A Midwife's Home Birth | Jacksonville Community Midwives
Meet Jacinda! She is a home birth midwife here in Jacksonville, and this is the birth story of her second baby. It was a joy to be asked to be her birth photographer! Enjoy this detailed look at her incredible birth. (And read all the way to the end if you are pregnant and looking for home birth options!) -Dallas
“Ivor was born on February 15th, 2019 on a Friday at 12:20 pm. I had been carrying a stranger in my womb for a full ten months and I was more than ready to meet our new person. A year later I am still wonder-struck by this happiest of tiny humans who is absolutely perfect for our family.
Let’s go back a little. This was going to be my second birth. My guess-date was February 1st. Around 4:30 am on February 14th I was lying awake in bed praying, and holding back tears completely frustrated that I was not in labor yet. I remember feeling at the end of myself and being unsure of what to do next. I had spent the last week trying to encourage labor with chiropractic care, membrane sweeps, walking, drinking copious amounts of red raspberry leaf tea, taking tinctures, getting a “baby come out” massage, and nothing was happening. For the past week I had woken up around the same time every night and felt gripped by anxiety, the voice in my head questioning ‘Is something wrong?’ I didn't really think anything was wrong; baby moved as usual and I had a history of going post-dates, but I still felt worry, frustration, and sadness for something unnamed.
On this particular early morning I was really feeling the weight of anxiety because it was my last day on the calendar to go into labor without having to make decisions about “post-term” care and/or trying to induce with castor oil. So, at 4:30 in the morning I messaged my mum for support telling her I was frustrated and worried and would she please pray this baby out. Her advise was just what I needed. ‘Don’t get frustrated: that won’t help. I know you’re good and ready to give birth and you know he/she’s going to come soon. Go about your daily business and enjoy Valentine’s Day.’ This is exactly the advise I would give myself as a midwife, I had to laugh that it was coming from my Mum.
When I woke up, I was feeling calm, and expectant for a good day. Looking back on that day it was nothing but enjoyable, it was the most relaxed and happy I had been all week. We (myself, Ben, and my SIL/BFF Emily and her baby) picked Fletcher up and headed to the Avondale playground. I ditched the others and started walking the park as fast as I could, veering off onto residential streets to curb walk.
And it finally happened! At 41 weeks a 6 days I finally started having spontaneous surges!
Early labor was uneventful. I think by 6 pm I felt good that these surges where picking up and that I would have a baby. I was so relieved. I put Fletcher to bed, set up the birth pool, sat on my CUB [Comfortable Upright Birth, an inflatable birth stool] and watched some shows. Eventually I couldn’t really pay attention during surges so I decide to go to bed.
The timeline begins to get fuzzy at this point. I was in bed until it was too uncomfortable and I went to sit on the toilet. I stayed in the bathroom because it was comfortable there, just rocking and rolling and moaning and groaning. After one long, loud moan I heard tentative voices outside the door. Emily and Ben were asking me if I was going to call the the midwife. I didn’t feel like it was time, but after a couple more surges they asked again and had me questioning my judgement, so I called Jenn.
As soon as I got off the phone I wished I hadn’t called. Instead of feeling relieved or excited that the midwife was coming, I remember thinking ‘It isn’t time yet, and now she just going to be in my house with nothing happening.’ Sure enough my surges slowed. When she got to the house and assessed me and baby, I told her I was going back to bed and she was welcome to sleep also. I slept for a couple hours and was woken up by strong, regular surges compelling me to get out of bed. I went back to the bathroom to do my thing until I felt that I wanted to get into the pool for comfort.
I got into the pool around 4 am and enjoyed the incredible warmth and comfort. Not long after being in the tub Dallas (birth photographer) and Sunny (birth assistant) appeared in the living room. I involuntarily left my private, primal work of labor and joined in the party so to speak. I was too stimulated by having people to talk and listen to, and unconsciously uncomfortable with feeling like they were waiting for me. My labor slowed and became essentially useless. The mind is powerful!
After an hour or so my surges had slowed to 10 minutes apart and I needed to get away from being the center of attention and expectancy. I asked to be checked and then went back to bed. I was 8cm, which was fine, but babies don’t come out without surges.
I rested for another hour then got up when Fletcher did, took a shower, dressed, and ate breakfast.
I went for a walk with Ben…I don’t remember having a single contraction.
My midwife Jenn got me out on the steps to do some lunges, but nothing. I remember her asking if there was something mental or emotional holding me up and I said no, but I just couldn’t put words to what I was feeling.
I was bubbling with frustration, doubt, and this nameless gnawing sadness. All I wanted was for everyone to go away.
I couldn’t say it. How do you tell the people you hired and invited to go away?
I decided to get on the breast pump and retreated to my room with the pump and Ben to get my labor back.
I sat on the CUB and gave in to the tears that needed to flow and felt my frustration and fear release.
Jenn came into the room to listen to baby and take vitals and said that Dallas and Sunny had left for a bit and that she would leave and give us some space too. She never left. The combination of having a good cry, thinking everyone was gone, and the breast pump was enough to kick my labor back into gear and from then it was like I was in the home stretch.
I think I spent about 2 hours in my room with Ben and the pump. This was probably my favorite part of labor looking back. We laughed and worked, each strong surge felt like a victory. It wasn’t long before the surges where intense gripping my back and taking my breath away. I moved and groaned, and breathed. After each surge Ben was waiting with that darn pump. He was like a coach, adamant that those surges where not going to leave again. I stayed in the room until the intensity in my back was becoming unbearable and the pressure in my butt was increasing.
I returned to the reheated pool at 11:15 am and sunk down into the warmth.
This time I was in the zone and I didn’t want to be distracted. I mostly kept my eyes closed, listened to music and moved through each powerful surge as it came. No one touched me, but Ben was close by.
At some point Dallas and Sunny re-materialized in the living room and Jenn’s comfortable presence was nearby also. It was late morning, the sun was shining and I had the urge to push with my surges, I could feel the baby moving down, so much pressure building.
I remember moaning, ‘Why does this have to hurt so bad?’ But I felt good, in control, strong. I was mostly kneeling or squatting, upright, bringing my baby down. My water broke at 11:47 am and the serious spontaneous pushing began about 30 minutes later per the chart, but it felt like 5.
In moments I could feel the head bulging into my perineum, my body easily opening and stretching, I didn’t even feel like I was working to push the baby out, my body was just doing it for me. I felt the painful burning and touched a soft round head.
I hollered that my clitoris felt like it was going to tear and hands appeared to provide relieving counter pressure. Then the head was out.
I honestly cannot remember these minutes. I was upright and squatting and the head was out but I don’t know where my hands went.
Jenn assisted the baby out with with the next surge and I was receiving my precious child, purple and covered with yellow vernix.
I wiped that sweet face and encouraged breathing and crying. I waited for that moment where a baby cries or breathes, and the birth is complete and the person is here.
I spent a few moments taking in the new baby and then I looked around the room.
Ben was right there and Fletcher was standing near the pool. Together we moved the baby off my chest and did the genital check to see who our new person was. A boy! I couldn’t believe it! I could have sworn this baby was a girl.
The placenta was born, I cleaned up, and then Jenn checked me on the couch.
The next hours where perfect, like a happy dream. People were cleaning and talking cheerfully and bringing me food. I was cuddling and breastfeeding and drinking in my baby, who felt like a stranger for those first few hours.
We had had a name for a girl settled on for months, but we had just come up with a boy’s name a couple days earlier. We started trying it out and found that it was right.
Ivor.
My beautiful, 8lb 7oz baby boy.
My birth attendants and photographer finished up and left. We hung out on the bed rehashing the experience and warming up to our new family member, our lives unfolding so marvelously, gratitude and love pouring from our hearts.
Epilogue: It may sound like I didn’t like my birth team. That couldn’t be further from the truth! I had exactly the people that I wanted around me supporting and protecting my birth. My desire to be alone was driven by my primal birthing instinct and introvert personality, not due to any offensiveness or personal problems with the women supporting me. They were all incredibly patient, understanding, and kind!
Dallas checks all the boxes for what anyone may be looking for in a birth photographer: polite, professional, incredibly organized, compassionate, non-intrusive, capable, and confident. However, working with Dallas goes far beyond checking off boxes and getting beautiful birth pictures. She is the sort of woman you can bring into your birth space without any fear. Dallas has a wonderful presence at birth.”
Jacinda, thank you for sharing all of the beautiful details of Ivor’s birth story! Your deep knowledge, respect, and love for birth shines through in your words, and it was an absolute honor to have witness you bring your second baby into the world.
For those who are looking for an excellent home birth experience…Jacinda and her midwife Jenn have gone into practice together! Along with a third talented midwife name Christy, they have come together to form Jacksonville Community Midwives. They have a “two midwives at every birth” philosophy and they are an incredible blessing to Northeast Florida. Check them out here!
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