Rainbows

I am happy to announce the birth of Hannah Ruth Baker on November 29, 2012. Hannah's was my first rainbow birth as a doula. Hannah was born into water at home and into her mom's hands at 9PM the day before the one year birthday anniversary of her twin brothers, Henry and Elijah, who were still born, born to heaven on November 30, 2011.

These baby's that come after the heartbreak of loss and that bring new hope, promise of a bright future, have come to be called rainbow babies. Hannah's mom says it best, "Rainbow Babies" is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears, it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope."

I thought, as did Mama Robin, that Hannah would come in December. I joked that she should come on my birthday 12/3 or on the much notorious 12/12/12! The morning of 11/29 we all thought Robin was having warm up practice contractions. It was throwing things off balance, very disconcerting to think that Hannah could possibly come so close to her brothers birthday, maybe even on their birthday. What was God doing, I asked myself. And I prayed.

9:07AM text from Robin: Stronger, not closer. Backache and feel like need to pee with them.

I got kind of jumpy since Robin has such quick births.  I can testify to that since I've been Robin's doula four other times. I wanted to go up to Temecula and be with Robin. But she reassured me that they were plenty spaced out and didn't want me to come up for these "multip braxtons"* as she called them. Robin even timed a few for me. They were still 15 minutes apart.

In a few hours it became clear that Hannah and God had picked this day for her special birthday. I passed the afternoon in my office while Robin stayed busy preparing and delivering a new mommy's encapsulated placenta. Robin and her mom, Ruth, were also sewing up a storm. They finished little Hannah's coral and turquoise curtains and dust ruffle, then at 2PM Robin and her mom did Robin's belly cast!

Robin shared something really special - in a text of course.

"Really intense one while driving to deliver placenta pills. Was thinking of twins. Boom, huge rainbow during contraction. Awww"

1:05PM text from Robin: Last cntrx could feel cervix opening. Feels like pulling cramp inside. So cool!

Rosie: I'm jealous

Robin: Lmao. We are so weird! 

Robin: More mucous plug just now ....a red clump

Rosie: Love the play-by-play : ) What's for dinner tonight? How far apart now?

Question:Who could be texting about mucous, bloody show and dinner in one sentence?
Answer: A Doula

By 5PM Robin couldn't type or her text didn't make much sense so I knew it was time to head over. I was on the I-15 headed north when Robin's text to me read, "That one hurt, lasted 1.5 minutes"  Next text was that the hot pack felt really good on her back.  That's when I realized that she was in her doula head. And she is a great doula! So now what could I, her doula, do for her? What could I do for Robin when she knew comfort measures, what works, what doesn't, all so well?
I would hold the space for her. I would love her three excited little boys! Heck, even if I did nothing Robin would know that my love for her was present. I could pray. I could always pray. I prayed all the way up to Temecula!

When I walked into the house Grandma Ruth had the three boys lined up in front of her. She was having a serious talk with them. Something about mama having the baby and if grandma asked them to do something she would need cooperation.  "What is cooperation?" asked Owen.

I went to find Robin.  First I found Michael in the kitchen on the laptop finishing up some work. After chatting with Michael a bit Robin sauntered down the stairs. "Rosie were you trying to miss this birth? I'm 8 centimeters!" She was in the cutest bikini and looked like a model, not at all in labor land. Robin did some contractions there in the kitchen, leaning on the counter, while giving some last minute directions to her team. I was familiar with Robin's busy efficient labor routine. I told the midwife, Caydee, "She'll fold clothes and stay busy until she gets in the water, then the baby will come out." I may have been thrown off by her nonchalant seemingly comfortable labor if I didn't know Robin so well.

When Robin did go upstairs to get into the tub everything slowed way down. The energy was shifting. Michael was reading night time stories to the boys and singing to them like he does every night. His singing to his children always makes me cry. Soon the boys came to kiss Robin goodnight while she labored in the warm tub. The boys were all chatty about who wanted to be woken up for the birth. After the boys were tucked in Robin and Mike spent alone time while we (Andrea, Caydee, Victoria, Ruth, Erika and I) made ourselves sparse downstairs. Andrea Meyer was the senior midwife, the backup for Michelle Freund. Michelle was out of town. Caydee was Michelle's assistant who has a relationship with Robin so she acted as the main midwife that night. Victoria was the photographer and then there was just Ruth, Robin's mom, Erika, Robin's sister, and me, the doula.

Soon Robin was sounding more active and we joined them in the bathroom. Robin has one of those big, very roomy bathrooms with a large deep tub.  Mike seemed pretty cool for being watched by six women encircled around he and his bride. He was focused on Robin, they were cheek to cheek. Our total focus and attention was on Robin too. The music was lovely. The stage was set. It was 8:30PM.

7-18-13 Today I will try to finish this birth story.
As I read my words above I wondered why I had not finished Hannah's birth story. I believe that I got emotional and it was too hard. It was at this point in Robin's labor that she cried and Mike wiped her tears. It's not unusual for a woman to cry at this point in labor.

But Robin's tears were for her twin boys. The last time she'd been pushing she was pushing out Henry and Elijah. And it broke my heart to remember that day. I held those precious boys and grieved with Robin and Mike. The music played away in the background. All I could think of is that while honoring the twins we could, we would. choose. to. honor. this. new. life. We would be grateful, be present. I prayed for words to share with Robin. To make it okay. But she was more whole, more knowing, more strong than I could know. Our Father God was with her. Robin took her time experiencing her grief as long as she could while not delaying Hannah's moment to shine. And shine she did!

In the steamy bathroom Hannah slipped into the world, into the tub filled with warm water, into Robin's hands. Into a room filled with witnesses that were changed forever. It was 9PM.

Hannah meets her Mommy

Then she greets her Daddy

Time stood still as it does when we take the time to notice natures miracles. To me time stands still at each sunset and sunrise...and at each birth. Birth commands our attention. Everyone reading this may also want to take a moment. Take a deep breath. It's called The Birth Pause. Moments like Hannah's birth deserve a moment, a prayer. Mommies and babies need to catch their breath, both literally and figuratively, after the journey of birth. Soon enough time moves on.

It seems like I ran around the rest of the night in a fog, trying to be helpful and not be in the way. I made Robin's herbal bath and fixed up some light snack for her that she never ate. She was enraptured by her beautiful, perfect, chubby, pink baby GIRL! Of course we knew Hannah was a girl but we weren't prepared for the full reality of her. It's like you know when your pregnant you are having a baby but meeting baby face to face is always such a shock, a delight, a miracle!!! 

Michael got out his guitar and sang to Hannah. Then Robin and Mike slipped into their bed and took turns holding their daughter. Caydee did the newborn exam. Hannah weighed 7lbs1oz.

Then Robin and Hannah went back into a fresh tub of warm water, a herbal bath that was good medicine for healing Robin's perineum. 

It is 1AM  and I am the last one to slip into the night and leave the new family to nurse and sleep. Guess which one Mike did and which one Robin did.

Today you will find Robin busy juggling her three fun boys and her toddling laughing Hannah. Along with motherhood Robin has a busy Placenta Encapsulation business, a Birth Photography business, Doula clients calling and she is a part time dental hygienist. *Whew*

Here is Hannah's birth featured on Birth Without Fear website.

http://www.birthblessingsphotography.com/blog/

Hannah & Rosie Time

https://www.facebook.com/BirthBlessingsPhoto

11/4/13 After Thoughts
Now that Hannah's first birthday is fast approaching I am thinking more and more about Hannah, her mommy-my friend, and the gift of knowing them, the blessing of being their Doula.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Life can be bumpy, but when I consider the blessing poured out and received into my heart each time I am honored to attend birth I am speechless. Not quite actually, as you can see here I am not speechless. But finding words is challenging. In all honesty I am often ashamed of any weak moment that I might forget my fortune and whine or complain about the bumps. Welcoming sweet wet brilliant babies earthside is as close to heaven as I can imagine.  I thank God for calling me to birth work.


 *Multip definition

Birth News

Robin laboring with Owen 2007

I love being a birth doula! I love my clients! I love being on-call! I even feel out of sorts when I am not on-call.  I think my revised schedule of taking one or two families every month is perfect for me. This allows me to look forward to my prenatal and postpartum meetings, still see my grandchildren and my large extended family and attend some doula circles and some continuing education (Rebozo, Spinningbabies, Neonatal Resuscitation).

I would love to share with you the last few birth stories and some photos of the amazing, inspirational families I meet! But the premise of doula work is that it's private. "It's Your Body, Your Baby, Your Birth" is not just a empty quote. It is her birth. Her's to process, grieve, celebrate, revel in, share intimately or with the world! It's the new Mommy's story. She made a baby, a whole new world, she made herstory!

If I attended your birth please let me know if you would like to share your birth story here (with my two readers) or share the birth story I wrote here. Or if I can link your webpage and your story ~ that would be nice too.

I will share just a bit, scattering the details so these stories could be anyone's.  Labor Day is a good day to labour in childbirth, rightly so don't you think? Last year and again this year I attended Labor Day births.  This year a first time mom had her baby in 6 hrs. 20 minutes. Her grace, her delicately selected, sweet, soft words were magical. At one point I was across the Birth Center suite as she labored in the warm tub, encouraging her baby, urging him with loving words to come into her arms. Only the midwife, who was by moms side, heard her words. I could see this midwife was moved. I only wished I'd been within earshot.

I attended a homebirth the next day. I got the call at like 4AM, arrived at  4:30AM and baby was born at 4:44AM. I am so glad that I had spent a day the week before listening to mom's fears and doing some prodromal, prelabor contractions with her. When her contractions did not change and it was getting late, mom took a hot shower, we did some side lying release and I tucked her in bed with a hot water bottle on her back. She slept through the night and I went home in the morning. A week later I barely had time to say a few words of encouragement and BABY WAS HERE!

I especially enjoyed interacting with the older sibling at this homebirth. The 3 year old big sister was such a delightful, sweet and busy birth attendant as the sun rose on her baby sisters birth day!

A few days ago I attended another first time Mommy. She gave birth in a Birth Center that does not do water births. The midwives do not have permission to catch babies in the water. They have nice labor tubs that women can use to labor in (Moms LOVE the warm water!). Then they move the woman to the bed for the birth. The birth should not happen in the water. Last night this FANTASTICALLY laboring woman surprised the midwife when her baby almost slipped out in the water - Oops. The midwife had stepped out of the room, thinking the mom would be pushing a little longer. I noticed a good size caput of baby slip out during the next contraction and called the midwife back. The mom stood up and the midwife caught the baby. The midwife handed the baby back to the new Mommy and  Mommy sat back down in the warm water with her baby, cord still attached. Kind of tickles me that it was virtually a water birth. 

Sometimes when I meet with prospective clients in the interview time or meet prenatally with families, I ask them to give some thought to the question, "if you could be born again how would you like to be born?" Some may think I'm silly to ask. Some go on a hunt for their original birth story and then their new birth story (imaginary of course) of choice. It's good to put the question out there. Then now, do you know for yourself how you would like to be born (where, when, with who, etc)?  Ask your unborn baby how he or she would like to be born. Spend evenings, days, weeks asking and see if you don't get a sense of what baby is telling you. These three moms listened...listened to their own story and to their baby's story. It seems as clear as a clear crisp day that all happened just as it was supposed to. ♥

"Beautiful Day For A Baby!"

Stay tuned, a great movie is coming out! If you loved reading Spiritual Midwifery, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, or Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta, you will love this movie. Here is the Trailer.






Two filmmaking mothers have given birth to this beautiful film.  Sara Lamm and Mary Wigmore were inspired by the important work of world-famous midwife Ina May Gaskin and her incredible colleagues. They spent the last two and a half years juggling cameras, microphones, hard drives, preschool drop offs, nursing infants, pregnancy, editing schedules, babysitting schedules, American express bills, and vomiting four-year-olds, and as they say, "We are now ready, we are finally pushing this baby out!"
 
At the Los Angeles Film Fest Premire this movie won the AUDIENCE AWARD




If you haven't read Ina May's work go here.

If you want to purchase the movie donate $25 towards it's completion and circulation by clicking  here.

After watching this movie, if you think to yourself, like I did years ago, "Oh I wish I could have my baby on The Farm" (this is where the movie takes place and Ina May catches babies), I hope you know that there is a lovely, many lovely, qualified home birth midwives in your neighborhood. I believe you have the power to create the type of birth you desire. Heck when your baby was just a twinkle in your eye you had enough energy to create her, conceive her! With God's help you can keep that good woman power flowing. I found my Farm birth and so can you. Believe. 


God bless you, Rosie

It Ain't Right!

Today I read Childbirth Videos: Helpful or Hard to Watch? , another good article on the dilemma I've been thinking about for some time. I think it is valuable for women of all ages, men too, to know how babies are born. It is too bad that many movies present birth as a dramatic event, when often times birth is down right boring. Oops! Did I just say that? Did no one ever tell you that? Boring. Birth is boring. Heck, not to the mom who is giving birth, not to the daddy waiting to catch his baby and not to me who is a birth nut (and you if you are reading this). But if one is not aware that there is a very holy thing happening when a new person is born, if a birth attendant is not in love with this family then they should not be in the room. They will be bored. If you are just looking at the mechanics of birth and not the LOVE quotient then birth is boring. It's like watching people make love. Do you look the other way or stare at Public Displays of Affection? I don't know many people that stare. That's how birth should be. Janet Isaacs Ashford wrote Natural Love: A Parody. It's a fictional account of newlyweds Kate and Sam, who take a class in "prepared love," and are admitted to the hospital's "natural love room." But many intrusions by staff and the use of monitoring devices cause things to go awry and their love must be mechanically resolved.

Recently I viewed Shiloh's quick and peaceful water birth. I realized my favorite births and birth videos and teaching tools involve births where you never see the baby's head crowning. I like to think that this baby was conceived in private, grew in mommy's belly in private and will be mothered the rest of his life in private (for the most part). Why should this baby be born into strangers hands with mom in an uncomfortable position, spread eagle, splayed out, for the convenience of this stranger, doctor, catcher????

In my town there is a television news commentator and investigative reporter, named Turko. Everyone in Southern California knows about The Turko Files. The slogan and quip this commentator uses is, "It Ain't Right". He goes on to right wrongs, seeking justice for the everyday citizen. "It Ain't Right!" keeps ringing in my head when I watch women birthing on their backs. Call me a Turko want-to-be but these women are made to look like turkeys; on their back, feet in stirrups, sometimes with strangers hands up all the way up the birth canal, vagina, baby slide, whatever you want to call it, not unlike a turkey. It's not right! I got angry the other night and my boyfriend joined in the list of funny and not-so-funny reasons that this supine positioning for birth is so WRONG. He said something hilarious (side note: he's the funniest man on the planet!), I laughed so hard I started crying and then I did cry. When will hospitals let women birth intuitively, in whatever position is good for the mom (which usually means it's the position baby needs too)? Get off your back! How many of us have only had sex on our back? Okay sometimes maybe, but always???? Nope.

Last week I had the honor of attending a woman's homebirth. She gave birth to her baby in a small deep warm pool of water. During her labor she always made great progress when we left her alone, in the privacy of her bedroom, with her man. During the birth she stayed in the middle of the pool (in her kitchen) providing herself an isolated space, where no one could interfere with her work. It was even hard for the midwife to reach her belly to take fetal heart tones (but of course the midwife did get FHT, looking like a trapeze artist, balancing on the pools edge!). We (the midwife, father, doula) never saw this Mama's bottom, perineum, vagina, as baby was born. Mom was in a sqatting position in the middle of the pool, with HER hand on her yoni. Mom felt her baby crown and only after baby's head was born did the dad and midwife help by supporting baby's head (not pulling on it). We saw baby's cute face through the water but we did not see Mama's vagina. Nope, there was no need to be staring at this birthing woman's vagina! Then mom pushed out the body and then received her baby.

Side Note: after mom got out of water, she went to bed to birth the placenta. After a while the midwife checked her perineum for lacerations. No repair was needed. I was not present, it was very private. No extra people staring at this angelic Mommy's vagina! She just had a beautiful, hard but beautiful, Home Birth After Cesarean.

Since we no longer live in small towns where neighbors look out for each other like in early settler days, days when women cared for each other in childbirth, strong brave women rolled up their sleeves, came in from the fields and birthed their young or helped a neighbor give birth (they were not delivered), it is almost impossible for most of us to know that women don't birth on their backs. If left to your own instincts where would you birth? Who knows? I had two hospital births and one homebirth, all on my back. I was conditioned. I was compliant. I was fortunate back then, 25 years ago, to have vaginal births. Some women that have cesareans may have avoided them by having the freedom to move around in labor. Many cesarean sections could be prevented if women could push in her good time, with her body's urgings, in the position that feels right for her. I know many brave strong women. Some have birthed by cesarean section, some on their backs in hospital, some standing in birth centers, and some how ever they want at home.

I am very amazed at my fortune, I am rich to know these women, I am truly blessed to be a Birth Doula. I would like to be a good Turko and report that today we went from "It Ain't Right" to "It's All Right! Let this Mama birth how she sees fit"...in my lifetime? In my childrens life time? I pray it's so.

Love you madly, Rosie

Ada's Birthday

Rixa at Stand and Deliver has done it again! She finds the best studies, books, crafts and birth stuff! I hardly ever blog anymore because I am so busy reading other great blogs!!! Probably even yours! I'm not a good writer, but I am a great copier :) I want to point my pregnant mama friends, daughters, neighbors and doula clients to healthy birthing resources! Normal birth is a rare thing, but it is happening - really - really really. Everyday. Next door. Women are having babies without poking, prodding, questioning. We are made to birth! Our bodies know how to birth. Do not doubt it. Believe. It is a very doable, lovely, powerful, messy, huge, you, me, God, the world thing!!!!

Linked in the Title and here, http://azuroo.blogspot.com/2010/04/baby-adas-birthday.html, is a must read. And watch the video that is linked in this birth story, it is perfect. Here is what I see at home birth alot of the time. Welcome baby Ada! Your big sister has a great name : ) it's my name too, Rosie!

The language of Birth

posted by magalidieux

Homebirth in San Diego...Homework

I recently had the challenge of finding an available homebirth midwife for a mommy due next month, in December. Many midwifes are booked full or on holiday: Brooke Ray, Jamin Sylvada, La Shel Montgomery and Gerri Ryan and Michelle Freund . By the way all of these website links are worth reading thoroughly! But fortunately Andrea Meyers and Sara Davis are available to meet with mom. After finding out that some of my old lists have wrong numbers and some midwives have moved and there are some awesome new midwifes in town I decided I need to revise my "Midwives With Home Birth Practices in San Diego County" list. I'll be working on this along with how many places are there to rent birth tubs and how much does it cost? It has been so many years since I planned my own home birth it was even before I met Barbara Harper, Waterbirth International! So I didn't even know about water birth back then - 24 years ago!

You might be wondering why, me being a doula and all, I do not have all the most current information at hand. To be completely honest (always), I believe that it is the pregnant family's responsibility to select their care provider. I happen to know and love a few special midwifes. I have taken midwifery apprentice workshops. I have watched midwifes be born, hatched from Doula to Licensed Midwife (CD, LM) with great joy and admiration. I will recommend a midwife if asked. But most of the time when a family is meeting with me to consider my doula services they already have a care provider. I respect the family's decision. It's when mom is unhappy with her care, finds out the provider's saying one thing and doing another, mom has had a change of heart (and all of us women have every right to change our minds ;)...that I will encourage mom to sit with her true feelings, bravely seek out her deepest desire, investigate the options. ...That brings me to my homework...

It does take some WORK and planning to prepare for your home birth, buying supplies, eating right, praying and meditating...isn't that what we do everyday anyway? Hmmmm well that's about it! Then there is the WORK of Labour and the intimate, hungry, up and down days of postpartum recovery - WORK. The WORK of parenting of course and most importantly the WORK of partnering with the other half of the adults in the family : ) and loving them completely, utterly, totally. (Okay, that part is sounding too fun!!! But isn't that what got the baby in there?) Like my grandma said, BUSY hands make a happy heart :) and speaking for myself an old crone, with an empty nest, the WORK is so worth it! The satisfaction is great; the fulfillment that comes from the WORK of mothering, and partnering is undeniably earth shaking stuff! It is heartening, enriching, exciting, scary...Be brave young women, young mothers; the drama is over all too soon. The tide of your life will have ebbs and flows. From time to time take a step back from the middle of the swirling waters and watch it from afar. It is a beautiful life. Artistic. Mysterious. A Masterpiece.

Keep a look out for my completed cheat sheet of 'Homebirthin in San Diego' coming soon...

P.S. Do you know how hard it is for a midwife to say "I'm going on vacation" or "I can't take anymore clients"? Really hard. They are so dedicated to their WORK, to families, mommies and the babies!T hank you baby catchers for taking your much needed family time, breaks, and retreats!

My cup runneth over, Rosie

The 7 Secrets of Being a Homebirth Dad

Hurray, I've found another great blog! LOVE IT! Above is the link to a lovely midwife from Australia, her blog, her knowledge, her bravery, her humor. You don't want to scroll past this one! Thanks again to Robin Elise Weiss at About.com Guide to Pregnancy/Birth, who pointed me this way - Wow, I've been reading Robin since 1989! Enjoy. -R

Hmmm on a different note, I sure know a lot of women named Robin. I've had a few doula clients named Robin. One has moved to Australia and now lives in Africa (congratulations on your new baby girl!). Some of the coincidences that happen as a doula are funny. One time I had like three Stephanie's at the same time. Once I had clients that were due close together and lived close together. I had to really think about which house I was driving to! Can you imagine me showing up at the wrong home in the middle of the night (when labor always happens)! My boyfriend calls me his personal Thomas Bros (map) or his GPS (global positioning system) because I know my way around so many neighborhoods in San Diego!

Speaking of far off places, I have a doula friend who moved to Israel. I miss my doula friends who move. Another one is in Northern CA and one is in Arizona. I learned so much from my doula clients who were from Newfoundland, Thanks Kevin! I've learned about different music, religions and cultures in my birth travels. I love to hear about the care that women in other cultures receive. I think that American women should receive longer maternity leave and more prenatal rituals.

Here are some of the things I learned about the rituals of India.
The Indian baby shower is called the “godh bharai” in Hindi (“srimanth” in Gujarat, “dohale jewan” in Maharashtra). It is held in the seventh month of the pregnancy. It consists of a dinner party for all relatives and a ceremonious part which in most cases only women attend. Everyone is dressed up almost as for a wedding.The mother-to-be is given a small red dot on her forehead for good luck. Her mother and mother-in-law fill her lap (hence “godh bharai”: “godh” for her lap and “bharna” “to fill”) with gifts that are considered good omens: jewelry, gifts, and one rupee and a quarter rupee coins. Her sister-in-law ties a yellow thread around her right wrist: this “nada chhadi” will protect her and her child from evil spirits.
One couple told me that the women are covered with sweet fragrant flowers and taken into her mothers home where she is fed special foods and cared for diligently. The women goes back to her husband and her home only after her baby can raise his head! Another couple I met was lucky enough to have both grandmas’ take turns coming from India to San Diego to provide the special foods and care for mom postpartum. No postpartum doula could beat that!

What are your family customs around birth, death, marriage? Any daily customs? Mine is to pray. My grandmothers were praying women. I hope to pass this custom on to my children and grandchildren.

Birth brings the world together on many levels. It helped me during my labors and has helped many laboring women to remember all the women giving birth around the world at that moment and to call on the love and support of her ancestors that have given birth before her. Mothers have a special connection. No matter where in the world I travel I am at home around birth. -Rosie

A BEAUTIFUL VIDEO
Here's a link to a beautiful video of one family's journey through the births of their children--from natural hospital births to homebirths to unassisted homebirth:
http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=4ac8e7d36cef07fba37a44&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url
What a wonderful, inspiring video! Enjoy!

Inspirational Quotes
"I am part of the homebirth movement because.........because we are too short, too tall, too thin, too small of foot, too old, too young, too wide, and our pelvises are too narrow, too small, too untried, or unproven or the wrong shape, and our uteruses are too scarred, or pointing the wrong way, or we are too multiparous, too fertile, too infertile, too female, too small, too big, too fat, too emotional, too detached, too strong, too weak, too intelligent, too well designed to birth, not designed well enough, and our vaginas are too scarred, too unproven, not stretchy enough or too stretchy, and we're too inconvenient, too unpredictable, too demanding, too informed, too loud, too messy, and our bodies labour too long or not long enough, and our cervices don't dilate 1cm an hour on command and because when you hire a surgeon you get surgery and hospitals are for sick people… and so for these and many other reasons, we are part of the homebirth movement."- Janet Fraser
************************************************************
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/youcant.htm

From Ani DiFranco:


I was in labor for 43 hours. Pushed for five hours. It was brutal and scary and prolonged, and if I was in a hospital, they would have definitely cut the baby out of me. I thank the goddesses that I was at home with patient midwives who knew how to go the distance. The memory of pain always recedes. The memory of triumph does not.

I would definitely choose a homebirth again despite the fear mongering of this patriarchal society, which convinces women that they are incapable of having babies without the intervention of men and their machines. I look at societies where women are marginalized and oppressed their whole lives (even covered head to toe in tarps!) but are still in control of birthing practice, in a whole new way now. I mean, who is really more advanced?

To take birthing out of women's hands and deny us the continuum of eons of wisdom and experience is to eject us from the very seat of our power. I believe that women in hospitals are prevented from being able to have normal, healthy birthing experiences because of the intimidation of being on the clock, being pressured to take drugs to make it quicker, being inhibited in their movement and activities, and alienated by a sterile, fluorescent lit, feet-in-the- air type environment.

You know the classic "performance anxiety" of not being able to pee or poo because somebody's watching you? Multiply that by a million! A cervix is a sphincter after all!

Then to add tragic insult to injury women are numbed through their great moment of revelation. I believe the act of giving birth to be the single most miraculous thing a human being can do and it is surely the moment when a lot of women finally understand the depth of their power and connection to all of nature. You think it can't possibly be done, you think you can't possibly take the pain, and then you do — and afterward you look at yourself in a whole new way. If you can do that, you can do anything.

Listen to Ani here http://www.righteousbabe.com/ani/

Homebirth vs. Hospital Birth - the Doulas Role

Homebirth vs. Hospital Birth – the Doulas Role by Rosie Peterson
The prenatal meetings are different when a women is planning a homebirth.
1) the couple is usually more educated about The Four P's of Labor (Passenger, Passageway, Powers & Psyche), but we cannot assume so as the doula I provide educational resources - education is important.
2) One of the meetings you will be required to attend is the 'dress rehearsal' a meeting that the midwife sets up. Everyone that plans to be at the birth should be in attendance.
3) If the midwife hasn't already, give information about renting birth tub, possible locations to put up tub. I like to walk around the home and maybe the yard and neighborhood more (I do this with hospital clients too) to get a feel for where the women might labor and birth.
Labor - After arriving at the home the Midwife might like to speak to you by phone about mom's progress since you'll probably be with mom before midwife arrives. Home births are why I like to keep my neonatal resuscitation card current - although I've never had to use it. I've not ever been the catcher - yet. : )
Homebirthers sometimes have quick labors - stay alert and know women's prior birth history.
I interact (dance) quietly with Midwife and her assistants more than I do with hospital staff. At hospital birth I often feel the need to have verbal interaction with nurse but at home births I already know the midwife so our interaction is done in silence. It is important to make room and allow midwife and/or assistant to do their assessments while at the same time keeping vigilant watch for mom’s needs.
Postpartum - Most of the work I do at home births I do postpartum, i.e., doing wash, making food for family and midwives, taking care of siblings, taking pictures etc.
It's a birthday party! Sometimes a low-key, modest, unfussy, peacefully, tuck everyone back in bed for the night after sweet bonding time. And sometimes a more festive with music, good people and good food event. But the home births I’ve attended have all been fun!

I especially like that the placenta is not rushed and the official newborn exam is…whenever
(Although mom and baby are monitored throughout labor & thoroughly and often postpartum)
I have a sweet memory of a recent homebirth where after the birth of the placenta (and mom/baby assessments) and before the newborn exam the midwife, her assistant and her apprentice all found a corner to sleep in and the house was strewn with sleeping people. I tiptoed away from a lovely snoring houseful! It was 1:30p.m. (Baby was born at 11am).

Even the time when mom was transported to hospital for retained placenta is a lovely memory… While we waited after the birth for the placenta mom had nursed well, baby had even burped and nursed some more. Mom tried various things to let go of placenta to no avail. When going to hospital was decided mom choose to leave baby with grandma at home. We made the trip to and back from hospital in two hours. Mom went to bed with her baby. She was a beautiful, grateful, happy mommy. Satisfied with herself for a job well done!
-Rosie Peterson