Unassisted Home Waterbirth

Early Monday morning I awoke with beginning labor contractions. By 2:30 AM the contractions were too strong for me to sleep anymore, so I got up. At 4 AM I woke Todd up, requesting that he stay up with me. He was so excited when I told him I was in labor. He got up and gave me a priesthood blessing, which was very comforting. We sat and talked about how excited we were while listening to music. Around 5:30 we decided to go watch the sunrise.

We hopped in the car. which it was kind of cool to leave the house in the stillness of the morning. We stopped by McDonald's and drove to the beach of Lake Erie. We walked down and sat on the beach to watch the sunrise. It was so awesome and peaceful. It was nice to spend the time together. And watching the beginning of the day reminded me of what was beginning in our own family.

My friend, Ruth Dudding, from Athens, Ohio got to my house around 7:30 AM. I called my midwife, Pam, to let her know that I was in labor but not far enough along for her to need to come. I labored walking around the house. The boys came and hung out with me, but sometimes during a contraction they would start fighting. This made it really difficult for me to concentrate during the pain, so my sister played with them.

I desired to take a shower, so I did, which was really nice. Afterwards I found comfort with lying on my bedroom floor. I really do not know how women go without an epidural in the hospital, because I would not have liked to be confined to a bed while in this pain. During this time Roger came in to my room. By this time my contractions were 5 minutes apart and quite painful. During a contraction I would hum and even start yelling to deal with the pain and to help me remember to breathe. Roger, who is a very sensitive child, saw me going through a contraction and got a very concerned and frightened look on his face. After the contraction was over, I grabbed Roger and hugged him. I explained to him that Mommy's body was getting ready to "pop" baby Grant out, and it did hurt, but it was okay because we were going to have a baby. During my next few contractions Roger would hug me and ask, "You okay?", "Why you crying for?", or "What you need Momma?" After one contraction I told him I needed him to say a prayer for me. He agreed and we said a prayer. Between contractions he would rub my arm, or cuddle into me. It really is amazing how much comfort I found I got from him. After awhile he started just playing around, which became more distracting to me, so he had to go downstairs. But the fact that he started playing demonstrated to me that the experience hadn't been traumatic for him, but rather had I forced him out after the first contraction, it could have been a traumatic experience for him to see his mommy in pain and not know if everything was going to be okay.

The pain was quite strong. The most effective position for me was to be on my hands and knees with my mom or Ruth applying pressure to my lower back with Todd by my face, holding my hand and talking me through the contraction. He was amazing. He gave me such great comfort and encouragement. There is no way I could have done it without him. He was so loving and supportive and comforting.

My contractions had gotten about 3 minutes apart, and my midwife was on the way. My mom filled the bathtub for me. I jumped in and soon discovered why the tub is often referred to as "the midwife's epidural". My pain subsided for a few minutes, but not for too long. Todd jumped into the tub with me. He got ready to give me another priesthood blessing. I was praying in my heart that I wouldn't go through a contraction during the blessing. The Lord heard my prayer for I did not go through a contraction, and the blessing was not a short one. Immediately after the blessing I started going through another contraction. It was so painful. I was starting to doubt myself. I had never been in so much pain, and yet I probably had hours more to go. Todd was leaning over me in the tub, holding me up and still talking me through the contractions. There wasn't much time between contractions and the pain was getting worse and worse. I was screaming louder and longer, I'm sure Todd now has some hearing damage from me screaming in his ear. The pain was unbearable. As everyone was trying to encourage me I finally said that I couldn't do it, I wanted to quit and in that moment I would have done anything for an epidural.

I was getting an urge to push, but thought that I still had at least an hour before it was time to push productively. But with a little push, I found it to relieve some of the pain, so I started allowing myself to push, knowing that it wasn't going to progress into anything, just some temporary relief.

I pushed and suddenly felt something big shoot out. I pushed Todd back and I looked down and saw that there was a baby's head and chest hanging out of me. I quickly gave one small push and he rocketed out. I immediately grabbed him from the water and brought him up to my chest. I could not believe it, I was so stunned. I felt as though I still had hours of labor left to go, yet it had only been about ten minutes since Todd gave me a blessing. I was the first one to hold my boy, the first one to even touch him! I had delivered this baby unassisted! I went through the entire labor without once knowing how dilated I was, or how far along I was, yet my body knew when it was time and it gave me the correct urges.



Grant is beautiful. He has a chunkier face, which I love. His skin was quite purplish, almost black, so that made us a little nervous (found out later that most waterbirth babies are that color), but he was still connected to his umbilical cord and it was still pulsing so we weren't too nervous. We just rubbed and massaged him.


We were planning on having the boys present for the birth, but none of us expected it to happen so quickly so we never called them up. After the birth they brought the boys up. There is nothing cuter than having your three little boys smiling and giggling as they peek over the bathtub at their new little brother. They were all excited.


About half an hour after the delivery, the placenta was getting ready to be delivered. Still with the midwife not present, Todd clamped the umbilical cord and cut it. He did a great job, and Mikey watched. Mikey has been talking about the "bagga cord" ever since. Five minutes after delivering the placenta, my midwife arrived. She was pleased to see how calm everything was. I still cannot believe that I had performed an unassisted home waterbirth!
Here Mikey is talking me through the delivery of the placenta


Having Grant at home was amazing. It was very comfortable to be at home, especially afterwards. I got to take a shower in my own shower, and crawl into my own bed. I held Grant in my arms while they checked me and him out. He was never whisked away for a bath or checkup. He was my baby and I got to say what happened, no hospital protocol to obey. During the labor I got to do and eat & drink what I wanted to. I wasn't strapped down to a monitor. I was able to wear my own clothes the entire time, and never had a random nurse come in to check out how dilated I was. It really was amazing. Plus he slept through the night his first night of life because he wasn't getting his vitals checked every 15 minutes.

Here Grant is being weighed - notice his cute little feet

Now as for going without an epidural. I do have to say that this was the most painful and most difficult thing I have ever gone through. Running a marathon doesn't even touch this. It was so very hard, and there were moments that I wanted to quit, especially at the end - and I am not a quitter. But even though it was amazingly difficult, I would recommend it (I know, crazy). I would recommend going natural not for the benefits of a "smoother recovery" or "better for the baby", but for the personal rewards. It was very tough going through the pain, and I know that for Todd it was tough for him to see me in the pain, but because of it Todd and I had some very sweet, very precious strengthening moments for us. I needed him and he was there for me. And even describing the closeness that we felt, or the love that we felt cannot even touch what it felt like. It brought Todd and I more together, and I felt we were pretty close with a great relationship before. It just made it that much sweeter. I hope that everyone can have such an experience with their spouse. Also the satisfaction of knowing that I did it, I went through child birth, with no substitutes is amazing. I experienced what my ancestors experienced. I can do anything now, for I have felt the pain and endured.

The boys absolutely love him. Mikey points to him and says, "That's my brother". He also says, "You popped Baby Grant out... It hurt a little bit... but you popped him out.... with bagga cord....daddy got scissors and he cut a bagga cord" Roger asks me, "You have a baby in your tummy?"
"No"
"No, he right there, your tummy is empty"

William, who now seems so big and old, loves his little buddy. He has been so soft, it's amazing how innate it is to treat babies softly. He loves to sit on my bed and have Grant lay across his legs. He thinks Grant is his own personal baby.

Grant's stats are:
Born on June 2, 2008 at 10:40 AM
Weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces
Measured 20.25 inches
His coloring and complexion is beautiful. His head is nicely shaped. He has long fingers and toes. And we cannot be happier with him.


My mom was present for the birth

Ruth Dudding was present for the birth

My midwife wasn't