Isaac's Birth Story

Heather Dietz Photography http://www.heatherdietz.net/

It has taken me a while to write this. Partly because I now write in between waking hours and partly because I don't want to skip over anything. This is a record of the day we met Isaac and I want to remember every moment of it.

Heather Dietz Photography http://www.heatherdietz.net/

What a incredible job it must be, to deliver babies for a living. To usher new life into the world and to experience and share in the joy felt by parents when they first get to hold the one they have been waiting for. We really wanted our child to be born at home and we had an amazing mid-wife team. I had known our mid-wife for many years as her daughter and I were great friends growing up. Her daughter, Lori, is still one of my best friends and has her own two children now. And, her mother was there to help her welcome them into the world.

I just always knew that I would want to have a mid-wife deliver my babies. But, I don't think I fully realized how much a blessing they really would be to us. Our mid-wife team, two mid-wives and a nurse birthing attendant, were confident in me delivering at home. They had been involved with my pre-natal care all along and they came to our home for a visit before Isaac was born. I was nervous about having a baby at home. What if something were to go wrong? And, what if I'm not strong enough to do it without pain interventions? But, I think it was nerves about labour in general. I think I would have been just as nervous if I had planned to deliver in a hospital. We learned mid-pregnancy that with a hospital delivery we might not be able to have the mid-wife we had hoped for. As, the hospital that she had privileges at in our small town had just decided to close their obstetrics unit. Sad news for our community for sure. The next closest hospital where she had birthing privileges was over an hour away. So, we prayed and listened discerningly for God's voice letting us know that it was okay. That a home delivery would be in His will for us. We also prayed for the prospect of a birthing centre in our area for those who want a mid-wife but do not want a home birth.

Of all that I read about labour and childbirth, from a woman who had died in a London hospital, to a woman who had delivered successfully by herself under a tree in the middle of the Kalahari Desert, worrying about hyenas, nothing can prepare you for it. There were moments where I thought: "What am I doing here? Why did we decide to do this at home? Why did I think I was strong enough to do this naturally? God, get me through this, I am not strong enough, I need Your strength and I need it now." And, He gave it to me. He gave me the sense of strength and calm that I needed.

Heather Dietz Photography http://www.heatherdietz.net/

I tend to go back to the moments and places that took on meanings. Places that were mundane before, like the stair hallway where I paced back and forth in the middle of the night to coax that baby down. I'll now stop there once in a while and call up the memory. The sweet moments I spent holding my child in the tub while we took a herbal bath together. That bath was such a special moment of intimate bonding between mother, father, and infant.

We had been out with friends all afternoon enjoying a car poker rally game and I had not even the slightest inclination that that evening would be the beginning of Isaac's birth story. The afternoon went on with lots of fun and we have memories from that day to reflect on as the beginning of our family, the beginning of our new life. How it has changed! The afternoon adventures came to an end and we joined our friends for dinner at a near-by restaurant. Tim and I were on separate teams for the rally, so we had to pick our vehicle up at our friends house before heading home. Normally we would have stayed at their house for a bit. But, I had been growing a bit uncomfortable. I was one day overdue and I just figured it was from a long day of driving, and walking, and indulging in a somewhat spicy supper. So, we said our good-byes to our friends and laughed at the thought that this might be the last time we say good-bye as two of us. I did not realize then that the slight discomfort I was feeling was early labour.

We got home around 10:30 and settled in for a good night's rest. Or, so we thought. At 11:30 something woke me. It wasn't a pain, or a gush of fluid, or a sudden discomfort. It was just the slightest dream-like jolt causing me to wake. I still didn't know this was early labour. But then again, it was something and that something woke me. I started to question. I decided to get up, get a drink of water and go to the washroom. I decided to wake up Tim just to let him know that something woke me. Perhaps this was a mistake and I should have allowed him to sleep. I let him know that I didn't know if this was just pregnancy discomfort or maybe just maybe this was it. He reassured me that even if this was it, it's not likely that we need to call the mid-wife just yet. We could wait awhile for the feeling to come back again.

Sure enough, the same slight feeling came back again and again for the next few hours. I knew now this was it, but I figured if this is early labour, these things go on and can last for 24 hours or more. I'll call the mid-wife when I grow really uncomfortable or when the contractions come a little more regularly. By 2:30 am they were consistently coming at 8-10 minutes apart. I decided to call her. She confirmed to me that this is the beginning of labour and that she was going to get her van packed up. She encouraged me to rest in between them if I could and to call her again when I grow more uncomfortable. Together, Tim and I made our bed the way we were instructed to do so for a home birth. We placed a plastic shower curtain to line the mattress beneath the layers of sheets. I put some Powerade drinks in the fridge to cool for later on and drank some Vitamin Water, figuring I should stay hydrated. We still figured we had lots of time, thinking that our child might be born sometime the next afternoon or evening. I tried hard to rest, in between the contractions, but I felt the need to get up and go to the washroom a lot. And, sitting on an exercise ball or on the can was where I was most comfortable. It was 4:30 am when Tim got on the phone to call her back. At that point, I was having stronger contractions and more often and I didn't think I could talk through them. All he said to her over the phone was: "Things are getting pretty intense here" and she was on her way.

The team arrived together at our home around 5:30 am as I was pacing and trying to keep vertical through some of the powerful contractions. I was praying that with each contraction the baby was descending and coming closer to being born and I was trying hard to breath the breath of Heaven to get me through. The team began to set up our bedroom for home birth. They boiled water, drew me a bath, set up an area for emergency resuscitation, just in case. All together they made our bedroom look a little bit like a hospital room, but it still felt like cozy home to us.

Heather Dietz Photography http://www.heatherdietz.net/

Our mid-wife checked me and I was 5 cm dilated. "Don't be discouraged by a 5" she said. "5 is good, your cervix is really thin, this baby is coming and we're not going anywhere." Discouraged? I found this a relief. I was half expecting her to say "1" or "You're not dilated at all. I'll go home and come back when you're further along" This was me, convincing myself that I was not strong enough to bear through even early labour, let alone the later stages and delivery. And, it turned out I made it through early labour already! She offered me some CalMag in the most motherly way and suggested I get into the tub. "You have nice long legs, you can make it back to the bed in time." Boy, was she right about the CalMag and the tub. It brought everything on much faster than I expected. I laid in the tub on my side and the nurse poured soothing hot water over my hip as I bore through each contraction. I was in the tub for perhaps 3 more contractions at 2-4 minutes apart and began to hiccup. "Hiccups and burps mean 8 to 10!" the mid-wife proclaimed. Man, they know everything, I thought. I decided to get out of the tub and sit on the toilet for a brief moment. And there, I began to grunt through the next contraction. The nurse suggested I move to the bed now, if I'm feeling the urge to push. It was about 6:45 am now and contractions were coming one on top of the other. After being checked and confirmed at 10 cm, I was ready.

Pushing came as a relief, however my contractions now seemed further apart during this final stage of labour. This actually was good, because it allowed me to rest in between them. To the point where I could almost fall asleep. Don't get me wrong! Pushing is difficult, but your body knows when it is time to push and it allows you to use the breathing you had been doing through pursed lips before to be put to good use. Now, all three members of the team and Tim were by my side encouraging me. They were so supportive and encouraging. Tim held my hand which I squeezed so hard I'm surprised it didn't break. And, our mid-wife checked our baby's heart-rate after every contraction. Every time she would announce "Baby is happy."

The pushing stage lasted for over an hour with our little guy descending little by little and sometimes moving back into the birthing canal. Finally with one last push, his whole body came out, head, shoulders, knees and toes. We joke now that he shot out like a torpedo. Right away he was placed on my chest and he was crying, using his lungs for the very first time. As he lay on my chest I could see that we had a boy and that he looked like perfection. I was shocked. A firstborn boy, I had no idea or feeling as to what we were having. But, for some reason it was still a shock. A wonderful shock!

The nurse encouraged me to try nursing him, suggesting I don't sit up right away but rather lay on my side and let him discover for himself what to do. A very clever boy, he latched on right away and this calmed him down. It was an amazing feeling to bond with my babe right away after he was born. Tim and I admired our new little bundle as he nursed and we were offered something to eat by the nurse who had prepared us some toast and fruit. We felt so incredibly blessed, we had forgotten that it was time for breakfast! We made a few tearful phone calls to our parents. The nurse, who goes to church with my mom, joked that she'll be wondering why I'm not there this morning. Sure enough we reached my mom when she was on her way to church. All of our parents were thrilled with the news of their first grand-child.

Heather Dietz Photography http://www.heatherdietz.net/

Because he came out all at once, there was some minor tears to repair. So, after nursing him and a little bit to eat, I was stitched up and a bath was drawn for us to enjoy. A lovely healing herbal bath of Uva-ursi, comfrey, shepherd's purse, sea salts, and garlic is used for rapid healing for myself and cord healing for our babe. He loved the bath so much and again it was an amazing experience of bonding, the three of us together. He had his eyes wide open. Experiencing all these new sensations must have been a shock for him as well. I remained in the tub a little longer to get cleaned up while our boy was weighed, measured and finally dressed for the very first time. As I returned to our bedroom, dressed in cozy PJs I was greeted by my son dressed in his fresh new cozy PJs and he was sound asleep. Our bed was made and all the mess cleaned up. The mid-wife team even gets your laundry going for you.

It was time for us to get some rest. We dimmed the lights and admired our son together. My blood pressure was checked over one last time to be sure it was safe to leave us on our own. The mid-wives gave us some info on mother and babe care for the first 72 hours. Basically, make sure he nurses every two hours and that you both stay hydrated. They reassured us that they were proud of us, that it was a great home birth, and that we would be great parents. We knew they would be returning every day for the next week and every other day the week after that for post partum care. But, for the most part, it was time for us new parents to do this on our own. I felt great joy rise up in my heart, but at the same time I was totally exhausted. After all, not only was it was the hardest work I'd ever done in my life, it was also a whole night of lost sleep. But, as nervous as I was about giving birth naturally, I was relieved that my body stepped up to the plate to do the most important thing of all when it really mattered. It grew, nurtured, accommodated, and birthed another human being, which is nothing short of miraculous.

We thanked the ladies from the bottom of our hearts and said our good-byes. We joked that we should do this again sometime - but not in the too near future! The realization that we didn't get to keep them with us forever was sinking in. I think they have the most incredible job. They get to witness the miracle of child-birth on a regular basis. We looked at our son and admired the most adorable baby we have ever seen. Isaac Elder is a sweetheart. Truly a miracle.

Heather Dietz Photography http://www.heatherdietz.net/

I've been mother to baby Isaac now for 10 weeks. He's healthy and happy. And, motherhood is beautiful.  Not easy. I'm not sure I'll never get the hang of sleeping at 40 minute intervals but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. I'm enamored with him and it brings me great joy when he smiles and coos and when I know he is experiencing something for the very first time. The dust and the dishes can wait now, I'm loving on a little one who won't stay little for long.

Heather Dietz Photography http://www.heatherdietz.net/

The book On The Night You Were Born was given to us and I love the whole story, but here is just a short excerpt from it that sums up how life is changed. How a baby fills a place in your heart that you didn't know was empty.

On the Night You Were Born

“On the night you were born, The moon smiled with such wonder That the stars peeked in to see you

And the night wind whispered, “Life will never be the same.”

Because there had never been anyone like you…ever in the world."

 by Nancy Tillman

This beautiful benediction song, Something Beautiful, by Alexi Murdoch also gives a glimpse to the love of a Heavenly Father and is a perfect prayer for a child - that he would come to know that he is a child of God and the apple of His eye.