Rising Moon Midwifery

The much anticipated birth of our baby was illuminating the air with joy. My partner Chuck and I felt ever-so-blessed to be having a natural homebirth with the Rising Moon Midwives. I knew that the experience would be utterly amazing. My mind was at ease. I started having sporadic contractions on Saturday October 29th, four days past my "due date." My legs were quite swollen and my ankles were huge. They puckered when I poked them so I was rather concerned. I called our midwife Kate to let her know and to ask for advice. She suggested drinking some nettle tea, having some miso soup, soaking my feet in an Epsom salt bath, and resting with my feet up, etc. I did all this, and I caught a tiny catnap, thank god! I was in for a long haul! Kate also said that it would be good for the baby to come in the next day or two.

That night, the mister and I decided to watch a nice relaxing movie called Baraka. Afterwards, we made love in hopes of helping my labor start up and boy did it ever work! My contractions got closer together and more intense so I called Kate again. She said that tomorrow would most likely be my baby's birthday and to try to get some sleep and call her in the morning. Well now, that was exciting news! I tried to get some sleep, but to no avail, so Chuck and I got a shower. The hot water felt wonderful! I still couldn't sleep through the contractions try as I might. I ended up going downstairs so as not to disturb the mister while he slept.

In the morning, I called Kate and she said she'd make some coffee and head up. I remember thinking, "Wow! Today is the day! After all these months, the day has finally arrived!" This special day was to be shared by family and friends. There were so many people anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby. We called them and they all showed up looking like they were ready for me to pop, but I knew that this was only the beginning. As the day progressed, it became evident that all the people around actually stalled my contractions, so for the most part they all hung out while Chuck, Kate, and I were alone.

The beautiful autumn day was calling to us! We went outside and walked around the yard. I reminisced about my childhood in between contractions. When I would have a contraction, I'd put my head on Chuck's shoulder and we'd rock back and forth. These were still the mild ones, but it was so comforting having such a great support system. Kate periodically checked the baby's heart rate and it was always perfect. In the afternoon, we decided to assemble the birthing tub and start filling it. While it was filling, the hot water ran out so the visitors took to boiling pots of water to add to the mixture. My contractions were getting more intense so going in the tub felt super good! Chuck went in with me and helped me breathe through every last one of them. Sometime roundabout now our other midwives Merle and Jane arrived. I was glad to see them! We were in the tub for awhile and Chuck was applying counter pressure to my tailbone. It was going on nighttime now.

Kate and Merle decided to check how dilated I was and discovered that I was 8.5 cm, but that it was all on the left side because this is where the baby's head had been resting during the pregnancy. So now I had to focus on making the right side of my cervix melt like butter. Nothing like a little mindful thinking. They suggested that I stand with my left leg on a chair and rock front to back. This would pinch the left side and help the right side advance. The contractions were getting brutal, and I was probably cutting off Chuck's circulation in his arm. I was pleading and hoping that this was the homestretch.

After a bit of that, we relocated to the bathroom and thankfully I was ready to push. I ended up on the floor on my hands and knees. Kate said that the only thing holding my baby in was my intact water. Jane was so calming and relaxing - an invaluable doula! They told me that when my water does break, it would most likely be an odd sensation. On the next push, I felt a pop and said "Was that it?" I was so high from my endorphins running wild that I felt out of it. Jane said, "No honey, I think you'd know if that was it." I remember whipping my head up sideways and saying, "You've got to be kidding!" In actuality, Jane was in a poor position to see and my water had indeed broke. In fact, Kate said that littlest had pooped in utero and would need to be suctioned immediately upon arrival. My water broke at 11:11 PM (what a long day with no sleep the night before!) and I pushed a few more times really hard. They all told Chuck to go wash his hands and get ready to catch the baby.

At 11:25 pm, the baby flew out into Chuck's awaiting hands. It was immediately given to Merle to suction. I said, "Chuck, is it a boy or girl?" He said, "I don't know. I didn't see." Then they slid the baby through my legs so it was looking up at me and I announced, "It's a boy!" I heard little squeals of delight from family in the hall. I gently sat back against the wall. Chuck and I stared in amazement at our beautiful creation. We were so elated to finally have our little joy on the outside! Chuck cut the umbilical cord and we waited for the placenta, which was born on Halloween. I rinsed off and we went to lay in bed and relax. Our healthy baby boy, Gabriel Julian Minguez, weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz, was 21 inches long, and absolutely darling with his full head of hair. He was (and is) strong and alert and pure light.

Giving birth proved to be the most challenging and the most rewarding thing I've ever done! I couldn't have asked for a better birthing experience! Gabriel is so blessed to have entered this world in a loving manner, surrounded by so many caring, welcoming people. I greatly appreciate all of the love provided by Chuck, Kate, Merle, & Jane. I couldn't have done it without you! Thank you all! Namaste!

-Kaitlynn Stupak