categories. natural birth, home birth, unassisted birth.
year story took place in. 2010.
country birth took place in. united states.

Here's the incredible story of Cody Enkichi Mitchell's home birth:

On the evening of December 13, we prepared our 2 year old daughter Lyla to spend the night at Baaba and Grandpa Glen's house as I had lost my mucus plug at 5pm and knew that the onset of labor was a possibility. I had been having inconsistent contractions for the past week or so, but they always faded away. I said my goodbyes to my parents and Lyla with the thought in the back of my mind that I might have a baby in my arms the next time I see them.

My husband Travis and I settled in early that night just in case we were going to need some precious rest. I had some trouble falling asleep because, as was the case for the past week or so, I started having contractions as soon as I got in bed. I did my best to ignore them, but shortly after 3am I felt a sharp pain like someone gave me a strong kick from the inside. I immediately felt a gush of fluid and knew that my water broke! I woke up Travis and he jumped out of bed to prepare for labor. Travis called our doula, Sherill, who lives about an hour away and notified her that labor may be starting. Just like last time, she recommended that we try to get some sleep. Travis texted the midwife, Karen, who lives about 30 minutes away, and let her know that we would inform her when contractions were consistent (3-5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute or more, and had been that way for at least an hour).

We had been thoroughly prepared to labor in our bedroom with a birthing pool at the foot of our bed. It looks like a tall kiddie pool with a blow-up stool inside of it. Travis filled the pool with water as I started breathing through some pretty intense contractions. It wasn't long before we realized that I was certainly in active labor. Travis called Karen to let her know that my contractions were consistent and she said she was ready to head over and asked if we thought we were ready for her. We didn't know what to tell her because it was only 5am. Who knows how long before the baby's arrival??? Lyla took 15 hours after my water broke! So, Travis and I just kept busy trying to remember all the breathing techniques and positions we learned from the Bradley Method book and from my coaching from Sherill from two years prior. The contractions were exhausting! They felt so strong and very close together. Once the birthing pool was filled, I got in and tried to let the water comfort me. I labored in the pool for about 30 minutes and felt that I needed a change. I got out to get in the shower and the pressure from the shower water on my back was great. After about 20 minutes in the shower, I felt like getting into more of a sitting position, so I moved to the edge of our bed.

Shortly before 7am, I told Trav that I needed some extra help and asked when Karen was coming. He called her on the phone and let her know that we needed her as soon as possible. She was just leaving her home in Lake Elsinore and would be here in about 30 minutes. As Travis was talking with her on the phone, my next contraction brought with it the incredible urge to push. I said to Trav, "She's gotta get here SOON". He asked her if it was normal to feel the urge to push before it is necessary. She advised him to tell me to do what my body was telling me to do. I was relieved that the next couple of contractions did not give me that "pushy" feeling again, but only because I really concentrated on breathing through them. I then moved from the edge of the bed to the middle of my bed. I got on my hands and knees to prepare to push in case the next contraction gave me the urge again...and it did. Travis got behind me and said he could see something. He said, "go ahead and push" and I said, "I AM!" and with the next push his head was out. Travis told me to push one more time and he would be out. He was right. I pushed one more time with a loud scream and Travis caught his very slippery and crying baby boy. Cody Enkichi Mitchell was born at 7:10am on his mommy and daddy's bed with no assistance from a midwife or a doula. It was just the three of us!

There was a lot of commotion at this point. The three of us were looking at each other trying to figure out what to do next. Travis called his sister Kandice into the room to help us out. It's a good thing that she had been staying with us in the guest room because the extra set of hands really helped us! Kandice called Karen while Travis passed the baby to me. She gave us instructions over the phone. Cody was perfect. He came out crying and had no complications whatsoever. It is a miracle that it went as smoothly as it did. Looking back, we think of all the things that could have gone wrong and we count our blessings that nothing did. Karen arrived at about 7:30am to check the new baby and mommy. We are recovering well and amazed and overcome with joy at our new son. Lyla loves her little brother too. She is so gentle and sweet with him. We are a very happy family of four and we can't thank God enough for the incredible blessings we have received. Welcome to the world, Cody!

categories. home birth, natural birth, water birth, unassisted birth.
year story took place in. 2010.
country birth took place in. USA.
learn more about this mom. www.glitterandgritgirl.com.

Giraffe mothers give birth naturally. Their babies fall a long way without being caught, and slowly (quickly) get up and learn to walk only moments following their birth. Many species have unique birth methods. Dolphin babies can swim immediately following their natural birth, blood pours from the dolphin mama vagina. It's beautiful.

I watched a lot of animal births and read a lot about them.

After six months of uncertainty of my birth plan, Cody's aunt told me that I didn't have to have anyone at the birth. "No one was at the conception, right?" she probed. "No." "Well, no one has to be at the birth, either, it's totally natural."

And I realized then, that I would have an animal birth. At home. With Cody, alone. Completely planned. Very educated. And confident, so so so confident in my animal instincts.

The night of November 28, after a lot of meditation (including a Vipassana meditation retreat) and a lot of confident envisioning, and a huge trip to the grocery market (stocking up on several pounds of butter), only days following Thanksgiving, right after a favorite meal of breakfast burritos for dinner and a favorite game with my love, we went to bed.

Around 12:30AM I woke with a complete inability to sleep due to the contractions increasing in intensity and an uncontrollable urge to eliminate all my waste. I felt open when I sat on the toilet, my sphincters were comfortable and with each contraction I moaned and cleaned out my colon. When I told Cody that I was having bowel movements with extreme cleansing he said “it’s baby time” and got out of bed to set up the birth tub (an inflatable kiddie pool with cartoon images of sharks and sea horses and fish that I purchased from a birthing pool website). While he worked on the tub and rigged up the garden hose to the kitchen sink which would pour hot water into the pool in the living room, I had contractions on the toilet and on all fours in the living room. At this point I felt my cervix and vagina open each contraction and was becoming an animal with each new moan and groan.

The pool began to fill with very hot water, steaming. Around 1:15 the pool was half way full and I dipped my foot into the water and told Cody it was far too hot for me to get into the pool. I continued to have contractions while Cody then cooled down the pool. While the pool was cooling down, I moaned and howled while my uterus contracted. On my hands and knees, I leaned over Cody’s knees as he sat on the couch. He held my hand and I squeezed as I moaned through the contraction. Cody told me how good I was doing. I thanked him through my animalistic instincts.

“My body is opening for my baby.”

While Cody waited for the pool to cool, he relaxed on the couch; I came kneeling with an intense contraction, my face in his lap. He held my hand through that contraction. It was as though his energy and effort might help my labor. Although in an instinctual trance, I fell very deeply in love with Cody during this labor. “You’re doing so good, Lindsey.” Cody repeated, over and over and over, only to bring a more intense passion into my heart for him.

Once the pool was cool enough, I stepped in and began having contractions on all fours inside the pool. After each contraction I laid for rest on the soft edge of the pool.

Cody was up pouring hot water into the pool and noticed something afloat. Excited as a five year old on the beach. “Ohh, I wonder what this is?” He curiously inquired. “That’s a piece of poop,” I told him calmly. He fished it out of the pool. Who knew poop would come out while giving birth?

When the pushing urge came, I surrendered; I pushed. With my body on all fours, in a mammalian groove my entire trunk exerted force downward. I could feel my cervix open and I knew the baby was coming down the canal. Cody had tried to rub my shoulders, to which I redirected “please rub my head and hair like this” smoothing the palm of my hand over my forehead and into my hair. I think it reminded me of how my mom used to rub my forehead when I was falling asleep or sick.

He moved the couch next to the pool so he could rest while I rested. The lights were low and the night was calm. We did not exchange many words. He kept saying “you’re doing so good, Lindsey, you’re doing really good.”

When I felt like pushing I got on all fours and leaned over the tub. My contractions were intense, but not painful. After the contraction, my body insisted I rest so I leaned over and lay on the side of the tub.

I continued to tell myself that I was opening for my baby, my body knew what to do, I surrendered to my body and my baby.

As her head came down the canal, it became very intense. Finally her head was about to embark completely out into the world. She was “crowning” during a contraction, and would recoil back up the canal when I would rest. This happened for several contractions. I am not certain how many minutes passed.

Cody was laying on the couch for each rest period, and up rubbing my forehead or telling me how good I was doing, not once in an annoying manner. Just right. He was my perfect animal partner.

At this point, he asked if he could look and see how far we were. Of course he could. He got a head lamp. He saw her head. And said he didn’t realize how far along we were. It was only 4:30 or so. When I told him her head was coming out and it was more intense than it had been yet. He told me to lay on my side to allow gravity to help me. He encouraged me to hold my vagina and hold her head to create a slower exit for her head. I did so, and I continued to affirm that my body knew what to do and was opening perfectly for my baby.

After three more contractions her head came out. My vagina surrounded her neck. Only one more contraction and she slid out. That was the most surreal feeling I’ve ever experienced. I loved it. A few seconds seemed like hours. Cody told me I could grab my baby. I leaned down and reached into the water to pick her up at 4:44AM. She looked at me, she looked behind me at Cody and then gave a little shout. Her hair was black and her eyes were blue. We were animals. And we still are a year and a half later.

Come by GlitterandGritGirl.com to see some of our adventures following our animal instincts.