A Dad's birth perspective, part 5

Home Births Part 5 – Two years after our first son was born, we had moved from our small, cozy home to a home large enough for our second child due one month later in June, 2005. There was no doubt that we wanted to use a midwife and have this baby born in our new home.  I felt completely comfortable with a natural midwife assisted home birth and now I could not imagine going to a hospital for this birth. However, I did learn that each pregnancy is different for which the baby and his mother received plenty of professional pre-natal care. Food cravings and aversions to certain smells by the mother are different for each pregnancy. Each baby carries differently causing their mother discomfort at different times during the pregnancy. Regular chiropractic treatments definitely help to alleviate the discomfort as well as position the baby well for an optimal birth.

Laboring prior to the birth of our second child was not as intense as the first birth but still a lot of work for mum. When Adam was delivered in a water birth on June 25^th, 2005, he came out so fast that his mother did not realize that she had just delivered our second son. The midwives were fantastic throughout the pregnancy labor and delivery. I really can’t imagine any better care than what we received.
Lyle JohnsonB. Comm  is a father of 3 and husband to Dr. Joelle Johnson of Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 erickson Dr. 403.347.3261 www.family1stchiro.ca

A Dad's Perspective Part 4

Home Births Part 4 – I was awakened in the early morning hours on a hot summer night in late July by my wife who was experiencing some labor pains. “We are going to have this baby” was her resolve. We got dressed and went outside for a brisk walk at 4:30 a.m. just in time to watch the sun rise and the birds to start singing. I was timing how far apart the contractions to make me feel like I was contributing. We called our midwife later that morning as the contractions became closer. The midwife came over to see how far along things were with the delivery. Things were progressing slowly and I learned quickly that every pregnancy is different – this baby would come when he’s ready. Being at home was comfortable for both my wife and I – we did not feel any pressure to deliver the baby because it was the end of somebody’s shift or that it was just taking too long. We were allowed to follow the birth plan that we chose and we were respected by our midwives for the choices that we made. Regular monitoring of my wife and our unborn child was done.

Later that evening, the contractions were not far apart and my wife was dilated to the point where it would be soon to start pushing. The birthing tub had been prepared earlier in the day and it was time to put some warm water into it. When my wife started to push, my wife was not put on a bed with her feet in stirrups with somebody in a mask peering over a veil at her. Instead, she was allowed to kneel, squat, lay down, go in the shower or whatever in order to continue the birthing process. Due to an injury sustained due a skiing accident when she was a young adult, the pushing process took over 2 ½ hours and the midwives were able to keep her concentration on what she needed to do. When the baby started to crown, my wife entered the kiddie pool set up in the basement of our first home. Late on the evening of July 24th, 2003 we were blessed with the birth of our first son, Logan Lyle Johnson. What an experience! What a courageous, amazing delivery by his mum in a water birth assisted by midwives in our home!  
Lyle Johnson B Comm, is husband to Dr. Joelle Johnson of Family First Chiropractic and Wellness, 142 Erickson Dr, Red Deer, 403-304-7980 www.family1stchiro.ca

A Dad's birth perspective part 2

Written by Lyle Johnson B. Comm husband to Dr. Joelle Johnson at Family First Chiropractic and wellness located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer 403-347-3261 www.family1stchiro.ca

Home Births Part 2 - In 2002, we learned that we were going to have a baby.  Emotions of a typical father ran though me – Pride, Excitement, Happiness and Fear to name a few. My wife, Dr. Joelle Johnson, D.C.  and I had several discussions concerning a home birth versus a hospital birth. Being first time parents, this was a very important and somewhat unsettling decision for me because I thought that parent s don’t use a midwife and nobody is born at home anymore. This was done when hospitals were far away and transportation was difficult or impossible. What about the safety of my wife and child? My reaction was very typical of any parent facing such a decision. After several discussions, research and reassurances from my wife, we decided to hire Blessing Way Midwifery to assist us with a home birth. Even though, my wife is a chiropractor and I was familiar with many aspects of natural health, I must admit that I was still nervous on our first visit to the midwives.

Midwifery was more than the delivery of our babies; it included pre-natal care which was a critical element to ensuring a safe delivery of our children. Regular visits to monitor the size of our growing baby and his heart rate as well as my wife’s health were key components to ensuring that our baby was delivered safely and healthy. I was impressed by the level of knowledge and training of our midwives. They had not taken a six month course from a technical school and put up a sign saying that they were now taking patients. They had gone through years of schooling as a nurse, years of work as a nurse and then years of courses in midwifery as well as assisting dozens and dozens of births in various settings. I thought “Hey, these ladies have as much or more experience than most doctors”. My nervousness about midwives eased.

A Dad's birth experience and perspective-Part 1

A Dad's birth experience, Written By Lyle Johnson B.Comm and father of 3 wonderful boys

Home Births Part 1 -Home births and midwives were common in North America until this past century.  Over time, it became more and more uncommon to give birth to your baby at home with the assistance of midwives over the past several decades with “advancements” in modern medicine.  This trend seems to be reversing as more and more couples are realizing the safety and benefits of a natural birth. Over the next several segments, I will be discussing my experience as a father of 3 boys brought into this world via midwife-assisted water births.

My Background - I was born in a hospital and raised in a large family on a small farm in northern Alberta. Before adulthood, my experience with alternative medicine and natural health products was very limited. As a child, I suffered from tonsillitis constantly and the penicillin that I ingested to fight the infection never seemed to work. Like many families then and now, we trusted what our M.D. told us and did not explore alternative and natural ways of healing. Even though our family was receptive to chiropractic, my knowledge of it was limited to the fact that chiropractors only helped you fix your back – I now know that chiropractic does so much more even starting prior to birth. My experience with home births gave me a much better understanding of the natural way of health and chiropractic. Stay tuned for the following segments explaining our home births.

Lyle is husband to Dr. Joelle Johnson at Family First Chiropractic and wellness located at 142 Erickson Drive, Red Deer 403-347-3261 www.family1stchiro.ca