Birth Stories

***This letter was written by my older sister, Francis, who is very dear to me.  It recounts her second birth but her first at home where she delivered my sweet  nephew, Michael, who is now 12.  She did an awesome job.

Well I've been asked by my dear sister, Ruthy, to recall back 11years when she assisted my midwife during my son's birth.  She has also asked that I "hurry up" about it.  So though my memory is a little foggy, this is what I recall.  Ruthy came from Va specifically during the week of my due date to assist me. As this was my first home birth I was very happy to have her w/me.  I was confident she would be invaluable w/her many birth attendances and her own home births.

Thankfully, I began my labor shortly after she arrived.  I phoned my midwife who lived 20 minutes away when I thought I was experiencing contractions.  She advised me to keep in contact regarding how far apart they were.  Ruthy was a comfort to me reassuring me through the process.  I know my husband was glad to have her close by.  My labor lasted 6 hours and my midwife arrived within an hour of the birth.  Ruthy had been attending to my every need and desire.  She was mindful of the tenderness of the moments when my husband was nervously trying to assist and gave us privacy.  Her visibility in the background was very reassuring to him.  Though my overall memory is that my pains were very uncomfortable and mild (I mistook them for heartburn) she was in tune w/my gestures and movements.  At one point she appeared w/a hot moist cloth for the lower part of my back.  This worked wonders and I was happy to have them constantly available.  I believe the temperature was the key which she was using the microwave for.  Ruthy also spent time reassuringly "talking" me through the process.

When my midwife arrived Ruthy stepped back, but was close at "hand" if needed.  She worked along side the midwife during transition & during the birth.  Ruthy was very attentive in the cleaning up process, thereby allowing the midwife to check the baby thoroughly.  This was helpful in order to get an anxious sibling into the room to see the baby.  And of course she allowed our family time & space to enjoy the moments & bond.  Always keeping busy attending to my next need  Ruthy would also share nursing tips as needed.  Ruthy remained w/us after the birth cleaning, cooking & washing.  She was also busy behind the scenes with my oldest child and my our 70 year old mother.

I was blessed to have Ruthy at my birth.  We were all grateful God allowed the birth during her visit.  The closeness that we share was special but the birthing experience she brought w/her was invaluable.  Should I have another home birth I would consider her as equipped as a midwife.


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***It seemed fitting that I write of my own birth stories somewhere on this site and this seemed the most appropriate page to put it.  I never miss the opportunity to read up on birth stories so I hope you enjoy a view into my birth history.

I had my first birth experience in a hospital in 1989 where I delivered my first son, Caleb, and, although it was far from ideal, it could have been worse.  I had had 3 nights of strong contractions that would fizzle out come morning.  So on the third night our OB/GYN suggested we come in to the hospital, where, after an internal exam, which showed no dilation, we were sent home.  On the fourth night we, again, went to the hospital where they decided to keep us.  As usual, after a difficult time of contractions, they stopped some time that morning and we encountered the question of whether to utilize pitocin. I was pretty tired and discouraged with the lack of progress so we decided to go with it.  Needless to say, it was rough, especially considering it was my first labor and I was running on fumes, having had little sleep the past 4 nights.  After a few hours I opted for an epidural and Caleb was born that evening some time around 8:00.  What was most significant regarding this birth was my doctor's decision to use forceps despite the fact that I had only been pushing for about 10 minutes.     Amazingly, after making such an hasty decision, he succeeded in pulling so hard that my bottom was sliding down the bed.  My husband remembers being highly concerned with the idea of him pulling so hard on our newborn's head, which was subsequently bruised for a number of days.  At some point I remember receiving an episiotomy, which I will NEVER do again.  Thankfully, there was no further damage done and we were grateful to have our baby in hand.

I delivered my next baby at a hospital that had an awesome midwifery practice that opened my eyes to the world of midwives and less interventive births.  I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of time the midwives dedicated to each prenatal visit.  This birth pretty much followed the same pattern of my first birth in that strong contractions would keep me up at night, then peter out come morning.  After a couple of nights of this we showed up at the hospital around 4:00 am at 4 centimeters so they decided to keep me.  After contracting most of the day with excrutiatingly slow progress I delivered our second son, Christian, who weighed exactly 10 lbs.