Everett's Birth
by Justin Hall
I want to start by saying that my first thought of an at home birth was, “MY WIFE IS CRAZY’. But, trying to be a good husband, I was supportive and went with the idea to find out more. The first meeting with Lucinda was great. She was so confident in what she was doing and talking about I couldn’t find any reason not to do an at home birth. Now I’m not much of a reader but my Wife on the other hand loves it. So every day I was flooded with new information. By the time she was in her third trimester I had a great understanding of what I was getting myself into. At our prenatal visits Lucinda made all the options about the birthing process very clear to us. She did not push us in any certain direction; just gave us the facts and let us create our own birthing and parenting plan.
My wife is truly one of the strongest women I know. I am still so in awe of her for having an at home, natural birth. I was extremely nervous in the weeks and, especially, the last few days leading up to our son’s birth. I had no idea what to expect, and only had the stories and instructions and tip that my wife and I had read/heard about during her pregnancy.
The night/morning our son was born Clarissa could not sleep because of the contractions but she let me sleep, figuring they were Braxton-Hicks and knowing I had work in the morning. She can be a bit stubborn, and didn’t want to be a first-time mother that called the midwife too soon. I woke up to her yell “Justin!” I ran out to the living room and she told me that she was in labor and to call Lucinda. I get to her phone where she was keeping track of her contractions using an app. As I start to go through the phone I saw 40, 50, 20, and 3 minute contractions with long breaks in-between. I thought something was wrong but wasn’t able to break her concentration to ask her. I was looking for the ‘magic numbers’ (1 min contractions every 5 minutes) that were the sign of her being in labor. I called Lucinda and she stayed on the phone with me while I timed Clarissa’s contractions. They were 1 minute in length and starting to happen every 3 minutes! Needless to say, Lucinda and Brooke were quickly on their way.
My wife is truly one of the strongest women I know. I am still so in awe of her for having an at home, natural birth. I was extremely nervous in the weeks and, especially, the last few days leading up to our son’s birth. I had no idea what to expect, and only had the stories and instructions and tip that my wife and I had read/heard about during her pregnancy.
The night/morning our son was born Clarissa could not sleep because of the contractions but she let me sleep, figuring they were Braxton-Hicks and knowing I had work in the morning. She can be a bit stubborn, and didn’t want to be a first-time mother that called the midwife too soon. I woke up to her yell “Justin!” I ran out to the living room and she told me that she was in labor and to call Lucinda. I get to her phone where she was keeping track of her contractions using an app. As I start to go through the phone I saw 40, 50, 20, and 3 minute contractions with long breaks in-between. I thought something was wrong but wasn’t able to break her concentration to ask her. I was looking for the ‘magic numbers’ (1 min contractions every 5 minutes) that were the sign of her being in labor. I called Lucinda and she stayed on the phone with me while I timed Clarissa’s contractions. They were 1 minute in length and starting to happen every 3 minutes! Needless to say, Lucinda and Brooke were quickly on their way.
By the time they arrived, the pool was set up and filling with water; there were water hoses going everywhere in the house. I had made phone calls to everyone that we wanted to be at the birth as well as everyone driving from out of town. Once everything was set up and my wife was in the pool, we were focused. I used information from our Bradley Method classes to keep in control of as much as I could for Clarissa. I sat in front of her for the bulk of her labor and held her hands. We had talked a lot about what she would need during labor and what she wanted/needed from me. Besides holding her hands, I made sure the room stayed quiet, wiped her face with a cool cloth, and gave her water/Gatorade to drink.
She was so strong during her labor, and after what felt like years, she asked if she could push. I saw her turn into something different. Her body and instincts completely took over. I’ll never forget my wife’s face when the baby was crowning and she reached down and touched his head… it was amazing. Lucinda and I caught my son and, with magic midwife hands, Lucinda untangled the cord that was wrapped around his head and body. I handed our son to my wife for the first time. It was the most empowering thing I have ever experienced in my life. My wife’s first words were “Is this real”. I’ll never forget that moment and how I felt. It was such an empowering way to begin fatherhood.
I am so proud of my wife. I love her with all my heart. After all the excitement we went to the bedroom to rest, drink a glass of orange juice, and demolish a box of doughnuts that my father-in-law had brought. I cut our son’s umbilical cord after an hour and Lucinda and Brooke buzzed around the room dealing with Clarissa, the placenta, and my nursing son. He was weighed, measured, scored, and I was able to dress him in his first outfit. Once all that was done, our baby boy went around the room to be held by grandparents and aunts. I went to the kitchen and cooked up breakfast burritos for everyone to enjoy while visiting. I enjoyed every second of that morning and it was, most definitely, the most amazing day of my life.
She was so strong during her labor, and after what felt like years, she asked if she could push. I saw her turn into something different. Her body and instincts completely took over. I’ll never forget my wife’s face when the baby was crowning and she reached down and touched his head… it was amazing. Lucinda and I caught my son and, with magic midwife hands, Lucinda untangled the cord that was wrapped around his head and body. I handed our son to my wife for the first time. It was the most empowering thing I have ever experienced in my life. My wife’s first words were “Is this real”. I’ll never forget that moment and how I felt. It was such an empowering way to begin fatherhood.
I am so proud of my wife. I love her with all my heart. After all the excitement we went to the bedroom to rest, drink a glass of orange juice, and demolish a box of doughnuts that my father-in-law had brought. I cut our son’s umbilical cord after an hour and Lucinda and Brooke buzzed around the room dealing with Clarissa, the placenta, and my nursing son. He was weighed, measured, scored, and I was able to dress him in his first outfit. Once all that was done, our baby boy went around the room to be held by grandparents and aunts. I went to the kitchen and cooked up breakfast burritos for everyone to enjoy while visiting. I enjoyed every second of that morning and it was, most definitely, the most amazing day of my life.