Massachusetts Mom: Swansea's Birth Story

Before Swansea and her physician husband, Marc, had even found a house for their move to Western Massachusetts five years ago, she had located a midwives’ clinic for her pregnancy and childbirth care. Although moving at the beginning of your third trimester might be unsettling to some, Swansea took the move in stride and happily began to plan for the arrival of their first baby at home in their new house.

"When I first learned that I was pregnant," reports Swansea, "I started with an OB practice in New Jersey. But the office visits were so infrequent and so quick, that I tried to find other options for prenatal care and childbirth." Swansea remembers her mother’s story of Swansea’s own arrival in the mid 1960’s, and her search for a hospital that would permit Swansea’s dad to accompany her in the delivery room. Her mother’s cousin, a midwife, helped to set the scene early on for Swansea’s belief that pregnancy was not an illness needing the severity of a hospital setting.

Finding a midwife in New Jersey proved to be a difficult task and Swansea was forced to drive nearly an hour to even find a midwifery clinic. And even then, with limitations on childbirth options, there was very little chance that a home birth could be planned. Since Swansea had always enjoyed good health, had never been hospitalized, she was certain that she wanted to welcome her new baby at home.

"My pregnancy was normal, with no risk factors," said Swansea, "and I wanted prenatal care that would be comprehensive, where I wouldn’t feel rushed if I asked a question or two. I really wanted some sense of control over my care during pregnancy and the birth itself."

When she arrived in Massachusetts, she was able to find a midwife practice for her needs. Compared with New Jersey, midwife services in Massachusetts were more readily available to consumers and didn’t require an hour’s car ride.

Swansea’s first visit to the midwives, lasting about an hour, included a detailed medical history, a physical exam and a discussion about Swansea’s expectations for childbirth at home. She admits that her physician husband, himself the son of a pediatric surgeon, was a bit skeptical about planning a homebirth, concerned both for her safety and comfort and their baby’s health.

"It was amazing to see how, once my husband spent time at the midwives clinic and heard about how many births they had attended, saw who they were and heard how much experience they had," reports Swansea, "he became completely comfortable about our prenatal and childbirth care with these midwives."

But Swansea’s prenatal care with an emphasis on nutrition, her health, her new and changing feelings and the baby’s growth proved to be comprehensive and enlightening with the midwives taking the time to listen and answer all of their questions.

About a month before the baby’s due date, Swansea and Marc prepared dinner for the midwives, taking this opportunity to plan for the birth itself, to show off their bedroom where they planned to welcome their baby, and to talk in detail about labor and delivery.

By the time the first contraction appeared one cold December midnight, a plan to safely assist Swansea in her childbirth was in place. Because both Swansea and Marc had spent so much time with the midwives planning for the birth, she and her husband were prepared. After the first phone call to the midwives, all were in touch by phone throughout the day. By evening, the midwives had arrived at the couple’s home and spent the next six hours with Swansea and Marc assisting in the natural and joyful arrival of Kyra at 8 pounds, 6 ounces.

"My midwife," reports Swansea, "maintained eye contact with me during the longest ninety minutes of my life that it took to push out Kyra. Her care and experience and the trust I felt in her skills helped make the labor manageable and the childbirth at home a wonderful experience."

Also at her side during the birth were Swansea’s aunt (she had lost her mother seven years earlier) and her best friend who had traveled to be with her.

"To have my closest friend with me at home as Kyra arrived," reports Swansea, "felt so wonderful. As friends, we’d been through so much together. I couldn’t imagine not having her with me as Kyra arrived."

As most new parents would attest, no amount of videos or books can prepare a new mother and father for the sight of their new baby. The overwhelming rush of love and awe that Swansea and Marc felt as Kyra arrived was enhanced by her arrival at home. Rather than in the cold, clinical setting of a hospital surrounded by strangers, Kyra and her mom and dad rested quietly in their own bedroom after the hard and joyful work of her arrival. Swansea’s midwives remained with the little family throughout the night making sure that mother and baby were healthy and happy. For the next week or so, the midwives made home visits to check on Kyra and Swansea.

"I felt that our first pregnancy and birth was guided by capable childbirth experts who knew me and Marc," says Swansea, "the trust we had in our midwives’ abilities and expertise allowed us to spend all of our efforts on labor, knowing that we were in the midst of one of life’s most natural journeys."

Earlier this year, Swansea and Marc and Kyra welcomed a new baby at home, with sister Robin’s arrival. Swansea reports that for this pregnancy she was able to thrive under the care of the midwives’ clinic for the entire nine months. Unlike Kyra’s arrival, Robin’s labor was fast and furious and Swansea’s relationship with the midwives allowed her to place her trust in their care.

"My experiences during our children’s births, guided by midwives who knew me and our family so well," sums up Swansea, "gave us a wonderfully intimate start to our life as a family."