Lori worked with this lovely couple throughout their pregnancy, in their journey from hospital birth to homebirth, and attended their beautiful homebirth on Monday, May 18th at 7:54pm.
Labor began with mom's water breaking at 2pm, and within 30 minutes contractions started. Due to the fact that rush hour was approaching, and Lori was over 40 miles away, she decided to join them "earlier" in labor (or so we thought). By the time Lori arrived at about 5:20pm, and mom was coping wonderfully with the support of her dad, as she labored, leaning forward over the edge of the bed onto pillows. This position was tiring her a bit, so she thought she'd rest, and lied down in bed. Within 30 minutes, mom started bearing down with her urges, working really well with her body and baby on preparing for birth.
She preferred to labor (and push) alone, so she went into the bathroom, where she stayed until about 7:30pm. The joke was that she'd be out of the bathroom with her baby in her arms :). At 7:30pm, the midwife wanted to check to make sure she was completely dilated, and she was, but the baby was coming down a bit cockeyed (ascynclitic), so the midwife suggested a change in position. With the next contraction, mom instinctively went into a deep squat, and the baby's head moved down further, and must have adjusted just perfectly fo the birth.
At 7:54pm, Roscoe Ellis was birthed into the welcoming arms of his mom and dad. He was beautiful and healthy, and Lori was so glad that she was able to be a part of this beautiful, empowering homebirth!!
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Childbirth is an experience in a woman's life that holds the power to transform her forever passing through these powerful gates remembering all the generations of women who walk with her. She is never alone.
Just as a womanÕs heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.
Being pregnant and giving birth are like crossing a narrow bridge. People can accompany you to the bridge. They can greet you on the other side. But you walk that bridge alone.
Birth is like the sea: One can swim in it, be swept away by it, float, but Heaven help the fool who thinks she can control it.
Treating normal labors as though they were complicated can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it.
Normal birth is indeed possible.
I think one of the best things we could do would be to help women/parents/families discover their own birth power, from within themselves. And to let them know it's always been there, they just needed to tap into it.
The whole point of woman-centered birth is the knowledge that a woman is the birth power source. She may need, and deserve, help, but in essence, she always had, currently has, and will have the power.
Life only demands from you the strength you possess.
The knowledge of how to give birth without outside intervention lies deep within each woman. Successful childbirth depends on an acceptance of the process.
Perhaps we share stories in much the same spirit that explorers share maps, hoping to speed each others journey, but knowing the journey we make will be our own.
Women today not only possess genetic memory of birth from a thousand generations of women, but they are also assailed from every direction by information and misinformation about birth.
Birth is an experience that demonstrates that life is not merely function and utility, but form and beauty.
Today, it seems that a tradition of womanhood that properly belonged to women themselves has been replaced by a tradition of technology.
Natural childbirth has evolved to suit the species, and if mankind chooses to ignore her advice and interfere with her workings we must not complain about the consequences. We have only ourselves to blame.
Birthing is the most profound initiation to spirituality a woman can have.
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
Women's bodies have their own wisdom, and a system of birth refined over 100,000 generations is not so easily overpowered.
300,000 women will be giving birth with you today.
Relax and breathe and do nothing else.
Labor is hard work, it hurts and you can do it.
A healthy woman who delivers spontaneously performs a job that cannot be improved upon.
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