Birth Story of the Week- Falon + Oliver

This week I share my own experience! I was very fortunate to have positive stories from friends and family that helped to normalize birth in a way that allowed me to feel comfortable researching my options and come up with a birth plan that was right for me. Homebirth isn't the right choice for everyone and isn't a decision that families take lightly. The Stratford Midwives host an information session on homebirth regulary at their clinic, please contact them to inquire about their next session!

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My original due date was May 17th but about halfway through my third trimester my midwife bumped the date up to the 12th solely based on the hugeness of my belly I'm sure (although it might have also been because of the baby's measurements and such). I still kept the 17th in mind and was prepared to go 2 weeks over as many people told me that can be the case with your first. Basically the baby would be born sometime in May- a taurus or a gemini.....exciting!

I was still working full time and on May 10th I started feeling some contractions in the afternoon. I was so excited as up to this point I hadn't had anything- no braxton hicks, no cramps no signs that this baby was thinking of making moves anytime soon! After work my sister and I went to my friend Jaime's to check out her new baby doll lamb, I was having contractions the entire time but chalked it up to a little pre-labour. We got home around 7:00pm-ish my sister left and the contractions stayed. Still thinking this was a wee bit of false labour that would go away I started cleaning and doing laundry at lightening speed (nesting much?). Guy got home around 8:30 and by 9:00pm we were timing the contractions, they were coming steady every 3 minutes or so and by 11 we called our midwife. She came to the house to assess and did an internal check,  I was 6 cm! So she unpacked the gear and we set up for the homebirth.

Because I was totally in denial up to this point, it had never crossed my mind that this was in fact real labour and that my son was on his way, so we (mostly Guy) were rushing to set up the birthing tub and bed in the kitchen all the while my contractions continue to get stronger. By 3:00 am my water still hadn't broken so we opted to have our midwife break it and help things along. It worked - soon after I was pushing which felt like he was so close, yet so far away. Pushing went on for hours, or what felt like forever but after reviewing my chart was only an hour and a half  and then at 6:10 am Oliver Warner Moore was born!

It was such incredible feeling holding my baby in my arms for the first time! He was so alert and wide awake which was a far cry from the state I was in.  I was completely exhausted
(I had been up for a full 24 hours at this point) and just felt like I was on another planet. Everything was a bit hazy and my body felt very uncoordinated but we were totally in love with our gorgeous baby boy. Oliver latched almost immediately and it just felt so natural as we discovered each other on our own time.  Shortly after we shared a brief but amazing herbal bath together and then I got to crawl into my own bed. Now not only was labouring and birthing at home awesome but the fact that I got to bathe in my own tub and sleep in my own bed (with freshly washed sheets... thanks to my obsessive labour cleaning) was just unreal!

I spent a lot of time researching and preparing for birth throughout my pregnancy and I actually didn't decide on having a homebirth until about a month before. A homebirth wasn't as taboo in our family as it maybe for some, my Nan had my dad at home in England and my mother-in-law was the last of her siblings to be born at home in PEI (before it became standard there to birth in a hospital) but we still took our time making that decision and talked at length about it with our midwives.

My birth experience was everything I hoped it would be, although I don't recommend putting in a full shift at work before giving birth if you can avoid it! I am so thankful for my wonderful midwives. They were so caring and encouraging when I needed it, letting me go with what my body was telling me to do without interfering. Looking back, that was the most important part. Sure being at home was a huge comfort but an empowering experience is having care providers and support people that encourage and promote your confidence in birthing your baby- however that unfolds. 

I'm so excited to be sharing Birth Story of the Week as a regular feature! 
This project is about bringing our stories together and providing a wonderful resource for new and expecting families in our community. All births are wonderful and should be celebrated, no matter what type of birth (home, hospital, midwife/ OB, doula supported or not) if you would like to share your birth story please email it to info@nestedbirth.com a photo or two would also be great.

Stories will be featured on my social media platforms and blog. My hope is that we can educate families on the options available in our community, provide healing and empowerment through sharing and of course CONNECTION.