Home birth in a tiny Trinity
The first time I met Jillian to talk about being the photographer for her home birth, I could tell we were kindred spirits. She was a fellow yoga teacher, and was planning to use hypnobirth , and we chatted for ages about all things birth. Even though they had just moved to Philadelphia, she was already so aware of what she wanted and needed from her birth team.
When I got to meet Tony during their maternity session, it was instantly obvious they had an amazing connection and so much love for each other. And they were so excited to meet their baby.
A few weeks later, Tony texted me on Monday morning. Jillian had been having contractions for 16 hours, so far not very intense. That night they were closer together but still "not too bad". By the next morning Jillian said she'd been laboring all night, still not feeling much progression, and was so tired. My heart went out to her, remembering my own first very long labor. Around noon Tuesday the home birth midwife was on her way, and I got the green light to head over shortly after.
When I got there, Jillian and Tony were laboring together on the top floor of their Trinity home, and Karen the midwife was hanging out in the bedroom below setting up her supplies. For anyone unfamiliar with Trinity homes, they're basically three rooms stacked on top of each other; they're small. So I got a few shots of them upstairs and then Karen and I went down to give them some space.
Eventually Jillian wanted the comfort of the birth pool, so we all set up in the living room. Jillian listened to her hypnobirth recording on her headphones while Tony and the midwives gave her hip pressure and made sure the water stayed warm. As things got more intense, we made our way back upstairs where Jillian wanted to deliver. She labored a bit on the toilet, on the bed, on the floor. She kept herself moving and changing positions, and began bearing down on the birthing stool to help baby out.
Pushing was long and difficult. To all of us Jillian worked through every surge with so much apparent calm, with Tony right by her side, though later she told me it felt like the hardest thing she'd ever done. Karen, always checking baby's heart tones on the doppler, at one point heard a few decels and let Jillian know that the baby needed to be born soon. She summoned all of the energy she had left, and in a few pushes, her daughter was out with a gush of fluid and a nuchal hand. Relief and joy washed over all of us as she and Tony finally got to look at their baby girl.
Since there was meconium in the amniotic fluid and baby's breathing sounded a little gunky, Karen recommended they take her to the hospital to get checked out. While discussing the options, Jillian delivered the placenta, which often is followed by a gush of blood from the organ detaching from the uterus. Jillian briefly became faint, and as the midwives took the baby, Tony and I supported mom and got her into bed. Once lying down she felt better and was able to have some skin to skin time with baby.
Tony took their daughter to the hospital while the midwives and I stayed at home with mom. We kept in touch over the next couple days; both mom and baby recovered well and were soon back in each others arms. Since they didn't get a lot of time right after the birth, I went back a few days later to get some photos of the sweet family finally all together.
It's hard to put into words a birth like this. We have been taught to be so afraid of the "what if", especially when it comes to home birth. Birth is unpredictable and can be an intense ride. But when the person in labor has a good provider they trust, there is no need for fear. Complication warning signs can be observed before they turn into emergencies. Options can be discussed and decisions made calmly. Everyone working together for the health of the birthing parent and baby.
This was a beautiful example of that. Jillian travelled through her labor and delivery with incredible strength, and with the invaluable support of her husband and birth team. Even with the extra bumps to navigate, it was an incredibly beautiful birth, and reaffirmed for me that birth is where I'm meant to serve. Thank you, Jillian and Tony, for the chance to be there for you on the incredible night you met your daughter.