At 39 weeks – 0 days, I had an incredibly beautiful spontaneous normal undmedicated (and fast!) labor and birth, and unexpectedly caught my daughter Naomi, 7# 1oz! Catch your own baby as an unmedicated primp was NOT on my bingo card!!!
I asked not to know my dilation and I’m grateful for that choice as it kept me out of my clinical brain and focused in my body. Early on I thought, “Gah, I’m not breathing right, I’m doing it all backwards! Nope, that’s not the point. Stop thinking! Just do!” Haha!
As I started to crown, my mom was preparing to do a blind catch as I was in a deep squat by the side of the bed. But the sensation of her hand (only barely touching me occasionally) was too much, so (according to her) I batted her hand away and I caught my baby!! My version is that there was too much “going on down there” and I needed to feel what was happening, I felt a crowning bag, decided I had a long ways to go, and was shocked when I caught her with the next contraction!! Wild! Then my cord avulsed and I had a manual placenta extraction! But it went well all things considered and I feel good about learning through that experience too as it informs my practice.
All in all, I’m left feeling so proud of myself, so in love with little Naomi, and beyond grateful for all of the love and support I had in bringing her into the world. The trust and sense of safety I had & have with my team is a blessing and something I wish I could guarantee all birthing peoples.
