Accidental Unassisted Home Birth Of Twins
Well...this just isn't the kind of birth story you can pass of sharing! An unassisted twin birth?! WOW. Thanks so much to this mom for sharing. It shows how very safe and normal a twin birth can be. Can you image that in typical obstetric care this mom would have simply be sectioned a few weeks before her due date? The story was originally shared on her midwife's blog, LivingMom.
It’s 6AM, light has yet to peak its
way through my bedroom windows and I am wide awake. My newborn twins, Hazel and
Roman, are tandem nursing before me. The
sweet sounds of satisfaction they make while suckling are like music to my
ears. Their little bodies are curled up
closely to mine and it feels as though, at this moment, we are one. I love nursing. I’ve looked forward to
moments like this for weeks.
Their birth was nothing short of
the most amazingly powerful experience of my life. I want to tell every woman I see, climb to my
roof and shout it out for all to hear: “I gave birth to my twins at HOME with
my husband! We did it together! I am WOMAN hear me ROAR!”
Of course, an unassisted homebirth
had not been our original plan. I had always imagined and expected my midwife,
Rachel, to be there- though she was in spirit. We had spent months planning for
a home water birth. Tyler and I had taken Rachel’s birth education classes,
devoured all the literature we could find on home birth and watched loads of
documentaries all in preparation for our upcoming arrivals.
The day before our twins were born
was just like any other day. I got up and sent my oldest son off to school,
took my husband to work and began hydrating for yoga. The decision to continue my
Bikram Yoga practice through this pregnancy has been one of the best choices I have
ever made. My hormones stayed balanced (Tyler was super happy about that), my
body remained loose and fit, and, most importantly, my soul felt at peace. My
intention before class began was to bring calm to my body- to relax and prepare
for a beautiful birth. I worked extra hard in all the stretches and felt great
after final savasana.
That afternoon my contractions
began. I wanted so badly for them to be signs of real labor as I had
experienced mild contractions for weeks. Part of me didn’t believe that this
could be it, but I informed Rachel anyway and promised myself not to be too
upset if they stopped. And they did stop. I went to bed at midnight a bit
disappointed, but not surprised. Another false alarm…
Tyler and I awoke up the next
morning and it was business as usual in our house. Feed the kids, let the dogs
out, get ready for work etc. At 8:40 I got in the car to take Tyler to work and
on the way I started having mild contractions again. I told my husband not to
worry, it was probably another false alarm, that I would call him if Rachel had
any advice when I saw her for our weekly prenatal that morning. Then I drove home with my 3 year old (Mark)and
began to prepare for the drive to Utah County.
It was around 9:30 when my
contractions became painfully more intense. I searched frantically for my cell
phone so I could call Tyler and tell him to come home. Then, around 9:45, I
realized he must have taken it to work on accident. Right after that my water broke during a
contraction. I changed my pants, whisked
Mark into the car as quickly as I could and drove over to Tyler’s work to grab
him.
I had several strong contractions
on the way there, parked my car in the handicapped space and, while holding
Marks hand, waddled upstairs to Tyler’s office. I had to knock on the door as
it is locked and I didn’t have a pass key to get inside. Once the door was
opened I prayed that I have no more contractions while I was getting him. The
last thing I wanted was to cry out in pain and make a spectacle of myself in
front of his co workers. I rounded the corner to his desk and saw my husband.
Whew. I threw him my most serious look and whispered, “We have to go, NOW.” A
HUGE smile burst across his face and he packed his bag and we began to leave. On
the way out we were surrounded by loving well wishers including the company
CEO. It was clear that no one, including us, knew how close we actually were to
having the twins.
I retrieved the phone from Tyler
and called Rachel the minute we got back to the car. This was at 10 am. Our
conversation went like this:
Me: “Hi Rachel, this is Whitney. I
think my water just broke. I may have
just peed, but I think it was my water.”
Rachel: “I’m sure it was your
water.”
Me (trying really hard to breathe
through another contraction and talk): “I’m having really strong contractions.”
Rachel: “Do you want me to come?”
Me: “Yes!”
On the way home Tyler called his
sister to come and pick up Mark for the day. We knew that our oldest would be
in school until 3:30 and by then my father could be here to watch him. Ranging
from 3 to 4 minutes apart, my contractions were growing incredibly strong and
painful. I remember thinking, “I don’t know if I can do this all day.” Tyler
was rushing to prepare the birth tub and I was packing a lunch for Mark when I
suddenly felt that I needed to go to the bathroom.
I waddled down the hallway into my
boys blue bathroom and pulled down my pants, but quickly realized that my
babies were on their way. I shouted for Tyler and, like a knight in shining
armor, he came rushing in. He took one look at me, washed his hands and told me
that Hazel was crowning. This was it. I was about to deliver my twins standing
up in my upstairs bathroom. I reached down and felt her little head connecting
immediately with her sweet spirit. Hazel came quickly, with only 3 total
pushes, and still covered in her amniotic sack. We tore it off of her; she made
a face and began screaming. She was stunning, she was pink, and she was
healthy. We didn’t have more than a second to enjoy her before I felt Roman
descending. With two short pushes he was born. It was his sack that had broken
earlier that morning so he came out looking like most babies do and he started
crying immediately. I took both babies into my arms and got into the tub.
Tyler, with masterful calm, called
Rachel to tell her that our twins had been born. She walked him through what to do as I
birthed their placentas and how to watch for postpartum bleeding. I stumbled
to take my shirt and bra off so I could be skin to skin with the twins. Tyler
brought over some towels and we wrapped ourselves up. We watched as the
umbilical cord pulsed and life blood flowed into our babies. We kissed and marveled at our little miracles.
Tyler went into Marks room, which happens to be right next door to the
bathroom, and brought him in to meet his brother and sister. He looked at us
quizzically and declared, “Mommy you had the tins! Mommy you have blood.” Then
he laughed and ran back to his room to play pocket god on the iphone.
Rachel arrived shortly after the
birth surrounded by a peaceful glow. Her elation was apparent as she walked
into the bathroom and warmly embraced me. I remember apologizing as I didn’t
expect for the babies to come so quickly. She promptly brushed off the apology
and told me how proud she was of us. Rachel’s partner, Yulia, arrived and they
began helping me settle into bed and nurse the twins. After Mark left for the
day Tyler and I were able to completely relax in bed together. He took his shirt
off and held one baby while I held the other. We basked in the warmth and love
from the morning and did not move for most of the day.
Words do not exist to adequately describe how
remarkable this journey has been. I am so PROUD of Tyler- he has truly been
present for the entire pregnancy and birth. He didn’t retreat, he wasn’t
scared, he remained loving, available and open. We are now bound more strongly
than we have ever been before. From conception to birth we worked together as a
couple to create the most profound and meaningful experience we could. Our birth was not shrouded by fear or trauma
for we both knew that everything was going to be perfect. We knew what to do,
it was instinctual. We trusted birth. The lies we believe, as a culture, about
birth weren’t welcome. Fear did not penetrate the love we felt. Serene, peaceful and calm energy encircled us
from beginning to end. Everything was so wonderfully magical that I cannot help
but think to myself, “I can’t wait to do this again.”
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