I first met Cassandra through email. She had just learned that she was expecting her third child, and was desperately seeking a different experience than what she'd had with her two other chldren. With her first baby, her military OB/GYN mistakenly diagnosed her with an incompetent cervix and ordered for her cervix to be held closed with a suture. The suture was removed at 37 weeks and she carried her daughter for another 2 weeks before going into spontaneous labor. However, when she arrived at the hospital to deliver, she was not progressing 'quickly enough' so she was administered a pitocin drip and had her waters artifically broken. As soon as the doctor ruptured her membranes her daughter's umbilical cord prolapsed out of the cervix and she went into distress. Cassandra was immediately rushed in for an emergency C-section, no doubt due to all of the unnecessary interference!
With her second child, Cassandra was fortunate enough to find a doctor who questioned the accuracy of her previously diagnosed incompetent cervix. He determined it was incorrect and she managed to carry her baby to term without the cervical suture. However, she learned that her doctor and the hospital she would be delivering at treated a woman who had previously undergone a C-section, and was attempting a vaginal birth (VBAC) like a stick of dynamite! She was labelled 'high-risk', a term which comes with a long list of mandatory interventions. So although she was living alone with her daughter, while her husband was stationed elsewhere, she was determined to labor at home as long as possible and arrive at the hospital so far advanced in labor that all she would need to do is push. She ended up having a perfectly healthy baby boy, after arriving at the hospital 7cm dilated at 37 weeks gestation. Although she had been able to give birth vaginally, she'd had a 4th degree perineal tear, and a contused cervix, which was biopsied following the birth. Though pleased to have avoided another C-section, Cassandra was devastated that they took her son to the nursery for hours, even though she was unmedicated and begging them to bring him back.
When she first contacted me I could tell by her tone that she expected to be turned away. She was used to having her uterus treated as a ticking time-bomb, and was certain that she would be far too risky for midwifery care, much less a homebirth. I met with her, and after reviewing her records, determined that she was a very healthy candidate for a home VBAC. She proceeded to have a lovely pregnancy. She really enjoyed being treated as a person for once, and having someone to voice her concerns to. In the end, she was just as shocked as I was when she actually went over-due! Incompetent cervix...my left foot!
She called me in the early morning hours, one day after her due date to say she'd been awakened by contractions. She had decided to get up and fix a cup of tea, and clean her kitchen. I thought that was a great idea and told her to call me back when she was ready for me. I was surprised to hear back from her 25 minutes later! Her contractions had picked up and though she couldn't believe it was time....she was already asking me to come! I called my assistant and headed to her home. When I arrived in her driveway, her husband told me that her water had just broken. I quickly headed into her bedroom to find her dancing through her labor pains, occasionally crouching on the floor to rest. I listened to her baby, and reassured her that everything sounded great, and to keep up the good work. When my assistant Heather arrived Cassandra asked me to check her cervix. I was shocked to discover that she was already completely dilated! I told her that she should just listen to her body and push when she felt the urge.
She didn't feel any urge at that time, so Heather and I supported her with hot compresses and soothing words for nearly an hour as her baby moved it's way down into her pelvis. We held her hands and reassured her that she was doing well, and that her baby sounded good. More than anything, I just wanted her to finally have an experience where she could feel in control of what was happening to her, and be able to listen to her own instincts about how to give birth. In a word, I was hoping that Cassandra would feel "empowered". Quite suddenly she jumped up from the bed where she had been resting. She squatted next to the bed frame in a terrific, powerful push! Her son and daughter woke up in the next room, and her husband went in to comfort them as they listened to their incredible mother give birth to their baby sister in two more ferocious pushes! We could hear them squealing in delight as the baby begin to cry, and they came running into the room to see little Kyla, as I handed her over to her triumphant mother.
Not only had Cassandra managed to have a safe, healthy home VBAC.....Kyla weighed a whopping 9 pounds! For the first time in many years, she felt not only capable of giving birth, but empowered. If I ever write a book about my experiences as a midwife, I will dedicate an entire chapter to this birth, and title it "Helping to Heal the Medically Mis-Handled Mother".
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People!
Jessica Nipp, CPM, RM
6873 Prince Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
(719)661-9028
HolisticHomeBirth@yahoo.com