He was going to catch the baby; but, when it was time, I couldn’t let go of his hand! Asa Joseph was born after ten minutes of pushing—a 9 lb. 10 oz. boy. Not even a skid mark this time!
Our 2 other boys had been asleep in the same room, and woke up in time for the birth. They were still in their crib when Asa was born, so they didn’t actually get to see the birth, but someone got them out right after, and they were really excited.
I was much more apprehensive this time around. With my first child, I had looked forward to labor. I didn’t have any preconceived notions, so there was little fear. This time, however, I was aware that there would be pain and I would have to endure it. I’d also had such a beautiful, uncomplicated, perfect birthing the first time that I didn’t think that it could possibly go as smoothly—but I was wrong.
I was a week past my due date and my mother had flown here from New York about ten days before. She was planning on leaving in three days, so the pressure was on. I awoke Tuesday morning, a bit saddened that I hadn’t gone into labor that night. At about 9:00 A.M., I started having slight contractions but didn’t think much of it because, I had been thinking all week that every contraction might be the start of labor.
By 11:00 A.M., I was thinking that maybe this was it, so I called Daphne, my midwife, and told her that maybe I was in labor, but probably not. I still wasn’t really convinced that I was going to have my baby today.
When Linda showed up (Daphne’s assistant), and started setting up for the birth, I decided to call my husband, Michael, and have him come home. It was noon and I finally realized that today was the day. As soon as Daphne showed up, I went into full swing. Things started moving real fast. With each contraction I opened up 1 cm. I was glad it was happening quickly, for my contractions were quite intense. It was all I could do to stay on top of them and ride them out. I just kept thinking to myself, “open, open, stay loose.”
Transition happened and I was ready to push. Someone went and told my mother and my son to come in; I pushed twice or so, and there she was—a tiny little head, and then her perfect body. I was told it was a girl and was thrilled. It was 2:30 P.M. and I was the happiest woman in the world.
Jacob’s Birth by KimMost people told me that after the first baby, the second one is easier. Well, they were wrong! My second child was pretty difficult. In the first place, I didn’t even know how far along I was, because I was nursing my first child when I conceived.
Anyway, one day, at my dad’s house, I started feeling sick to my stomach and getting cramps. That lasted for about 2 hours. I decided to call Daphne, my midwife, and tell her how I was feeling. She told me to come into the clinic and she would look at me. I was dilated to 2 centimeters, and was in labor. I was really excited. We all went to my house (where I was going to have the baby), and waited. I dilated all the way to 8 centimeters, but my cervix was too thick. I was getting tired from all the contractions, so I decided to lay down and get some rest. When I woke up, everything was back to normal. I wasn’t dilated anymore. I was upset, and everyone who had come to see the baby be born was tired and disappointed. 14 hours of false labor!
Two days later, my body tried to have the baby again. 12 more hours of false labor! Now, I was getting kind of tired of this false labor stuff, and I think the midwives were too.
Finally, one week later, at about 8:00 A.M., I started having some contractions. So, I called Daphne. Five minutes later, my water broke. Boy, was I excited! Daphne told me to lie down, because we thought the baby would come real easy and fast. All the midwives rushed over to my house, and I called everyone else, to let them know. At first, my contractions were not very strong. Then, they started getting REALLY strong. I was breathing through the contractions very well at first; but then, I lost control and wanted to push. Daphne told me not to, but I did anyway. She said she saw the head, and I just wanted to push and get this baby out. I pushed the head out, but the baby was so big, he got stuck and I couldn’t push him any more. Daphne told me to roll over on my hands and knees and push. I pushed as hard as I could, and finally he came out. I was so relieved and glad. It was another boy! Yeah! A 10 lb. baby boy! Success!!
Christopher’s Birth by LucyThe pregnancy and birth of my first child was the most beautiful and spiritual experience of my life. After nine years of marriage, my husband, Mitchel, and I felt ready to have children. We had waited to start a family until we felt settled and secure with ourselves; we had traveled, completed professional degrees, bought a house, and worked the kinks out of our relationship. We were very happy together, and the conception of our child was a spontaneous, yet welcome, occurrence.
I knew I was pregnant immediately, although the first test had a negative result. After a month and a half, a positive result confirmed my intuition, and I found that intuition was my best guide throughout the whole experience. As a teacher of macrobiotic nutrition, I was exceptionally sensitive to careful nutrition. My general diet consists of whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruit, beans, sea vegetables, nuts and seeds. I supplemented this diet with small amounts of fish, eggs, and yogurt whenever I craved them. I found that my body was very good at telling me what I needed, and I ate flexibly, with an occasional pastry, candy bar, or ice cream cone contributing to the baby’s growth!
From early in the pregnancy, I felt the child was a boy. I also felt that he was healthy, and very strong. By the middle of the fifth month I could feel him kicking and moving around, although his head was positioned downward from very early on. I was active through most of those months, gardening, housecleaning, taking brisk walks as often as I could. In the seventh month, I took an aerobics for pregnancy class twice a week. This continued through the eighth month, and helped keep my circulation moving and my muscles relaxed. My husband and I also took a Bradley Method childbirth class. In these classes we practiced relaxation and visualization techniques, as well as discussed birthing and child care.
Until the eighth month, I had no negative effects from the pregnancy. I felt that proper diet had eliminated morning sickness, varicose veins, stretch marks, constipation, and a host of other common problems. However, at that time, I began experiencing some swelling in my right ankle — it was fairly minor and, each evening, Mitchel massaged my feet. Although it was not uncomfortable, I feel the water retention was probably a result of increased salt and water in my diet, since it occurred during the hottest month of summer. I did eventually develop some stretch marks, too! During most of the pregnancy I had a great appetite, and I gained almost fifty pounds. As the due date neared, I was looking forward to getting thin again!
Because the pregnancy had gone so smoothly, we were confident that the birth would go well also. We had confidence in our midwife, Daphne, and we felt good about our decision to have a home birth. We prepared the birth needs weeks ahead of time, just in case— but the due day arrived and passed with little more than a light contraction or two. We knew the baby was a big one from the size of my belly. He was still kicking and hiccoughing, but I began to get rather anxious about his size. After a week of waiting, at 41 weeks, we discussed the possibility of a non- stress test, which required a hospital visit. I wasn’t pleased with that prospect!
That night, I lay awake for two hours, feeling the weight of the baby and thinking about the possibilities of a problem birth. I’m sure I mentally induced labor because, shortly after, the amniotic sac broke, and the fluid began leaking out! I called Daphne, and she told me to go back to sleep, since contractions hadn’t begun! I did go back to sleep, and Daphne arrived early that morning to check things out. She stayed a couple of hours, and contractions remained light, about fifteen minutes apart. Naturally, as soon as she left they speeded up, and got quite strong. By noon, the contractions were about five minutes apart and intense. Daphne arrived and began setting up for the birth, and her assistant, Angie, came soon after.
By two o’clock, the contractions were coming quickly, and were very strong. Mitchel had been rubbing my back and shoulders, and I found that standing was the most comfortable position. Daphne suggested I take a hot bath, which felt wonderful and was very relaxing. Transition was thus spent in the tub, and I thought the time was just flying by. I was getting strong urges to begin pushing. Daphne checked my cervix, then said it was okay, although a small lip still remained. At this point, things seem very dreamlike to me now — the cervix refused to move, but Daphne was able to slip it around the baby’s head as it moved down. After two hours, the head crowned — and then came the really hard part! I was simply unable to push that head out! Contraction after contraction came, but I was tired and not a very effective pusher. We were squatting on the edge of a futon bed Mitchel had make; he was holding me up for each contraction, and helping me relax between them.
Finally, after almost an hour of crowning, Daphne mentioned the possibility of an episiotomy. That must have really gotten our adrenaline flowing, because on the next contraction, Mitchel picked me up and squeezed me, giving me some of his energy, and out came the head! I pushed the shoulders out easily, and Daphne set our son on my belly.
I was so tired, I just reached down to feel between his legs to see if it was indeed a boy! He was big baby, and he lay on me making little gurgling noises. Then he just looked up at Mitchel and me, staring at us as though he wanted to see us more than we wanted to see him! The placenta also was delivered easily, and we named our son Christopher Joseph and put him to my breast. He started sucking right away, and he never left my arms until much later that night. I did have a small tear in the perineum, which needed to be stitched. While that was done, Mitchel and Christopher went to sleep together on the couch, the first of many mutual naps!
Altogether, the labor seemed timeless and surreal. The water had broken at 4am; active contractions began at noon; transition was around 3pm; and the birth occurred at 7pm. Throughout the experience, we were happy to be home, and we were very grateful to Daphne for her patience and calm sense of timing. The birth was so peaceful and unrushed, and I had a strong sense that Christopher chose the time to fit his needs and desires. He was indeed a big baby, weighing 9 lbs and 4 oz. He is healthy and strong and, as the doctor who came to check him the next day confirmed, absolutely perfect in every way!