Kayla's Birth Story

When I found out I was pregnant, I have to be honest, the idea of homebirth scared me to death. The reason for that was because I didn't know anything about it. However, I do have to say that the idea of going to a hospital didn't fare well with me either and so my road to researching homebirth began. I first contacted a midwife that I was referred to by some family members.

As skeptical as I was, I went on an interview and immediately felt comfortable with the midwife. My prenatal classes with her were very educational. I was given books upon books to read, videos to watch, and I obviously was glued to the internet the entire time I was pregnant. I saturated myself with endless information on pregnancy, birth, and babies in general. By the time my pregnancy was nearing the end, I felt comfortable with my decision and was obviously ready to just get the whole process over with.

On the morning of July 31, after my husband left for work, something felt a little "off." I felt really tired and was having some irregular mild contractions. I spent most of the morning trying not to get my hopes up because I was already two weeks late, and didn't think I was ever going to get this baby out. But as the day progressed, my contractions were getting somewhat closer together and stronger. When my husband got home from work around 5 PM, we went on a walk around our property to get some fresh air, exercise, and talk.

That's when my contractions started coming steady for about an hour. While we were walking, every four minutes, I would stop in my tracks, bend over, and silently endure these crazy sensations we call contractions. I was about ready to call my midwife because at this point I was sure I was in labor, and that’s when all of a sudden my contractions stopped. I was puzzled, and again just waited it out.

That night I went about everything as usual. I showered, fed the dogs, watched some TV, and went to bed for the night, and that's when they hit again. This time they were five minutes apart and 60 seconds in length. They were so strong that I could barely breathe or talk through them. My husband called our midwife and she rushed over immediately at about 1 AM. I continued to labor well into the morning, and at 12:48 PM Kayla had finally arrived. I am still amazed at my ability to go through everything without medication. My husband was great through the whole process and never left my side.

Looking back, I am so grateful that I was able to experience birthing at home. Immediately after, we were able to be in our comfort zone and I was able to take a shower, breastfeed my baby, and just enjoy quiet time with my family. She was healthy, alert, and we couldn't have asked for more. The Lord truly blessed us with a healthy, vibrant child. It was the greatest experience of my life and I wouldn't have changed a thing.