September 1975 Virginia Beach, VA Our first birthing experience was in the back of an ambulance. We were sent home by the Naval Hospital. I took a nap (Demerol induced). I awoke and needed to go to the bathroom, my water broke over the toilet. Being a naive 19 year old, I was unaware that feeling the need to have a bm was close to birth. I went back to bed, while family called an ambulance. I crowned for 20 minutes so they decided to transport (oh, to know what I know now then). Five minutes down the ride our daughter was born on the side of the road.
August 1977 Portsmouth, VA Our next birth was in Doctor H. B. Vargas's office. After our first birth, we decided to find someone to deliver us at home. We were using a midwife and this was her backup doctor. My water had broke 2 days prior and the doctor induced in his office. I was a wee bit anemic so he delivered me in his office. He started buccal pit at 7pm and birth at 11:45 pm.
July 1979 Virginia Beach, VA Our next birth was a homebirth with Doctor H. B. Vargas being our attendant. We bypassed the midwife this time, it was an uneventful birth on one of the hottest days that year.
March 1981 Virginia Beach, VA Our next birth was a homebirth with Midwife Adell Scott-Wilson being our attendant. We went back to the midwife because the doctor was pushed out of the birthing business. This was attended by many (midwife, apprentice, cbe, best friend and her 3 children, sister, dh and our own 3 children). He was also a 44 week pregnancy, dh was at sea and I wasn't going to have a baby without him. The baby came within 24 hours after dh came home.
August 1983 Virginia Beach VA Our next birth was a homebirth with Midwife Lauren McPearson-Smith being our attendant. This birth was our first wee hours of the morning baby 3:06 am.
December 1987 Hertford, NC Our next birth was an unattended homebirth. We were seeing a midwife that worked with an ob practice. She was on vacation and I didn't want to use the ob's. He was our first all nighter 6:30am, after 3 days of on again, off again labor.
1988 This is when our now oldest became part of our life. She was already 15. She has been a daughter since.
September 1989 Elizabeth City, NC Our next birth was a hospital delivery with a Certified Nurse Midwife Nancy Meehan being our attendant. Again my water broke 2 days prior and no sign of impending labor. We went to the hospital and started an induction about 1 pm and was back home by 11:30 pm. Ds was born at 8:04 pm and at hour after birth we signed an AMA and went to Hardee's then home.
November 1991 Sardis, MS Our next birth was an unattended breech homebirth. We moved to Mississippi in January of that year, we knew no one that could recommend a doc/midwife. We picked a doc and she had a fit with our birth plan. I had already suspected a breech, and after she threw a fit, I knew I was in trouble. I owned a fetoscope and kept track of fetal heart tones and confirmed a breech. I didn't tell dh until after my water broke and we started seeing mec. I had dh read in Heart and Hands (2nd edition) on delivering a breech. He was a classic frank breech and delivered quite easily.
April 1994 Sardis, MS our next birth was an unattended homebirth. This was an extremely normal birth.
December 1995 Oxford, MS Our next birth was a full term stillbirth in a hospital. We had planned to have Andrew at home. Again my water broke 2 days prior and no contractions, then off and on again. I then realized that Andrew had not moved for about 5 hours. I checked for heart tones and found none. When dh got home, we went to hospital and they confirmed our worst fears. Doc used Cervidil and then pit the next morning. He weighed 10lbs 5oz.
September 1996 Sardis, MS This was a miscarriage. It was a blighted ovum and I stayed home.
February 1999 Southaven, MS Our last birth was in a hospital with Doctor Lance Whaley being our attendant. I went to the doc prenatally, couple of times. I planned to have this one at home also. My bp was high and when my water broke, there was a small amount of mec. So we called the doc and went in. She turned out to be my most difficult. She was a brow presentation. I usually pushed a few times and had a baby, with her I pushed for over 2 hours. My bp ended up rising extremely high, so that was our last.