I got the call at 10:00 p.m. I think the baby is coming! The first time father said in a panicked voice. I quickly gathered my things and set out to Port Saint Lucie, Florida, to document a planned breech home birth.

When I arrived, I found mom laboring in complete bliss in the center of the room, half submerged in the birth pool. The sounds she made were soft moans; with each contraction, a triumphant smile always followed.

In the water, a small mirror reflected her baby emerging in frank breech birth position (baby folded in half with rump down). As her baby began to descend and make his first glimpses in the water, he appeared to be patient and trusting of the laboring progress.

We started to see his legs and arms as he patiently waited for the final push that would expel his body into the open water and be born into his new life.

When the baby was born, the mom spoke lovingly to her baby. For her, there was never a moment of doubt that her baby was going to be safely born in breech position. A breech birth truly is a variation of normal.

She was the Madonna and Child, adorn by love, surrounded by her doula, midwife, and family.

---

Words written by mom:

“I hope that our next generation does away with focusing on the helpless mother portrayals of childbirth and narratives that reference it as the go-to barometer for suffering. Rather be in favor of depictions of the joy and power that birth truly can be. Every female should grow up knowing they are magical and capable. Every mama should have access to healthcare that offers fully informed consent with best options for her and baby.”

“Sit, be still, and listen.”

Rumi

Birth Team
Fadwah Halaby
Website: https://midwife360.com
Barbara Harper
https://waterbirth.org/about-barbara-harper/