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| Souleymane’s Birth Story by Fanny Bangoura Souleymane’s birth was long awaited, as there was some confusion about the due date. My original date based on my last period was January 20, but since I was measuring exceptionally large, I had an ultrasound which gave an estimated due date of December 26. That left a huge window of possibilities of when I might begin labor. I was having Braxton Hicks contractions the whole month of January and the general sentiment was, “any day now…” On January 20, I decided to try the castor oil cocktail to get things moving. The next day was Monday the 21st and I had the cocktail about noon. Between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM, the laxative when into effect and my contractions kicked in as well. I talked to Corina on the phone and did some emotional releasing, letting go of whatever was holding me back from having this baby. That gave me a tremendous lift to get into the labor flow. My mother, an acupuncture physician, needled points to help stimulate labor and points that are analgesic. By 6:00 PM, I was beginning active labor, having stronger contractions, closer together. My cervix was soft and dilating progressively into the midnight hours. I was happy to finally be in labor and was integrating the contractions very well up until the wee hours of the night. My goal with this birth was to really listen to my body keenly enough to feel the tell-tale urge to push. But as my transitional phase of labor trailed on and on, I was growing discouraged that I would ever get to that threshold of pushing. I was also hoping to spend time in the water, possibly attempt a water birth if it felt right. Unfortunately, the hot water heater at the house died that night of labor, so my bath was tepid at best. By the wee hours, 2:00 am to 4:00 am, I was exhausted. I wanted to rest, but I was in active labor, so that was hard. I was pooping out a little and even pleaded for transport. My midwives reassured me that there was no physical reason to transport, the baby’s heart tones were fine. Corina and Devorah suggested that I start pushing. What a relief! Once I started pushing around 3:45 am, the midwives gave me much encouragement, saying things like, “That was good; I can feel the head coming down; do that again.” At this point I was on the bed, sitting more or less, with Corina using hot compresses and perineal massage. When I got actively into the pushing, I found myself in fetal position, lying on my back, curled up, squeezing my knees down—like a horizontal squat. I felt like I was going through the birth canal as well. I just let the midwives guide me through the pushing. When I did it right, they cheered. I pushed the head out and then they started saying, “Push, push, don’t stop, keep pushing.” Within a few more minutes, his whole body was out. My husband announced right away, “Souleymane, it’s a boy!” At 4:20 am, my 9 lb 10 oz boy was born, with absolutely no tearing. They put him on my chest. He was rosy all over with lots of dark curls. Although I was exhausted, my body felt this enormous bliss for the relief of having the baby out of my body. I ate and drank while my baby nursed. I was very grateful to have such compassionate and competent midwives. I was also impressed with their clinical skills and judicious use of interventions. Being that I was group beta-strep positive, I was administered IV antibiotics twice. Because I bled a bit more than normal, pitocin was also used after the baby was out to support my uterine contractions and slow bleeding. The Doppler was used frequently to monitor heart tones. I felt completely cared for in the comfort of my home by highly intelligent and intuitive women. Two homebirths and two big healthy babies later, I wouldn’t do it any other way. |
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more birth stories: Thomas’s Story by Celia Nehama's Birth Story by Corina Lucas' Birth Story by Kerly “Momentos Especiales” (in Spanish) Evaly's Birth Story by Idania Hailey's Birth Story by Cher |
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Bellymama Midwifery * Corina Fitch, L.M., R.N., C.P.M.
Bellymama Midwifery is a private midwifery practice offering pre-pregnancy counseling,
complete prenatal care, childbirth education, blessingways, and bellymasks,
home and birth center birth,VBAC, waterbirth, postpartum care, and breastfeeding support.