You might have had a homebirth with doula care when...you call baby #4 the "best birth ever!&qu

Celia Miriam was born on 5.14.18, fitting right in with her bustling family of 6! She's 6#12 oz of bliss, arriving at 9:47am right in the comfort of her own home.

Celia is the 4th in the birth order, with two older brothers and one older sister. Mom and dad, Dallas and Albie, could not be more proud of their newest arrival!

Baby Celia is a much loved little soul, and has been a long time coming. After numerous losses, she is the family's rainbow baby. With years of uncertainties to weather, and the months of pregnancy filled with unpredictabilities, Dallas created her birth team quite mindfully and was surrounded with stellar support to help her cope through pregnancy and labor.

Dallas attended several MFB Birth Circle Gatherings to gain the perspective of other trusted, mindful and open-minded moms who I've had the pleasure of serving in some capacity during their labors, either as their doula, childbirth educator, or birth mentor. It's an amazing circle of women, filled with true support without attachment or judgment of any labor's outcome. We all hang on each other's birth stories, listening deeply and sharing our own bits of our stories as appropriate. I've always appreciated Dallas' humble support of the other moms in the group. At our last circle, though, Dallas was able to draw on the group's knowledge and experience, and this time be on the receiving end of support as she worked through what she knew of baby's position: that she was resting her forehead ON the pubic bone with her chin untucked and not quite able to enter into the brim of the pelvis.

I arrived early in the morning to their home filled with sleeping children; hubby had to run to work so Dallas and I had some time to ease into her labor. We had a clue that baby still wasn't engaged quite yet. In a hospital birth this untucked chin often equates to an automatic cesarean delivery since it's unlikely for OBs to have a background in Optimal Maternal Positioning (helping baby to get into a better position by helping mom position herself differently), but not with a midwife and a doula! I knew that in order for labor to progress normally, baby needed to first tuck her chin and second, enter into the brim of the pelvis. For the weeks leading up to birth I advised Dallas to practice Forward Leaning Inversions and Side-Lying Releases, coupled with rebozo lifts (see spinningbabies.com for more information). When I arrived in early labor I helped Dallas with a series of 10 Abdominal Lift and Tucks during contractions which allowed baby to enter into the pelvis. From there, labor progressed normally and swiftly!

Within just 2 hours, baby was born and in mama's arms. 2 hours!

Which means that Dallas and baby were warmly tucked into bed with 3 smiling siblings and one proud father nearby, before lunchtime. Nowhere else to go, nowhere to be, nothing to do but fall in love with their newest squishy baby. It's one of the best parts of a homebirth; there's no where to have to go after the hard work of labor, except to sleep.

I slipped away after mama was tucked into bed and nursing her littlest love.

Labor isn't easy, but with mindful preparation, realistic coping strategies and an open mind to try new techniques to help baby get into an optimal position, Dallas stacked the deck in her favor. Having an experienced doula and midwife were crucial components to the way this beautiful birth unfolded.

Join me in welcoming Celia Miriam to the world, and into the Mindful Birth family!

With love,

Chris

P.s. Birth Circle Gatherings are exclusively for MFB clients. If you're ready to start celebrating your wins, and walk out of your birth room like a BOSS, let me know a little bit about your situation and we'll see if MFB is the right fit to help YOU rock your birth with mental clarity and strength.