Chloë's homebirth

To read my birth story (complete with explanations and commentary of all the photos you see here in the video), go here :
https://sites.google.com/site/chloeesbirthstory/
An unabashed look at how a physiologic, NORMAL, joyous birth occurs at home.
I am Emma, and here is my fast and furious birth (third-time mum, spontaneous onset of labour at 42 completed weeks) with baby in OP position (posterior), and lasting just an hour and a half from first contraction to baby's entry into the world. OOF !
Chloë weighed 8 lbs 12 oz (4000 g) and was born over an entirely intact perineum - no tears, not even a skidmark ! All thanks to me tuning into my body, and not having anyone coach me or tell me how/when to push; this is the single most effective way to avoid tearing and protect your perineum. Say NO to "purple pushing", or coaxed pushing of any kind. Better still, reach down and keep a hand on your vulva, yourself ! In the photos, you can see me guarding the front of my vulva with my hand. I also was able to feel my baby's head in this way as she crowned, and this was absolutely incredible ! A really wonderful way to give yourself a second wind to continue working to bring your baby down and out and into your arms. :-)
I remained in a forward-leaning position throughout my entire labour, as it was the only position that felt good. This was likely due to her being posterior, as the hard part of her head was descending against my spine (ouch). This may also explain why I instinctively assumed a hands and knees position for pushing. I asked my birth team to hold wet, warm wash cloths against my perineum for me, as it feels wonderful and so very soothing as the tissues stretch out (they were not applying much in the way of counter-pressure; be wary that too much counter-pressure against baby's head can actually cause tears up inside the vagina, nor is it supported by the evidence to be beneficial in terms of reducing perineal trauma).
Birth doesn't have to hurt like hell, either. I experienced orgasmic moments both in active labour and whilst pushing. It was fantastic !
I've written a birth story if you're interested :
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dhcwj3xv_46g768cgcs
We left the placenta attached and held our baby skin-to-skin continuously for the whole first two hours after her birth; she latched on within minutes of being born and stayed at the breast until we decided to cut the cord at about two hours after the birth. Only then did our student midwife do the newborn exam (and most of it while Chloë remained at my breast).
We also prepared the placenta ourselves for encapsulation according to the theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (as a postpartum recovery aid for me).
Chloë has been diaper-free since birth. Yes, you read that right. In the video you can see the small potty bowl that we began using on Day 4. Check out Ingrid Bauer's book to see how all this is possible, "Diaper-Free ! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene". For me, EC is just like breastfeeding; just as I respond to her cues when she's hungry and breastfeed her, I respond to her cues when she needs to pee or poo, and catch it in the potty bowl. It's a total paradigm shift, but once you make that shift and take the leap of faith, you'll never go back to conventionally diapering another baby again !

§ HOMEBIRTH - IT DOES A YONI GOOD §