Memories Of Free Birthing My Daughter and The Importance of Choice.
Me, just over 3 years ago almost ready to Pop
3 years ago today , I birthed my daughter unassisted, in the caravan next to my truck.
From the very beginning of my pregnancy, I knew that I wanted to free birth my baby at home. I have shared my story before, about my journey to becoming a doula. How the experience of my first birth, led me to become very passionate about a woman's right to choose where and how she birth her baby, to my passion for the freedom of birth.
As a woman, our bodies are designed to birth our babies and they know exactly what they need to do. Down through the years we have lost faith in our bodies abilities, we have been led to believe, that birth is a medical procedure, when it is nothing of the sort.
Of course, there are times when medical intervention is needed, but that is not as common as they would have you believe. Modern medicine deems you as being negligent if you choose to birth at home. Yet if that were the case, we would be extinct. Just look back into your family tree, there was a time when all your ancestors were born at home. Hospital births, only became popular because that was where royalty went to birth their young, so it became a trend, a show of high class.
Today, we live in a world were so many are out of touch with their bodies and have forgotten how truly powerful they are.
We have become so dependant on others to tell us how we feel and where our bodies are at. There was a time, when women knew how their pregnancies was going,when they could feel the progress of their baby in the womb. That time is still here for those who wish to return to it, to get back intune with themselves and their growing baby.
I choose that for my last pregnancy, I never went for any check ups and I had no scans. But I spend a lot of time focusing on my pregnancy, being present with my baby as it grew in my belly. I communicated a lot with her whilst she was in Utero. I listened to what my body needed and what she needed and I have complete faith in my ability to do so.
I knew pretty early on in the day that she would be born that night. .I was not uncomfortable, but my energy had changed and later that evening I began to experience slight back ache. I knew that my baby was preparing to come earthside, just as I was preparing to meet her.
I had a caravan that I had made into a nest, that is where the term nesting comes from, a mothers desire to create a safe birth space, not a nursery as most would have you believe. All animals nest, searching for the perfect spot where they will birth their young.
I birthed her, right there between those two couches!
I painted the inside red and orange and I covered the walls in positive affirmations and made lots of pretty candle holders out of jars. When night time came, I went for a walk on the land and then at 10:30 pm I said goodnight to my 2 girls in the truck and went into the caravan. Promising that I would wake them when their brother or sister arrived.
I put some music on and danced, and then I sang and then danced some more. At one point the music was too much of a distraction, so I turned it off. It was just me and my primal sounds. Mooing seems to be my birthing sound, I found it so soothing, I still do.
Then things started to go up a notch, I got to the point where I panicked for a moment, what if the baby came out feet first. Even though I had felt your head coming first. That little doubt, was enough to intensify the experience and I got louder as my daughter got closer to being born.
I heard the dogs respond to my primal sounds and then my ex came in, (he later told me that the dogs howling had woken him and as he came outside he heard me). He arrived just in time to see our beautiful daughter be born. She had a lotus birth, left attached to her placenta as she got used to her new surroundings.
Still attached to the placenta!
Looking back on that, I realise how lucky I am to have had a choice. (Legally I am not meant to free birth, but I took that choice anyhow.) But that is not what is important, what is important, is that every women should have the choice to decide where and how she gives birth.
Every women should be informed about the magic that her body can do and should be supported and nurtured before, during and after birth.
I chose this birth for me and my daughter and that choice really empowered me. I wish, for every woman to feel empowered by their birth choice.
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You are still my hero you are so awesome I have been missing you We will talk soon.
oh @rensoul17, I have wondered how you are, so great to hear from you and I look forward to catching up with you, much love xxx