Our home birth was just perfect. I can’t thank Karen and Christy enough for enabling Jerahme and I to give birth to our little Noah on our own terms, in a safe, comfortable and simple way. He was born at 10:40 AM January 11th 2008.
Our prenatal care was outstanding. I remember looking forward to every prenatal visit like it was some special treat! I would go to their home as if I was a good friend, and I could talk baby and pregnancy to my heart’s desire. I could ask all the questions I wanted to and get good advice and an extraordinary amount of resources to help me on this journey to motherhood.
I began to have irregular contractions for a week before I gave birth. I went to visit Karen on the 10th of January and she gave a homeopathic remedy to help stop false contractions, or regulate real ones. When I got home that afternoon, I took one of those pills and, presto! My contractions got regular!
We went to dinner at my in-laws and I was able to relax in a jacuzzi there. The water and candles felt wonderful and I began to loose my mucus plug. I called Karen and she said she was ready to come anytime I needed her, but warned me that this was probably really the very beginning of my labor. As we got home around 10pm, the contractions got stronger and more frequent, but I told my husband and my sister to rest, for I knew there was a long journey ahead of us! Around 5am I took another bath to help me relax and soon after that, we called Karen to tell her we wanted her to come. She, Carie and Laura arrived around 7:30am. By which time I was really in another wonderful place, witnessing these amazing contractions sweep through my body with force I had never felt or witnessed before.
They had me sit on the toilet for a little while, and as I though I was about to go to the bathroom, they all said, don’t worry, you are not pooing, it just feels like it! It’s your baby coming out!
I got on their birth stool in our bedroom, with my husband firmly behind me for support. The midwives coached me on how to push and helped me focus through this most difficult part of labor. I heard their words of encouragement, I could feel my husband’s firm hands and deep love, and could sense my sister’s and sister in law’s loving presence. A couple of hard pushes and our beautiful baby boy was here! With us! He was born in his sac of waters, which just broke as his head pushed through me.
I was relieved and tired, but just amazed that I had made it! It was over just that quickly! Here he was, this beautiful new soul who would enrich and change our lives forever. And everything had happened just so peacefully and naturally. There had been no counting of centimeters and dilation, no measuring of time, no charts to refer to. Everything happened out of time in this deeply spiritual and calm way.
I was so grateful to Karen. The week or two after Noah’s birth was actually the hardest part of the whole deal for me. Having a newborn was new and quite scary in a way I had not expected. But Karen was available 24 seven for us. I remember calling her 4 times the first night we spent with Noah. She was such an amazing support for us, I can only begin to express how comforting she was. She helped me get through healing after the birth and through a painful breast infection, with her extensive knowledge of homeopathy and natural remedies that really worked.
Thank you for being so present, and so available. I feel like I really gave birth on my own and owned the experience, all the time knowing that I was in safe, knowledgeable hands. Karen, you have an extraordinary gift. Thank you from the very bottom of our hearts!
