As I entered the Homestyle Midwifery orientation at the end of my 33rd week I asked myself was I crazy to consider switching from UCSF to Homestyle this late in my pregnancy. I did not think my desire for a natural birth with a birth team of supportive people that recognized my intuition as a source of power and knowledge in the birthing process was too much to ask for. But as my pregnancy progressed …I realized that what seemed like a simple and obvious desire for natural childbirth might not be honored…I wanted the medical professionals attending my birth to allow my body and natural wisdom to decide the outcome of this birth. I wanted to be seen as the lead decision maker in my labor. I wanted a midwife that encouraged me to breath, gave me birthing exercises, new positions or encouraged me to a meditate, rather then an epidural or a caesarian. And most of all I wanted a health care provider that allowed for the birth to take it's natural course whether that was four hours or twenty-four hours.

[When I switched] to Homestyle I knew that people who had the best intentions to support my birth and provide me with the most empowering experience possible would surround me. And that is exactly what happened.

The birth itself was great! I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and spent the first few hours in the bath at home and then moving from room to room, my couch, my bed, back to the bath and to then to the sun porch I chanted “open, open open”. And boy did I open. When we arrived at the hospital at 12:00noon I was dilated to 10!!! Time to push.

Women often describe the pain of childbirth as a “ring of fire”. Well my story will be that of a “ring of women”. As I sat on the birthing stool and looked around I saw that I was surrounded by my midwife, Yeshi, who sat on the floor directly in front of me, my Doula, Pia, who supported me from behind and my two friends on either side. They had entered my world and gave me the love and encouragement to bear down and PUSHHHHHHH! An hour later my beautiful son Kekoa was born.

Our daugther Greta Ray Elaine was born Tuedsay Nov. 14 at 3:07 PM (3165 gr, 51 cm). These last days are like a dream, we have a wonderful baby and every day with her is a blessing.

Here is my version of how this amazing journey began: I had some contractions over the last weekend, which were irregular and stopped for a couple hours in between. The contractions continued on Monday, but I was still able to go for a walk and do little things at home here and there, Marcus did go to work eventhough I was optimistic that my time was very close. Indeed: during the night from Monday to Tuesday the contractions became stronger and more regular. I slept in-between not sure how fast things would progress. I woke Marcus up at 5 AM, expecting that we'd have to leave for San Francisco very soon before the morning rush hour on the Bay Bridge. But Marcus slowed me down; we had a hot chocolate in bed, read the newspaper and decided to go and get something for breakfast.

After breakfast things changed, contractions became much stronger ... Marcus and Katie kept me calm, while I was on hands and knees all the time. It also helped me, to remember what my yoga teacher talked about: to go where the vulnerability is instead of rejecting it. With what she called a beginners mind and a moment by moment thinking I was in the middle of these waves but not sure where I was in the process.

Yeshi kind of expected us already at St. Lukes. They were setting up the room with the futon, and started to monitor me, as I was back on hands and knees. Yeshi checked me and told me that I was 9 cm dialated..The next minutes were harder than everything that I've been always imagining. After a couple of contractions where I felt like my back was burning and that inside me everything was out of place I felt the urge to push. And at the same time there was this thought of "No I can't do it." I couldn't believe that I was so close to the end. Even when Marcus told me that he could see the head, I couldn't believe that there was a baby coming out of me. I felt like I was exploding when I did the last few pushes but than Yeshi handed me this warm, blue little being over and I was simply overwhelmed. Greta didn't cry and we rubbed her back, but she was just looking around with her eyes wide open looking at me and the world. The nurse called the pediatrician to check her breathing and lungs. Yeshi said that Greta was perfect, she was simply so mellow and didn't want to cry. And so it was. I won't forget how she smelled these first hours. Incredible - sweet. Needless to say how beautiful she is and how big your heart can grow looking at your own child. And this dream will last.

We are incredible grateful to the whole Homestyle Team who made this such a holistic experience.