Enkidu’ Birth Story

by Rebecca G
(Chicago, IL)

First sweet moments.

First Time Mom - positive unmediated home birth 12 hour labor & delivery at 38 weeks and 3 days!

Enkidu was born 5/20/22 @5:12pm 6lb and 9oz 19inches healthy and happy boy 💙

In prep
- I watched Mama Natural courses and read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
- Worked out all the way till 33 weeks (weightlifting)
- Walked 20 mins a day or stayed active with household stuff
- Almost everything I ate and drank was organic/non GMO
- Drank raspberry leaf tea once a day in my second trimester and drank twice a day in my third trimester
- Ate 3 dates a day throughout my pregnancy and 6 dates a day starting in my third trimester
- Saw a chiropractor for my pelvic weekly and at least once every other week
- Saw integrated holistic medicine doctor at least monthly
- Had 2 prenatal massage in third trimester
- Sex once every other week

I woke up at 5am went to use the bathroom, when I peed I felt a pop and when I wiped myself it was a little pink (I believe it was my mucus plug). I decided to go back to bed cause I had work (from home) at 7am wanting an extra hour of sleep. Not even 20 minutes later I felt the worst cramp in my life. I literally felt like I was in another world! I turned to my husband and told him I thinks he’s coming today! I started work at 7am and sat on the medicine ball with some cramps so I start timing them on my contractions app. I immediately texted my doula and shared my contractions with her. Sure enough at 7:40am my mom had just gotten out of the bathroom and witnessed my water breaking (all over the medicine ball) right when I was gonna tell her I think he’s coming today. My contractions were getting closer and longer and my doula came at 10ish followed by a nurse from my homebirth team. The nurse had done a cervical exam just around 11am I was 4 to 5 cm dilated at 50% effaced! It seemed to be going so fast my doula had me doing different positions to help bring him down and keep me comfortable as much as possible. I have to say the breathing part was a little hard, but my doula recommended horse lips or raspberries. (Which helped so much). At this point I was sitting on the toilet backwards with support from my husband and doula. My midwife and home birth team were getting the waterbed set up. Finally just a little before 3 it was almost ready! So my midwife asked if I wanted to do another cervical exam and I said yes. I was 10 cm dilated and was ready to push! So I got into the waterbed but it actually calmed down my contractions down and made hard to push so I got out, went straight to my room and wanted to relax with my husband just the two of us. Contractions came back strong so I got up out of bed went on the toilet again for a little, walked around the house a little bit doing different positions to help him come down. I was getting tired and just wanted to lay down so I laid on my side and pushed with every contraction! Just before 5pm, all I could hear was, "we see his head, he’s crowning, almost there". I got on my hands and knees doggy style pushed again there, his head came out! Everyone said with excitement "his head's out, just one more push, your husband will grab him and put him on your chest". Just like that I pushed again, my husband grabbed him, I just laid in bed and my beautiful baby boy was placed on my chest by my husband. We stayed skin to skin for a few hours! I was so blessed to have such a great team from support by my husband, doula, midwife, assistant and student. Not once did my doula or midwife offer my any pain meds because they knew I didn’t want them and even though at times I thought to myself, let me just get rid of this pain, I never doubted myself. I truly wanted to feel every moment!