In 1975 my mother gave birth to me at home. During her pregnancy she read “Birth Without Violence’ by the French obstetrician Frederick Leboyer and she was so moved and encouraged by his practises that she wanted the same for her labour. Leboyer promoted the idea of the right of the baby to be born into a calm, gentle, low lit environment rather than a brightly lit hospital theatre-type environment. One of his most well known techniques was to immerse the newborn baby in a small tub of warm water, known as a "Leboyer bath", which helped to ease the transition from the womb to the outside world.
"Water, for a newborn, is a friend. For example, imagine that you go to Beijing. You don't know anyone and you don't speak Chinese. And then across a street you see someone you know, and that person's familiarity makes you feel safer. That is how water is to a baby: because he or she has been in the fluid of the womb, water is a known sensation. It's friendly. It calms."
Stepha Lawson artwork from The Language of Birth
My mother has told the story of my birth many times. To my young ears it sounded magical, warm and loving. She told me that when I was bathed in the warm water after being born my eyes were wide open, looking around me, listening for her voice, at peace. Not only did she have her midwife and my father with her, but also friends who she had wanted there to support her. Everyone was silent, in awe of this new life being born. My mother felt empowered and surrounded with love. She birthed me with no medication within a few hours.
me and mum 1976
When I discovered I was pregnant in 2011 I immediately thought about my birth and how I would like to have a similar experience for my baby. But I was also scared and worried about the “what ifs”....in modern times pregnant women are bombarded with too much information online, horror stories told to them by “well-meaning” friends and family....it is not a badge of honour to have a traumatic labour! I wish I had had someone to encourage me with positive birthing stories, but so few people it seemed had them.
I want to share a series of articles with you, to guide and inform any mothers to be about the amazing positive home birthing experiences I had. I had a few hiccups along the way so would like to also share the techniques that helped me manage those. But my main aim is to support you to make an informed decision and give you lots of uplifting and empowering encouragement! You can do this!!
Stepha Lawson artwork from The Language of Birth
I'm not a birth professional. However, I have learned a lot on this journey and I'd love to share it with you.
I will be covering; why home birth,what to expect, midwives, doulas & birthing partners, techniques and exercises to help during labour, position of the baby - videos to help positioning and yoga moves that helped me, overdue baby- tips to encourage, what you need for a home birth, cord and placenta, my birthing stories, what happens after the birth.
I hope you will join me in this series and please let me know if you have any questions or if you would like me to feature a home birth related topic.
BIG love,
Star xx
