My Birth Stories

I have carried 4 children to term and had 1 miscarriage. Each experience was different from the next in all parts, pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. The differences in doctors/midwives, nurses, ultrasounds, lab work, labor, delivery, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Some experiences were more beautiful than others. I had my first child at 18 years old, talk about being terrified! My OB during this pregnancy was awesome! I called him Santa because he had crisp white hair and a fluffy beard. He was very sweet and very attentive. He did deliver my daughter after a long night of labor. I was exhausted! I only breastfed my daughter for about 3 months because I struggled with postpartum depression. The postpartum period hit me really hard and if it wasn't for some amazing people in my life I don't know how I would have gotten through.

During my second pregnancy, I unfortunately moved around a lot between different doctors and midwives due to some experiences with some rude doctors. I did find a midwife who was super sweet and tried her best to always be there when I needed to be seen. However she was also pregnant and ended up having her baby not long before I went into labor with my son which then caused me to start seeing the doctors at the hospital where I delivered. My labor went very quickly and beautifully. My son ended up spending three days in the NICU due to difficulty breathing. The doctors and nurses were all very attentive and continually offered me all the info I needed to be comfortable with the care my son and I were receiving. With my son in the NICU the beginning of my breastfeeding journey was pumping all that beautiful colostrum out and the nurses feeding it to him by syringe. Late on his second day in the NICU they allowed me to latch him and he ate right away like a champ. My son was a tank. I was able to provide breastmilk for him for about 6 months and then switched to formula because he was drying me out every feeding! He still eats like that to this day!

With my third pregnancy, I was still exhausted from having my son. They are 16 months apart and I could feel my body was in shock to be carrying another baby. I was so sore/ uncomfortable most days. I worked with a group of doctors and midwives. I truly believe that this pregnancy was where I developed my love for midwives and their passion for what they do. I did have some trouble with one midwife who ended up being the one who delivered my daughter. She didn't really show compassion at my appointments and always seemed cold to me. However, the midwife she was during my labor in delivery was AMAZING! I could not have asked for better care! I ended up going to L&D to be checked because my blood pressure kept spiking, she came in and informed me that they would have to induce labor with pitocin because my BP was hitting dangerous levels for baby and me. She talked me through everything and gave me piece of mind on the concerns I had. I delivered my daughter standing over the toilet right into her arms! That is quite the story but just goes to show you can deliver in any position you are comfortable in!

During my last pregnancy, I started my care with the same people that delivered my third child. However my husband got a job so around 5 months we picked up and relocated to a new state! During the process of moving I discussed deeply with my husband the want to have a Homebirth! I was over the hospitals, and the requirements to do things their way. At this point I had delivered 3 beautiful and healthy (other than the minor hiccup with my son) babies and truly felt I could do this in the comfort of our new home with the help of a Homebirth midwife! We interviewed virtually with a midwife who stole my heart! She answered all of our questions and concerns, especially with my son having been born with difficulty breathing. We wanted to make sure she was going to be able to help us through that if for some reason it happened again. My entire experience with her was BEAUTIFUL I highly recommend a homebirth to anyone who feels comfortable doing so! My labor and delivery with this baby was so fast and our midwife handled it like a pro, which she is! We delivered our last baby in the comfort of our home with our 3 other kiddos sleeping peacefully upstairs with our mother in law with them. My midwife was a doula before becoming a midwife, she was able to handle all of the medical stuff while also offering her comfort of a doula. It was truly everything I could have asked for.

At the beginning of the year that I got pregnant with my last baby I started my courses to become a Labor Doula, Postpartum Doula, and a Lactation Counselor. I truly believe that the knowledge that I gained during those courses along with all the knowledge I gained during each pregnancy, labor and postpartum experience really helped me have the beautiful homebirth that I did.