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Home › Stories › First Baby › Homebirth > Home Birth in the Pool

Home Birth in the Pool

By Amanda Young

My name is Amanda. I was 18 years old when I got pregnant with my son. I moved to Washington to be with my mom. I was scared. I decide to have a water birth at home.

My fiance at the time and I moved to Washington. My estimated due date was April 14, but I never had him on my due date. I was huge and uncomfortable and just wanted to get my son out of me. My best friend came to see me. She flew up to see my on the on the 19th of April and left the 20th.

The day she came in I wanted to go walking. My midwife said to walk and he might decide he wants to meet the world. So my friend Rachel and I went walking. We walked for two miles. I had nothing – no contractions or anything.

I went home, put my feet up and told my mom, "He thinks he can stay inside me forever."

On April 20 Rachel had to leave, so my fiance at the time and I went out shopping with her the whole day until we had to take her to the airport. We walked the mall, Wal-Mart, Target, still nothing. We took her to the airport, stopped to get something to eat and went home.

When we got home I went to the bathroom and went to sit down to eat. I was starving. As I was getting ready to eat my sandwich my water broke at 8:30 p.m. All I could feel was this warm water coming. I got really hot and quiet.

I called my midwife and she told me to go ahead and eat my food because I was very hungry and to get into the shower. I did all that, then went and lay in my bed with my fianc笠Two hours later I had contractions, long ones. They were lasting like two minutes long and one right after another. I ended up throwing up my food.

I lay in bed for two hours. I hated the contractions. It was the worst part of it all. I went into the transition contractions. I didn't want to get up and walk. Every time I walked from my room to the bathroom it hurt worse. I never once screamed, yelled or cried. Everyone in my room was asking me how I felt and what was going on. They told me I was doing really well, and I was too quiet. I scared them.

Around 12 p.m. my midwife came to my house and checked me. I was 4 centimeters dilated. I had to be 5 centimeters to get into the pool. All I kept thinking was only one more centimeter to get into the nice hot pool. She requested that I get up and walk around to move this process along so I did.

An hour later I was 5 centimeters dilated, so the pool was filled up and I sat in the warm water. It relaxed me and helped the contractions a lot. Thirty minutes later I told my mom I needed to push. She went and got my midwife. I was 10 centimeters dilated, so 30 minutes after that I had my beautiful little boy, Orlando James Young, April 21, 2008, at 2:30 a.m., 9 pounds, 8 ounces, 21 1/2 inches long.

He is the best gift God ever gave me. I thank my mom and Soda Pop, Peta and my midwife for everything. They were so supportive and proud of me. My mom still to this day says I was so good, never yelled, cried or screamed. I took it like a champ.

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