Giving Birth

I have actually given birth five times.  The first was a hospital birth (18 years ago).  The second was a hospital birth with midwives.  The third was a home birth with midwives.  The fifth was a hospital stillbirth at 18 weeks gestation.  The fifth, (five years ago this coming Tuesday) was meant to be a hospital birth with midwives, but ended up being an emergency c-section with a physician.

Each experience was very different from the others, and each was beautiful in it's own way.  By far, however, the most positive experience I had was the home birth of my third son which was attended by midwives from the Alivio Medical center in Chicago, Illinois.  http://aliviomedicalcenter.org/.

This planned home birth had the advantages of both a traditional birth and modern healthcare.  I had most of my prenatal appointments at the medical center, and received all of the standard tests that American women receive.  In addition, I had two prenatal appointments in my home, with the midwives coming to me.

When I started feeling labor pains, I stayed at home and relaxed.  When the pains began to get closer together, I did not have to grab my bags and head for the hospital - I called my midwives and stayed right where I was.  Being at home was comfortable and much less stressful than the ride to the hospital and the procedures that take place before arriving in the sterile delivery room.

The midwives came, and they checked my progress from time to time, but the whole process was very private for my husband and I.  Things were calm and comfortable, it was the two of us together supporting each other at home, and the whole birth process felt natural and beautiful instead of feeling like a huge risk with the possibility of complications.

The midwives were present, however, to offer advice and comfort.  For pain, I took a hot bath, or got a massage.  The pain never reached a point of being unbearable.  I attribute this to the stress-free, comfortable feeling of being supported in my own home.

When it came close to time to push, the midwives became much more active.  With their encouragement and support, I gave birth to an 8 lb baby boy, Milan Yapp,  in my own bed, leaning against my husband, who then cut the cord.  We were allowed to keep the placenta so that we could bury it in the ground and plant a tree in the same spot.

Milan Yapp - 8 years later

I read an article about a hospital in Ecuador that does vertical birth, with the mother standing and squatting rather than lying horizontal in a bed.  http://www.womensenews.org/story/health/090215/gravity-birth-pulls-women-ecuador-hospital..  At this hospital modern medicine is truly integrated with traditional practices.  The women give birth vertically so that gravity can speed the birth process, and they are given traditional herbal teas and traditional shamans are present.  However, obstetricians and modern medicines are available as well, and the hospital has an infant mortality rate half that of the rest of the country.

I would recommend that anyone interested in a more traditional birthing seriously explore the options.  It is so much more pleasant than a hospital birth.