Our Unfolded Blessing: The Birth of Philip, Our Breech Baby.

First-time mom transitions to homebirth midwifery care just days before meeting her baby! She trusts her body to bring her breech baby into the world from the peace of her own home.

My original plan for my first birth was to have a low- intervention experience but to stay within the walls of the hospital. As a first-time mom, I didn’t know what to expect regarding how labor would feel, and I had some culture- induced fear about whether I could labor without pharmaceutical pain management. I desired the most natural birth possible, but I wanted the option of medication readily available in case I “couldn’t do it.” My plan collapsed a couple weeks prior to my due date when my baby was found to be in breech presentation, and my provider pronounced the only option was a cesarean section. Knowing that I had a bicornuate uterus (a uterus with two distinct cavities versus one), I wish I would have considered more seriously the fact that I had a much higher chance of having a breech baby compared to most other women, but amongst my other planning, this fell to an insufficient oversight. Regardless, I was still not at peace about having a C-section simply because the hospital staff did not know how to deliver a breech baby. There had to be another way. Little did I know that my plans being rearranged was actually the biggest blessing. 

My husband and I reached out to some local midwives, hoping to receive some information about the possibility of our baby being able to rotate to head down presentation and what we could be doing to promote our baby to turn. After prayers, my midwife responded to us wanting to know more about our situation, and to our delighted surprise, she offered to take us on as her clients!  So at 38 weeks pregnant, my plan transitioned to a homebirth. It was time to trust my instincts and trust my body. Really, I had no idea of what beautiful surrender awaited me. We were set to have an appointment with our new midwife on Tuesday (five days after our initial conversation). On the Sunday before my appointment, I began to feel small, irregular rushes of energy moving through my body all throughout the day. Unsure if this was just prodromal labor or if this was actual labor, I contacted our midwife to let her know what I was experiencing. That evening, we had a virtual appointment in preparation for my baby coming soon! Despite having never met this midwife in person yet, I felt incredible peace about her being the one to help us meet our baby. God had his own plans for our birth, and we were about to experience them. 

By 7:00 pm Sunday night, my labor rushes commenced a regular pattern! Though I was tired, I could not lay down to sleep with the pressure that kept waving through my abdomen. I’m sure all the happy hormones soaring through my body from my excitement didn’t help my cause. I was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, and I couldn’t believe the amount of times I felt like I needed to use the bathroom only to have nothing come of it. I resorted to walking all around our home in the dim light of the night– movement became my medicine. In between steps, I would lean over a chair and sway my body with my belly. I couldn't believe I was this close to meeting my baby, and I couldn’t believe I was really doing it. I was truly so thankful to be laboring in the comfort of my own home. My husband provided sweet back rubs and counter-pressure on my hips, which was so helpful. He made sure I was keeping up on drinking my water and my electrolytes. Slowly, but surely, the rushes of energy through my body were picking up intensity. Around midnight, our midwife arrived, and while it was very reassuring having her there, I quietly continued in my own little labor land. I kept visualizing a flower opening in my mind as I gave myself fully to birth. My contractions would come and go like waves in the ocean. I imagined sitting on the shore of the beach and letting each wave come freely. “I am safe here,” I thought. I was amazed at the power of the mind-body connection. My mind was so tuned in to what my body was feeling, and the more I retreated in my mind to let my body take tender control of my labor, the more progress occurred. This was something innate, something I couldn’t interrupt. A couple hours into the early morning, I indulged in a hot shower, and that was very refreshing. In-between my strong rushes, I kept repeating to myself, “This is a working pain, not a hurting pain.” My body was doing exactly what it was supposed to, all I needed to do was relax. As I was likely approaching transition, my body began to bounce between being extremely cold and shivering to extremely hot and sweating. I was in and out of layers of blankets, while I went even deeper inward, focusing on my breathing. I knew I must’ve been getting close with such an increase in uncomfortability. I remained in my reserved state of mind, continuing to labor quietly, blocking out distractions, and allowing my body to really take over. I didn’t have to think about what to do, I just listened to my body.  

Around 5:00 am, three other midwives who had planned to be present for the birth arrived to provide extra support. Shortly after they joined us, my midwife asked if she could check my cervical dilation to evaluate my progress since I had been in labor for quite a while now. I did not want to be disappointed by knowing my cervical dilation, but I trusted my midwife’s wisdom. I consented, and turns out, I was 10 centimeters dilated! 

Even though I was “fully” dilated, my baby wasn’t in the optimal position to come yet. My midwives helped me through a series of lifts and tucks with my belly and some positioning on my side with a peanut ball, both of which were very intense. At some point, there was a small splash of water as part of my bag of water broke, but not all. By 9:20 am, I was sitting on a birth stool working through my strong rushes when I finally felt the rest of my bag of water break. Suddenly, my body was ready to push. It was like my body was just doing it for me. With lots of verbal encouragement from my birth team and hand squeezes with my husband, my son’s tiny feet came protruding out into the world! It was as if he was waving his toes, greeting the midwives. I will never forget how peculiar, yet marvelous it felt birthing his feet. Once the rest of his legs and hips were out, they helped me transition to all fours before birthing the rest of his body and head. I immediately felt so much relief after he was born! How purposeful and precious birth proved to be. Philip was here! 

I was ecstatic to have my son earthside, but I was still in a thick birth bubble and not completely aware of what was happening around me. Philip wasn’t crying when he arrived, and we could tell from his skin color that he needed some extra oxygen. Our midwife gave him a little facial CPAP to help him clear some fluid from his lungs and breathe effectively. Within 15 seconds of the supplemental oxygen, his skin pinked up, and he started breathing well on his own. My mind was still so inward-focused at this time, but somehow, I knew that the midwives had the situation under control. There was an immense amount of trust deep in my soul. Amidst the interventions that Philip needed, I had also lost a large amount of blood that required some attention. But, there was never a sense of panic or emergency. Peace still saturated the room. I received Pitocin to help my uterus stop bleeding and IV fluids to help increase my blood volumes/pressures. Once I was finally situated on the couch with Philip skin to skin on my chest, I remember looking at my husband and seeing his face just beaming with joy. We did it. I did it. 

My body really was created to birth my baby. I didn’t need pain medications. I didn’t need a C-section. All my fears were conquered with quiet eloquence in the peace of our home. I was so thankful for the birth team that surrounded me with so much support and confidence. I am forever grateful to the midwife who compassionately took me into her care just days before birthing my baby. My son being breech ended up being such a blessing. If not for his breech presentation, I never would have taken on homebirth as a first-time mom. But, I am so glad I did. My body knew exactly how to birth my breech baby, all I needed to do was surrender to it. My heart is filled with joy as I reflect back on how beautiful it was to experience birth in its purest form.