Sharing a birth story is like sharing a special and powerful experience. I’ve heard many stories as I get ready for my own birth, and each one is unique. I want to thank every woman who has given birth because it’s incredible, no matter how it happened. I now understand and appreciate labor and delivery in a whole new way.
So here is my story.
When I reached 40 weeks in my pregnancy, I wanted to try some natural ways to kickstart labor. It’s strange how you wish to reach full term, but once you do, you’re eager to have the baby. It’s a bit ironic, but it’s how it goes. Even though the baby is technically full term at 37 weeks, I wanted a little more time for them to grow, and that’s exactly what happened.
I was offered a stretch and sweep on day 2 post due by our midwives, but Jesse and I didn’t feel right about it so we turned it down. The thought of it made me squeamish.
Instead of waiting, every day after 40 weeks, I tried different natural ways to start labor. I tried acupuncture, took longer walks, bounced on a birthing ball, and used other methods like eating pineapple and using a TENS machine. I did lots of things to help bring on labor!
But four days after it was supposed to happen, something natural decided to happen. On Sunday, February 9th, at 12:30 in the morning, when the moon was full, I woke up from a dream. In the dream, I was in a boat and water was coming in from everywhere. When I opened my eyes, I noticed there was a hole in my pajamas. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew I hadn’t peed myself.
I felt a bit excited because it seemed like labor might be beginning. I wasn’t completely sure, but I had a feeling it might be happening.
The next morning, there was a bit more fluid, so I called the midwives to ask what was happening and for their advice. They wanted me to come in right away to check if my water had broken. It had, but they found out it was a small leak from higher up in the uterus. This was both good and bad news. It meant things were starting, but not enough to kickstart labor yet. If things didn’t progress within the next 48 hours or less, they wanted us to go to the hospital. They suggested starting Pitocin to induce contractions if they didn’t start naturally. This was disappointing news because we were hoping and planning for a home birth.
At that moment, it was 9 am and we still had some time. They said if labor didn’t start by that evening, we’d go to the hospital either later that night or early Monday morning.
After hearing all this and realizing my birth plan might not go as expected, I was ready to try anything to start labor naturally. So, I spent the whole day doing all the natural methods I had been doing the week before to induce labor. Our doula even came over to support us and use acupressure to help kickstart my body naturally.
I also contacted Corinne at Brownroosts Baby and Rhea at Family Wellness Centre out of desperation. They both gave me helpful advice and encouragement. But the one method I hadn’t tried yet, and knew was the most forceful way to possibly start labor, was using castor oil.
Corinne suggested that I try a special mixture with castor oil if I felt up to it. I did some research but was unsure. My midwives mentioned it too, but weren’t sure if it really worked. So, I asked Jesse to grab some just in case. I was nervous about taking it because I knew it might upset my stomach.
Around 5 pm, the midwives called to see if I was ready to go to the hospital. We had our bags packed, but I was hesitant. They could tell I was scared, so they offered to come over at 6 pm to talk.
They even checked with the hospital, but it was full for the night. I was relieved. I still had until 8 am the next morning.
Meanwhile, the castor oil sat on the table, and I debated whether to try it. I decided to go for it at 9 pm. It didn’t taste good, and I don’t recommend it unless you’re really desperate.
I had some diarrhea around 12:30 am and then started feeling contractions at 1:30 am. I woke Jesse and we tracked them until 3 am, then called the midwife. We kept tracking until 6 am when the contractions were getting stronger.
At 7 am, we talked to the midwives again, and they decided to come check on me at 8:30 am. Our doula also came over. They checked me and I was 4 cm dilated. We could stay home.
My home birth was starting! The contractions were getting stronger. Jesse and Jess helped by pressing on my hips during each one. We went downstairs to the basement to set things up while I was in labor.
I was happy because I wanted to have my baby at home!
By 11 am, I was 5 cm dilated and making progress. The baby’s position and heart rate were being checked regularly.
The baby seemed to be mostly on my right side, which meant I had to lie on my side during contractions to help move the baby into a better position. These contractions were really painful, especially because my hips were weak.
Lying on my side during labor was much harder than it looks!
Then I got into the birthing tub, which felt amazing and relaxing, but it slowed down my labor too much. So, I had to get out and continue laboring on land.
Oh, the warm tub felt so good!
I tried different positions to help with labor: walking up and down stairs, doing squats, bouncing on a ball, leaning on Jesse, even sitting on the toilet backwards. But things weren’t progressing enough.
While climbing the stairs, I got hit with a contraction!
Then, I was offered to have my membranes ruptured again. I didn’t want this because it can make contractions stronger and if there’s any meconium in the waters, we’d have to go to the hospital. But the midwives assured me it was safe since my hind waters had already broken. It was 4 pm, so they said it was the right choice. I agreed.
They gently ruptured the membranes, and a lot of fluid came out, which explained why the baby wasn’t in a good position.
As time went on, I got weaker. I felt nauseous several times and threw up. I’d been awake for more than 24 hours. I couldn’t eat much, just a smoothie, coconut water, a date, some nuts, and bone broth. I was also taking homeopathic remedies every 15-30 minutes and drinking lots of water.
After laboring on land for a while, I got back in the tub to try to move the baby down the birth canal. Each contraction was stronger than the last, and I started feeling the urge to push.
During each contraction, I would get on my hands and knees in the tub, and Jesse and Jess would help by pushing on my hips. After each contraction, I’d lean back against the tub and drift into a state where I was partly aware and partly lost in my own world, trying to breathe and connect with myself deeply. If you’ve been through this, you know what I mean.
By now, I really wished someone else could take over my labor. I never even thought about getting an epidural—I just needed a break.
I kept reminding myself how fortunate I was to have the best birthing team at home. So, I stayed motivated and kept pushing through.
After about two hours, I had to get out of the tub and try something else. I tried standing and leaning on Jesse, but my hips wouldn’t let me stand up straight. Then, I was suggested to go back to the toilet to keep pushing, but that didn’t help either. That’s when I found out that my cervix was in the way. The baby was close, but not moving down enough into my pelvis. I was pushing so hard that I felt like my insides were coming out!
We moved from the toilet to the bed where I got on my hands and knees, thinking the baby would come in this position since I was around 9 cm dilated. But that didn’t work either. Then, I tried hanging off the edge of the bed in Jesse’s arms, but no luck.
The nurses changed how they talked to me and said I needed to lie on my back and push the baby out fast. They told me later that the baby’s heart rate had dropped a lot and they needed to get it out quickly!
So, I ended up lying on my back, trying hard to push the baby out. It was really painful and exhausting. I had to push really hard because they said if I didn’t, I might need a cut to help the baby come out. Eventually, with some olive oil to help, I managed to push the baby’s head and body out. It was a girl, which made me and my partner very happy.
The baby was put on my belly right away. She cried and breathed well. We waited for a while before cutting the cord to make sure she got all the good stuff from her blood. Then, I had a shot to help stop bleeding because I was so weak from the long labor.
After that, I pushed out the placenta, which was a bit uncomfortable but not too bad. I only needed one stitch for a tear, which wasn’t too bad either. Meanwhile, I cuddled with my baby, amazed by the whole experience. It was tough but incredible.
I labored for over two days, had contractions for more than a day, and pushed for almost four hours. But having an unmedicated birth at home was what I wanted, and having my baby was the best reward.
And to add to the magic, she was born at 1:11 am on February 11th, which is extra special to me because I was born at 11 am on November 11th, on my mom’s birthday. So, the number 1 is really meaningful to me.
Also, make sure to listen to the audio version of our story told by me and Jesse on The Ultimate Health Podcast!
