A Christmas Baby in January

We contacted Reykjavík Birth Center when the pregnancy was halfway through to ask about the possibility of giving birth to our first baby there. We very much wanted as natural a birth as possible, and we immediately felt drawn to the Birth Center.

It soon became clear that the Birth Center’s premises would not be ready in time for our due date. The midwives who worked there then offered us the possibility of giving birth at home. We attended a childbirth preparation course at the Birth Center, which was very helpful in preparing for the birth, and afterwards we decided to plan a home birth with Embla and Emma.

At 34 weeks, Embla took over our antenatal care, which took place calmly and comfortably in our home. We had felt well cared for in antenatal care at our local primary care clinic, but we were excited about the continuity of care offered by the Birth Center: antenatal appointments from 34 weeks, care during birth, and postnatal home visits during the first ten days after birth. This meant that we got to know each other very well. Embla also offered us additional support, such as acupuncture, which we happily accepted, as we were open to trying natural ways to support the birth experience.

The pregnancy continued longer than expected, despite trying various methods to encourage labour to begin. When Sæunn was 11 days past her due date, an induction was booked for Monday 10 January. We knew that if induction became necessary, we would not be able to give birth at home. Still, we were grateful to have received care from the Birth Center up to that point, and that we would still be able to receive postnatal home care from them.

On Saturday 8 January, at 41 weeks and four days, contractions began at seven in the morning. We were very excited that the baby might finally be on her way and could be born at home. We let Embla know, Egill inflated the birth pool, and we began preparing ourselves for the day ahead. After just over four hours, the contractions slowed down and stopped — something we had not really known could happen. We used the time to rest, went for a walk and ate well, unsure of what would happen next.

Contractions started again around 8:30 that evening and continued steadily, though with varying intervals. At times they were 10–15 minutes apart, but then up to an hour could pass between them. We went to bed that night not knowing what would happen, and Sæunn woke regularly with contractions throughout the night.

On Sunday morning, Embla came to see how things were progressing. At that point, the contractions were about 30 minutes apart. She gave Sæunn acupuncture and used a rebozo shawl to gently shake her hips. We all laughed, feeling that by then we had probably tried every possible natural method to encourage the baby to come. Embla encouraged Sæunn to continue shaking her hips between contractions.

Embla left around midday, and after that the contractions continued regularly every 10–15 minutes. Around five o’clock, Sæunn tried to take a nap in case labour was not really starting after all. After only a few minutes of sleep, she woke as her waters broke. We let Embla know and timed the contractions for an hour. They were always five minutes apart or less, so it was clear that active labour had begun. This little girl was clearly determined to be born at home — and the birth pool, which had been quite a project to connect to our bath, would be used after all.

Embla arrived around six o’clock, and as soon as she came, the contractions became closer together, only around one to three minutes apart.

It was already dark outside, in the deepest part of winter, and we put on our birth playlist, lit candles and fairy lights. The Christmas tree was still up too — after all, we had been expecting a Christmas baby. We started filling the birth pool at seven, and Sæunn got into the water at eight. It felt wonderful. We used cold compresses a lot during the birth, and Sæunn also received acupuncture while she was in the pool, which helped with relaxation.

She breathed her way through the next hour. When dilation was checked, she was 5–6 cm dilated, and it was clear that there was not too much longer to go. Around ten o’clock, Emma arrived. By then, Sæunn wanted to get out of the pool and moved to the sofa, where dilation completed around 11:30.

Then came the pushing phase, which lasted just over an hour. Sæunn was very tired toward the end of dilation, but when it came time to push, she felt a new surge of energy. When the baby’s head was born, we heard her cry. The midwives then asked whether Sæunn could manage one more push during that contraction. She could — and then the whole baby came all at once, which took us completely by surprise.

She breathed her way through the next hour. When dilation was checked, she was 5–6 cm dilated, and it was clear that there was not too much longer to go. Around ten o’clock, Emma arrived. By then, Sæunn wanted to get out of the pool and moved to the sofa, where dilation completed around 11:30.

Then came the pushing phase, which lasted just over an hour. Sæunn was very tired toward the end of dilation, but when it came time to push, she felt a new surge of energy. When the baby’s head was born, we heard her cry. The midwives then asked whether Sæunn could manage one more push during that contraction. She could — and then the whole baby came all at once, which took us completely by surprise.

Snæfríður was born at 00:41 in the early hours of 10 January, eight hours before our scheduled induction appointment, on her own terms and in her own time. She came straight onto Sæunn’s chest and wanted to breastfeed right away. She was exactly as she was meant to be: 49 cm long and 2990 grams.

Over the next ten days, Embla visited us at home and was always available by phone if any questions came up. We could not be more grateful for our experience with Reykjavík Birth Center. The pregnancy had gone very well, and the fact that the birth unfolded so beautifully in a calm and familiar home environment set the tone for the first days after birth — days filled with joy, peace and getting to know one another.

Thank you so much, Embla and Emma.