Home-birthing Part 1: My Hospital Experience

Last month someone asked if I was going to do a post on Home-birthing... I have delivered 4 out of 5 children at home by choice... mostly when people discover this they look at me like I've lost my mind... well that's not exactly fair -- they were already looking at me like I was crazy when they realized I have 5 kids (and another on the way)! But when they are told that I choose home-birthing over the hospital, they usually ask "WHY?" then shake their heads and walk away like there's no use trying to reason with someone who's obviously lost touch with reality... like maybe I'm one of those nutty conspiracy theorists who think that the US Government was behind the 9-11 attacks. LOL But honestly, home-birthing is completely safe in non-high-risk pregnancies.

Lion and I at my grandmother's house a few weeks before Tortoise was born.

I guess I need to start at the beginning... Tortoise, my one and only Hospital Birth -- Lion did ask me if I would be willing to home-birth with her, but seeing as how she was my first, and I didn't know if I was one of those that handle the pain of childbirth well, I wasn't willing to try it with Tortoise. Also, we were living in my home state, nowhere near Stork, and I wasn't willing to locate and vet an unknown midwife.. So I told him we would try the first birth at the hospital and see from there if I was willing or able to give home-birthing a try. 

Tortoise in the nursery just after she was born.

Tortoise, our oldest, was born in a Military Hospital in my home state (bc both Lion and I were in the military at the time). The experience was a good one... I received no interventions for her uncomplicated birth (although they did ask - 2 or 3 times - if I wanted an epidural or Pitocin) and the birth itself went smoothly. Of course, I was not allowed to eat or drink anything but ice chips... and was not offered or given the choice of anything but a supine birthing position, but I didn't really want a water birth or an alternate position anyway, so it didn't matter to me. I WOULD have liked the opportunity to drink something other than ice chips though!! I had a wonderful CNM who (even though she was on vacation during the actual birth) was in frequent contact with the CNM who was actually there to deliver Tortoise, and advised her many times as to the Birth Plan that we had discussed (I spent months prior to the birth reading every bit of literature on birthing that I could find, pros ad cons of all the various methods and interventions, as well as all the things that could go wrong). So all in all, the birth itself was almost exactly what I had in mind. 

Lion, Tortoise, and I just minutes after her birth.

After her birth however, she was taken away, and I did not see her for over 8 hours... when I asked for her, I was told that she was breathing too rapidly and that they were "keeping her under observation". When they finally did bring her to me, they would not allow me to sleep with her... anytime I went to sleep they would wake me up and demand that I return her to the bassinet "it is too dangerous to sleep with the baby!" -- Now, I've co-slept with every one of our children, and I have NEVER rolled over on, dropped, or otherwise harmed any of them by doing so--  Also, neither Lion nor I were allowed to carry her anywhere... no walking around with the baby. If we wanted to leave the room, we had to put her in the bassinet and stroll her around, which pretty much meant we didn't leave the room. Obviously, this was so they couldn't be "held responsible" if we had dropped her in the hospital... But, since they weren't going to allow me to parent in my own way, I gave in to their demands. 

Lion and Nurse strolling Tortoise to the nursery

Tortoise and I - she's one day old here

So the Tortoise's hospital birth all-in-all was a positive experience. AFTER we were sent home was another matter entirely -- and I mention this as it has a direct correlation with a couple of my home-births with Stork.

Lion is already in love with his newborn daughter Tortoise

The following day, we were released from the hospital and sent home. Over the next week, Tortoise began turning yellow... I was worried when her color changed and called the CNM asking what to do, she told me that Tortoise was showing signs of Jaundice, which was "completely normal" and that we should place her in sunlight wearing as little as possible - that sunlight helps break down the bilirubin in the blood that was causing the yellowing of the skin. Her skin color did not improve with this treatment.. so at one week old, we went in for her checkup... the CNM said she looked great (despite the yellow coloring), refused to test her bili-levels, and sent us back home. We made n appointment for our 2 weeks checkup and went home to keep Tortoise in more sunlight... 

Tortoise right after her bath - about 10 days old
She's already turning Orange

Over the next week she changed from a yellow-tinted baby to ORANGE. She looked like a Muppet! So I took her back in and asked if THAT was normal... the CNM tried to send us back home without testing again... I refused and demanded they test her bili-levels before we would leave. After a short stand-off, the CNM conceded and sent us to the lab... the Normal range for bili-levels is around 4 (mg/Dl)...  a bili-level of 15 is considered serious. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonatal_jaundice ) Tortoise's bili-level was 21!! She ended up spending 3 days in a NICU under bili-lights.  

This picture doesn't properly show her almost burnt-orange color.
This is the day before her 2 week checkup.

Tortoise in the hospital under 24hr bili-lights.

After she was released and sent home, everything went splendidly normal!! :)  

Tortoise and I napping together, we were sleeping in exactly the same position!

Home-birthing Part 2: Home-Birth Midwives -- will be upcoming --
and Home-Birthing Part 3: my 4 Home-Births with Stork will probably include all 4 of my home-births, and the experience as compared to my one hospital birth.

Proud Daddy displays his big catch! Tortoise get's weighed-in.