Alot of women dream of one day having children. But it’s also a scary thought.
Can I fall pregnant? What if I have a miscarriage? Will it hurt?
When you fall pregnant, you become overwhelmed with all kinds of questions.
How you want to give birth, where you want to give birth, do you want pain relief etc.
It’s a lot to deal with, and if you’ve never had a baby before it can seem impossible to know what you want.
One mom, Marissa Heckel, chose to have her first baby in the hospital like most other moms.
But the experience wasn’t at all how she’d imagined it. When she fell pregnant with her second child she decided to give birth at home on her own, with no doctors or midwives, just her husband.
After the birth, she shared her experience on Facebook, where she wrote:
“It’s been five days since I delivered my son unassisted. Three years ago as of September I delivered my daughter in a hospital drug free. After a horrible experience being bullied about my birth plan and harassed throughout my labor, I decided to stay at home and deliver my son upon finding out I was pregnant.
My husband was very supportive the entire time as he respected my body and my choice to be in a stress free environment. We opted out of a midwife due to my stubborness. I simply do not like anyone trying to tell me what is best for me or my baby. Finances were not the issue in my case.
Going unassisted was more of an opportunity for me to prove to others that God made our bodies to birth – that hospitals were never the norm.
I delivered my son in my bathroom after a 36 hour labor. The exact amount of time I labored with my daughter. Throughout the night of active labor I sought relief in the shower and bathtub but was unsuccessful. I chose to endure the pain standing up against the wall.
I just kept telling myself ’the pain is only temporary’. In the early morning I began transition. Not exactly sure how long it lasted but it seemed to be a few hours. When the contractions and the pressure came my husband was bedside holding my hand. It was actually romantic although I was practically roaring at this point.
Somewhere during the time period my water gushed all over our bed. Five different times. When I felt the urge to push I attempted to stay in bed but felt much too ‘unatural’ for me. I told my husband about my urge to push and asked for assistance to the toilet. I let my body do the pushing. I just sat on the toilet.
My husband was worried I’d been pushing too long so I had to reassure him between contractions that I could feel his head descending (the beginning of the ring of fire).
Finally my husband said he could see the head.
He encouraged me to keep going. He also expressed concern that our son would hit his head on the toilet or fall in (haha). I then told him to help me up and that I was going to deliver the shoulders standing up.
My husband looked at me like I was nuts but helped me anyway. I stood up, held onto the towel rack and let my body do one last push and he was finally out. My husband stood there in shock taking all the pictures.
I’ve never felt so powerful and accomplished in my entire life. Our bodies are truly amazing!! My placenta delivered itself after about twenty minutes. Our son was 9 pounds 8 oz. 22 inches long with a 36 centimeter head. He’s no average sized baby as my husband is so tall (6ft7). So if you’re afraid or thinking you can’t do it, YOU CAN!!!! Do not fear, our bodies were made for this!”
– Marissa Heckel
After sharing her experience online, the post was boiling over with comments praising the brave mom!
I don’t think I’d be brave enough to give birth at home, but I was so inspired reading Marissa’s post. What an incredibly strong woman. Share if you agree!
Always consult your doctor or midwife if you’re considering giving birth at home. In this case everything went well, but there are always the risk of complications.
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