I was so thrilled when I realized I would be able to work with Christy for my second homebirth. Working with Christy felt like being with a kindred spirit. She has a calming presence, but her fierce protective instincts are visible just below the surface. And I really got to see her jump into action during my labor... I ended up having a VERY fast labor, with only Christy and my husband Ken in the bathroom with me, our 3-year-old son Naftali asleep down the hall. Shortly after Christy arrived that night, I went to use the toilet in the middle of very intense contractions. I stayed on the toilet for the next contraction. From the other room, where she was setting up, Christy could hear the sounds I was making and called to me "Are you pushing, mama?". It wasn't until she asked that I realized I was! I love that she knew what my body was doing better than I did, just from hearing the sound of my voice. She rushed into the bathroom, with Ken working to both support me and help her set things up.
I had told Christy that during my first labor, I felt like I didn't get to slow down and notice what was happening while I was pushing. This time I wanted to feel more like I was letting the baby slip out, rather than efforting so hard. So in between the three or four pushes it took to bring Nomi out, Christy reminded me to stop and breathe for a minute. What a powerful moment! Nomi's head was right there crowning and I got to really feel it. "Um, Ow!" I said, laughing. Then another push, and there she was. I feel so grateful to have had the strong and wise support of Christy in such a fast labor. We really got to do it exactly how we wanted it - in our home, with our family, and however my body needed it to go.