A look into our unplanned unassisted homebirth

Hi friends. If this is your first time here, Welcome. Or just welcome back to Our Humble Nest. I pray this post finds you well and in good spirits.

Wow, we made it—finally! The end of this pregnancy journey and the closing of one beautiful chapter in our lives. Twelve years, ten babies... it’s been quite the whirlwind. But we did it!

We made it to full term—37 weeks and 3 days with our twins—and they finally decided to make their debut.

From the start, we planned on a home birth. But when we found out our midwife couldn’t perform home births with multiples, we had to adjust our thinking. Although an unassisted birth wasn’t on our radar, we decided it was the best choice for us. I’ve always supported home births over hospital births for several reasons, but the number one reason is that birth is a life experience, not a medical emergency. I wish it was viewed that way more often. Hospitals can sometimes treat birth as a business, doing unnecessary things to boost their bottom line. But I digress—if you’re interested in hearing the unique birthing stories of all my children, drop me a line. Each one has a story all their own!

Ultimately, we decided on an unassisted home birth. I still received prenatal care, but we studied as much as we could about birthing our children ourselves, with the hospital as a backup plan.

The day began like any other. I saw my midwife, who checked the twins’ positions and my dilation. I hadn’t been particularly active during this pregnancy aside from caring for my home and family, but both babies were head down, and I was already 3 cm dilated. Still, I didn’t expect them to come that day, though my midwife did hint that it could happen soon.Once she left I decided to get the house as clean as possible...I put Latto on and danced around as I moved furniture for a good sweeping and mopping. The kids were playing outside so it was just me walking back and forth dancing until they came in and it was dinner time, shower as usual and then...

Dad came home. It was around 9PM, and as soon as he walked in, I had a contraction. Not particularly strong but enough to make me 🤔. I brushed it off, unsure if it was real. I went about getting all the kids bathed and started tidying up our bedroom and kitchen. An hour later, I told him, "I think these are real contractions." The key is to act like it's not labor until you know for sure. Just keep doing what you're doing until you can't anymore. I told him i need to sit, hoping this would slow them a little. Robert continued prepping the room...my affirmations weren't up, my strip lights were still in the box. The pool area was cluttered...we definitely weren't ready. I tried talking my body into not being in labor. After all...we had talked her into waiting until 37 weeks right? Funny enough, we had both woken up that morning feeling like we needed to get the room ready—The Most High had already spoken. These angels were going to make their entrance today whether we were ready or not.

By 11:15, the contractions were still coming, strong but centralized not radiating as i was expecting. I called my midwife to come check on me just in case. Not sure about the time, but as I was lying down, a contraction hit hard, and I felt immense pressure. “Babe, Judeah isn’t going to wait,” I called to Robert. My body was pushing, and I could feel it. And I couldn't stop it.

I tried crossing my legs, but then I thought, "Water—I need to be in the tub." Water births are amazing for managing pain and contractions, and I hoped it would slow things down like it did with my first water birth. So I waddled into the bathroom, still holding on to the fact that my water hadn’t broken yet. I told Robert, "I think we’re about to have this baby!" I got into the tub and felt her head—I could literally feel it. It was like a bulge between my legs..I reached down and FELT IT!!!

“Turn on the water, please!” I yelled to Robert as a contraction hit, and my body started pushing. I was yelling, breathing, crying all at once, but I wasn’t even actively pushing. I was just bracing myself. Then—plop—her head, and then her whole little body slid out. There was a splash—her water bag popped as she came out. Blood, fluid, everything flew, and there she was—5 lbs, 8 oz of pure beauty, crying in my arms. Robert stood there stunned, sweaty, with his gloves half on and half off, breathing hard. It was all so surreal. We were both shocked—we did it!

Freebirthing... unassisted... and with twins, no less. Our tiny girl, Judeah.

But wait—Joirydn was still high up, and my midwife hadn’t made it yet. I laughed at the absurdity of it all. There we were, standing in the tub, shower running, just going with it. Feeding 1 Twin cord still attached, placenta still in. Five minutes passed, then ten. Suddenly, the contractions came back strong. My body was ready to work again. “Oh, here she comes,” I growled, breathing her down with each contraction. I started to doubt myself, “I don’t think I can do this again!” My legs were tired, but Robert kept rubbing my back. “I have to poop,” I told him. Another splash—this time, her water broke.

And then—her head, her body—baby number two arrived, 20 minutes after her sister. Joirydn, our chunkier, quieter little girl. I was literally breastfeeding Twin A while delivering Twin B, and soon enough, I had them both in my arms. My midwife walked in just as I finished.

I let out the biggest breath of relief. My body felt light, but I was suddenly ravenous, thirsty, and tired all at once. We moved to the bedroom, where the midwife helped me deliver both placentas. Two babies, two placentas, no issues, no hemorrhaging. Judeah weighed 5 lbs, 7 oz, and Joirydn was a good 6 lbs, 8 oz. Both healthy, crying, and feeding like champs.

Robert was amazing. My midwife, acting more like a doula, was amazing. The team of angels and the Most High? Absolutely amazing and all be the glory. But you know who really showed out? Me. My body. In all its glory, it did its thing without anyone telling it how, without medication, without being told I couldn’t move, eat, or scream. My body was the divine instrument God created it to be, and I let it roar.

And boy, did it roar.

Robert looked at me with amazement, even though he’s seen me give birth many times before (he’s only missed the first one due to the military). But this time, seeing it all raw and unassisted gave him a whole new level of respect. By the end of it, I was walking around, the kids were in bed by 9:30, and our girls were born—Judeah at 11:45 PM on September 30 and Joirydn at 12:15 AM on October 1. I was showered and in bed by 3:30 AM, and the girls were eating and sleeping peacefully. It was finally our turn to rest.

Seeeee. That was something, huh. 😳 It was real..raw. scary. But I wouldn't have had it any other way. Every birth is different. And I am so blessed to have had 7 of my 8 births with no complications. Like I said before, each of my babies have a story and I'm sure you have your own to tell. I'd love to hear from you. Don't hesitate to share in the community gathering or drop me a line. Thank you for listening to my story and letting me share it with you. Until next week lovies. Thanks for stopping by!

💕 Shaquilla 💕

Our Humble Nest