Having had a c- section for her first child and ventouse delivery after 4 hours pushing with her second, my client made a firm decision. She had been living in Andora where normal birth is even more rare than in Spain. She researched many midwives in Spain and found my blog and Marenostrum.
She contacted me well in to the middle of her pregnancy and I was amazed and intrigued at her idea of renting a house for her home birth in Barcelona with us. After many emails and a phone conversation I knew this woman would absolutely have the birth of her choice and it would be my great privileged to share it with her and her family.
I don’t really know what more to say except that she delivered in her summer rental home, standing in the birthing pool, with her mother and father upstairs along side of her children awaiting the news of babies arrival. Her beautiful husband supported her in every way for the length of the 4 and a half hour labour and I found myself in awe once again at the power women posses in pregnancy, labour and birth.
With my amazing Doula, AnnaMaria and her fantastic student by my side, we supported this women to, not only have absolute control of her birth for the first time, but to heal the wounds of the previous two. In the end she pushed her baby out in 3 pushes, very different from the 4 hour torturous pushing of her last birth.
Her belief and confidence in my belief and confidence in he,r struck such a strong cord in me that I truly felt a strong partnership between us during her labor and birth. Her joy and great personal satisfaction in knowing she could birth normally and naturally was truly wonderful to see and be apart of.
Her home birth, in a strangers home, made hers by her ability to truly believe in her dream and the capacity of her heart, was, I feel, one of the best home births I have attended. Supported by her mother, who her self birthed 3 children at home;her father who was just as confident in his daughter as she was in herself and her husband who never doubted her need to do this or her ability. This amazing family, along with her beautiful daughter who woke 3 hours before the birth and managed to stay by her mothers side until the last moments, when she needed all her concentration to get baby out, were home birthing perfection.
At 7 am we the birthing support team were treated to fried eggs, fried banana and fresh coffee, while my client celebrated with fresh fruit and chocolate crepe,s fed to her by her husband while she rested in bed with her beautiful new son. The children played in the front room with the lovely new gifts they received from their new baby brother, and we all filled ourselves on the light and energy of life just’ being’ all around us.
Such a beautiful experience, such a fortunate midwife.
The Barcelona Midwife 