My positive home birth story

Hey beauties, I think it’s about time that I wrote my positive home birth story, considering that it’s been 3 months since my little pigly was born.

hypnobirthingwe set up a birth pool and led candles in my living room.

So it has been quite a whirlwind couple of months to be honest and I think I’m still a little bit in shock that I am now a mother of two and that my little Nami is here. I feel so grateful to have gone through this journey and everything that culminated to Namiko coming into this world happened exactly as I wanted it to, albeit there were a few bumps along the road.

Starting over!

I honestly couldn’t be more grateful for all the love and support I received throughout my pregnancy. After having had a traumatic experience giving birth to Ty 8 years ago, I knew I wanted the second time to be different.

As soon as we found out I was pregnant I went about doing some research on how I could avoid having a medicated birth. I started reading more about Doulas and some people recommended I look into hypnobirthing.

Soon after that I stumbled onto The Positive Birth company, bought their digital course and literally had my mind blown.

Till I started going through their digital course, I literally had no idea that I could have a peaceful unmedicated birth. Listening to Siobhan gave me the information and the courage I needed to request a home birth. It was easier than I imagined, all my antenatal visits were at home and when I went into labour I had 2 midwives looking after me (one for me and one for the baby).

False labour?

So around 38 weeks actually when I was exactly 38 weeks pregnant, I thought I was in labor at least I wasn’t and then I wasn’t. I know this sounds weird but literally I started getting contractions started getting stronger I called my midwife call my Doula and called my partner.

It was pretty much all systems go as I was having surges all day and then at some point late afternoon around 5 PM everything just stopped. I mean seriously???

So I was a little bit disappointed to say the least. I thought I was going to be holding my baby soon but then I guess not.

water birth
at this point I felt like I was going to be pregnant forever

In hindsight it was probably for the best. I say it happened for the best because I literally got bogged down with a sinus infection that was really bad, I couldn’t breathe at all as my nose and ears were blocked, my eyes were stinging and I had a fever.

Also just to make matters worse, on top of that I had a bladder infection so I had to be on a double dose of antibiotics for a week.

Will it be a positive home birth?

So literally on the week that I finished my course of antibiotics which was like a Sunday evening, that same morning on the Monday around 4:30 AM I woke up and I was feeling tightenings in my stomach. I went to the bathroom and I noticed that I had lost my mucous plug.

For those of you who don’t know what that is, a mucous plug pretty much seals the cervix and prevents any bacteria entering the uterus.

I sat on the toilet and I heard a huge plonk, so I got up and I looked to see what that was, that’s when i knew I had lost my mucous plug.

I remember going back to bed and telling Byron that I think this little man is coming today. Since we had the false alarm a week before I think he kind of didn’t believe me and to be honest I didn’t really think it was actually happening till way later that day.

Everyone sort of didn’t really bother or rush to my side. I pretty much told B to go to work, (he doesn’t work far from home) so if anything happened or the surges got stronger I’d call him. I also called my Mum and Jess (my doula) just to have them on standby should anything progress, but a part of me thought it was probably a false alarm.

So pretty much everyone was chilled and very laid-back at this point. I was getting surges throughout the day about 20 minutes apart and they were intense but they weren’t unbearable. I constantly needed to stop and catch my breath every time I got a surge which was always super weird to me as they’re be this intense 45 seconds of pain then I’d carry on with my day as usual.

water birth at home
9 months pregnant and feeling as big as a house!
It’s go time!

So it wasn’t until that evening that my surges started to kind of get closer together. At around 8 PM I was having them every 10 minutes and they were getting more and more intense. We called the homebirth midwife team to let them know and they informed us to call them when I was having contractions every 3 minutes. I had the midwife telling me to make sure was drinking a lot of water, staying hydrated and having something to eat. She also made me chuckle a little when she told me to try and take a nap if I can which to me was absolutely ridiculous because, ummm duh!!! (Kinda in a lot of pain over here). I’m like sleep I am not sleeping to that are you kidding me.

Around 10 PM things really started to ramp up, my surges were about seven minutes apart and they were so intense I didn’t want to talk to anybody. I moved myself into my bedroom turned off all the lights, I had my birth ball on the bed and was literally rocking myself back-and-forth just trying to breathe through the surges whilst listening to my Hypnobirthing tracks.

I was using this app called Contractions timer to just time my contractions and see if they were getting any closer together.

And at around 11:30 pm I started having them every five minutes and they were getting more and more intense. I could barely breathe with each one. At this point I told Byron that it was probably time to tell Jess (doula) to come round. Of course it was about 11 pm my darling partner decides to just send text messages. Wait what? I’m in established labour here, in a lot of pain and waiting to deliver this baby and you send a text message?

I remember just being really frustrated with him and telling him ‘you better pick up that phone and make these calls before we have an emergency of a different kind right now’, as in me murdering him with my bare hands.

Phone calls were made to doula, midwives and phlebotomists, phew ok now into business!

Who wants pumpkin pie anyway?

Jess got here pretty fast, but at that point I just wanted to be alone in the bedroom. She checked on me intermittently then her and Byron got busy blowing up the pool and setting up candles etc. I could also smell baking, but then I thought maybe I was just imagining things. Who could possibly be baking at a time like this? Turns out B thought it was the perfect time to make pumpkin pie. He was so proud of his creation and wanted to show it to me, bless him. He totally forgot about the bottom of the tray coming off and the entire pie ended up on our living room floor.

pumpkin pie
The pie we never got to eat!

So while all this is happening I am still in my bedroom still using the up breathing techniques. Thank god for the positive birth company’s, digital pack.

Wow, ok so I think I’m waffling on now. Are you still reading? Still with me? Ok, good! The more I write, the more I realise that this is going to be one of those long blog posts. It may be long but I hope it’s at least entertaining just a little bit;-).

It was around 1am now and these surges were about 5 minutes apart now. I’m still slumped over my birth ball trying to breathe through them. About 2 hours later, Jess was a little concerned that I wasn’t in an active labour position as the surges had stalled at 5 minutes. She suggested I take a hot shower and boy did that ramp things up big time. As soon as I got out of the shower, the surges were coming fast and strong. Another call to the midwives was in order as the surges were now coming every 3 minutes.

The midwives arrived at 5:30am and they asked if they could do an internal exam. I had put on my birth plan that I would agree to only one internal examination. I find them very obtrusive and distracting so didn’t want a lot of them. To say I was shocked when Annie, my midwife told me I was already 8cm dilated is an understatement. There’s a part of me that still didn’t quite believe that I was in active labour. Looks like I would be meeting my baby soon.

At this point I was allowed to finally get in the pool and get some much needed gas and air. The gas and air definitely took the edge off a little bit and I remember Annie (midwife) telling me to take it easy and only breathe the gas when I was having a surge.

water birth at home
Things got even more intense

The amount of pain I was feeling at this point is indescribable in my opinion. There were some weird almost animalistic sounds coming out of my mouth. Definitely no way I could control it if I wanted to.

I felt a shift in my body and had a bit of wobble. I started crying and saying that I couldn’t do it. I’m told this usually happens right before the baby is about to come. I’m guessing that’s a sign that its time to push.

 

Annie checked the baby’s heartbeat and it seemed out little man was in distress as his heart rate was accelerated , so she had me get out of the pool.

At this point it looked like my plan of giving birth in the pool wasn’t going to happen, but I didn’t care to be honest. I just wanted my baby out safely. It was still going to be a positive home birth as long as I stayed calm.

The party moved over to the couch and this was the point I felt my body start to push. So obviously this ain’t my first rodeo, I’ve done this childbirth shindig before. Check out exhibit one below.

home birth

Here’s one I made earlier;-) my 9yr old son

The first time I gave birth I had ALL the drugs I could get. I kid you not in this one. I had the injection (can’t remember what it’s called), the gas + air and finally I begged for an epidural and got it. I was numb I felt nothing when it was time to push Ty out so I literally just followed instructions and pushed when I was told.

This time round things were a little different. I felt it all, boy did I feel it all, ha!

Anyway, as I was saying before I went off on another tangent, since I had an epidural first time round, I had no idea what to expect with the natural birth.

water birth at home

shit got REAL!

 

I didn’t know that pushing the baby out is kind of like a teasing dance. You push when you’re having a surge, baby travels down the birth canal a little bit but when you stop pushing he goes back again.

So there I was, crying my eyes out and thinking that I was obviously failing because this baby kept moving back after every push.

“He doesn’t want to come out, why doesn’t he want to come out?”, I cried. Thinking back on it now I have to laugh at it all.

Eighteen minutes of pushing and finally our little angel made his entrance in a somewhat dramatic way. Turns out my waters never broke and the little swimmer was born encaul (this means he was still in his sack). A little snip of the waters and I was holding my son and overwhelmed with emotion.

giving birth at home

Holding Nami for the 1st time!

water birth

Wave of emotion, I actually did it!

free birth story

welcome to the world Namiko

water birth at home

Skin on skin with Daddy

I couldn’t stop whispering to myself, I did it! Omg I did it! He’s here and he’s perfect. All the pain, the sweat and tears brought me to this moment. When I looked at my boy I knew if I had to, I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Namiko Thando Stephen-Knight was born at 9:22am on a Tuesday morning. It’s been 14 weeks since his arrival and life has certainly been different but it’s been full of love and so much joy.

hypnobirth baby

3 months of absolute joy

sleepy baby

so peaceful

That’s about it folks! That is my positive home birth story and I hope you enjoyed reading it. If there’s one thing I would definitely recommend to everyone no matter what kind of birth you’re looking to have, it’s hypnobirthing. It literally changed my entire perspective on giving birth and I highly recommend The positive birth company. If you’re considering having a home birth but are not sure, I’d say definitely look into it, but it’s not as scary as it seems.

I’m going to do another post on things I wish I had done differently and some more of my recommendations.

Until then, if you enjoyed reading this post please do consider sharing it with your friends.

Also leave me a comment below and share your thoughts with me. Would you have a home birth, or are you totally against it? Let’s keep the conversation going below.

Till next time, love the life you’re living!

 

Amanda xoxo

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Amanda Millie
Amanda Millie

I am addicted to living up to the best version of me i possibly can. Perfectly imperfect and biohacking my way to long healthier and longer so I can be a present mama for my kids and myself.

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43 Comments

  1. Amelia
    March 17, 2019 / 9:09 pm

    Beautifully written ❤️ Ugh, that poor pumpkin pie ?

  2. Alice Ushamba
    March 17, 2019 / 10:34 pm

    The story about the birth brought tears of joy to my eyes and I did giggle whilist reading and sniffing .

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 18, 2019 / 11:38 am

      Thanks Alice, it was definitely an experience! Lol

  3. March 18, 2019 / 4:37 am

    Oh wow! It has been so incredible to share this journey with you through your post. I didn’t even know a baby could be born still in the sack. I thought they would break your waters for you! xxx

  4. March 18, 2019 / 5:24 am

    That’s bad you had infection . It becomes challenging. You have done it !! Congratulations to you and your family and stay happy 🙂

  5. March 18, 2019 / 11:22 am

    POSITIVE HOME is such a beautifully planned place. This pictures are so emotional that tears fall from my eyes. Love yo’all

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 18, 2019 / 11:34 am

      Thank you so much, it was a wonderful experience.

  6. March 18, 2019 / 11:56 am

    Aww. The support group is a touching story. I bet it made your friendship a notch higher I guess

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:50 am

      I can totally understand that.

  7. March 18, 2019 / 3:04 pm

    Wow! Congratulations! He’s absolutely perfect!

    My baby was born 6 months ago but I had a C-section because this is my 3rd and my first 2 babies were also born that way, my first had a cord loop and the second was just too big for me, this one, although I could’ve tried giving birth normally, I had conplications so I had no choice. 😛

    I so admire you for choosing to give birth naturally, I would’ve chosen the same if I had a choice, for sure!?

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:49 am

      Congratulations Ane! I think what’s most important is that your baby was born safely xx

  8. March 18, 2019 / 3:55 pm

    This is amazing to read. what a fantastic experience for you. And really beautiful photos too x

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:48 am

      Thank you Sarah:-)

  9. March 18, 2019 / 8:37 pm

    What a wonderful story. I love the pumpkin pie anecdote and the expression on your face when you hold him for the first time. What a gorgeous baby! Congratulations.

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:43 am

      Thanks Mandy, I was so bummed about that pumpkin pie too

  10. March 19, 2019 / 12:33 am

    So happy more women, especially women of color are having natural home births. I am not a mom yet but I will definitely have a home natural birth with a doula and might consider hynobirthing.

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:42 am

      You should definitely consider hypnobirthing, it’s a game changer.

  11. March 19, 2019 / 2:23 am

    Congratulations on your precious baby! I’m glad everything came out good and he is healthy. I would have loved to experienced natural birth both of my pregnancy but unfortunately I had emergency c-section.

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:41 am

      Thank you so much ?

  12. March 19, 2019 / 4:31 am

    This is so amazing that you had this experience. All pain eventually does end and womeen have been birthing like this for years, great job!

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:41 am

      That should be a mantra. All pain eventually ends:-)

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:40 am

      Me too actually, that’s why I wrote this one.

  13. March 19, 2019 / 6:02 am

    Wow! congrats to your baby <3 The pictures makes me feel emotional so inspire to read.

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:40 am

      Thank you ?

  14. Bindu Thomas
    March 19, 2019 / 6:03 am

    Thanks for sharing your experiences and these pictures make me emotional. Thanks for sharing this lovely post.

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:39 am

      It was a very emotional experience that’s for sure

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:39 am

      It was lovely, thank you:-)

  15. March 19, 2019 / 2:28 pm

    Oh I love this! What a positive and uplifting account of birth. I had wonderful birth experiences!

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:39 am

      They make for beautiful stories to tell our children when they grow up.

  16. March 19, 2019 / 8:09 pm

    It sounds like a wonderful experience for all of you and that you had the opportunity to feel safe and surrounded by your partner guiding you through. This was a lot different to my birth story I must admit. I could never have a home birth as I have medical conditions which a relief threatening with birth but it’s nice to see other people having a lovely experience

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:38 am

      Your safety definitely has to come first and I think people can have beautiful birth experiences in hospitals too.

  17. March 20, 2019 / 2:14 am

    Congratulations! He is adorable! I am so happy you had such a positive birth experience and you wrote it down for generations to remember, it sound like a beautiful memory.

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:37 am

      It was definitely intense and beautiful at the same time:-)

  18. March 20, 2019 / 3:59 am

    Looks like it was an amazing experience. We didn’t do anything like that with our daughter but we did try to have birth without the drugs and everything. But my daughter wasn’t coming. She had somehow tied the cord around her neck and wrapped it around her neck five times. She was smart not to come. We ended up having to do a C-section instead.

    • Amanda
      Author
      March 20, 2019 / 8:36 am

      Oh wow 5 times? She was definitely smart not to come and I think in this instance a c-section was the safest way to bring her out.

  19. March 20, 2019 / 10:37 am

    Congratulations he is absolutely adorable! It sounds like you had quite the emotional rollercoaster over those last few weeks but its all worth it once you take one look at your new baby isn’t it! Thanks for sharing your positive story xx
    Jess Howliston recently posted…Making The Laundry Routine Safe With Fairy Non Bio.My Profile

  20. March 21, 2019 / 11:52 am

    Get out of town, that’s so crazy!!! Enjoyed for you and thank you for sharing, completely relived the moment within your words. WOW what an experience and my gosh, feel sorry and happy for ya at the same time! Hope all is well.

  21. March 21, 2019 / 12:32 pm

    Wow I love reading birth stories and I am so glad you got to have a home birth even if it wasn’t in the pool! I’ve never heard of waters not breaking – thats so interesting!! Thanks for sharing this

    Laura x

  22. March 22, 2019 / 7:57 am

    Awww congratulations, I never got to have a home birth due to being high risk, but it is something I really wanted to do

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