Winter Danyeil is here! All of us at Daisy Baby wish Dana and family a
hearty congratulations… and since we share so many of your journeys, Dana would
like to share her birth story with you.
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| What a pretty baby! |
My pregnancy lasted 42 weeks, 3
days. Before this journey, I seriously didn’t even know that was possible. Even
as we approached “postterm”, I didn’t expect it to go that far. My estimated
delivery date was May 2nd, and I went into labor the morning of May 19th.
We were warned by friends, family, and clients – about large baby size, passing
meconium, low amniotic fluid, placental decay. Even knowing everyone had our
best interests at heart, it really took a lot of inner strength and reassuring
reading to stay calm and happy as we went postdates. It was so good to hear
from those who’d gone 10 or more days past their estimated delivery date,
because reassuring stories helped keep me in the mindset that this was normal!
My midwives (MAMAS midwives out of Takoma Park) had had a client go 42 weeks 5
days and deliver a healthy, happy baby – that reassurance helped as well. The
midwives checked on the baby every 3 days, and checked the viability of the
placenta. We checked fetal kick counts. All the reassurance helped… but the
ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) guidelines really
gave me a good perspective from a traditional medical standpoint – I came to
the conclusion that if there’s nothing wrong, there’s no reason to do anything
but let nature take its course!
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| Dana, Winter, and her labor support |
In due time (haha), and when I was
starting to go out of my mind at how long it had been, I was awakened at 6:00am
with actual intense contractions. While people say the second baby is always
faster, we were actually shocked at the speed – 8 hours – 1/3 the time of my
first labor!
If you didn’t know, I do deliver
with midwives at home – MAMAS midwives (Mairi and Erin) come to our house for
all prenatal visits and when I’m in labor. While I know this isn’t the right
choice for everyone, it would be amazing for all women to have this level of
care. I never had to go to an office & wait to be seen. For all women to be
able to have community care, meeting with other women giving birth at the same
time – it could make such a difference in that beginning of a new life and
family.
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| Dana and Baby Winter |
At my birth there were 3 midwives doing nothing but focusing on me. Never leaving my side. Talking me through each contraction, coaching me on how to push out my daughter without tearing. I never felt more cared for. Baby Winter was placed on my chest immediately, and was nursing within 20 minutes. When I was ready, they helped me to the shower - after they helped me shower, I came back to a perfectly made up bed and a beautiful clean space. They proceeded to spend another two hours making sure the baby and I were safe and well before they departed. It really is a wonder way to birth.
During labor, our daughter Ever was
right there with me, handing me cool cloths during the delivery. She was really
much stronger than we knew – she understood what was going on, and was
reassured that I was okay. I was so happy she could be there, a part of the
proceedings – in her daddy’s arms as her baby sister was born. She says, “I
watched baby Winter come out of mommy’s legs!”
As for everyone’s concerns – baby Winter
did appear to be postdates, but we had no problems with meconium, placenta
decay, or any other worries. She was born beautiful and healthy, and very
average sized!
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| Baby Winter and the scale (the baby hangs from the scale in a blanket - no cold hard edges!) |
