Amy’s Baby

by Amy, Chili

Dear Kristen,

I want to thank you for your information! I used some of the thoughts that you have portrayed in my recent birth. I have had four home births with Midwives in Oregon. All the births went very well although I did fit in the category of viewing birth as really painful. I have always used water to alleviate some discomfort.

This birth occurred 8 days ago in Chiloe, Chile. I ended up doing a free birth in a Cabana with my Husband. We had planned to birth at a Hospital with a natural birthing center and a water birth option. I have never birthed in a Hospital and only chose his option because my water broke three to four weeks early and we are in a foreign country. I wanted to ensure easy access to a birth certificate. I had asked every question of the midwives from the Hospital that I could think of. I was assured that immunizations were optional. Interventions of any kind only occur in a emergency situation. The cord blood would be used to identify the infants blood type. The baby would stay with me at all times after the birth, and finally I could take my placenta home with me. Well these promises did not pan out we quickly found out. I was in the hospital no more than one and half hours when a Doctor wanted to check my blood for an infection. I knew for sure without a doubt that I did not have any illness of any kind. Second they told my Husband that they would give my infant a TB shot upon birth and that they would keep me and the infant three days. So we left the hospital. I am not giving three days of my life with a newborn to a room full of strangers we want to be together as a family.

I had labored the night before pain free by the light of the moon and stars from the ocean view window near the bed. We had rented a rustic cabana on Chiloe Island in Ancud Chile. I focused on with each contraction saying to myself. This contraction is doing what it is supposed to do. It is opening the cervix so I can birth my baby. Each contraction is getting a lot of work done and it doesn’t hurt it feels like a tickle. Anyway I did not hurt during any of the contractions up to getting to 7cm dilated.

During the hospital fiasco I had some intense contractions that seemed uncomfortable because I was upset and not settled comfortable in the Cabana with my Family. There is some drama during this time because the Hospital went psycho and called the Chilean Police. Anyway My Husband spend much time the next day with the Chilean Police and the U.S. Embassy and the Hospital left us alone.

As soon as my Husband and I arrived back to the Cabana I was in pretty active labor as I only had about two centimeters if that to labor. I took of my boots and clothes and jumped in the shower. I labored for about 30 to 40 minutes more. I could feel the baby descending into the birth canal. I remembered the whole birth how you talked about working with the baby. I stood in the shower or leaned on the sink for a few contractions. Honestly I pushed maybe three times and she was all the way out safe into the world. This baby is my smallest baby so that helped but I really wanted to say thank you for all the information about pain and position of the body.

I am extremely proud of all of my homebirths and appreciate so much the .assistance of a midwife. Yet this time for the safety and comfort of my birth, baby, self, and bonding time as a family. I chose to birth alone with my family. I do not recommend others doing this yet for us it was what worked. Also we have been through birth four times already. I know my body and know what birth is like. I feel super empowered and I love my body. Something I could have never said before this birth. I always viewed my body as not looking beautiful after having a newborn. Yet now I am so grateful to have health, and a healthy infant. I feel beautiful and blessed!

Again thank you so much for sharing important information about birth.
By the way there are homebirth Midwives in Chile yet they are far and few between.