My birthing experience with Nicole

Wow, its been a year since the birth my baby girl Amber Rae. She just started walking yesterday!!! Three full steps!
Well, when my husband Berney and I decided to have a second child, it was a beautiful conscious conception. As she grew inside of me, I knew this birth would be very different from my first natural birth of my son Oscar Sadao. While he was conceived at home as well, under the watchful eyes and into the tender hands of his father, I knew Amber's journey would be a little different. This time I was seeking the connection, support and experience of a spiritually guided midwife and doula. I also knew that I wanted to have a water birth this time. I began my search and realized that my options maybe limited since I was now using state health insurance (MEDCAL). However, after contacting previous midwives that I had consulted with for my son's birth, I was immediately connected with Nicole.

I met her and knew from the start that she was certainly qualified but more importantly fit with my journey and the needs and desires of my babies' journey into this world.
I was also so excited to know that there would be a midwife assistant attending my labor and delivery.

I met Nicole for our scheduled visit and enjoyed our meetings and enjoyed connecting with my baby through some of the pregnancy art projects that she recommended for me. They were designed to help the mother express her feelings and connect with her baby. The last few visits were done at my own home as we all prepared for the birth of Amber Rae. The birthing assistant also met with us prior to the delivery. It was an exciting and anxious time. But Nicole was calm and compassionate, relieving my anxieties with a little visual education about the laboring process and the anatomy of the mother and how the woman's body and the babies natural instincts all come together to perfectly create a natural harmonious labor and delivery process.

FINALLY, after 42 weeks of pregnancy, I decided to induce my labor naturally with a recommended concoction of lemon juice and castor oil. YUCK! And after a little meditation, connecting with my uterus and my baby, I told my husband lets go for a walk I'm going to start laboring. After a long walk to the grocery store, just three blocks into the walk I felt my first contractions. By the time we left the store, I phoned Nicole and told her my contractions were about 3 minutes apart. By 3:00 pm on October 16, 2005 Nicole was on her way to my house and phoning the birthing assistant. By 5:00 pm my contractions grew closer and more intense. I was cooking dinner and had to stop and let the contractions pass as I bent over the counter and focused on long breaths. By 7:00 pm I was unable to really talk though my contractions. All my activities stopped. It was time to get serious. My husband began blowing up the birthing pool that I had bought. He hooked it up to the washer unit in our apartment, and filled the plastic toddler pool in our living room. Nicole was busy tending to me, monitoring my pulse, my blood pressure, the baby's heart beat, and my contractions. At this point, she did an internal exam and realized that I was about 8 cm dilated. The birthing assistant was on her way and I was wondering if my husband was going to get the pool ready in time for the delivery. I WAS READY TO GET INTO IT NOW! By 7:15 pm I submerged myself into the warm soothing water of the pool. WOW! The pool cost $40 but I would have paid $4000. After laboring with my first born for 28 hours with no birthing pool or medication, I was overjoyed to feel the natural relaxing warmth of the pool. As I lie hunched over the side of the pool with my back facing the ceiling, the birthing assistant diligently massaged my lower back with beautiful scented oils used to help with the laboring process. She continued to coach and encourage me. “You are doing a great job, Amy. Your almost there, keep breathing, good. Its almost over, there is an end and the result is going to be a beautiful, healthy, relaxed, baby.” At about 8:00 pm my water broke and Nicole checked to make sure the water was clear, giving signs that there aren't any problems. By 8:15 pm I was ready to give up, I was seeing stars, and didn't realize how close I was to delivery. “I felt a tremendous pain, and yelled out, “is there anything you can do!” While Nicole rushed to grab some towels to apply counter pressure, I reached down and felt a head between my legs. “A HEAD! THE HEAD IS OUT!” Before I could say anymore, I was sitting on my knees in the middle of the pool grabbing the shoulders and the rest of the little babies body. In pure astonishment, I pulled the baby out of the water, leaned back and cradled the new born in my lap. What seemed like forever was just a few seconds and then the sound that ever parent holds their breath for………..WEAH! OH thank God, she cried.

Nicole was on my right side behind me outside of the pool, assuring me that the baby was just fine. My husband was directly behind shocked that it was 8:20 pm and the baby was already born. He was thinking we still had 23 more hours of labor. Amber Rae Lincoln was a healthy 8 pounds 3 ounces.