Moses' [Home] Birth Story

Moses Braveheart Georgi

March 23, 2010

365 days ago I gave birth to Moses. Here is his [home] birth story.

I was due to have baby #3 (3rd home birth) on Friday March 26. The weekend before I had some false/pre-labor just for a bit and with about 10 minutes apart contractions, but they would go away and only got me to 3cm. Margaret [my midwife] thought it was another day or so...she turned out to be right! However, I went ahead to planned my week I was sure I'd go late again.

Monday night from 6-7pm when I laid down for a nap I had contractions, 10 minutes apart again, but when I got in the shower they went away. Later that night, I think I was trying to drain my DVR and probably watched 4 Law & Order SVU's and Trama & then 24. Charles got home "early" from playing poker and we went to bed. [No funny busy in case you're wondering.] I laid down at 12:30am.

Immediately I had a contraction, then 5 minutes later, another, and another, etc. I was terrified it was false labor again and would have Margaret come out again for nothing. So I waited till 1 am, called and said "should I take a shower and see if they go away again?" She knew what I didn't. It was at that exact moment they started getting to be only 3 minutes apart, she said she was already speeding down the road by this point. She's 90 minutes away.

Margaret asked me to do my best to not bring on any more contractions, so I just stood beside my bed and labored, but they kept coming harder and faster. Because of my two previous labors Charles thought he had some time [first birth: 12 hours, second birth: 16 hours] so he said he was just going to go back to sleep. To which I replied, you need to get up and get dressed.

Immediately, I threw up twice (transition). Charles was getting very excited he would be able to deliver the baby...me=no so much. I explained to him that though he'd witnessed two, he had not delivered two. I was really wanting my Margaret there to deliver. She arrived at 2 am. She began preparing for the delivery. I was expecting this would go on another 10 hours at least. She checked me and I was at 8 cm.

Before I knew it I was at 9 and then ready to push. I basically just stood beside my bed and labored leaning over and then "slow danced" (we joked) with Charles. I got up in the bed and pushed...not sure how long, it wasn't long, I'm going to guess 5-10 minutes. My water had not broke yet and I was feeling it. 


When it did break---Moses got his name---"delivered from water", my water shot out across the room 6 feet and hit my bedroom door. My midwife seemed to move in slow motion out of the way. Charles [& everyone in the room] began marveling at it, to which I replied...well, let's just say I asked everyone for the attention back.


It's on video. When I die, I'll let my kids put it on YouTube. It will pay for their kids college.

Within minutes of my water breaking I was pushing. I pushed a few times and it seemed just about like the last two--just having to control and breath through to not pop him out. No tearing! Charles caught him and announced it was a boy! This was at 3:30 am. 

Charles said this labor would have some surprise to it. I'm guessing it's the 3 hour part. I can't complain, I'm so glad it was short. Funny, he was our 3rd child, 3rd boy, born on the the 3rd day of the week, 3 days before his due date, in the 3rd month of the year, on the 23rd at 3:38am.

Margaret guesses he was about 1/1.5 weeks "early". He was covered in vernix. Again, I don't complain...I was due an early baby! Nation was 5 days "late" and Solomon 8. He weighted 7 lbs 12 oz, 21 inches, 13 cm head. He nursed great right away. My recovery was the easiest---considering my last baby was over 9 lbs.

Our friend Lauren was there to take pictures, video and help in every way. She was such a blessing. We missed our previously (free) Doula April, who attended my first two births, but baby just came too fast. She had been there earlier that day, flew in from NC to walk with me, but I sent her home to her husband fearing it would be another week. Next time, I'm just going to make her be away from her husband!

I love pregnancy and birth. Not every single moment of either, but I am particularly fond of it's miracle. I remember at one point in between contractions [I tend to like to joke around or boss around] saying "I'm trying to remember why I was so excited about this"...meaning I had been nothing, but looking forward to labor and in the middle of transition teasing myself that it was in fact---a lot of work!

 We still joke that giving birth to Moses was shorter than the movie Avatar.