• YouTube
  • About
    • Terms of Use
    • Disclosure & Privacy Policy
  • Contact Me
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Catholic Homebody

Catholic Homebody

  • Home
    • About
      • Contact
      • Terms of Use
      • Disclosure & Privacy Policy
  • Blog
    • Category Index
  • Printable Library
  • Shop
    • Products
    • Cart
    • My account
    • Etsy
    • Amazon Store

Kateri’s Homebirth

October 30, 2017

KATERI homebirth
Today, Kateri turns 5 years old! She has grown up to be such a funny, beautiful, crazy, little girl who has brought so much joy into our lives. I am extremely thankful to God for entrusting me to be her mommy. Now that I have a new blog, I wanted to post her birth story from a previous blog here. This was one of the biggest days of my life.
Here is my homebirth story, which happened while Hurricane Sandy was hitting Northern Virginia…
HURRICANE SANDY
^^^^ weather conditions at the time of delivery

Just starting into one day past my due date, early Monday morning (October 30th) I was experiencing contractions but they were very irregular and inconsistent. They were definitely contractions but maybe just the early labor stuff. Nothing that seemed too intense. I did notify my midwife, knowing that labor can go quick once things picked up with how my past labor was. I took a bath, which did seem to slow things, and took a nap. By the time I woke up I did not feel anything. I was really upset/depressed by the whole thing, and for the rest of the day did not feel anything. Not even braxton hicks. I was terrified of the thought of going in labor as the day went on knowing that the storm was going to hit and the weather conditions become worse as time went on. I also really wanted the baby to come at the same time so I felt torn. Overall just very hormonal.

1:40 am Tuesday I woke up with only what seemed liked bad cramping. I thought I might have had a stomach thing going on. It wasn’t until 2:00 when I felt like they were contractions. Once again they were very spaced out and irregular, some being 6 minutes apart and others being 15 minutes. I did check outside and was very relieved to find that the storm had calmed down dramatically by then and was only light rain.  At 3:00AM I was getting frustrated that things were still very irregular and I was convinced that it was just another false labor so I decided to go back to bed. I ended up waking up at 4:00AM still feeling contractions and decided to try walking around to see if it would make things seem more like “real” labor. At about 5:00AM I had Brian take our kids out of our bed and put into their room, to start preparing our bed just in case. Contractions were still irregular, some 5 minutes apart then spacing out to 10 minutes, sometimes 15 minutes apart. I was in total denial that I was in actual labor, maybe early labor. After a little while we decided to call our midwife at about 5:45AM for her to come and check things out. After calling her, contraction seemed to lighten up even more, I was so frustrated that I was almost in tears! My midwife arrived at about 6:20AM and she checked dilation and to my surprise, I was 8 cm! I literally had to ask her twice to make sure I heard “8cm” correctly because I couldn’t believe it. I felt too good to be in real active labor and contractions were so spaced out that I thought I would only be at 5 or 6cm if that. Here is a picture of Daddy and me waiting for a contraction at 8cm.

269974_10151107534391087_529896044_n

Even after being checked, I was still in denial. Shortly after setting everything up, everyone else showed up: my sister with her daughters, my mom, and birth assistant.

Kateri 10 30 12 013
Birth supplies
Kateri 10 30 12 008
Picture of my amazing midwife and birth assistant
Kateri 10 30 12 001
This is a picture my mother took on the way. Look how gorgeous the fall colors were that morning!

The baby was still high up, so the next 30 minutes or so was spent trying to lower the baby.  At that point, I mainly labored on the toilet. It felt the toilet was the easiest place for me to try to bear down in hopes of getting the baby to drop. It was really weird trying to bear down during my contractions, I was still very confused about what was going on. I didn’t feel like my contractions were that bad, they were still very spaced out, and I felt way too good in between them.

At 7:15, my midwife suggested we move to a more comfortable position on the bed and not risk a baby coming in the toilet. So we moved my laboring over to the bedroom. They had me try lying on my side at first. Since I was still nervous about labor being irregular, I only stayed laying on my side for a couple minutes. I thought if I laid down and got too comfortable, labor would stop.

Kateri 10 30 12 003

I was still able to joke around with Brian and my sister. Brian was laughing at me because I kept saying in between contraction, “this is boring” and my sister and I were making inside exorcist jokes.

2565918_orig

Contractions were still not close together at all and to me still not very intense. I was confused on what was exactly going on, not sure if the baby was coming any time soon, if I still had a while to go, let alone if I was really in labor for real. My sister even mentioned how I didn’t look like I was in labor and she couldn’t even tell what was going on. After a while, my sister went ahead and called my nieces into the room. Shortly after that our daughter, Genevieve, woke up to join the party.

Kateri 10 30 12 009

It wasn’t until the second to last contraction (the first real extreme one) that I physically and mentally felt like “hey! the baby was really on its way”. I hardly realized pumpkin was starting to crown at the start of the last contraction. With that last contraction, Daddy went to catch her as the water broke and pumpkin fell onto his hands/the bed.

Kateri 10 30 12 011

It’s a GIRL!!! Kateri Autumn, born at 7:42 am, our most petite baby yet, weighing in at 6lb 6oz and 19 1/2 inches long. Just as healthy and perfect as can be, what a blessing. God is so good!!

Then the birth team did all the fun things to the baby: weighing, measuring, and making sure she was perfect. We chose the name Kateri because on October 21, 2017 (nine days prior) Pope Benedict XVI canonized Saint Kateri Tekakwitha!


Happy 5th Birthday Kateri!

in Lifestyle # Birthday, Homebirth, Pregnancy

Reader Interactions

you may also like
Best EASTER BASKET GIFT Ideas for ALL AGES for 2022
5 Best Books for Catholic Homemakers
How We Share A Small Master Bedroom With Baby
Making a SAHM Wardrobe

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

I’m Roxanne

Welcome, come on in!

home·bod·y

/ˈhōmˌbädē/ (noun) a person who likes to stay at home
read more

Join my newsletter!

Top hits!

  • IKEA Uppland Sofa vs Ektorp Sofa | Uppland Sofa Review
  • Awesome Catholic Easter Gift Basket Ideas

Featured

Jesus and the Miracle of the Mass Book Review

Categories

  • Faith
  • Home Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Minimalism
  • Our Home
  • Printables
  • Product Reviews
  • Recipes

Tags

Advent Alphabet Path bathroom Birthday book review books Bullet Journal curriculum design plans Dining Room DIY Easter faith Feast Days First Grade Holidays Home Homebirth Home Decor Home Improvement Home Makeover homeschool Homeschool Area homeschool organization Homeschool Room Kids Lent Lesson Planning Liturgical Table living room master bedroom Minimalism Organization parenthood prayer cards pre-kindergarten Pregnancy Printables product review Product Reviews Recipes Relaxed Cleaning Sacraments saint quotes Saints

Amazon Affiliate

Catholic Homebody is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Latest On Instagram

Black paint makes everything look better🖤 #diyh Black paint makes everything look better🖤 #diyhome #diyhomeprojects #diyhomedecor #furnituremakeover #thriftfinds #darkhomedecor #catholichome
🖤This is my super simple St Valentine’s Day d 🖤This is my super simple St Valentine’s Day decor🖤
I’m loving the Sacres Heart Valentine day banner from @catholicpapergoods and the anatomical heart vase is from Amazon. 

The banner and a image I used for the block is part of Catholic Paper Goods’ St Valentine bundle pack, available in the Catholic Mom Bundle (SALE ENDS Friday). Get this and 30+ other amazing products now, link in bio

#catholicmomlife #catholicsaints #saintvalentinesday #valentinesday #catholiclife #sacredheart #valentinedecor #catholichome #catholicmomsdomesticchurch
ISO BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: what is your favorite le ISO BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: what is your favorite lent devotional? 

These are just a few of the products that are part the Lent Catholic Mom Bundle. I used one of the printable packs to make these cute saint blocks. I also made a block using a print from the St. Valentine Pack to use as a display. Check out all the products in the link in my bio. 

I’m hoping to prepare everything now so that our lent runs smoothly. I am notorious for literally forgetting that I had things planned 😅. I really need that Executive Decision guide! 

#catholicmom #saintvalentinesday #sacredheart #lent2023 #catholicwomen #catholicmotherhood #liturgicalliving #catholichome
A Confession Guide for Kids! This is a kid-friend A Confession Guide for Kids!

This is a kid-friendly confession guide that has an examination of conscience, a step-by-step guide, and an Act of Contrition prayer. This is one of my products available in the Lent Catholic Mom Bundle (along with a ton of other amazing products!) or in my Etsy shop. Link in bio

#catholicmomsofinstagram #catholicmom #catholicmombundle #lentenseason #lent2023 #catholichomeschool #catholicwomen #liturgicalliving #shopsmallbusinesses
Rating different hanging picture hacks #homehacks Rating different hanging picture hacks #homehacks #homediy #homedecortips #wallgallery
I love how this window cling looks with the new bl I love how this window cling looks with the new black trim🖤  #homedecorideas #homehacks #slidingdoor
2021 © Catholic Homebody
made by soulmuse
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT