Chala’s Empowered Homebirth
My labor and birth story began with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. For days, I had been telling Anthony and my sister, “Tonight’s the night,” even though my contractions seemed slow to start. After a week of waiting, it finally began to feel real. Despite waking up frequently due to contractions that were strong enough to disrupt my sleep but not enough to keep me awake, I remained hopeful.
By Saturday morning, my exhaustion was palpable, and I felt frustrated. However, my midwife appointment with Mama on Saturday at 11am proved to be a turning point. The midwife’s reassuring words that I was in early labour gave me the confidence to keep going. I decided to walk along the beach with Anthony talking about how our dream is about to come true and sip on my loose-leaf raspberry tea.
By 3pm Sunday, I was feeling drained and needed reassurance that my body was progressing. I requested a midwife review and a vaginal examination. Finding out that I was 3cm dilated and my cervix was thinning provided me with much-needed relief. The midwife suggested a bath, which felt like heaven and quickly led me into established labour.
Throughout labour, I wasn’t able to eat, but I made sure to stay hydrated. The dim lights, flickering candles, and soft R&B music in the background created a calming atmosphere that helped me stay focused and a sense of romance. Every step of the way I had Anthony and my sister supporting me and creating a safe space to hold me emotionally and physically. As the evening approached, I started feeling intense pressure and overwhelming emotions. We called the midwife back, either for a check or for the arrival of our baby (hopeful thoughts). A vaginal examination showed I was 5cm dilated with the baby’s head very low. At this point, I was torn between getting a shot of morphine to rest or continuing without it. With the support of Anthony, my sister, and my midwife, I chose to keep going. They reassured me that I was doing an amazing job coping with the contractions.
I jumped into the shower, which, despite the effort of climbing the stairs, brought some relief and progressed my labour. We alternated between the shower and bath, with Anthony providing much-needed hip squeezes and my TENS machine helping. I found that vocalizing—whether through positive talk, moaning, or grunting—helped manage the intensity. The best part was kissing and cuddling Anthony; it made me feel safe, loved, and grounded. He even joined me in the bath.
When my waters broke in the shower, it actually provided some relief. Time felt both fast and slow as I approached the final stages. By midnight, with intense pressure and back pain, it was time to meet our baby. Initially, I tried pushing in the bath but struggled with leg cramps. The midwife suggested trying the toilet, which was extremely painful but effective in getting the baby lower.
Soon, I was on my back on the couch, surrounded by my support team, pushing our baby out. On Monday at 4:40am, Anthony delivered our baby and handed baby to me. The instant love I felt holding our warm, squishy baby was indescribable. We had been eagerly awaiting this moment, and finally, the baby I carried for nine months was in my arms. We forgot to check the baby’s sex until our wonderful student midwife reminded us. Lifting our baby up, we discovered it was a boy, completing our joy.
After the placenta was delivered and a few sutures were done (just a graze, thankfully), I took a refreshing shower, put on fresh pajamas, and settled into bed with our son. The food prepared by the midwife was heavenly, and the unhurried, intimate atmosphere allowed us to savor every moment. We weighed our son, finding out he was a beautiful 4060g, marking the perfect end to my labor and the beginning of a new chapter for our family.
