 |
 |
|
|
|
|
The expectant mom had 2 previous suction abortions before becoming pregnant with this baby. The second abortion caused hemorrhaging. She had problems with hypoglycemia but this was controlled with her diet. She had 3 episodes of hypoglycemic reactions while under the doctor's prenatal care, when she wasn't watching her diet closely. We discussed her dietary needs and she was much more careful with her diet and took her supplemental herbs and natural vitamins. Her diet was good. She had reactions with the prenatal 6-week formula used for the last part of pregnancy, so we removed the formula from her diet.
Her prenatal care was uneventful. I was called by her husband from a pay phone (they did not have a phone) late evening June 29th with the birthing mom in moderate labor. Contractions were 7 minutes apart.
I had previously done some homebirth-out of hospital birth training for some local EMTs in a nearby town. I talked to them about homebirth and techniques we used in place of drugs and instruments. None of the EMTs had done a birth yet and had heard horror stories from the local hospitals about homebirths. They asked if they could attend as observers only. I discussed this with the expectant parents prior to the labor and they stated they did not mind since they did not have a phone and in case of emergency, the EMTs would already be there. After I received the call from the dad, I called the EMTs and let them know that we had a labor in progress and if they wanted to attend, it was fine. They arrived shortly after I did and sat back and visited with the parents and watched.
The dad worked with his wife by giving her back massage and support during her labor. She was having a great deal of back labor so dad and I traded off periodically with the counter-pressure on the mom's lower back. We all sat around quietly talking about homebirths and EMT experiences, some of which were quite humorous. The mom stayed calm and worked through her contractions with slow, focused breathing and visiting with everyone in between contractions.
Intimate moments help with relaxation and bonding.
The mom and dad were very loving during the labor. One of the EMTs mentioned at one point that it was almost like we needed to step out of the room, because of the intimacy exchange between the birthing partners.
Finally the mom was feeling the need to push. I quickly labor checked her and found she was indeed complete and ready. Pushing was calm, quiet and very relaxed. Dad and I gave the mom the encouragement to continue during contractions and allowed her to rest between pushings. I used massage and support as the baby's head was emerging. I pinched the intact amniotic membrane as it appeared at the vaginal opening. Soon the baby's head was born over an intact perineum, rotated and had a slight bit of shoulder dystocia (stuck shoulders). I worked with the shoulders and the baby was born with the next contraction.
Partial separation of placenta has started.
Encouraging baby to breastfeed to help with placenta expulsion.
The baby was a girl and the mom named her "Fawn." I suctioned her a little, but she breathed spontaneously, with no crying and no problems. The time was 3:26 am. She had an APGAR of 9/10. We clamped the cord in about 10 minutes and the dad cut the cord.
We attempted to get Fawn to nurse, but she simply was not interested and preferred to look around. I gave the mom some Angelica root tincture to help with placental expulsion. The mom began to have partial separation with some bleeding.
We finally convinced Fawn to nurse. Complete placental separation occurred and contractions resumed. The placenta was delivered complete, with no further bleeding problems. The uterus tightened down and stayed firm.
We handed Fawn to one of the EMTs to hold, while the dad and I got mom up and to the shower. While mom and dad were occupied in the shower, I changed the bed linen and pads. The mom came in and climbed back into a fresh bed, feeling good. I did a neonatal check on Fawn and she was fine.
We got pictures before and after the birth, but the EMTs became so entirely engrossed in the birthing that they forgot completely about the pictures until afterward. The head EMT (the male partner) admitted that he had been highly skeptical at first (that was why they had brought the transport van) and was expecting chaos and mayhem. He kept asking about the quiet calmness of the occasion and expressing his amazement. Problems were handled well and effectively. He had totally changed his mind about homebirth and he said that what they observed and learned from this birthing would be used in their work as EMTs. Both EMTs thanked the birthing couple for the privilege of attending and told me that if I ever needed any transport, I was to let them know and they would be very happy to assist me. I thanked them for their offer and hoped I would never have to use their expertise.
They had been told several "horror" stories by the local hospitals that they wanted to see first hand what homebirth was all about. This birth helped to clarify and dispel these stories.
MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information Index
For a full list of available products from Mountain Rose Herbs, click on banner below:
HELPFUL PRODUCTS & FURTHER EDUCATION
Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements
-- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch - 2nd Edition
Prescription for Nutritional Healing: The A-To-Z Guide To Supplements
-- by Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch - 4th Edition
Prescription for Herbal Healing: The A-To-Z Reference To Common Disorders
-- by Phyllis A. Balch
The Complete Guide to Natural Healing
If you see a suggested Amazon product "not there" as indicated by an orange box with the Amazon logo, this only means the specific product link has been changed by Amazon.com. Use the "click here" icon on the orange box and it will bring you to Amazon.com and you can do a search for a specific product using keywords and a new list of available products and prices will show. Their product and resource links are constantly changing and being upgraded. Many times there are more than one link to a specific product. Prices will vary between product distributors so it pays to shop around and do price comparisons.
Educational materials and health products are available through Amazon.com. Use the search box provided below to search for a particular item.
HERBS, OILS, & SUPPLIES
Mountain Rose Bulk Herbs
Mountain Rose Aromatherapy Oils
Click Here To Visit Herbal Remedies Product Page
A Source For Medicinal & Ritual Herbs & Supplies
Aphrodisiacs Aromatherapy Bath & Body Care Bulk Herbs By The Pound Capsules, Tablets & Extracts Chinese Herbals Electronics Extracts First Aid Products Food Products, Mixes, Seeds, Snacks & More! Hair Care Products & Supplies Herbs & Oils, Kilo & Ton Hydroponics & Gardening Kava Products Kitchen & Housewares Mushrooms Musical Instruments Oral Care & Dental Products PC & IT - Computer Supplies & Accessories Skin Care, Cosmetics, & Gift Sets Smokes, Seeds, Cacti Spices, Salts, Sweeteners, & Seasonings Sports, Toys & Games Sweets, Candy, Chips & Snacks Stimulants Sedatives Teas & Coffees
Shaman Shop Home Page
