*BIRTH STORY, TRIGGER WARNING*

So I just wanted to share my birth story.

This was my 4th birth. My first was an emergency cesarean(2009), the second was a hospital vbac(2016), the third was a breech cesarean(2019), and this 4th one I was planning a home VBAC.

I loved my experience of having prenatal care from my midwife in my home. I developed a deep and trusting relationship with a woman who has 37 years of experience in midwifery.

This pregnancy was my healthiest, I felt my best, and I was active all the way until 41 weeks.

I knew I was in labor at 3 am on the 28th when I could no longer sleep through contractions. I labored comfortably and quietly in my bed until I knew I was progressing for sure, and messaged my midwife. At 730 am I told my husband she would be arriving soon. I got in the shower, and continued to labor. I listened to a hypnobirthing meditation on repeat while laboring. I found hands and knees most comfortable, seated (on toilet) made me progress really rapidly.

At 10:30 I was tired and they suggested I do side lying... I was resistant as it was very intense pressure when I did. Sure enough after about a half hour I felt a loud pop/snap in my vagina and at the top of my uterus. It startled me and it was definitely my water breaking. My wife checked the water and it contained fresh meconium. She wasn't too worried at first as it wasn't an alarming amount or quality. Then she decided she wanted to check me to see how close I was. When she checked me my cervix went from soft and only a centimeter to thin and about 6 centimeters. When she checked though, a pool of blood filled her hand, and this was concerning enough for her that she felt we should make our way to the hospital, a short 8-10 minute drive.

We grabbed some stuff and got out to her car, and this car ride really ramped things up. I had about 4 STRONG contractions.. and when we got to the emergency entrance I got in a wheel chair and I could feel my baby's head moving down. I shouted "ring of fire" each time I felt her breaching my cervix.

We got into the lobby, the staff were trying to hold us up, I was screaming "LET ME IN!!! LET ME IN!!! MY BABY IS COMING OUT!" and I had another contraction that made me clutch the arms of the chair and lift my body off of the chair while water went gushing EVERYWHERE. Quite a scene. My midwife kept me grounded the entire time. And amazingly, throughout this whole thing I did not feel afraid, I just knew I needed to get in a space I could give birth in.

They finally let us through, we went to the elevator, and my husband wasnt in there.. I said WHERE IS MY HUSBAND! My midwife said he's right behind us he's in the other elevator.

We got up to the 4th floor, I was midcontrsctions as they raced me to a room that had about 10 nurses prepped and ready. We got to the room, my midwife helped me take my pants off, and my husband showed up at my side right when I got on the bed. I was in a position up on my arms and my body would lift me up off my bum when I had contractions and lean me back slightly, one contraction, I didn't push, the next one I said I have to push, I pushed with my body and out popped baby's head! I reached down and said "hand me my baby!" They said "not yet you have to push again!" 😂 So I pushed one more time and TA DA!!! My healthy baby girl came into the world at 12:04, just minutes after arriving at the hospital. She was perfectly healthy. The bleeding wasn't hemorrhaging. My body gave birth naturally and unmedicated and a lot of it had to do with just allowing the process to happen without being afraid. Even in transferring to the hospital. I had to just focus on birth and not allow worst case scenarios to enter my mind.

So.. my Cesarean, Vbac, Cesarean2, Vbac2 has me feeling a couple things. I am glad we are healthy, I have no regrets laboring at home and attempting a homebirth vbac, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.