Today begins a week filled with Birth Stories! As I shared yesterday I love reading birth stories and I want to celebrate yesterday’s National Improving Birth Rally with a week of all types of birth stories. Please remember not everyone makes the same choices when it comes to birth. The fact that we have choices is what makes birth beautiful! All birth matters!
Please note if reading about birth in detail or seeing pictures makes you uncomfortable I invite you to check out a different post.
Today Carly is sharing her beautiful home birth delivery of Elliana Madalyn!
The following birth story was written by Carly:
July 30th came and gone, and as uncomfortable as I was, I knew you weren’t ready to make your arrival yet so we waited, and waited, and waited.
On Sunday August 5, 2012 your lolli came into town in hopes of your soon arrival. That night we went to bed normally and up to this point I hadn’t felt any sure signs that you were coming.
Monday August 6th, we woke up at 5 am to get breakfast and take your daddy to work. After we took your dad to work we drove to Tehachapi to see Justine and sure enough, you began showing mommy you were ready to come out by sending contractions my way! By the time we got home a few hours later, I was sure you were coming.
As I laid in the bathtub breathing through each contraction all I could think about was holding you, kissing you, nursing you, and I couldn’t help but smile even through the pain. Holding my belly through each contraction to see if I could feel you making your way out, but all I felt was my tummy hard as a rock. I knew you were working just as hard inside as I was outside and I knew we were working together to meet each other very soon. By the time daddy came home from work I was in active labor and we knew we would meet you very very soon!
Daddy called Justine and told her that we were sure it was time and down the hill she came! I was sitting on the yoga ball inside the shower rocking and moaning when Justine arrived. I looked out of the shower and Justine gave me a faint smile and at that moment I knew it was safe for you to meet us!
The minutes turned into hours, day turned into night and then day once again. Active turned into transition and I was exhausted and ready to kiss you all over. After walking the halls all night, getting in and out of the tub, up and down off the bed I looked at the clock in the bathroom and it was 7am on Tuesday, August 7. I knew it had to be soon! I had so many emotions and to this day I don’t recall any of them being pain. I was excited, scared, tired and anxious, but all of those feelings finally led to pushing.
As I began pushing, time stood still. I felt like I wasn’t progressing at all. I looked up at your daddy and he had a tear in his eye and in a soft voice he told me “babe, she has hair!” He was thrilled that he could see you! Even though it was just the top of your head, you were really there and you were really coming to meet us within minutes! Finally I reached my hand down to you and I could feel all that hair!! Feeling the top of your head gave me that much more power to help you make your way out to us! Lolli, Mimi, Daddy, Justine and I were all waiting patiently to meet you! You found your way out to us all and it is like no feeling I have ever felt. You were perfect. Perfect in every way. You were mine. You were daddy’s. Nobody could ever take you away from us.
Elliana Madalyn Chavez I love you with every muscle of my body and my heart is forever yours! You, my baby girl, are the greatest thing that has every happened to me and August 7, 2012 will forever be my favorite day. You have shown me love like I have never seen before, and I hope that one day you will have this feeling. It is by far the greatest love in this crazy beautiful world.
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What a beautiful story and what strength. I love birth stories as well. We both have August babies though many years apart. My first son was born 8/3/97
Thanks for sharing your story! I had two waterbirths and wouldn’t have it any other way.
What a loving story this is of your special first moments!
Thank you Emily for sharing my story! & thank you ladies for reading! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It was definitely the greatest day of my life so far and to be able to experience such bliss at home was incredible!
It was a beautiful story with some amazing pictures too! Thank you for sharing it!
It is – not it was! 🙂
What a great story.
Beautiful birth story! Love the pictures. If I ever have another baby, I’d love a homebirth.
What an amazing birth story! It’s interesting, for me, to read how others birth and the different routes they take in doing so. Love the baby’s name.