Home Birth Story

Hello world :) I am so thrilled to share that I have a son!!!! My first born babe! <3

Koda Blaze Ramirez was born on September 10th, 2020 at 3:28am. After 32 hours of unmedicated labor (I am a queeeen!), he was born safe and sound at our comfy home in Pismo Beach, CA. The experience was absolutely amazing. I’m sharing about it here to help inform and inspire others about natural childbirth (we’re really into all things natural over here at Wildflower Medicine!).

Read on to hear the whole story, jump chapters to learn about different things (like bath tub therapy, placentas, and stitches) or skip to the end for my takeaways and important points.

Early Labor

 

Glorious labor began around 7pm on Tuesday, September 8th. I’d been feeling contractions earlier that day. I attempted to go to my BirthFit workout class that morning (ha!), but every time I tried to put on my sneakers I felt a small contraction so I opted to stay home and rest instead. That evening Raymond and I were eating dinner and watching Cobra Kai as I realized the contractions were becoming more steady. It soon became apparent that this was really something! We weren’t sure if labor would progress or not so we just “went to bed” (like all the advice out there says to do!) but I couldn’t really sleep. The contractions grew (kinda like really bad moon cramps) and I just lightly groaned through them. At 4:30am I was not feeling any better so I took a Benadryl and was finally able to sleep a bit. I continued waking up with each contraction, but I know I got some sleep because I remembered having a short dream. I was back up around 8am.

 

The next morning and afternoon Raymond and I championed it out at home. It was just the two of us (and Cleatus the cat!) for most of the day. We took it easy, watched movies on the couch (the new Mulan kinda sucked huh? I couldn’t really pay attention anyways), and hung out. The contractions got more intense and I played my didjeridoo to keep calm, which felt really good. I also played my hand drum, which turned out to be super helpful! It felt good to have a way to express the feeling I was having inside. It also helped distract me and gave me some tactile, physical motions to go through. Very helpful and grounding. Around this time I remember saying how labor wasn’t that bad and maybe mine would just be super chill (LOL! Still helpful to remain calm and think positive though!). Eventually I was past the hand drum, and this was probably around when we called on my amazing doula, Mckayla. When she arrived around 4pm I remember having a slight “oh shit” feeling. A little nervous maybe, because her appearing meant that shit was getting real. This labor was actually happening. There was no turning back.

 

Bath Tub Doula + Fuck That Toilet

 

Mckayla stayed by my side from there on out. She was so helpful in guiding my breath and working through contractions. In the early phase she would gently run her hands up and down my arms or my legs (she asked me in advance if I’m a hands on or off kinda person— I like to be touched!). She watched me dutifully. She’d encourage me after every rush. She’d say “beautiful” at the end, and it made me feel better-- like I was handling it well and what was happening to me was natural, and in a way, a beautiful thing. She also kept telling me “good job” and I appreciated that too. It felt good to be constantly encouraged and given positive feedback. As things progressed I got in the bath tub and Mckayla used the handheld showerhead to wash me down. She sat with me on the bathroom floor for a long time (she was 8 months pregnant at the time too!!), just washing the warm water all over my body. It felt really good and helped me relax. When I got out of the tub we decided to try laboring on the toilet (a common position). Thus began my “fuck that toilet” campaign. Laboring on the pot was less comfortable right away, but not so bad that I demanded to get off. I just kinda dealt with it for a while. Next thing you know I’m in a toilet K-hole, looking at the wall, groaning all crazy and just trying to keep it together. Although I disliked it, Mckayla was right—it escalated and helped progress things quickly!

 

Healing Past Trauma

 

We called Natalie (a fantastic student midwife, training with my midwife) to come check me around 9:30pm. I was happy to see her when she arrived. She checked my cervix on the bed to see how far dilated I was . She checked and then said that she wanted to check again to be super sure and not give a false estimate. I appreciated this! Then I started to feel a contraction coming on. She said if I could handle her checking me during a contraction it would be great. I said “ok then, here we go.” She checked me while I was in the butterfly position—the same positioning as my childhood medical trauma. But this time I wasn’t under the bright lights in a cold room with scary men forcing me to open my legs, telling me I had to cooperate and be a “good girl,” making me feel so frightened and scared, like something was fundamentally wrong with me because it didn’t feel right and I didn’t want to cooperate. Instead… this time I was safe in my home with my loving husband and faithful doula friend both by my side, holding me and supporting me. I had a loving (future) midwife examining me, ASKING ME FOR PERMISSION, and speaking in a way that was genuine and kind and understanding. If I had said “no,” that would have been totally okay. If I had asked her to stop I know she would have. But I was okay with it cause I wanted to move this birth along! And I just felt safe the whole time. I really love Natalie and felt confident in her abilities. When she checked me that second time I had a 5MEO DMT toad-like experience. The contraction hurt but I feel like I almost left my body in a way, while simultaneously being very rooted inside my body. I let out an involuntary response… I yelled out “healing… healing… release… surrender!” It just came out. I feel like a little bit of residual trauma did leave my body and I experienced some healing. It was like a redemption moment from back when I was five years old—my body has not forgotten. Felt good to have a similar but this time empowering experience. I’m super grateful.

 

Best News Ever + The Party Grows

 

Then the best thing ever happened… Natalie reported that I was a solid seven, if not eight, centimeters dilated! I felt ECSTATIC. I was “afraid” that if she checked me and I was only at a couple centimeters, I would lose motivation (in hindsight if that happened I know I would have just carried on!). I had been laboring for over 24 hours at this point! The toilet segment was so intense too, I felt like I “needed” labor to end soon. I kept thinking “I can’t keep doing this forever!” (of course, labor doesn’t really last forever!). So when Natalie announced I was that far along and that she was going to call Justine (my phenomenal midwife) to come over right away I was sooo stoked! I felt like, now my birth day party can really get going-- it’s a party now! I got back on the toilet after that (I know, my absolute least favorite place) because Mckayla, Raymond and I recognized that while it had been very difficult, the toilet positioning did seem to be helping labor progress. I got back on and Justine (midwife), Zoe (another student midwife) and Natalie V (friend photographer) arrived. Raymond was filling up the birth tub. I didn’t notice as people arrived because I was so in the zone. Just trying to survive with a little grace. Justine invited me to head to the birth tub if I was ready (woo hoo!). I didn’t feel nervous about transitioning at all, I was just happy to keep things progressing. Mckayla helped me make my way over and I remember seeing Zoe in the bedroom as I passed through and saying “hi Zoe.” For some reason it felt really good to say that. I liked acknowledging all of my beloved helpers. It brought some sanity and clarity to my intense state. I think and hope that I was kind to everyone throughout the night. In the movies, the birthing woman is always gettin all crazy and goes ape shit on everyone, especially her partner. This was not my natural response. Instead I felt soooo much love and gratitude for everyone who had come to help me give birth. It felt so sacred. I believe every person there played a critical part in supporting me in some way.

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Birth Tub At Last

 

It was finally time to get into the birthing tub. I WAS SO HAPPY! I needed a lot of help getting into the tub. It was difficult to simply stand let alone raise one leg over the side of the pool, and then the other. The water felt hot (in hindsight I think a little too hot) but it was so deliciously divine. It was the best I had felt all night. I remember happily saying, “I can’t believe I made it to the tub!” I mostly sat on my booty with my legs stretched out in the front of me, just trying to relax. I also tried getting on my hands and knees and leaning over the edge of the tub. This was nice and helped me to cool down a little bit. My helpers kept bringing cold washcloths and ice packs for my head and neck. I was in a daze at this point but definitely felt some much welcomed relief in my body. The contractions in the tub were still intense but I was able to relax so much more in between them.

 

I got my first urge to push while I was in the tub having a contraction. For several of them I did push a bit and it hurt like a mother fucker. At the time it was startling how much it hurt. (if you’re pregnant reading this-- don’t worry! It’s all totally worth it and passes by just like everything else in life!). Justine told me that if I was having the natural urge to push that I could go ahead and do so. Before long though I think Justine could see that my labor was actually stalling a bit being in the heated tub. I got to enjoy one glorious hour in the water (apparently it was an hour… to me it felt like 15 minutes). Then she suggested I get out to try a few different positions. I agreed and was helped out of the tub and onto the living room floor. They had a bunch of medical pads set up for me to lay down on along with a birthing stool and my exercise/birthing ball.

 

Four Hours of Pushing

 

Then began my approximate four hours of pushing. AKA, a slight eternity in the ring of fire. Justine checked my dilation (per my request) and, yep, I was a ten. So we were all good to give her all she’s got, captain. I started on the birth stool and that’s about where I discovered that the pushing phase hurts like a bitch. At least mine did (not everyone’s will!). I had not been prepared for this. In the amateur online childbirth class that I took, all the people interviewed said they enjoyed the pushing phase because they were finally able to play an active role in birth, instead of just trying to relax and let the contractions move through them. They also all seemed to think pushing came totally naturally to them (as it does for some—not all-- women). I was sure that this would just come naturally to me too as I feel pretty darn connected to my body.

 

Turns out, pushing was quite difficult for me. It took a while to get the hang of it. Justine coached me through the whooole thing. Hours of instructing me about how to push properly. There’s some parts that felt instinctual, but not as easy as I had anticipated. Justine explained how some people try to push with their legs or other body parts, some people try to push with their vaginas, but what you really want to do is basically push with your butt. I think I was doing a lot of vaginal pushing at first before I really got on board with the butt hole pushing. Even though I was struggling, Justine continued to encourage me along (always with a calm, direct, and reassuring voice). She would say things like “push just like that. Push your baby out!” It was a nice reminder that this discomfort had a very real purpose. I said “it burns!” And she said “sometimes pushing can be painful. And it’s totally natural to want to avoid pain in everyday life. But this is one instance where I want you to push into that pain. Really go for it so you can push your baby out.” Apparently I was pushing and then pulling back a little bit because, yea no shit, it was uncomfortable! It felt like I had a bowling ball inside my vagina that was trying to somehow get out, but there was NO WAY it was going to fit through my escape hole. It felt like it wasn’t physically possible (but of course it is!). We tried multiple positions. I got on all fours and leaned over the birthing ball. I got down in a deep squat. I laid down on my side with one leg lifted in the air like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant. And I got back on the birthing stool. The final positioning was me on the stool with my feet propped up (one on Justine and one on Natalie sitting in front of me). Ray sat on my African throne behind me to help support and physically prop me up. When I had a contraction and tried pushing again, the girls helped raise my legs up in the air and I curled forward into a C-shape with my hands behind my thighs. The positioning felt exhausting to me, but I was just toast either way at that point.

 Alien Shit

We also had a unique little situation going on where my amniotic sac was still hanging around… the details are a little fuzzy to me from this part, but basically as Koda was beginning to crown, it appeared that the amniotic sac was still intact and Koda was inside (like my water hadn’t broken). This is extremely rare!!! Justine told us what appeared to be going on and about the significance of this. In some cultures its even believed that a baby born like this has psychic powers. This felt right on the money to us! It turned out that Koda wasn’t completely in an intact sac (or at least it didn’t stay that way during the remainder of pushing), but there was definitely at least part of the sac hanging around that came out before he did. Honestly, it looked pretty cool/gross! It was like a green water balloon coming out before he did. I know this because the team offered to hold up a hand mirror so I could see what was going on. I opted to check it out for some motivation to keep pushing. That was some straight alien shit right there. But whatever, as strange as it looked it didn’t really phase me. I appreciated the uniqueness of it and I agreed that my baby would have special powers either way! It’s possible that the sac prolonged the pushing phase and I found myself getting more and more exhausted with each contraction.

 

Cutest Crap Ever

 

This is where difficult thoughts really started to arise for me. Were we certain it was physically possible to birth this thing? I was trying so hard and it felt like there was barely any progress now. The pressure was so great down there. Any small movement felt like I might burst. I was tired beyond words. At the same time… I also felt very present and like things were happening very naturally. It’s extremely intense but also somewhat normal. Justine continued to coach me through it all, teaching me to push with my butt. “It’s like you’re taking the biggest shit ever,” (we all kinda laughed). “It’s like the cutest crap ever.” … From that point on during each contraction I was yelling either “cutest crap ever!” or “biggest shit ever!” It was helpful to have some motivation and something to focus on that I could relate to. It became hard to keep my eyes open and I felt like I was in a daze. In between contractions the team reminded me to take full advantage of the downtime and really rest. I definitely did. In between contractions, the pain was mostly gone. I still had a slight burning in my vagina at this point (did I say slight?) and it still felt like if I moved a millimeter then I might explode, but I was definitely able to relax and rest in between, which I was so thankful for. That made it possible to continue. It also helped that the entire time Raymond and Mckayla kept be hydrated with water, coconut water, and they fed me to keep me energized. Still… by the pushing phase I was basically existing in a slight DMT trip, occasionally to be woken up with a contraction and blasted back into this reality. It was like floating in between worlds… sort of how things perhaps were for Koda at that point as well. :)

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An Instant Miracle

 

During my downtime it was like I ceased to exist. It was sort of like practicing dying, again, like DMT. But when I was pushing I was more alive than ever, literally inching my way closer to bringing new life into this world as well. It was so sacred. Extremely challenging, but sacred. It felt like it would never end.

 

And then in an instant, he was here. He shot out of me like a rocket in the middle of our living room. His entire head and body popped out in one push, over the span of about a second. It looked like both Natalie and Justine sort of dove forward to catch him! A slippery little baby. I knew he was a boy before we even looked. He was such a magical little miracle.

 

My main feeling at the time was total shock. I just couldn’t believe he was here. He had finally come out and just like that (snapping fingers) labor was over! I’d done it!!! After pushing for hours and trying so hard, it was all finished and something completely new had begun. I was a queen, a goddess, my own hero. Koda let us all know of his arrival by crying right away. They brought him up and everyone could see the cord was wrapped around his neck twice. So they unwrapped it and he was just fine. They instantly handed him to me (more like thrust him onto my chest, which I just loved) and quickly wiped his face off with a clean towel, I think to ensure he could breathe and see fine. He only cried for a moment and then went quiet when he was in my arms. Right away he had his eyes open, staring at me. We eye gazed with amazement for what felt like a very long time. I was still sitting on the birth stool with Raymond behind me to help prop me up. He was my resting rock during the pushing (and my rock during all of labor!). Raymond wrapped his arms around me and Koda and we all observed each other. He seemed to recognize us right away. He was so peaceful. He reached his arm up to touch my face, exploring my nose and holding onto my hair. I was still in shock! It felt like… I knew there was a baby coming at the end of all of this, but I hadn’t expected labor to start so early (I was convinced he’d be ten days late!), and there was no way to fully prepare for the intensity or amazingness of it, and I hadn’t expected the pushing phase to last so long… so when he finally emerged it was like this grand surprise. Instant astonishment. Witnessing an unexpected miracle, even though it was expected. Those sweet eyes just staring at me. He was such an angel and he still is.

 

Third Degree Tear

 

After the rush of love that was his arrival, (and the team ensuring Koda was okay by listening to his breathing and using a handheld sucker to get any meconium out of his mouth and nose), Justine informed me that I had lost a lot of blood. I didn’t know it yet but I had a third degree tear down there (which means the tear reaches into the pelvic floor muscle). Yep, I tore from coochie all the way to booty hole (luckily it didn’t tear my actual anal sphincter, just grazed it). Also lucky that I didn’t feel it at all at this point! When you’re holding your baby for the first time you’re pretty preoccupied in heaven and don’t give a fuck about anything else. :) They wanted to give me a shot of Pitocin right away to stop the bleeding. My first reaction was “nooo, not more contractions!” but if the alternative is possibly bleeding out then what’s a few more contractions? I knew that the team wouldn’t have wanted to give me this if they didn’t think it was a necessary precaution so I definitely consented. Natalie gave me a shot in my thigh while I continued to hold Koda and hang out in baby bliss. Thankfully I didn’t feel any more contractions and the bleeding got under control.

 

Placenta Power

 

The birthday party carried on. After Koda’s cord had finished transmitting blood, I got to cut the cord (his remaining cord stump fell off four days later to reveal a completely healed belly button. Babies heal so fast!). I delivered the placenta and the team showed it to me, explaining which side was attached to my body and which was Koda’s side. It was cool! When I learned about placentas in pregnancy, the whole thing kinda grossed me out. Especially the concept of consuming your placenta after birth… I got that it was all natural and had some (potentially a lot of) benefits, but it still slightly gave me the heebie jeebies. But you know what? I was too intrigued and couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try a new natural health endeavor. Bio hacking at its most raw. So we gave the placenta to Mckayla to take home and encapsulate for me. Her method was steaming, dehydrating, grinding, and encapsulating (this is pretty standard around here. In Traditional Chinese Medicine and other cultures, they leave it uncooked (no steaming) to preserve more hormones and nutrients, though this also runs the potential risk of bacterial contamination. We decided to play it safe). Obviously I thought this processing part was absolutely fascinating and as an herbalist I really wanted to encapsulate my own! But yea right honey, you are so exhausted after labor there is no effing way to take on a project like that. So thanks, doula! And for the record… I believe I have been receiving benefits from taking my capsules! It appears to have definitely helped to steady my emotions. I think the amount of crying/sadness/mood swings that I experienced in the first couple weeks was completely normal, but I couldn’t help but notice that literally since the day I started taking the capsules I have felt notably more even keeled. And I really enjoy taking them. :) Honestly I love it. It’s not gross at all and there is something so special and sacred about it! Highly recommend. We also saved a small part of the placenta (not capsulated) for a garden project. We are going to plant it with a special tree in our yard to honor and celebrate the new life of Koda Blaze.

 

Newborn Exam

 

Baby bliss continued as Raymond held Koda and I got to relax. I felt like my body had gone through battle and I was now so happy and proud of myself! Mentally—5 gold stars. Physically—could barely move. I wasn’t prepared for how extremely sore and weak I felt. I was seriously depleted. But also just so content to hang out around Koda. And everyone else there at our birthday party! I felt in love with everyone and we were all so bonded now. My team asked if I was hungry and what I wanted to eat. I felt so spoiled and appreciative! I chose eggs and toast and Zoe (a vegan!) cooked em up for me in our kitchen. Homebirth for the win.

 

Next they wheeled me in my office chair over to our bedroom. Justine and Natalie made this fun and we laughed along the way (seriously—homebirth for the WIN!). I thought they were being overly kind at the moment, but in hindsight I don’t think I could have walked it! I was pretty darn weak. They covered our bed in pads and laid me down so I could rest while they performed the newborn exam right next to me in bed so I could see everything (while I just chilled, eating eggs and toast in my own bed—so amazing!).

 Stitches Down Unda

After Koda’s exam it was time for my stitches. This was not my favorite, but honestly not bad. Justine put on a topical numbing solution, and then gave me the numbing shots before suturing. I was pretty nervous about the numbing shot (all up around my vagina!!), but then I realized that I had just fucking given birth so there was actually nothing to be afraid about pain wise. Sure enough it didn’t hurt. The three midwives hovered over me with their tiny flashlights as Justine stitched away. Someone exited the room as soon as she was done and Justine said that she think she went to go throw up because it can be really intense to see stitching happen down there for the first time haha. No doubt! I tried to check out my wound area in the mirror but I couldn’t really see. Perhaps for the better. The sutures came out on their own in the weeks to follow and now (I’m currently at 5 weeks postpartum as I write this paragraph—it’s been a long process to write with a newborn in arms!) I am still healing and doing much better. Justine has checked my lady parts at several follow up appointments and things are healing nicely. Just gotta have some patience! And lots of sitz baths. And… no shame… I took plenty of CBD and ibuprofen in the first two weeks to make myself more comfortable down there. There’s a time and place for occasional pharmaceuticals and for me, this was definitely it!

 

Happily Ever After

Things wrapped up around 6am and everyone took off, leaving Raymond, Koda and I snuggled up in bed together. Koda nursed and went to sleep on a special pillow in between us in our king sized bed, the gentle morning light just starting to peak through the curtains. Raymond and I simply stared at him and then each other, with the biggest smiles on our faces. We felt euphoric. Blissfully content. He was perfect and we both had a newfound understanding and appreciation for the complexity of the universe, the infinite power we all hold in this human experience, and our connection with God/Earth/Universe. We were completely in love and we still are today.

“For all that has been—thank you. For all that is to come—yes.”

 

  

My Takeaways

 

-Birth is an awesome, extremely spiritual experience.

-It may feel challenging in the moment, but it passes, just like everything else in life.

-There’s nothing to be scared about. I realized the day after Koda was born that through my entire experience I never once felt scared. During my pregnancy I wondered if I might be nervous doing a homebirth but I truly never was. Stay present, trust your team and the process, and there is nothing to be scared of. It’s totally normal (in the craziest way).

-Birth preparation is a really good idea!!! But don’t trip on it because there may be no way to completely prepare yourself for the process. Take a childbirth course so you know what to expect. Then work on YOURSELF. Get right with yoself. Get excited to meet your maker. Your ability to stay positive, calm and present may be your greatest ally.

-It helps to go with the flow. Sometimes the unexpected happens during birth (and pregnancy for that matter). Sometimes a mama can seemingly do everything “right,” and she still needs to go to the hospital. That’s a-okay. For me, I had to surrender having a water birth and do it on land instead. I had to accept that pushing was harder for me than for many others and that I came out with a pretty serious tear that would take time to heal. It’s all gravy baby. Letting go of expectations helps you enjoy whatever outcome you get.

 

Benefits I experienced from having a home birth

 

-I got to enjoy the privacy and comfort of my own home during labor—and set up the space exactly how I wanted! Labor and birth is sacred and deserves a sacred space. We decked out our living room with salt lamps, feminine + empowering artwork, a birth alter, crystals, fairy lights, soft music, affirmation cards, herbs, smudge sticks, essential oil diffuser, etc. It was dimly lit and felt warm (we even had a fire going). We had the prerogative to set the space exactly how we wanted it to be and the ambiance was fantastic and calming.

 

-I got to eat and drink. Often at hospitals you aren’t allowed to eat once omitted, just in case you end up needing to go into surgery. Let me tell you… labor is fucking exhausting enough as is (and it’s a marathon!). It would have been much more difficult to go through the physical task of pushing out a baby if I hadn’t had any energy from food either. Not that I was particularly hungry in the later stages of labor… I actually felt nauseous when my helpers offered me food, but I took their advice and had a few bites every time it was offered and I know this actually made a big difference in my energy levels. In case you’re wondering, my food of choice: yogurt with banana and blueberries, chia seeds, and collagen powder (thanks, Raymond!). Plus looooots of coconut water.

 

-Koda had a great latch right away. Research shows that unmedicated births (especially home births) yield “better” breast feeders. There’s nothing in the baby’s system to make them groggy or interfere with nature’s course. This was true for us as Koda came out and within one or two minutes he latched on with a wide chomp! He has been feeding like a champ ever since.

 

-Koda gained back his birth weight quickly (and leaves each pediatrician exam with flying colors!). Newborns always lose weight after they are born. Often it will take about two weeks for them to gain it back and mamas need to be cautious in this time that they are taking care and helping baby to do this. Well, as I said, Koda has been a breastfeeding champ since day one (likely helped by the unmedicated birth!) and gained back his birth weight in less than one week.

 

-I didn’t have to worry about fighting with a doctor over interventions or newborn tests. My midwife was so stellar and on the same page as me the whole way. It was a relief to know that she always had my back and wouldn’t be pushing interventions on me or trying to persuade us to do those “routine” procedures that I view as unnecessary and sometimes harmful.

 

-It was easier to stay unmedicated and say no to interventions… because they weren’t an option! I’m grateful that even during the intense times of labor, I never thought “I need to get to the hospital right now to get an epidural!” I did think, “this is so intense I need labor to be over ASAP!!!” But I was never jonesing for medication. I think this is largely due to the fact that it just wasn’t an option at home! It was easy to stick to my natural plan when there was no alternative. :) I had wondered beforehand if I might freak out not having any hospital pain management available, but instead it was like out of sight, out of mind. Instead I stayed in the present moment and did what I could to be comfortable at home.

 

-Extended bonding with baby immediately following birth. After Koda came out he hardly left my arms and only left my sight for about two minutes (while I was transferring over to bed and Koda was with Daddy!). This felt so good to be in control of my baby in a very relaxed way.

 

-Continued healing of past medical trauma. Giving birth is significant and can sometimes be traumatic itself. I’d say it’s a psychonautic experience. Compare it to, say, taking a heavy dose of LSD. Your set and setting (the environment in which you drop and your headspace when you drop) are critical in determining whether you have a “positive” experience or not (I took a psychonautica media class in college plus, yea, I have some experience). Having a proper container and trusted allies is crucial. As is your mind state. During my birth I did my best to stay present. Calm. Unattached. Grateful. Excited. Relaxed. I aimed to surrender to the flow and have trust in the process. I also recognized in advance that my trauma could get stirred up in this process because of the similar nature of the two experiences. I believe due to my set and setting, and frankly my trust in the process and my positive, confident intentions going into it, I experienced healing of trauma (not adding to it!). This could be possible in a hospital setting as well, though I feel my homebirth made it much more doable for me. This is such a gift and goes to show the immense power of childbirth.

“Miracles happen in the magic of birth.”

 

That’s all for now, friends! Thank you for reading and sharing in the magic of my birth! I’m still on cloud nine as I reminisce.

Would you like to learn more about natural pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum?

Comment below and tell me what you’d like to learn about! xoxo

 

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