Photos and birth reports
Encouragement for you
Birth report Celina
After we were certain throughout the pregnancy that our daughter would definitely be born before the expected date and that we would be able to spend Christmas together as a family of three, I was very nervous on 29 December before my check-up appointment with the gynaecologist. I really wanted to give birth in a birthing centre, so I was starting to get impatient and was afraid of exceeding the due date by 14 days. Once I arrived at the gynaecologist's, however, everything was great and our baby was doing brilliantly. What's more, my cervix was already 3cm open. That gave me hope and I was inspired on the way home. We arranged a follow-up appointment with our midwife Sophie on the afternoon of 1 January and nothing more happened. Not on 30 December and not on 31 December either, so we spent New Year's Eve just the two of us relaxing and watching the fireworks from our balcony at midnight. As the rockets flew up at full volume right next to our house at midnight, I felt a slight tug in my stomach. More intense than the training contractions so far, and so I think that our baby will probably finally come today or tomorrow. Half an hour later, I still feel this slight tugging in my stomach. We go to bed and I can doze off for a while. From 3 o'clock onwards, the waves come every 15 minutes. From 4 o'clock I can't lie down any more and go into the living room to let Moritz recharge his batteries, who knows how long this journey will take. But he doesn't get to rest either, the anticipation and tension is too great. I breathe in my waves, which suddenly come every 5 minutes. I'm incredibly excited to finally meet our daughter. The intensity increases, but I don't feel any pain and my body feels like it's in a tunnel, working all by itself. About an hour later, Moritz urged me to call the birth centre and let them know. And yet we were always told that the waves should come every 5 minutes over a period of about 3 hours before we called. We were even more excited about the birth when we heard Sophie's voice on the other end and knew that Sophie would be looking after us during the birth. Her tip: go back to sleep or take a bath or shower. But that was out of the question. Less than an hour later, we called Sophie again. By now the waves could be felt with a downward pressure and were coming every 2 to 4 minutes. I've reached the point where I don't want to do it anymore, I doubt whether I can even manage it and endure this intensity. After all, the birth only lasted 2 hours for me and we were told several times that a first birth can usually take longer, sometimes even days. We arrange to meet Sophie at the birthing centre in 30 minutes. Moritz slowly starts to move our packed bags into the corridor and less than 10 minutes later my waters break. At first this gives me a brief moment of peace, but after a few minutes the downward pressure is so great that I no longer believe I can make it to the birth centre. Sophie encourages me and us over the phone at this point, urges us to set off straight away and accompanies us on the journey for 10 minutes. In the meantime, I was actually able to point out red traffic lights to Moritz. Sophie picks us up right at the gate of the birth centre and we both become more relaxed. Together with Sophie, we'll get through this, we're sure of it. Now I can and am allowed to push along in the waves and can feel her head very intensively. I always have a short time between waves to recharge my batteries. I remember how calmly and naturally Sophie prepared a coffee compress. But our daughter was simply too quick for that. Our little miracle arrived at 7.13am and we were incredibly happy, moved and joyful. We were able to arrive in peace, cuddle up and enjoy the moment. It was incomprehensible to us that everything happened so quickly. So quickly that we didn't need anything from our birth bag apart from the outfits we had packed. Even the camera stayed in the car during the birth. There was simply no time to get it. So there are hardly any pictures of our dreamlike, quick birth. As our daughter was in such a hurry, we couldn't avoid a perineal tear, which needed to be stitched up at the hospital to be on the safe side. But this was also done very calmly. After just 2 hours in the birth centre, we were allowed to take a short diversions via the hospital before we could start our postnatal period at home. I think this diversions was important for our minds, as we first had to realise that we would be back in the car with our baby less than 2 hours later. Before my pregnancy, the topic of birth was always associated with a great deal of respect for me. I often asked myself whether I could and wanted to give birth. But with my pregnancy, I gained more and more confidence in my body. I knew that I naturally had everything within me to master this birth. I was looking forward to this experience and finally being able to see my baby. At the same time, I didn't make a plan beforehand, because how was I supposed to know what would be good for me during the birth? I just accepted it and let it come to me. And I had a real dream birth. We think back to that day so often and so fondly. Laughing about how close it all was in the end. And if I'm allowed to be pregnant again, I'm looking forward to experiencing a birth a second time!
Birth report Christiane
It was a hot summer night in August when I became a mum for the third time. I had just given birth to you in my arms and we were lying in bed cuddling together with your dad. Everything had turned out exactly as I had always wished. I couldn't believe my luck. To this day, I am just infinitely grateful that I was able to experience your birth with you in such a powerful and easy way. Your journey to us began in the evening with a slight ache on the way home. I had met with my midwife at the birth centre to give you a little nudge with an eipole detachment. We were 11 days past the due date and you were supposed to slowly make your way home. You promptly did and so with the first contractions I lay next to your brother and accompanied him to sleep. As the waves got stronger, I made myself comfortable in the bath by candlelight. I was more relaxed than at any previous birth. Inner peace spread and the confidence that I had the strength to accompany you on your journey. Every wave brought us closer together. We made an appointment with my midwife at the birth centre. Grandma came to look after your sleeping brothers. Your dad drove the car into the courtyard so we could set off. I breathed, stopped and breathed. Until I finally reached the car. Another wave, then quickly get in the car and off I went. Breathe. We didn't have far to go to the birth centre. Thank goodness! I got out of the car before the gate so I could hold on to the fence and breathe. My midwife and a student greeted us solemnly in the courtyard. In the birthing room, I quickly took off the dress I had put on for the journey and surrendered completely to the waves. You were almost there. I breathed and breathed. Then everything happened very quickly, a little too quickly. My midwife suggested a change of position to slow things down a little. I found myself on my side in your dad's arms and breathed. When I realised that you were now in my arms, I straightened up. I gasped for air to make it the last few inches. Breathe. Full concentration. You are being born into my arms. I was overwhelmed by you and couldn't believe my luck. Oxytocin intoxication. I shouted your name over and over again with joy. The midwife quickly unwound the umbilical cord from you: it was wrapped twice around your belly and once around your neck. You were also gasping for air. I wish you, my dear girl, a birth that was just as self-organised, powerful and relaxed as the one I had with you. It was simply wonderful!
Birth report Janina
Natural. Different. Secure. Grateful. Naturally. I was able to give birth to our son spontaneously without any medical intervention. It's impressive what my body did during the birth! Such a miracle! I surrendered to the rhythm of the waves between relaxing, breathing and later sounding. At first it seemed strange to me, but then I found it very pleasant to concentrate on my breathing and surrender to the waves. In the labour phase, when the urge to push began, I was overwhelmed! I lost all sense of space and time. How does my body know what to do? I still find it impressive what powers came to light in me and what noises I made "as if by myself". It really overwhelmed me! It took several hours before our son was able to turn his head out with one last stretch. It took a lot of strength. I kept changing positions. In between, I also breathed in one or two waves to send more oxygen to the baby so that the heartbeat would regulate. It was so good that I was able to put myself in the hands of the midwives with confidence during this time. And then it suddenly happened faster than expected: In just one wave, the little head slipped directly into the hands of our midwife. She gently and quickly placed my son in my arms. Before the birth, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to withstand the pain and would need painkillers, but everything turned out... It was different. The image I had of births was full of pain. Screaming women "pushing" their child out in tears and suffering. Yes, the birth demanded an incredible amount of strength from me and it was exhausting! Especially the trembling, which I encountered again and again in the opening phase. Giving birth is no walk in the park. But what I only really realised afterwards: I didn't really feel any pain. There was a feeling of pressure, yes. But it was all bearable, I didn't suffer from it - even though I'm usually rather fussy and can easily shed a tear when I stub my little toe again. Another thing that was different than expected: the rose-tinted moment with overflowing feelings of happiness and a heart bursting with love didn't materialise - for my husband and me. We had imagined the first moment with our son to be much more romantic than it was. There's no doubt about it: we were so happy about the little bundle in our arms, but the love grew little by little. Safe and secure. I felt safe and secure the whole time during the birth. As long as it felt good for us, we stayed at home in the cosy living room with relaxing music. When we eventually went to the birth centre, I simply took the music with me and we continued in a calm, relaxed atmosphere. There was no time pressure, no shift changes, no bright lights, no annoying beeping or unpleasant examinations. We knew we were in good hands the whole time. We were among ourselves and yet we were well looked after. Our son was born into this feeling of security. Grateful. In our memories, one thing clearly prevails: gratitude. I am grateful for a natural birth without pain, for the security and especially for our son!
Birth report Clarissa
I went through the due date and that made me a bit nervous. It finally started one afternoon, looking back. I did a lot of things and went for a walk, made phone calls and so on. The contractions got stronger and we got more nervous. I was shaking all over with nervousness, I had goose bumps and was suddenly a bit scared. We called the midwife, who was able to bring us back down. I remembered my beliefs, the topic of breathing and worked through my nervousness. We lay down in bed, breathed, cuddled. I concentrated on myself while my partner tracked the contractions. We called the midwife again at the agreed regular intervals between contractions. She recommended the bath again and we tried it out. The water was almost a little too cold for me but the confines of the tub helped to support me. My partner regularly poured water over my pregnant belly that was sticking out. He had lit candles and sat on the yoga cushion right next to me. After a while, he helped me out of the bath and I moved carefully. It became clear that we now wanted to make the short journey to the birth centre. Once there, I was euphoric. We arrived in peace and were immediately ready to give birth to our daughter. When my waters broke, it was warm and pleasant, somehow relieving. The midwife was encouraging, reassuring and so full of confidence. I had breaks between the contractions when I could draw a lot of strength. As my daughter lay in my arms, I introduced myself as "mum", because that's what this little person had made me into. I hardly had any energy left for the placenta. I managed that too. My birth smelled of coffee and I really like that smell. The coffee compresses helped me to stay healthy. I also threw up several times. That's something I forget when I think back, because I was able to accept it well for this process. I was able to experience a painless and incredibly powerful birth. Even during the expulsion phase, I was so grateful for this experience.
Birth report Gina
Everyone says that the 3rd birth is another special one. That's exactly what happened. After 2 births that were very similar (41+0, regular pulling, "drawing"), I assumed that my body had such a pattern. The 2nd birth was much less painful and shorter, hypnobirthing allowed me to rest calmly and work with the waves. So it stands to reason that it could be similar this time. The rupture of the membranes before the due date shows me directly that this baby in particular is going its own way. The rupture of the membranes is in the early hours of the morning and immediately creates anticipation for us and our biggest, who is woken up by the subtle tide in the bed (my belly apparently had a lot of amniotic fluid). But we go back to sleep and wait for the contractions to start. When they start to come regularly, I also want the midwives to come to our house straight away, as well as my mum for the older children. I know that I need this so that I can let go and not worry about whether and how long everything will take. I move to the couch and try to withdraw into myself, listen to my child 2's birth playlist again and breathe. I visualise my body opening up to the baby. In between, baby 2 comes for a cuddle. The hours pass and I also feel the need to sound the contractions. I also have the feeling that they feel more powerful again during this birth. But lying down still feels right. My midwife stays very much in the background and only checks the essentials, including my cervix, when I ask her to. As the labour progresses, I start to feel slight downward pressure and I move into the prepared pool to support the opening of my body with gravity at the midwife's suggestion. Pushing still doesn't feel right despite the pressure - a cervical lip that is still in front of the head explains why. We get it pushed away nicely in a different position and now we can move towards the final stage. That's good, because the obligatory point at which it slowly becomes too strenuous for me and I don't feel like doing it anymore has now arrived. I found this labour more powerful and more exhausting than the previous ones. I push my baby down again and again, it takes time to work its way out. Afterwards, I find it fascinating and so clever how well my body and the baby work together: For my relatively small stature, a 4kg/50cm+ baby is stately. I probably owe the fact that this birth went without any birth injuries to the longer exit phase, everything was allowed to expand and prepare at a calm pace. We put all our energy into the process and were delighted to hold our little boy in our arms at the end. Our children are there all the time, going off to play and coming back again, always in awe and soaking up the atmosphere. They watch the final phase with great fascination. The older one explains to the middle one what is happening and what can be seen and they enjoy being there. There isn't a single moment that scares them. And I love it because I wanted so much for both of them to be able to be there and welcome their brother. He is born powerfully and gives himself another push during the pause in labour - not at all pleasant, but a funny memory. After the first marvelling, we get out of the pool to assess the bleeding and wait for the placenta birth. This takes more time and mental co-operation. Afterwards, we all check everything together and find it to be very good. Cuddling up naked and eating muesli on the side is great. My midwife takes a shower with me. I find this a very loving and respectful part and enjoy it, especially as my circulation shows me once again - phew, that was exhausting. And the nice thing about giving birth at home: I can just walk a few steps to bed and rest. My conclusion: I love giving birth. I love the feeling of how much I and my body can surpass themselves, to feel the strength and go through such an effort and then simply be able to hold a new life in my hands. That's why I really want to promote looking forward to this journey and using it to keep a positive mindset and make labour as easy as possible. make your work easier. I always thought I would be incredibly sad after my last baby not to be able to experience a birth. After this birth journey, I am very reconciled to it - I think it should also be exhausting again so that I am okay with not having to or being allowed to master it again. I'm happy with my experience and hope reading this makes you want to have babies. Look forward to it!
Many thanks for the lovely reports and the photos from Dani from familienundgeburt.
The pictures are not connected to the birth reports. They are intended to encourage you and give you an insight into the mood and atmosphere of a home birth.