Sedona’s Natural Home Birth Story

Both of my birth experiences paved the way for immeasurable growth and evolution, but the birth of my second child was soulfully primal and wild. It stripped me down to my bare bones and shuttled me to another dimension of transformation, one that I thought could only happen once with my first birth. I was completely unbound by the limitations of my mind and trusted my instincts more than I could have possibly imagined. This is the natural home birth story of Sedona Aurélie, a golden light vision that I dreamed up and prayed for.

I woke up in the middle of the night on Tuesday May 25th with a deep inner knowing that my birthing time (labor) would start that day. In the morning, I tried going to the bathroom several times because I felt constipated. A few hours later, I realized that what I was feeling were pressure waves (contractions). They were so mild that it was hard to time them, but by 12pm, I knew for certain that I was in the early first stage of birthing. I spent the day getting a chiropractic adjustment, cleaning the house, cooking a meal, and preparing my birth space with fairy lights and candles. At 3:30pm, I called my doula Kelly and midwife Liz to let them know I was in the early first stage.

I told Chris he should probably eat dinner and get as much rest as he could because I thought it was going to be a long night. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when I was in the active stage, but I believe it started around 6pm because my pressure waves were strong enough where I had to stop what I was doing and focus on them. Chris took care of Dakota while I went in my room and listened to my Hypnobabies tracks. I was relieved when Dakota fell asleep around 8:30 because I could finally relax without worrying about her.

Kelly called me at 8:55pm to see how I was doing. I was fine and didn’t feel like I really needed her at the time, but then I ended up calling her back at 9:39pm. Things progressed quickly when she arrived around 10pm. I could sense that my baby’s station was in my mid-pelvis, so Chris and I slow danced to help her descend further. Then, I told Kelly I could feel my baby rotating to posterior, so she suggested we try the abdominal lift and tuck position, which can help babies turn. I didn’t expect this to be as powerful of a position as it was. By the fourth and last pressure wave in this position, I tried to pull Chris’ hands away from my belly so I could catch my breath, but he held his hands in place because he knew it was an effective position for us to be in.

Afterwards, we moved to the living room where I kneeled at the edge of the couch and rested my upper body on top of it. Kelly placed warm towels on my lower back and Chris held my hands while I experienced some pressure waves, which peaked in strength. I felt tightening sensations throughout my entire belly and back, and visualized my baby spinning out of posterior with every wave.

At this moment, I wasn’t sure how I would find the energy to continue. I knew that when women feel as though they can’t go on, it usually means they’re very close to meeting their baby. I didn’t think it was possible because I honestly thought I still had many hours to go. Being under hypnosis kept me so calm that I missed the signs of being in the transformation stage of birthing. Suddenly, by the third pressure wave on my hands and knees, my body effortlessly pushed twice.

Kelly rushed to get the bathtub filled with water and Chris called our midwife Liz at 12:30am. My skin was flushed with a surge of fire, so I stripped down promptly and raced to the toilet to let my cervix relax even more. I placed my hand on my vagina to see if my baby had crowned yet. When I knew I still had some time, I ran to our linen closet to grab a towel and placed it in the bathtub to cushion my knees.

“I don’t care if it’s not full, I need to get in,” I said to Chris. I immersed myself in the water and let its warmth soothe every cell of my body. I dropped into my emotional space and let myself be guided by the vibrations I was feeling. The instinct to bear down took over my body and I surrendered to this shift without a single drop of fear.

Meanwhile, Kelly entered Dakota’s bedroom to wake her up. “Your mom is roaring a baby out like a lion,” Kelly said. Dakota’s eyes lit up with stars and curiosity as she quietly entered the room and approached the bathtub. “Are you happy?” she asked. I smiled and nodded softly in return. Then, Liz and her assistant Rachel arrived. Finally, everyone was here and I was ready to make the last few pushes.

“She’s right there. She’s coming,” I announced to the room. I felt the warmth of ecstasy weave across my skin and illuminate the path to meeting my daughter. I smiled and let out a series of pleasurable moans tangled with immense spirit. Movement became my medicine. I bobbed my head up and down to the rhythm of my pressure waves—a dance completely intuitive in its wake.

Like a sea siren, I called upon my daughter to come safely into this new world. “Mama’s here, it’s okay.” I placed my hand on my baby’s head as she crowned and gently guided her tender vessel out of mine. With cosmic courage, we harnessed the power of the Super Flower Blood Moon Eclipse and anchored ourselves to one another. I pulled Sedona Aurélie out of the water and embraced her in my open arms at 12:46am on May 26th, 2021.

Everyone surrounded the tub to get a glimpse of her. Love filled her little lungs and she exhaled a sweet cry. Liz drained the tub and I birthed my placenta shortly after. “Can I come in there?” asked Dakota. She climbed on the corner of the tub and delicately placed her palm on her sister’s head.

We moved to the bed and Dakota eagerly waited for Liz to get a pair of scissors. “Mommy, she already has enough blood,” shouted Dakota. I was pleasantly surprised that she remembered what I taught her about letting the umbilical cord stop pulsating before cutting it. Chris and Dakota held the scissors together and cut the cord in unison. After that, Liz looked at my vagina and confirmed that I didn’t tear. Finally, Sedona showed interest in my breast and latched on for the first time.

I handed Sedona over to Liz, who measured her weight at 7 lbs 3 oz and length at 20 inches. Kelly, Rachel, and Liz left the room so my family could revel in the beauty of our newborn baby. I looked up at Dakota’s face, which was spellbound by the power of the divine feminine that she had just witnessed. I closed my eyes and rested easy for a second, knowing that the gentle kindness and spiritual magic of birth is the only truth she will ever know.

Sedona’s birth was everything I envisioned it would be, and more. I didn’t think it was possible to be reborn twice, but I’ve learned that you can be renewed a thousand times over in this lifetime. With Sedona, I have bathed in the purest wisdom of my ancestors—a lineage of wild women who know exactly how to give birth. My revived sense of divinity and infinite potential has taken the fullest space in existence.

Edit 12/15/22: I’m no longer teaching Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis. I have created my own prenatal circle and birth education course called Blooming Together.

Midwife: Elizabeth Smith, LDEM, CPM // www.babybizliz.com
Doula: Kelly Colvin, Hypno Doula // www.peacefulbirthchoices.com