Karissa H. Birth Story
My last birth was my 4th baby, my second pregnancy under Silvia's care. At the end, I was hyper aware of every little possible sign of labor, so ready for my 40+ week baby to arrive and to be done with being pregnant! I had regular contractions the week before, but they had of course subsided after I contacted Silvia, and did not come back. In the early hours the day he was born, I woke to contractions, but was hesitant to think they were the "real deal". After several hours of them progressing, I finally felt sure enough to wake my husband, but we still waited a bit to call Silvia.
We live in a rural community a ways from Amarillo so we have always tried to walk that line between staying at home as long as possible, but not waiting too long (which we did once--oops!). After my first, which was a hospital birth full of anxiety and stress, the accidental out-of-hospital birth of my second is what pushed me to look again for a nurse-midwife in Amarillo. I was so excited to find and meet Silvia. The whole experience was different under her care. Even before my son was born, I felt more educated on pregnancy, birth, newborn care and postpartum care. I also knew I could trust Silvia's experience and care and judgment and didn't have to be ready to fight for the birth I wanted--what a relief that was!
By the time we called Silvia and made our way to Amarillo it was early morning hours. Silvia and April were already at the birth center, getting things ready for us. I was familiar with what to expect at the birth center and this time around knew that I wanted a water birth--the tub had been so nice to labor in with my third that I ended up staying in and having a water birth. My husband was the only person with me, and for the next couple of hours we just hung out, with April or Silvia popping in once and while to check on us. I am introverted and fairly private, so it was nice to really be alone through those hours. My body let me know when it was time to push, and I was honestly surprised when April told me he was here because I had been gearing myself up for pushing more! After a couple of hours, we were able to go home, where the big siblings were excited to welcome their brother. The whole birth was so uneventful, which is the best thing I could have asked for.
