Birthing Outside the Box

08/09/2022

Queen Elizabeth after her fourth Homebirth

Her Majesty was the first royal woman to have her husband accompany her at childbirth when she welcomed her fourth child Prince Edward with Prince Philip present.
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"The Queen, by then aged 37, had asked him to be there; she'd been keenly reading women's magazines that stressed the importance of involving fathers in childbirth and had become fascinated by the idea. Thus Philip became the first royal father in modern history to witness the birth of his child.”
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Like her mother, the Queen gave birth to her first child, Prince Charles, at home via caesarean, after a 30 hour labor, but went on to have three VBACs although with scopolamine.
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Eventually Charles was born by a Caesarean section in a music room in Buckingham Palace which had been converted into a theatre. She was attended by Obstetricians Sir William Gilliatt and Sir John Peel, and also midwife Helen Rowe, who was thought to be present for all the births. Caesarean sections were also less common in the general public at that time; in the 1950s only around 3% were caesarean section. It would have been of some concern that the Queen required one.
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The midwife Helen Rowe was known to be present as letters written to her by the Queen were discovered after her death. There is an irony in this as, in 1970, Sir John Peel, the queen’s obstetrician, was lead author of the report “Domiciliary midwifery and maternity bed needs”, which recommended 100% of births should be in a hospital.
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There have been considerable changes that have taken place in maternity services since the births of the Queen’s children. The accessibility of research and information is only one thing! The Queen, in all her experiences as a woman and mother in the role, has paved the way for royal births to be different and opened the door for many of her subjects to challenge the status quo at the time. The importance of looking back in history to see how we have got to where we are should not be overlooked and I challenge others to investigate history of our profession over the past 70 years.
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From

19/08/2022

🎙 PODCAST DAY: Canadian Mom of 4 Finally has a Home Birth with Michelle

12/08/2022

🎙 PODCAST DAY: Our Conversation on the DIAH Podcast

05/08/2022

🎙 PODCAST DAY: Welcome Back, Chelsea!
(Make sure you go back and listen to Chelsea’s first episode, #9)

03/08/2022

YES!! Totally agree

Honestly, I always want the mama to catch the baby.

If not her, then the papa.

If not either parent, then a let the baby have a gentle landing on a padded area beneath the mother, If it’s not a big distance. Or maybe be received by an older child.

But not me.

I don’t claim to be a midwife (and I don’t offer “catching” as a birthkeeper), but even if I were I think this would be my strong preference.

Because the hands of family -- covered with familiar bacteria and empowered by the biggest love the baby will ever know — are the best landing pad.

Is it a rush to catch a baby? Of course. It’s amazing; a heady experience and a massive honor. (And sometimes the help of skilled hands is actually needed).

But the honor belongs to the mama or the papa. That moment of intimate, naked (non-gloved), intuitive contact is existentially powerful. And it isn’t mine to have.

Personally, I only caught my fifth. I gave away that privileged honor the first four times. And though I don’t necessarily REGRET it, I can say that those assisted catches can’t hold a candle to what it was like to receive my fifth baby into my own hands.

How about you?

PS: now accepting new Journey Sisters into Embrace Birth Journey (see linktree).

29/07/2022

🎙 PODCAST DAY: Doing it at Home with Sarah & Matthew Bivens
📸 Screenshot & Tag Us!

30/06/2022

A little late posting this, but couldn’t miss an opportunity to share a picture from our last Birthing Outside the Box Birthing Course.

This class was really special because the day before the course began one of our moms (who was 37 weeks along) got a really upsetting email about our local birth center shutting down. This is really the only birth center left in our area.

That meant all of her hopes and plans for a birth center birth was gone and instead she was being forced to birth in the hospital with no other options. Thankfully she had already registered for the course to help prepare her for a birth center birth. During the class you could see through their questions and comments they were becoming more and more confident in their abilities to birth at home. And after the class was finished that is exactly what they decided to do.

Since this picture was taken I can happily report she birthed her son peacefully at home on her own terms. It was an amazing birth experience and both mom and baby are doing great. We are so excited to share their story on our podcast because it’s not every day you have to change your entire birth plan at 37 weeks pregnant.

This just goes to show how the universe works in amazing ways and how sometimes a door closing could be a unique opportunity to do something completely different. Unfortunately it also shows how little options birthing mothers in North Carolina have and why preparing for your birth is so important. If you or anyone you know is local to Raleigh and would like to attend our upcoming birth course message us for details! Regardless of where you are birthing you want to feel confident in your choices and that is exactly what this class provides.

03/06/2022

🎙 PODCAST DAY: Third Times a Charm with Courtney
📸 Screenshot & Tag us!

20/05/2022

🎙 PODCAST DAY: « I Did It », Freebirth After Home Birth Transfer with Solange
📸 Screenshot & Tag Us!

20/05/2022

Beautiful explanation ❤️

Here’s why I don’t use the word contraction - it’s only part of the story. The sensations you feel during labor that allow your baby to pass thru the birth canal, thru your pelvis, and into this world are the muscles of your uterus tightening + releasing.

Hold your fist out, tighten it into a ball, and then release, allowing the muscles of your hand to relax completely - that is a ‘contraction’.

Contracting is only half the story. And, in a way, it’s the easier half because your body contracts on its own - it’s the relaxation half that most of us find it hard to tap into. When in pain our instinct is to tighten up, squeeze, hold our breath and scrunch our face and clench our jaw - but, during labor, it is being asked of us to do the opposite: breathe deeply, relax our face, jaw, and tongue, and bring release to our pelvic muscles thru movement and vibration. To relax thru pain is not instinctual, and something that I encourage all mamas to practice.

Rather than focusing on contracting what else can we call them? Waves, surges, and rushes are words that more accurately describe the push and pull of labor, and encourage mama to ebb and flow with the sensation. To close her eyes, feel the rise, breathe thru the build, sway and moan with the peak, and then gently and lovingly move thru the release.

Although changing the name of the experience will not take the pain of labor away - I do believe it helps put mama in the right frame of mind to navigate each rush (my ‘word’ of choice). And, if you’ve labored before, you know that frame of mind is an essential piece of the puzzle for bringing baby earthside!

Want to keep the conversation going and receive more support? Sign up to be notified when my course The Mama Pathway, a complete pregnancy, birth, and new mama experience, opens up!

📸 PhotoCred:

15/05/2022

🎙 PODCAST DAY: Traumatic Hospital Miscarriage Followed by a Beautiful Home Birth with Kristin
📸 Screenshot & Tag us!

22/04/2022

🎙 PODCAST DAY: Birthing with Scoliosis with Cayla
📸 Screenshot & Tag us!