by Kailyn Browning, adapted from her original personal blog post in 2013
I’m guessing it came as a surprise to at least some people that we had a home birth. It was actually in the works for a good while, but I just didn’t have the chance to post about it! Let me begin by saying, I never thought I would be doing such a “crazy” thing! But leave it to me to be counter-cultural. Until a few months ago, I would’ve been the first person to say that people who home birth are foolish and irresponsible. That might as well have been lifetimes ago. A few months ago some info about natural childbirth fell into my lap. I decided to read it just so I could say I had done so. Then I would go on to have this baby in the same way I had Brooklyn–at the hospital, with the traditional epidural, water-breaking, Pitocin routine. Nope. I read that natural birth booklet I had been given, and I couldn’t let go of what I had just learned. I decided to dig a little deeper.
Fast forward through weeks of reading, talking with area resources, praying, and discussing with Brandon (my husband). Despite our fears, we found ourselves determined to achieve a natural birth. To prepare, we signed up for Bradley Method classes. These classes taught us labor management techniques, how to prepare for a low-risk birth, and ways for a husband to be the main labor support/doula. In fact, another term for Bradley classes is “Husband-coached childbirth classes.” [an exclusive term, I realize. I wonder if they will eventually change that name. But know that the point is for the partner to be equipped to be very involved as well, whatever they are called] Because we chose this birth path so late in the pregnancy, we had to try to cram 12 weeks’ worth of classes into about seven weeks! This meant 2.5-hour round-trip ventures every week or two, in order to get our classes finished in time. Then there was homework, which consisted of two books to read through, a workbook with weekly assignments, about two hours’ worth of exercises per day, and a strict diet to track. Add this to his shift work schedule and our recent adoption activities, and you see why I haven’t been posting as frequently lately. We were worn out!
During this period, we also learned much about the risks and benefits of both hospital and home births. We discovered that we had many misconceptions about both! It took a lot of time and deliberating, but we were eventually convinced that home birth was the best choice for us. I wish I could quickly summarize why we made the decision we did, but it’s not something I can just put in a three-paragraph post. We spent months learning and studying and comparing before we came to our decision. Deciding on either place for birth is a big decision that requires lots of work if you want to make the most responsible, educated plan. I’ll just leave it at: if you are interested in learning more, let me know and I can at least point you in the right direction to start your own journey! Throughout this adventure, Brandon and I uncovered within ourselves a deep interest in these issues. I’m hoping that sometime in the future, I can teach Bradley Method classes myself! So I’m happy to help people out. 🙂
Next came the challenge of selecting a midwife! This also took a significant amount of time. In the end, we’re convinced that we wound up with the absolute best team of midwives we could’ve asked for. We have learned a tremendous amount from them, and are eager to keep up the new relationships we have gained.
Enough about that, though! On to our birth story!
It may not seem like it to most people, but for us, Baby Eli’s arrival was a long time in coming! For two weeks leading up to his birth, I kept going in and out of early labor. Anytime my contractions started, we never knew if this was going to progress or come to a halt once again. Our birth pool had already been set up once, so at this point we just left it half-way up in the bedroom “just in case.” We were at our wits’ end with suspense! We were pretty sure that when he did decide to come, it probably wouldn’t end up taking very long–in fact, we were afraid we may not get the midwives here in time, by the time we could decide that maybe the contractions were here to get the job done!
God kept us from having that dilemma, though. On Friday, October 4th at 2:40 in the afternoon, as I was putting away laundry, my water broke. I knew this didn’t necessarily mean I’d go into labor right away, but I still got ahold of Brandon at work, and my midwife. Because of all of the early labor, the chances were good that Baby was really coming today! Brandon left work in a flash. Our midwife was on her way just as quickly. It took a little while to determine if labor was going to start or not. Around 7:00 pm Brandon, the midwife, and I were sitting around the table eating supper as my contractions gradually strengthened. I was pretty positive this was the real thing. Within the hour things were getting serious so Brandon and I decided to settle in the bedroom and relax a bit. There was no time. Things picked up so fast that we weren’t sure if I would make it into the pool! Finally I got enough of a break to rush into the pool, where Brandon quickly joined me. The major work came once we were in the water. My support team was amazing, though. And at 10:15 pm, Elijah James Browning was born!
People often ask how an un-medicated birth was. The best thing I know to say is that it was intense, and hard toward the end, but it was certainly do-able. And I’d do it again. Birth at home was the most incredible, family-centered experience. Not only did Brandon get to be involved, but he got to catch our baby! And I didn’t have to wait for someone to hand me my own child—I pulled him up out of the water myself. That kind of connection is truly indescribable.
Every step of our journey was definitely orchestrated by God. From the first pamphlet “happening” to float my way, to the arrival of our precious baby boy. We are just grateful that He allowed us to have this experience.
