Chrissy & Anam decided to have a homebirth a little more than halfway through their pregnancy. We are so glad they made the switch! About 10 days after her due date Chrissy called me at 6 am very excited that labor had begun! I was excited too as I had three mamas past their due dates and a couple others approaching their due dates and was ready for someone to get the birth boom going! Her mom arrived soon after I got there and was absolutely thrilled to have been invited to the birth and was so proud of her strong daughter.
Chrissy labored beautifully-- slow dancing, big hip circles, moaning out her beautiful birth song. The baby's in-utero nickname was "Bonkers" and Chrissy kept saying "Bonkers, we are doing it!". Anam was a sweet and steady presence. By 8 am the surges were closer and stronger and Chrissy continued to talk to her baby girl and saying affirming things to herself like "Ah yes, I can do it!" and "I'm doing it, I'm doing it!". Her low and open sounds helped things progress. Anam was looking at Chrissy with so much respect, awe and curiosity of the this heretofore unknown power in his partner. There was so much love between this mama and daddy!
By 10 am Chrissy was starting to bear down at the peak of the contractions and sure enough was fully dilated and the urge to push was beginning. It was a couple more hours before the baby made her way out as Chrissy tried a lot of different positions including some time squatting in her tub which really helped the baby drop down into the birth canal.
8lb 11oz Coraline Soleil Owili-Eger was born on February 15, 2012 at 12:47 pm with her mother, father and grandmother present surrounding her with love. What a lovely post-Valentine's Day birth! And the beginning of a busy month...more soon about the other two babies born that week!
Congratulations to Chrissy, Anam and Coraline!
