Unassisted Homebirth - Birth of Maelle

The unassisted birth of Maelle. Born 10-20 days "late" (depending on due date estimates) weighing 9 pounds 11 ounces, 21.5" long. Only myself, my husband and my sister were present (well, Maelle was present too). It is called "Unassisted birth" when there are no medical staff present, such as a doctor or midwife. Although my sister has since become a veterinarian!

I had several days of prodromal labor (mild contractions 10-20 minutes apart). True labor began around 1am, and I used Hypnobirthing and meditated on the couch until 5am. I got up to do other things (post online, time contractions, etc) and the pain was intense. My husband ran the bath for me, and around 5:30am I got in, and used Hypnobirthing again to go into a trance for several hours. When I opened my eyes, it was day already! I began pushing around 8:45 (all I know is it was shortly after the 8:30 am school bus passed; I had turned the clocks to face the wall), and this video shows just the last few minutes of pushing, delivery, and meeting the baby.

My husband was holding a cloth with warm oil to my perineum to prevent tearing (baby's head was 15 inches around and I did not tear, very likely thanks to that heat and oil...it felt AMAZINGLY relieving). The placenta came out about 15-20 minutes after the birth. We cut the cord about 5 minutes after the placenta had been delivered, when the cord was white and limp (no more blood flow).

This was my second birth, but my first homebirth. I used HypnoBirthing to help me stay relaxed, and read books to give me useful ideas and encouragement on how to birth naturally. My 2 favorite books were Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Birthing from Within.

If you have questions about unassisted birth, check out: http://www.unassistedbirth.com/