Birth Announcements

Welcome little Reilly Anne Smith and Tobias Shepherd Jackson
 

Reilly Ann Smith
 Born November 24, 2008
 To Jerry and Anne-Marie Smith
 8 lbs 10 oz

Congratulations Jerry and Anne-Marie on the birth of precious little Reilly Ann! 

Jerry and Anne-Marie Smith joyfully announce the birth of their 5th child, little Reilly Ann.  They birthed at St. Francis Hospital in Midlothian, VA.  (Midlothian is a lovely rural town located in the greater Richmond area.) They were  lovingly attended by Leslie Fehan, CNM and their friend and doula, Kate McKinney.

Tobias Shepherd Jackson
Born March 11, 2009
To Tim and Kendra Jackson
8 lbs 12 oz - 22 inches long

By Tobias' Mommy, Kendra Jackson

Prior to this, my first homebirth,  I had 4 hospital births.  They were all induced for the convenience of the doctors. Those births were "okay", in that I am blessed with quick, problem-free labors, but after having a homebirth, there is no comparison!!!!

I first learned about homebirths a couple years ago, but we lived in a rural area, and my husband wasn't comfortable birthing at home, so we continued to birth in the hospital.  We moved to the city so for this pregnancy he was willing to learn more about it.

We met Jeni Rector, a local licensed homebirth midwife, and both agreed this was what we wanted. I will admit that throughout the initial prenatal visits, it felt very different, since all I knew was traditional doctor care. As I set aside preconceived notions, and previous experiences, the naturalness of it all slowly grew on me. With each passing month, it all felt so right, and normal. I began to view birth with new eyes, and the understanding that this was a natural God-given way grew inside of me.

As my due-date ebbed closer, I was filled with excitement to know that the baby was going to come when he was ready, according to God's time table, not mine, nor the doctors. Again, I had to overcome my typical way of "doing business"--picking a date, and having a baby. The entire pregnancy proceeded problem-free, and the midwife practice was so incredible. My daughters were always with me, and they allowed them to play a role in each visit, whether checking my blood pressure, listening to the baby, or learning how to measure me. It was delightful for them to learn about pregnancy and a woman's body in a natural format. I learned so much as well!!


Finally, the day arrived, and my body begin to go into labor. I woke up, took a shower, and noticed mild contractions. My husband called Jeni, and she arrived with her assistants within an hour. Friends were called, and I continued to labor. Jeni gave such great tips that allowed my body to do what it was designed to do, and to help me through it all. I was able to move around, spent time in my Jacuzzi tub, and finally moved to my bedroom. The freedom to move about, no needles, not forced to stay in bed,  delightfully different. It was so relaxing....having everyone that I wanted there....my mom, my husband, my daughters, my friend, her daughters, the midwife, and assistants...it all felt so natural. That is the big word for me from all of this...natural.
 

In just a few hours, my sweet baby came into the world, and my 10 year old daughter was right there to help catch him. Never once did it occur to me to need or want drugs.  I am thankful that my body does labor fast, as I know it is not the case for all women. Afterward, being able to move into a welcome shower, and crawl into my own bed with my sweet baby, and husband, was so incredible. To *not have* my baby taken away by the "powers-that-be" was so unique, and we are eternally grateful that he was home, where he belonged!! There are no words truly to describe how sweet, and precious this was.

Now that I have experienced a home birth, I realize the pain of a hospital induced labor was so much harder!! The pain was always manageable at home, and even pushing him out didn't really hurt. I was truly amazed, and very much regretted my previously managed birth experiences. I am thankful for this blessed homebirth, and Lord willing, all future babies will be born at home, surrounded by a great support system. Jeni gave me freedom, which I had no idea what a gift that was until I found myself nuzzling my baby on the outside. The hospital takes that away, and I didn't realize that. Taking that away takes away so much from the entire experience. Being at home, it is my body, my birth, my baby, my experience, as a gift given to me by God.  Jeni was professional, laid-back, fun, supportive, encouraging, and level-headed. Her assistants were equally so, and I would not want to have been there without them!!! Their very presence was soothing for me, knowing they had experience, wisdom, and knowledge that I didn't, and truly cared about me, my baby, and the birthing process. They were there because it is their joy and love, and you could feel that.




I could go on and on about the joy and sweetness of a homebirth :-) Needless to say, I highly recommend it, and wouldn't trade it for anything. Lord willing, we will be experiencing this again!!

Blessings, Kendra Jackson



 

Tim and Kendra Jackson with their lovely children,
Levi, Jude, Kyra, Gabrielle, Ciara, Isaiah, Elijah, Zane, Asher
- before little Tobias was born -