Where should this story start, the story of my home birth experience? Should it start in our old apartment after I told my pertner that I was pregnant when I was suggested to have our baby at home by him and googled all kinds of information about home birth to see if such thing is possible in Japan? Or should I begin later when I gave birth my first baby in a Japanese tatami room on the second floor of our house 10 days after the due date? Maybe I should start years ago when I flaked out when my friend told me that her doctor cut her vagina to make it easier for the baby to come out during giving birth and I started searching any possible way to avoid such a scary process. But I think I’m going to begin the story with the day when I gave birth to my second baby while my memory is fresh since it happenned only a week ago.
Is this a labor?
One night in August, after I took shower with my 1-year-old son I felt like pooping(sorry if you’re reading this while eating), so I went to the toilet. But I was still feeling some kind of pain that I usually get when I want to poop, even after I finished. So I wondered. ”Is this possibly labor?” But I also thought that It could be just a false labor, thinking about my first giving birth, which started with 2-days-long false labor. I called the midwife too early last time I had a baby, so maybe I should wait to see if this is the real labor. I decided to wait and take my son upstairs to put him in bed. Before bed time I often read a book to my son and he likes it. But that night I had to pose every time I felt a wave of the pain in my lower belly. After I finished reading and put him in bed, I came downstairs and told my husband that I might be feeling false labor. I still didn’t know if what I was feeling was labor or false one. I’m not so sure, but I think it’s getting stronger… Honestly, I couldn’t remember how it was like to feel labor at all. So I texted to my midwife just in case anyway.
It comes every 5 minutes
A few minutes later, I got a message from my midwife, asking how often my what-it-seems-like-labor I feel. So I took note every time it comes. It comes every 5 minutes. But I was still thinking that it was just false labor. Midwife told me to get some sleep if I could, so I tried… I couldn’t sleep. Not a minute. I had no trouble going through the wave, but it was surely getting difficult. Every time big wave strike me my whole body was strained. I was finally convinced that my baby was trying to get out of my belly. I gave up sleeping and told my midwife labor was getting stronger. Now she is on the way.
Water breaks
While I was waiting for midwives to come(two midwives were to come), I went to the toilet and noticed something red was on my underwear. It was blood. Now I am so sure the baby is coming tonight! Excitement and nervousness went through my whole body. I feel the baby is coming down to the exit(or the entrance to the world?). I go back to the japanese tatami room where I and my husband get ready for giving birth. I get down on all flours to go through labor. Soon I felt my sweat dripping down on my skin. Midwives are not here yet. Another big wave of labor come and next moment my panties are all wet. Water breaks.
The midwife comes
Ten or twenty minutes after my water broke, the main midwife arrived at my house. I felt relieved because I was afraid that she might not make it. But she did make it. I’m so glad! Between the labor I asked her if the other midwife was coming. She said, “She is coming but your baby is gonna born before she arrives.” I felt sorry that she wouldn’t make it because I wanted her to be my side while giving birth but at the same time I was pleased that my labor is going to finish sooner than I expected. In the meantime, my labor was getting so strong that I started pushing down. I felt my baby’s head coming out of my vigina. It was unexpectedly easy and painless when his head popped out, so I had to ask the midwife to make sure it was his head that had just been pushed out. I called my husband who was in the kitchen doing something, not expecting such quick giving birth, to tell his son’s head had just come out to this world. At the same time, miraculously, my older son woke up crying as if he scented something to welcome his little brother in this world.
Baby was born!
I asked my husband to bring our older son downstairs ASAP because our baby was coming anytime soon. He was like “What!? Already!?” and went upstairs to get our older son immediatory. Soon after both my husband and son came to the japanese room, our baby was born. It was so quick and easy that I thought I can have at least two more babies. Holding a little life in my arm, I looked at my older son. He was quiet and looked like he was trying to understand what had just happenned. I had never seen his face like that. The baby was so small, but very big thinking he was in my tammy just a couple minutes ago. My husband was taking a video of me and our new baby with a big smile on his face. I was happy. Everything went just fine. It was perfect.
