Harlan's Beautiful Homebirth

We didn't transfer to Monarch Midwifery from the OB we were seeing until 28 weeks. It's never too late- follow your heart! The contrast in care, education, and fear level (empowerment versus disempowerment) was incredible. Monarch treats the family, not just woman and baby, in a holistic manner. I birthed Harlan two weeks past his due date. After notifying Donna that contractions were 5 minutes apart around 9:30pm, they quickly went to 2 minutes apart around midnight and I entered a zone that I wouldn't emerge from until hours after the birth. Cher came to check on me about 1:20am; she summoned Donna as contractions were coming steady and fast. Once in the birth pool, Cher poured water over my belly rhythmically with each contraction and I labored there until Donna arrived around 3am.

Being only 3cm at 3:45am, she sent Cher and my husband to bed in the event that labor went long. She had me lay on my side in bed in the dark (Donna never has her mamas labor in bed, but she was concerned given the intensity of labor that I wouldn't have the strength to push should I go 24 hours). At 5:45am I was still only 4cm so I was given a shot of bourbon to aid in sleep between contractions. Sure enough- roar through contraction, snore for a minute, repeat. Mission accomplished.

At 6:45am contractions became very intense and my water broke. At 7am I was 7cm and by 7:10am I was complete. Transition? Was that transition? That was a fly-by, thanks for playing, 4-10 in 60 seconds, you're ready to push now transition. Active labor through delivery was "only" 8 hours, which I hear is good for first time mamas. My prenatal chiropractor stated that chiropractic patients often go faster as a result of their alignment. For 1.5 hours I pushed with each contraction (they slowed a bit in the water).

At 8:39am the head was born and at 8:41am the body followed after minor shoulder dystocia. In the end it turned out that he was 9lbs 2oz (she'd told me he was over 7lb 6-8 weeks earlier, so this was no surprise) and thus took some time to ease out. Together, my husband and Donna handed Harlan to me from the water. We sat in the tub for a while, taking one another in. He was incredibly alert and bent his head back to look for his father, the first person he'd seen after opening his eyes. He had the most amazing mouth and I will never forget that moment when I held him for the first time: "Nice to meet you, little creature. My name is Mama."

At 8:45am the little guy was suckling at the nipple and at 9am I delivered the placenta. Once the cord stopped pulsing, once my son received all of the oxygenated blood my body provided for him, my husband cut the cord.

After a few pointers from Donna, nursing was seamless. I attribute the ease of nursing to the fact that nothing interrupted Harlan's innate instincts, he was of mature (non-induced) age, and he was totally alert (no drugs). The midwifery team cleaned the birthing area, did the relevant laundry, made me scrambled eggs, and performed Harlan's newborn exam at the base of our bed.

He was perfect!

They finally left the three of us, just as the morning before; but this time little Harlan was on the outside, breathing and thriving and initiated into this earthly life. My birth experience is THE defining moment of my life. I revisit the photos often and gain power and grounding from the memories continually. Barring any complications, I will never have another child any other way. Unexpectedly, this intoxicating experience makes me want to start all over again...over and over! We chose to encapsulate the placenta and I experienced no negative post partum symptoms, set aside 3 straight days of skin-on-skin babymooning, and the transition into parenthood was smooth, warm, and remains continually positive (didn't even lose sleep thanks to co-sleeping!). I can't wait to experience all of this again, with Monarch Midwifery of course!

Scout Sophia's Home Birth

When I first found out I was pregnant, I started down a path of typical OB care. I knew very little about alternative options, even though I was not happy with the care I was receiving at the OB’s office. At the start of my second trimester, I started considering researching resources I hoped would make my experience better (like doula services), and after stumbling across the documentary, The Business of Being Born, I started to look into the midwifery model of care. A Google search led me to Monarch Midwifery, and one meet-and-greet with Donna later, I made the switch!

My husband, Doug was deployed for my whole pregnancy, with hope of a two week leave around my due date. The baby thankfully held off until his arrival state-side and we quickly went to work letting her know she could come out as soon as she was ready. Five days into Doug’s leave and two days after my “due” date, we attended an evening refresher Comfort Measures class with Dawn since Doug wasn’t able to attend birthing classes with me during my pregnancy. About half-way into the class, I noticed my Braxton Hicks contractions started to feel stronger and were coming more frequently. The ride home after class became uncomfortable and by the time I got to the house, they were coming about 10 minutes apart. I started nesting around the house a bit after calling Donna to let her know I thought things were getting started and that I would keep her up to date.

Doug went to bed and I settled into the bathtub to relax for a bit. I rested on and off throughout the night, but had a hard time really sleeping as the contractions would wake me up. By morning, I was feeling a little tired, but the contractions weren’t coming any closer together. I spent time in the shower, ate some breakfast, and did a lot of bouncing on the birthing ball. By lunch-time, I was still not convinced I was really in labor, but called Donna for encouragement. She told me to try to take a nap and call her when I woke up. I “napped” for about an hour before Doug decided to take matters into his own hands and call Donna to come on over. Donna and her midwifery student arrived around 4p and asked if I wanted to have my cervix checked. I said yes, and was happy to hear I was at 6cm and indeed really in labor. Dawn, Karen, and Rebeca arrived shortly thereafter and before I knew it, I was in the “zone”, working through each contraction as it came. I labored a lot in the tub, but as I was getting tired, Donna encouraged me to try other positions, like squatting, as well. The next few hours flew by in a blur, with everyone giving me food and water, rubbing my back, and gently encouraging me through the process. It was a wonderful feeling to be so totally supported throughout the process. Before I knew it, it was time to start pushing. I had a lip which I asked to be held so I could start pushing. I tried pushing while on the bed, but couldn’t get comfortable in that position, so we moved me onto the birthing stool. Things really took off then (thanks, gravity!) and before I knew it, Scout was crowning and Donna was encouraging me to try not to push as my body eased her out into the world. Moments later, at 9:06PM on July 15, I felt as Scout left her cozy home inside of me and was placed in my arms for the first time. It’s a moment I will never forget… I was ecstatic! The placenta came quickly and easily and everyone helped us over to our very own bed where I got to cuddle my baby as Donna and the team took care of me, my family, and the house. Doug had made a delicious batch of spaghetti, and before I knew it, I was being served a late dinner in bed while nursing Scout for the first time. No one took Scout from me, and all of her newborn care was done snuggled up on my bed.

I can’t even begin to adequately describe what a beautiful gift was given to my family through this process. The services that Monarch Midwifery are offering are amazing and I couldn’t ask for a better birth experience than what I had. You know it was good when you can’t wait for your post-partum check-ups so you can see everyone again!

Scout Sophia's Home Birth Slideshow: http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d2025673k6374807o1/scouts-birthday

Our first homebirth--Dominic Peter May

Dominic's story will always begin with our decision to have him at home.

With the 7 kids we already had filling our days and the two babies we lost last year, Bill and I have had a variety of good and bad experiences with hospital births. Over the the years good friends have shared their encouraging experiences with homebirthing, but it always sounded too risky and crunchy and not for us.

Our minds were more open after seeing the movie The Business of Being Born, and when we found out in Oct that I was pregnant again, we decided to look into homebirthing with Donna. It didn't take much--was it her saying "Stop running and gain weight"?--for me to feel like this was the right place for me to be. And that is how, after 40+ weeks of pregnancy, appointments that felt like Mom's Day Out with the kids in tow, and lots of repeating "a certified nurse midwife is a medical professional" to concerned friends and family, we found ourselves here.

At 8:40 pm on Tues I called Donna and told her--or she told me?--it was time for her to come.  Between contactions Bill and I got sleeping bags and kids together and Bill dropped them off at our friends' house.

Unfortunately, a severe thunderstorm blew in immediately after I called Donna to come, so they drove almost an hour in the pouring rain, and on the way one of their windshield wipers blew off. The room we chose for the birth flickered with the lightning outside which was a beautiful distraction for me while I bounced on a birthing ball and waited.

11:10 pm About an hour after Donna, Dawn and Karen arrived, I was at 8 cm,
  in the birth pool and laughing with Bill while telling the story of how we met.

12:30 am An hour later I realized I was having too much fun and would have
to force myself to focus if I was going to ever have a baby.

Joseph's birth had been so fast and easy that when this baby didn't just shoot out, I was surprised...and even at one point missed Pitocin!  Well, Pit does the work for you.  Without it, I had to spend several contractions praying and telling myself to move into a better position.

1:10 am with minutes to go:  In the hospital it had been hard for Bill
to be close with all the wires and tubes.  When I felt him take my hand
and start rubbing my hair during a rough contraction, I instantly relaxed.
I felt so grateful that we were where we were.

And then...tada!  1:22 am There was this little person in my arms and
Bill was grinning at me.  We all felt all along that the baby would be a girl, but we decided
to look anyway.  My determination: "It's ... an umbelical cord?"  I couldn't see.

A boy! A boy!  We have another boy!

So surprised and so happy!

Shortly after this things became more serious when I started to hemorrhage.  Donna's eyes became focused and intense beneath her headlamp as she took control of the situation.  While Donna directed everyone and massaged my uterus, Dawn gave me meds and started an IV and Bill kept time.  Karen watched and learned while quietly remaining in the background. The atmosphere was calm and under contol, and Bill and I felt very comfortable the whole time--not at all nervous or fearful.  In about 15 minutes Donna's face relaxed and she took off her headlamp and smiled. 

My barely visible IV and the fish scale are a nice juxtaposition
 of the different ends of the spectrum of midwifery care. 

Newborn exam shows we have a healthy 8 lb boy. 

We are so grateful to have little Dominic Peter here as a part of our family.  The kids are ecstatic and a little too enthusiastic to see him, kiss him and love him.  Bill will be home for a few weeks to help while I recover, and I feel typically tired but otherwise fine. Baby Dominic is breastfeeding, sleeping, snuggling, and working his way deep into our hearts just like he should.

Let's Get Started!

Monarch Midwifery has been serving Fayetteville and the surrounding areas since 2009. This blog is for all of our Monarch Mommies to have a place to share their Amazing Home Birth story with others. Enjoy!