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This March Stand and Deliver!

This week I enjoyed sharing my passion for Human Rights in Childbirth at New York University (NYU) with midwifery, nursing and law students. It is an honor to take students around the world with images and stories of current human rights movements and point out all the ways that our current broken maternity care system violates women’s rights to evidence based care and informed decision making even here in NYC. Of course if you know me, I don’t like to dwell on the negative, I like to share what is possible and look at models that get it right! I hope to inspire you to action as together we can change and engage everyone in a healthy maternity model. In doing that I love to site my favorite birth slogan “Stand and Deliver – Don’t Take it Lying Down!!”

It’s so hard for me to consider how we have literally put women down. Science shows us all the benefits of moving in childbirth and birthing using gravity. Gravity works! By putting women down, labor is longer, more painful, increases use of oxytocin/pitocin, epidurals and decreases pleasure.

This week Vicki Elson, another filmmaker whose work I have enjoyed showing how the media influences our perceptions of childbirth in her great documentary Laboring Under and Illusion, shared Sharon Muza article published in Science and Sensibility. Sharon compared Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices with the realities reported in Childbirth Connection’s 2013 Listening To Mothers III Report, a survey of 2400 U.S. mothers. For Lamaze’s Healthy Birth Practice 2: Walk, Move Around and Change Positions in Labor.

Only 43% of women walked around after being admitted to the hospital and

Only 40% used movement or position changes as a form of non-pharmacological pain relief.

I will address this more in the future as we know leaning forward and moving offers comfort and can shorten labor.

Lamaze Healthy Birth Practice 5 States: Avoid Giving Birth on Your Back and Follow Your Body’s Urges to Push. It is so sad to learn that 68% of American women gave birth on their backs. This is crazy! When you wonder how birth can be pleasurable, it’s hard to find pleasure or comfort when women who want to stand are treated as they are crazy and our broken system puts pressure on you to conform to outdated practices, takes your power and often your voice away from you on a day that has the ability to be full of power, pleasure and possibilities.

Let’s start a facebook and twitter storm of powerful birth quotes and slogans.

Join me in creating a list of quotes that speak up and stand for women’s right to a blissful, transformative, pleasurable birth. Share you tweet and tag us with the hashtag #OrgasmicBirth

Sing a New Song for Ina May & Int’l Women’s Day

March 8th is International Woman’s Day and it is also Ina May’s birthday! To celebrate want to share a couple special things that will be happening with Ina May and elsewhere…

Photo credit: http://girlinflorence.com/2012/03/05/womens-day-in-florence-ideas-and-mimosas-incoming/

One is that tomorrow, in Debra’s ancestor’s village of Agerola on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, they will be celebrating International Woman’s Day as one of their Festivals of Life. On this day all the women in Agerola are celebrated. Women are given Mimosa flowers and taken out to dinner, as the men celebrate the women in their village, together they remember the many women who live in much more challenging situations. Read Debra’s blog about Agerola and the many festivals there.

Everybody sing: “Let your monkey do it!”

We are also celebrating Ina May Gaskin, world-renowned midwife, on International Woman’s day as it is also her Birthday! Debra is honored to call Ina May a special friend. We are very grateful to Angelika Rodler and Marion Ritz-Valentin who came up with a very creative way to support Ina May. Angelika and Marion created a special song, “the crowd:loving:birthsong:experiment” (song excerpted in video below). To support Ina May everyone on the obirth team will be purchasing the download for a mere $1.29 and sharing this great opportunity with our friends and colleagues. Every single cent of income is donated to Ina May and her projects. Happy Birthday Ina May!

“A new and juicy way to show our love and sisterhood in action….so please share with your friends and lets start an amazing lovestorm for our hero!”

Join us as we continue to advocate for every woman’s human rights in childbirth and beyond as well as to celebrate Ina May and her lifetime of work to create safe, respectful and healthy births for all MotherBaby’s.

Ina May Gaskin is our hero. She inspires us to be joyful, brave and funny, she tells us stories we´ll never forget. Because of her teachings so many women have been empowered to explore birth as their holy sacrament. She´s also a hero for m…any midwives, a heartfealt teacher and researcher. Nobody can count all the positive effects of her work for the birth-culture all over the world. For me –and I know that thousands of women will agree – she was the one who changed everything I thought about childbirth. I wouldn’t be the same and my lovely birthstories would sound different without her wisdom. Since many years Ina May is educating my Austrian Doulatribe and the midwives here. I heart so many people thanking her with tears of love in their eyes – we are so many everywhere on this planet! My biggest wish is to say “thank you”, but not only with words. Let´s show Ina May our love and support with this the crowd:loving:birthsong:experiment.

How will you celebrate International Women’s Day? A day to honor women and our collective efforts for equality. What festival and rituals do you have in your family and region of the world or will you create a new one? Please share your story and ceremonies here or on our facebook page.

Ecological Model of Birth from Midwife Verena Schmid

“We know from research that if there is harmony in the team that works together, the health of the mother is better.” – Verena Schmid Cert. Midwife

Here is an illustration and video clip of Midwife Verena Schmid sharing her concept of “ecological human system that helps us to understand how the mother is very important for the baby but not she alone, that everybody has the responsibility for the well-being of the baby and it helps us to understand also the position of the support professionals and helpers should be.”

Verena Schmid, certified midwife; international teacher in Salutophysiology and Salutogenesis in midwifery; founder and director of the i

nternational school of Midwifery Art in Florence, Italy and the professional magazine D&D, Donna e Donna; author of professional books for midwives and promoter of self determined, conscious childbirth, project leader of the “Centro Benessere Maternità” in Florence. Verena promotes midwifery within a health paradigm and normal birth on different levels: practical, political, cultural and professional. For this engagement she was awarded by the international award Astrid Limburg in 2000.

: Do you want to dive-in as registrant or stay on dry-land as affiliate? Tap the toes for more info about the trip.

Roberta’s Interlude in Italy

In this blog, Roberta shares about her experience on Pleasures of the Amalfi Coast Women’s Retreat

High above the Amalfi coast, I look out on the Mediterranean Sea far below the craggy mountains swiftly descending to meet the blue water. This view from my room and balcony in Le Rocce hotel never fails to make me catch my breath as I stand mesmerized.

I left Montreux with music fans about to gather for the annual Jazz festival. (Estimated 200,000 fans over 16 days.) Europe’s trains make it easy to get around, and a friend of mine, Debra Pascali-Bonaro, just happened to be hosting a women’s gathering in Agerola, Italy, during that time.

The area around Agerola is called “small Switzerland” for its cultivated terraces stepping down the mountains. Pumice from the Vesuvius eruption of AD 79 holds moisture in the soil for the many small farms; every house has its own plot for harvesting vegetables each day of the long growing season. I don’t know anyone who would argue with me when I say that in Italy eating freshly prepared food in quantity daily is a cultural mandate.

The first official day of our women’s week the seven of us sat down to lunch in a small room just off our hotel pool for the following menu served as courses: deep fried stuffed zucchini flowers, salad, stuffed lamb rolls with a vegetable side, and a fresh fruit mixture for dessert. Crisp crust bread of course, and wine and sparkling mineral water were our beverages.

When we weren’t eating, we were learning about Agerola, the surrounding countryside, and its people. One of the famous locals is Paolo Avitabile, a soldier and mercenary in the early 19th century. He became a colonel in the Persian army, leaving after six years to make more money as a general in the Indian army. He became governor of a territory in Afghanistan in 1834, establishing order with ruthlessness and brutality, it’s reported. He made his fortune advancing money to the British to pay their troops in the British Anglo-Afghan wars. Having thereby transferred much of his wealth back to Europe, he quit his post to return to Agerola and build a castle. We toured the site of the castle high on a hilltop which Mussolini coveted a century later and leveled to build his own great building.

Coincidentally, as I was walking around one of the hamlets of Agerola, I stopped at a restaurant in the courtyard of the Palazzo Acampora. I talked with the manager who gave me a pamphlet about the Palazzo. It had the rest of the story about Paolo Avitable.

Join Debra on the Amalfi Coast

Returning to Agerola and building his castle, he also married his much younger and beautiful niece. She took as her lover, Luigi Acampora. One night General Avitable summoned a friend to tell him he was dying, exclaiming, “They have poisoned me!” referring to his wife and her lover. The lovers got away with it, married and chose the Palazzo Acampora as their residence. The locals want me to write a book about the general. The last and only book about him was written in Italian in 1909.

There is magic here in so many ways. One day we took a leisurely five hour hike to and through the Valle delle Ferriere, Valley of the Fairies State Nature Reserve. Stopping at a plunging waterfall, stripping to our bathing suits and cooling off, we thought we were in heaven. But heaven was up ahead. Following the stream, continuing to see aqueduct ruins, carefully crossing a tree trunk bridge, we were all stunned to silence as we entered an area with cascades of gentle waterfalls from different stream tributaries. The water flowed softly down the mountainsides in many places, looking like thousands of translucent threads. It felt like a holy place.

In another holy place, the church of Madonna of Loreto, we saw a newly discovered fresco by an unknown artist from about 1375. Part of the fresco is a scene of the Last Supper of Jesus, done at least 20 years before Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous version in Milan. The fresco was discovered while repairs were being made to earthquake loosened plaster covering it on a ceiling in the church. I’m working on the mystery of who the artist is. The church is among several beautiful churches in the Agerola area. But coincidentally, 475 years after the fresco was painted, the mausoleum of General Avitable was constructed in this same church.

Graziella Coccia, Debra’s cousin through their maternal line, was often with us as our local guide. She invited us to her home for a luncheon with some of her large extended family. We learned how to make gnocchi in her kitchen, then watched while her brother-in-law and her 84 year old mom made mozzarella cheese. Green beans freshly picked from their garden and Tiramisu made by her daughters, Angela and Bianca, were some of the other treats we savored. We all ate at a long table on their patio in the shade of their arbor of ripening kiwi. Graziella’s 82 year old father shared his homemade wine with us.

There is much more: a classical music performance of flute and piano in Ravello; an all day boat ride just for our party along the Amalfi coast, stopping to swim in caves; discovering the best pizza in Italy in Agerola (“Tony” has a trophy to prove it); getting to know my new women friends and being with Debra, my long-time friend; exploring other nearby sites; gelato and more gelato. From the “biologique” food served with pride and love to the open-hearted welcome of Ageroleans including our van drivers, my stay was a feast of the senses and spirit. Debra is planning more such trips if any of you women are interested.

Though I enjoyed it, spending the last two days in Florence was a bit of a come down only because there were so many tourists! But nothing can dim the splendor of the art and architecture of Florence. After the heat and crowds of Florence I was happy to get “home” to my little apartment in Montreux.

Agerola La Grande Terrarra Sul Mare – Agerola the Big Terrace on the Sea

In this blog Debra writes about the town of Agerola, located on the Amalfi Coast of Italy, where her family lives and where she guides a summer retreat.

Agerola is a town at the very top of the Amalfi coast, on top of the world. Views of the Tyrrhenian Sea – the Gulf of Salerno below and the whole Amalfi coast add to the views of this picturesque village. From our Hotel Le Rocce the views are stunning. Enjoy coffee, tea or a drinks on the terrace overlooking the Amalfi coast. Our morning workshops will nurture your spirit and passion for life and birth, a lunch that will tantalize your tastes. You will be ready to explore the riches of the region each afternoon and evening.

Agerola offers a glimpse into the culture, tastes and traditions of Italy that are often lost in the cities and escape the average tourist. Here life is rich with the smells, taste, sounds, views and traditions of life. The village announced each babies birth with fireworks, even number of blasts are for a girls and odd numbers signals a boy.

Join Debra in Italy this summer

Festivals of Life Each month brings it festivals, March 8th – International Woman’s Day is a day when all the women in Agerola are celebrated. Women are given Mimosa flowers and taken out to dinner, as the men celebrate the women in their village, together they remember the many women who live in much more challenging situations. Easter brings the whole village out for a procession between the fractions\hamlets of the village. May, the month for the Holy Mother, begins with a village pilgrimage of 20 km to the chapel in Pompeii where Holy Mary’s many healings and miracles there have been celebrated for centuries. June 29th Festival of St. Piedro, July 2 is Madona delle Grazie. Early August brings the festival of “Fior Di Latte” to celebrate their special cheese and Agerolese products. The night of San Lorenzo, August 10th, is the night of the shooting stars, a magical midsummer night when all dreams come true. Looking at the stars from atop of the world, in Agerola they say the stars come down from the sky, and here you can really feel you can touch them. September 12th – Madonna del Rosario celebration, Mary of all Saints, October bring the chestnut festival. Other local celebrations abound all year long many dedicated to the Patron Saints of each region of the town.

Art is everywhere From the historic art, churches and old palace with art from Mussolini, as well as pottery makers who create the typical Italian pottery of the region, couples with views that are art to our eyes – your will be intoxicated with beauty at every turn. We will visit the Ceramiche Silvestri, a family owned pottery shop where they have been making and painting the traditional pottery of the region in the Vietri tradition for generations. You can purchase items or have them made for you, personalized with your family’s name on tiles, serving bowls and more.

Agerola da Gustare – A taste of Agerola If you are not feeling the culture of Italy yet, the local foods, the best in Italy will surely transcend you to another time and place. Agerola supplies the entire coastal area with many of it specialties. It is famous for their fior-di-latte – mozzarella cheese, made fresh every morning from the special Agerolese cows that are found grazing on the mountainside. If you are willing to wake early one morning we will visit a local cheese maker related to our family where you can help make the mozzarella and fresh ricotta cheese. In addition to their great cheeses Agerola is also famous for their salami Di Agerola, Provolone Cheese Del monaco – spicy cheese and Crisp Agerolse bread, traditional rye bread with its many nutritional benefits. We will visit a local bakery Integralpane di Armando Naclerio where you can watch the local breads and Terrari being made. In the evening you may enjoy the Nocino di Agerola, chestnut liquor, Limoncello, -lemon liquor, great local wine, in addition to all the breads, pasta, and fresh vegetables and fruits Hotel Le Rocce will ensure that you explore all the tastes of the region.

The Hidden Mystery If you have not felt completely transcended to another time, this special recent discovery, known only to the locals, will add to your sense of mystery. A fresco of the Last Supper was discovered after an earthquake loosened the plaster on the ceiling of a 12th century church. Was it done first here or after by a student or Leonardo Da Vinci? Whatever the answer, with no long lines and reservations needed as in Milan, you can walk in and wonder for yourself where this treasure came from and the story it tells.

Learn more about

Pleasures of the Amalfi Coast Women’s Retreat

The Paths of the Fairy’s and the God’s There are many walk that have been carved out of the mountains, an incredible set of stairs that have been hand made over the centuries- that has been come to be know as the Sentiero degli Dei – The Path the of Gods, taking you from Agerola to Positano, where the views of the sea below are seen as you wind through vineyards, gardens and villages as you descend to Positano.

The walk of the Valle delle Ferriere – the Valley of the Fairy’s is 10 km from Agerola to Amalfi, with views spectacular views, and with diverse micro climates that bring you from dense forest with chestnut groves, mountains, ferns, wild flowers, the smell of jasmine, roses, and herbs, a rain forest with waterfalls, old Roman ruins of mills and finally the lemon groves that descend into Amalfi. In one day, you feel like you have visited 3 – 4 totally different locations. The smells and sounds of birds, animals, waterfalls, sea below, as the wind, sun and water caress your skin, bring your senses to life as you walk on narrow paths and ledges and imagine a life of long ago when these were active merchant paths of trade. The spring water you will drink and bottle along the way is said to bring you dreams of another time.

If you are still yearning for more, there are 12 more paths to explore in and around Agerola, a hikers paradise and one of the Best-Kept Secrets of Italy or I think the world.

We will walk one or two of these hikes together based on the weather.

In addition to the pleasures of Agerola, we will visit the quaint beach town of Amalfi, the musical town of Ravello walking thru the Villa Cimbrone Gardens, and the often photographed town of Positano with all its shops, cafes and restaurants.

We will tour the scenic Amalifi coast by boat, visiting the Grotto Esmeralda, the Emerald Grotto, swimming in a small cove and visiting the island of Capri. Boating on the Mediterranean sea’s clear blue -green waters, looking back at the Amalfi coast is an adventure worth adding on to top off a week of nurturing, while re-inspiring your passion and connection to nature, birth and life.

Learn more how you join Debra and her family in Agerola, and special guests for a week of visioning , movement, and celebration in an Italian Paradise.

Join Debra in Italy this summer

Can Birth Films Really Can Change The World?

Submitted by Toni Harmon

Films don’t change the world. It’s people that change the world.

If people get behind a film, then it can achieve incredible things. It can change opinions. It can inform, educate, inspire, empower and yes, it can change the world.

Take three birth documentaries ORGASMIC BIRTH, THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN and our previous film, FREEDOM FOR BIRTH. By connecting with a wonderfully supportive audience, these films became powerful. They changed the face of birth around the world.

Before ORGASMIC BIRTH, did you know that it was even possible to have an ecstatic birth? Before THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN, did you realise the extent of the economic interests that impact maternity policy in the US?

Before FREEDOM FOR BIRTH, did you know about human rights in childbirth? Had you heard of Agnes Gereb, the Hungarian midwife imprisoned for attending home births? (Just in the last few days, there’s wonderful news with Agnes’ case – she has been released from house arrest although there’s more court cases still pending).

I believe films can be more powerful than books, blogs and newspaper articles. Films can break through into the mainstream, attract global media attention and influence decision-makers to bring about change.

Take FREEDOM FOR BIRTH. When we released the film in September 2012, over 100,000 people saw the film on one day. The issue of human rights in childbirth was catapulted into the mainstream media resulting in hundreds of newspaper articles, blogs, radio and TV news features. And why did this happen? Because a global community of over 1,000 extraordinary people supported the film by holding a world premiere screening.

Now change is starting to happen. Women’s birth rights is now firmly on the agenda. In the UK, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is holding a training event on 7th March for International Women’s Day 2014 called ‘Human rights awareness in women’s health’. And one of the talks at RCOG World Congress 2014 Conference Committee in Hyderabad, India at the end of March is on ‘Obstetric violence and human rights’. Whether this is directly down to FFB – who can say. I’d like to think our film may have played a part.

Our next film, MICROBIRTH is a feature-length documentary looking at the latest science asking if medical interventions in childbirth could be damaging the long-term health of our children with consequences for the whole of mankind.

Just like we did with FREEDOM FOR BIRTH, we want to release MICROBIRTH with a huge global simultaneous screening event this September. In this way, we want to grab the attention of the world’s media, policy-makers and all healthcare providers so that everyone becomes aware of the potential long-term risks of interventions.

But for the film to become a powerful tipping point that inspires real change, we need you. And thousands of strong-willed, strong-minded individuals just like you.

So, can a birth film really change the world? No. But with your help, yes we can!

Please consider holding a world premiere screening of MICROBIRTH this September. Make it a rallying point for change. Then together, we can and will change the world.

To secure a screening, choose one of MICROBIRTH premiere perks on our Indiegogo fundraising campaign website http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/microbirth.

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After training at the London Film School, Toni Harman worked as a producer / director making factual programmes, documentaries, short films and even a feature film. Then she had a baby and everything changed!

Together with her partner Alex Wakeford, Toni started making films about birth including DOULA! (http://doulafilm.com) and FREEDOM FOR BIRTH (http://freedomforbirth.com). Their new film MICROBIRTH will be released this September. (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/microbirth).

Together, Toni and Alex founded ONE WORLD BIRTH with one objective: to make films to make birth around the world.

You can contact Toni via ONE WORLD BIRTH’s Facebook page http://facebook.com/oneworldbirth and on Twitter @oneworldbirth or via the ONE WORLD BIRTH website http://oneworldbirth.net.

Join Debra in Italy this summer for Pleasures of the Amalfi Coast Women’s Retreat

The Time is Now! Doulas Reconnect The Circle of Support

Coming home from Teaching a great birth doula workshop at the University of Pennsylvania where I have been teaching nursing, midwifery, medical, anthropology, women’s studies students, and community members for over 13 years, I always feel blessings and gratitude to see so many young students sharing a passion to transform maternity care. This weekend was so exciting as we shared our passion for doulas and the many ways that including respectful, loving care will transform, not only our broken maternity care system, but the lives of MotherBaby, Father, partner, family’s and community’s.

* * *

Are you wondering what is a doula and why should I have one?

Doulas are women who support women and their families during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Her-storically women supported women in childbirth and passed along time tested comfort measures, nurturing and massage that helped make birth easier, shorter and as we are learning from science; safer and more satisfying. Childbirth was a social event that took place in family’s homes. When birth moved to hospital it became a medical event which while we have had benefits from our technology, the loss of support from other women often makes birth longer and harder. Many of our mother’s and grandmothers labored all alone, by breaking the circle of support of women, we lost traditional wisdom and with it the knowledge of natural comfort measures. Lying on our backs, having to endure physical activity without food and drink has made birth more challenging, frightening, and painful. It’s hard to imagine when all you know is the system of fear and pain that saves women with medication and surgery what birth can look like if we truly offer women and their partners a full range of comfort measures and the nurturing support that we know can help you to reduce interventions and have an easier more satisfying birth taking you from pain to power.

What a doula does?

A doula supports mothers, fathers, families and partners to experience birth as whole, honoring that birth involves Body Mind and Spirit. We often forget how- what our mind sees our body feels. I believe by cutting birth off from the rest of our lives we have lost touch with how much our emotions and our spiritually effects our bodies. Think about when you feel stressed, do you feel it in your body? Your hormones change. Enter the Doula! Just as women who live together – have their menstrual cycles come together, we are beginning to understand that women help other women to lower stress and secrete the essential hormone of calm, connection and childbirth called oxytocin. So having another woman at your birth is not just nice, it actually affects your hormones and even a wonderful male with all their nurturing will not have the same affect as a female offering continuous support. So that’s not to say then that he shouldn’t be present, we actually know that when a doula is there to support both of you, you both will be more satisfied and often enjoy even more love and nurturing.

What else do Doulas do?

A Doula offers: touch, acupressure, counter pressure, and a toolkit of position that actually help the baby to rotate and can often help make labor shorter and easier. One of my favorite tools is a Rebozo, a Mexican shawl. Doulas learn how to wrap and rock a MotherBaby. Think of how we swaddle and rocked the baby and how soothing that feels, imagine how it feels when you are wrapped with a warm embrace and gently move to help your baby find its way through your body.

Doulas help create what I call birth ambiance, to help you feel safe, private and relaxed with music, lighting, smells, art, images… doulas help you to create sacred space so that you can relax and open.

Doulas help you to advocate and understand all the choices you have so that you receive informed collaborative decision-making with your caregiver, understanding and choosing what is best for you and your baby

Doulas honor that birth is an emotion and spiritual journey. Doulas help you welcome you baby with respect, love and sacredness.

Why is the time now?

February 19, 2014, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released a very important consensus statement for the safe prevention of cesarean delivery, there were many key findings that when implemented will not only reduce the overuse of major surgery in childbirth, but it will reduce the sadness and trauma that many women experience, and help birth to return to the joyful blissful state that it should and could be.

I won’t go into details of all the recommendations but the one that has me the most excited, yes you guessed it – here is what they say about doulas:

Published data indicate that one of the most effective tools to improve labor and delivery outcomes is the continuous presence of support personnel, such as a doula. A Cochrane meta-analysis of 12 trials and more than 15,000 women demonstrated that the presence of continuous one-on-one support during labor and delivery was associated with improved patient satisfaction and a statistically significant reduction in the rate of cesarean delivery. Given that there are no associated measurable harms, this resource is probably underutilized.

Yes, Underutilized for sure, but now for long. With the many benefits of a doula, as the late Dr. Kennel said, “If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical to with hold her!”

To learn more about doulas, read DONA International’s standard of practice, and to find a doula visit www.dona.org

Watch ABC News report on “New Medical Warning From the Nation’s Top Doctors on C-Sections.”

Enjoy Lamaze’s Blog from Judith Lothian Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery: ACOG and SMFM Change the Game http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/?p=7958

Or to Access the full ACOG Consensus statement http://www.acog.org/Resources_And_Publications/Obstetric_Care_Consensus_Series/Safe_Prevention_of_the_Primary_Cesarean_Delivery

http://consumer.healthday.com/women-s-health-information-34/misc-women-s-problem-news-707/ob-gyn-groups-issue-guidelines-to-lower-c-section-rates-685052.html

Join me for more nuggets as I plan to video blog more about ways you can move from pain to power in childbirth and beyond!

Cora Luna’s Peaceful Homebirth

Homebirth story submitted by Cora’s mother, Christine Cassella. Photos by birth doula Rachel Mueller

On Monday, October 28 I woke up with some pressure waves that felt unlike anything I had experienced as “practice” before. I wondered if this could be the day, but the waves subsided as I went about the day. I took a long nap and went for a walk in a nearby park. The fall colors were quite lovely and it felt refreshing to breathe the crisp air.

I headed toward the field where I first began dreaming of this baby over a year ago and which is also the field that inspired the song I wrote for her. I found a bare piece of Earth at the edge where the field meets the forest and grounded myself, soaking up energy from the Earth and feeling very aware that the birth would be happening soon.

I went home and prepared a hearty noodle soup and salad. As I was doing this, the strong pressure waves that I felt that morning returned. In fact, they were getting stronger. Some of them began requiring my full attention.

When Michael came home I hugged him and told him that I thought the birth was imminent. He let out a big smile and remarked on how wild it is that our lives could be changing so much in the course of a day. He sat with me as I went through some waves, but we decided that we should try our hardest to get some rest. We both went upstairs to bed, but I wasn’t there for long because I was too uncomfortable. I began timing the pressure waves, which were coming anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes apart and lasting for about 45 seconds to a minute. Early labor for sure, but something was definitely happening.

I wandered around and rested when I could between them all night. Eventually, I put on a Hypnobabies track and was able to rest better, but the waves never completely stopped. Cora was on her way.

In the morning I warned doula Rachel that something was happening and I also called my midwife, Pam. Her advice was to rest as much as possible because there is no way of telling how long this type of labor would go on for a first-time mom and fatigue is often the biggest reason that first-time moms leave home for the hospital. She assured me that rest would only help the labor progress.

So I rested the best I could. Some parts of the day were easier than others. I checked in with Rachel in the afternoon and told her that things were stalled at semi-regular contractions happening 5-10 minutes apart. She gave me confidence that everything was normal and that my cervix was just taking its time thinning out.

A few hours later Michael brought dinner home, but I could not eat more than a few bites. I didn’t feel very hungry and I felt something shifting. I needed to be on my hands and knees to focus on the pressure waves more often and they were consistently coming 5 minutes apart. We were getting closer.

I called Rachel and she started to head over around 7PM. Michael began preparing the birthing tub. I went around the house between waves lighting candles and setting up my birth alter. The atmosphere was peaceful, calm, and welcoming.

It was nice to have Rachel there when she came. She set up a calming aromatherapy diffuser and we could play around with her relaxation tools – massage paddles, a head massager (my favorite), a birthing ball, and more. She helped to remind me to stay relaxed and to let out low moans instead of anxiety-filled high-pitch ones.

As things became more intense, we decided that I could get in the water. It felt nice, but our hot water tank had run out so it wasn’t quite warm enough to stay in long. I got out rather quickly and warmed up by our fire.

Soon after, I was laboring on the toilet which is a surprisingly nice place to work through these sensations. Midwife Pam arrived about this time and brought an additional sense of reassurance and calm to what was happening. She reminded me to let my body do the work, to relax fully as the sensations overtook my being, and to moan low.

I’m not sure how long this went on, but eventually Pam offered to check my dilation and I accepted: five centimeters with the sac beginning to bulge through. My contractions were around 3-5 minutes apart at this point.

I have to admit I was a little disheartened when Pam suggested that she and her assistant leave for a while to get some rest. She suggested that I drink a glass of wine and try to get some rest because I still had a long road ahead. I wondered how I would possibly rest when I was having contractions 3-5 minutes apart. It seemed impossible. I also felt scared by the prospect of things getting so much more difficult. I was already bowled over and very vocal with each wave. What was still ahead? Despite the concerns, I went ahead and tried to rest. I don’t know that “rest” is quite the word for it, but we went to our bed and I tried to relax and slow things down as best I could.

That may have lasted for an hour and a half or so, although I was often on my hands and knees in the bed trying to “let go and let my uterus do the work”. When I emerged, the “rest” appeared to have done its job and my body was really ready to get going with this baby.

It wasn’t long until I was ready to try getting in the tub again and Michael called Pam to tell her she and her assistant Monica had better come back. The water was warmer and there were pots of water boiling on the stove that were being added frequently. It felt nice to have the warm water flow toward me. However, this time in the tub was extremely challenging. I had to completely focus on moving and moaning through each wave. My body swayed from side to side, I lifted my pelvis up and down, and I kicked my legs back so that I looked like a frog. Somehow I needed to move this baby down.

Eventually, the waves were coming very fast and intensely. I remember thinking that there was no way out of this but through. Somehow I just needed to be patient and let my body do its work. I knew that this was the time that women who had every intention of birthing naturally might slip and ask for drugs. It took every ounce of courage and strength to make it through these feelings. I asked my doula several times, “Are you sure I am doing this right?” and she assured me that I was doing just fine. I was very thankful to be in the comfort of my own home and to work through this time in my living room. It would have been very easy to ask for pain relief at this point had I been in the hospital!

At times, I would throw my arms around Michael because it was very difficult to keep my shoulders loose. I remember Pam saying, “Look into his eyes, let him give you strength.” I certainly needed it! I felt like a wild animal, my body had completely taken over. There was nothing I could do but surrender to it. And it was challenging!

At some point while laboring in the tub, I turned so that my belly was pointing up and I felt the strangest popping sensation, like a balloon had just shot out of me. “I think my water just broke!” I exclaimed. They confirmed with a flashlight that there were bits of vernix floating around suggesting that it had broken. Little did I know that I still had another 3 hours of this journey left!

Between each wave, I could do nothing but rest. I felt someone pouring water over my shoulders and chest, but I didn’t even know whom it was. Someone else was putting warm compresses on my forehead. In each period of rest, I tried to focus on finding strength to ride the next wave. I prayed that my body would relax and stay calm through each one.

When one overtook me, I remember groaning and shouting various random comments like, “THIS FEELS SO WEIRD!” Reflecting back on my time in the tub feels like a dream.

It was a time of the most intense physical sensations and challenging mental space of my life. I am in awe of myself that I could do this.

Eventually, I could sense someone looking for the head with a flashlight and I also remember the baby’s heart rate being checked. The baby was totally fine, but this was taking quite awhile. Pam suggested that she check to see how far dilated I had become. Perhaps there was a cervical lip holding things up. When she said this, I couldn’t imagine getting out of the pool or moving anywhere. However, I managed one more contraction and then got out and on to the couch.

She checked me and said right away, “You’re 10 centimeters. This baby is ready to come out. Do you want to get back in the pool or try something new?”

I had no ability to make a decision, but I think I must have agreed to try something new since I had just dried off. Someone suggested the birthing stool, which sounded like a decent plan so I hobbled to it.

I was really feeling pushy at this point and ready to move the baby down. However, she was still taking her sweet time. “Please come down, baby!” I pleaded with her, but despite many pushes on the stool, we still weren’t getting much closer.

Pam suggested pushing on the bed with my knees up. What the heck, I would try anything at this point. I tried moving toward the bedroom, but fell to my knees at the door to the room. When you’re body says push, it says push! Everyone came quickly to me and placed chuck pads beneath me just in case. But I just had one round of pushing there before I was in the bed.

I remember recalling from other birth stories that many women enjoy the pushing stage because they feel more in control of what is happening. However, I’m not sure I felt that sense of relief – it still felt like this was extremely difficult! But I knew we were closer. I just had this one last hurdle.

Finally we reached a point where Pam and Michael said they could see the top of her head. She was coming closer! With each push, there was a little more of her visible, but then she would go back in. We soon learned that she had an impressive amount of hair!

While everyone was thinking about her hair, I was feeling some very intense sensations of pressure and stretching. I’ve heard people refer to this as the “ring of fire” and although I’m not sure that’s exactly how it felt, it was certainly very intense and I was looking forward to her head coming out to feel some relief. I couldn’t believe how this felt! I was given a mirror and told to look – sure enough, I was opening and my baby’s head was right there! Pam told me to feel for her – she was warm and wet and it felt unbelievable!

Pam had olive oil out and really helped me to push at a good pace (in the end, I didn’t tear at all!). I was just trying to stay focused and give it my all when each wave came to help me. Doula Rachel continued to put compresses on my forehead and made sure that I was lifting my legs appropriately.

I remember looking out the window and seeing the crescent moon. It was a beautiful reminder of who I was doing all this for – my baby whose middle name is Luna. That was quite a special moment.

I don’t know how long after that it was until her head finally crowned. With a few more total-body, completely concentrated pushes, I birthed my baby’s head. What relief! Almost done. I pushed her shoulders out quickly after and Michael scooped the rest of her out of my body. He placed her right on my tummy and I felt her warm, wet, wiggly body for the first time. Her cord was a bit short so she needed to stay on my belly, but I was in shock. My baby was here!

She breathed very quickly and began her newborn cry soon after. I began singing her special song and she seemed to recognize it right away. It made her slow her crying significantly. I couldn’t stop looking at her – who was this person with these wide eyes?

Unfortunately, I got a little distracted from my bliss during this time because part of my placenta was not coming out. Pam was rubbing on my uterus as her assistant Monica was gently tugging on the cord. She gave me some herbs to help my uterus contract and soon I was back on the birthing stool trying to expel the rest. It finally came, but it did scare me that something bad might happen after I had just made it through such an intense birth!

It all came out, however, and I was fine with a new baby in my arms. Wow! Michael was beaming and was so proud of me. He had done such a great job coaching, especially through the pushing phase as he could more easily report on what was happening and exclaim, “You’re doing it! Great job!” He was such an important part of feeling calm and supported throughout my entire pregnancy and the birth. He never let me doubt myself and he had amazing faith in my ability to birth naturally. He is amazing!

After we were settled back on the bed, Michael and I spent some time gazing at our new baby while doula Rachel cooked us a breakfast of eggs and toast, and Pam and Monica were cleaning up after the birth. I could barely eat I was so excited, but I was also extremely hungry and the eggs tasted great. Our baby was finally here! I had actually achieved my goal of an all-natural, peaceful homebirth to start my baby’s life in the most gentle way possible. It was very challenging, but it was very worth it. I am so proud of myself and my abilities. I have never spent so much time, emotional, and spiritual energy preparing for anything as I had in preparing for this birth and I achieved my goal. I feel like I can do anything! I also feel so proud for sticking with the way I wanted this birth to be (i.e., natural and at home) rather than falling victim to the fear and uncertainty that exists around natural birth in our culture at large.

I see why people choose to birth naturally and I love what I have learned and who I have become. I am now a mother. Not only was my baby born, but I birthed myself into my new role very confident that I can do anything I set my mind to.

* * *

Thank you Christine Cassella for sharing your story and photos (many taken by doula Rachel Mueller)!

Christine is a permaculturist, herbalist, and biologist doing her best to follow the rhythms of the natural world. She likes to write about herbalism, backyard farming & permaculture projects, simple living, and finding spirit in nature. She is also an attachment/gentle parent and natural birth advocate. Visit her blog at http://theselightfootsteps.com/.

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How will you celebrate International Women’s Day? A day to honor women and our collective efforts for equality. What festival and rituals do you have in your family and region of the world or will you create a new one? Please share your story and ceremonies here or on our facebook page.

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Join Debra in Italy this summer for Pleasures of the Amalfi Coast Women’s Retreat

Join me for more nuggets as I plan to video blog more about ways you can move from pain to power in childbirth and beyond!

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