Clara's Birth Story

Here's a birth story that was sent to me by a friend in southern B.C. Clara is her first daughter and she was born at home this past summer.

It's interesting to read about what midwives do in other places and to see the range in philosphies. For example, Paige mentions that her midwives considered doing an episiotomy, a procedure our two Yukon midwives probably rarely (if ever) practice. As we move forward in the regulation process, we're trying to ensure that we leave as many options open as possible so that women will be able to have the kinds of births they want, and midwives with all sorts of different philosophies will feel comfortable.

Here's Clara's birth story:
The home-birth went amazingly well, and definitely because of the amazing support we've had from our mid-wives. I can't say enough about the care we received from them, and wish you all the best in advocating for them in the Yukon.

Our home birth was planned (phew!). I was at 41 weeks and 3 days, so was due for a 'non-stress test' at the hospital in the afternoon. Fortunately, we'd had an appointment the day before where the mid-wife did a 'stretch and sweep', gave us some evening primrose oil capsules (one to take orally, and one internally by the cervix) and provided the recipe for the labour 'cocktail' to help promote labour. It worked!

I had my first contraction at about 4am, although I was able to stay sleeping until about 6am when I normally woke up in the summer. My water broke at that point, although not as a big gush, so I wasn't sure of it at the time. After that, it was obvious that I was having contractions, although not in any particular regular pattern. I made up the cocktail and took that - vile, but did the trick! My contractions became quite regular by about 10am.

We called the mid-wife to cancel the non-stress test, and she came by at about noon. While all this was going on, the rest of the farm folk had gathered outside for their regular lunch, and I could hear their excitement in the background - "here we are eating lunch, and Paige is in labour up there!". I got in the pool sometime after that, and eventually got out of it again because I was too relaxed in there. After some moving around, I settled on our couch (safely covered in a plastic sheet) and fairly quickly gave birth to little Clara (who was not so little, after all!).

Our regular mid-wife had called her back-up at some point. I recall her showing up while I was in the pool, although I was too concentrated to really see her. I could hear them consulting and recording every time they monitored the baby's heartbeat, and there was a little concern that it was going slowly (I ended up pushing for nearly two and a half hours). Once I made it to the couch, the second mid-wife took the lead in coaching me, and I remember her voice cutting through and being really clear - push NOW! HOLD IT! PUSH AGAIN! I couldn't believe it when the baby slipped out (at 5:04pm).

They'd frozen my perineum in preparation for cutting, but fortunately didn't end up needing to. I tore a bit, but not badly. They also had to give me a shot of pitocin to encourage contractions to deliver the placenta, but I was on such an adrenalin rush and so relieved that labour was over, I hardly noticed. The placenta delivered fine, and they put me back on the couch with Clara on my chest where she started nursing while they sewed me up. What a trip!

Chris had started calling family by then. My mom was with us, which was great, and Chris' folks got to hear some of her first cries, which they were pretty over the moon about. That moment when you go from being pregnant to having a baby on your chest is so incredibly miraculous. I remember stroking her, hearing her crying, seeing Chris crying, telling her we loved her and were glad she had arrived safely, and just being so amazed that I was done with labour. The preparation we'd had with the midwives about labour was so helpful. I don't remember it as being particularly painful exactly, because I was able to experience it as the culminating event of pregnancy and the process of my baby's arrival. Mind over matter, indeed!