My experience with Andrea Diamond as my midwife was nothing short of astounding and magical. She has a warm, compassionate, caring presence that is difficult to describe until you meet her. I remember feeling so at ease speaking with her at our interview because she was so knowledgeable and candid. We openly discussed her fees as well as the schedule for visits if we did choose her. It left me feeling empowered and committed to seeing a homebirth through to fruition.
Andrea came to our home for each of our visits. She conducted each appointment in the comfort of our living room or bedroom. There was something so touching about hearing my baby’s heartbeat while nestled on my couch with my husband and our puppy close by. The absence of invasive machines and cold, uninviting doctors’ offices continued to keep my mind at ease as weeks turned to months.
As we neared our fourth month, Andrea suggested that Paul and I look into the Hypnobirthing Method as it seemed to parallel our overall approach and mindset regarding pregnancy. Andrea herself would be teaching the sessions and I found it so alluring that my midwife would be my childbirth class instructor, I signed up immediately. The Hypnobirthing classes helped to put into words exactly what Paul and I felt about our pregnancy and our plans for giving birth. Each week, our session felt like an escape from the hustle and bustle of life, a time to contemplate, with great purpose and anticipation, the birth of our first child. Hypnobirthing employed methods of deep relaxation that allowed my body to relax and do what nature intended when it became time to bring our daughter earth-side. I listened to the CD on repeat. The affirmations proved to be very helpful during the delivery of my daughter. All of the time I spent practicing deep relaxation paid off in abundance.
I was 41 weeks & 3 days when i made the call to Andrea. Our hypnobirthing training was an unspeakable help in keeping me calm and focused on my task ahead. I did my best to relax in bed and cuddle while I waited for Andrea and her birth assistant. Time simply melted away as I focused on my breath and on speaking to my baby about the journey we’d soon be taking. I vaguely remember Andrea’s arrival, just about an hour after my call. She performed an examination which found me dilated to 8 cm. Around 4 a.m., I submerged myself into the birth pool and felt all the tension in my body just melt away. Andrea continued to monitor my progress in a way that was so unobtrusive. She moved with confidence and allowed my body to do what it was intended to do. I was fully dilated and began “pushing” through my surges around 5 am and my membranes released at 5:20. I remember the quiet encouragement of Andrea’s smile just outside the pool as she let me know it was time to breathe my baby down. You could almost feel the adoration for her job, and for our family in that moment. It’s a memory I’ll hold with me forever: to see my caretaker’s genuine happiness with the process of birth. At 6:28 a.m. in my bedroom, my daughter was born in water, caught by her adoring midwife. She was immediately in my arms. We moved to our bed as a family and our daughter latched. I delivered my placenta while in bed and all of our postpartum checkup requirements (for both myself and baby) were fulfilled in the comfort of that area. We chose to delay cord clamping, I sat and nursed comfortably in our bed for nearly an hour before the umbilical cord was cut. While we recovered, our bedroom was cleaned of all signs of birth.
Andrea was careful to ensure my comfort and stability as well as that of my husband before she and her birth assistant left. I cannot express the gratitude my heart feels for Andrea’s incredible soul. She will forever hold a special place in the heart of my family. I can’t help but feel like the experience of birth was such a gift because of the gentle care I received from Andrea Diamond.
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