Pediatrician and proud mother of three, Katie Doherty, was initially skeptical about the idea of filming a birth video for the arrival of her third child, Violet. The mother said in an exclusive email interview with BabyCenter that “[She] wasn’t sure if I really wanted it all on record. I wasn’t sure what I would do with it. I wasn’t sure I would want to relive it.”
Well, she definitely disagrees with those assertions now!
Making the decision
The mother was under a lot of stress before baby Violet was born. This is probably why she was so willing to overlook filming the birth to begin with. However, she kept photographer/filmmaker Vanessa Brown on speed dial in the event that she changed her mind. Luckily, she did in fact change her mind and together the mummy and photographer captured a beautiful and stunning home birth:
Doherty’s daughter, Violet, wasn’t born until more than 41 weeks of pregnancy! During that extraneous and emotional week, Katie did just about everything she could to try to speed up the process of birthing her baby–to no avail. With each passing day, the mother suffered intermittent contractions and her midwives were left puzzled by her extended period of pregnancy.
Finally, during one restless night, the time had come! “Or so I thought,” Katie explained. “Within an hour of everyone arriving, my labour hit the breaks again.” Eager and ready for the birth the mummy claims “We did everything we could to push it along. Squats, stairs, magical herbal tinctures, break my water, more squats, more stairs, more pacing around, massage, in the pool, out of the pool, warm the pool, back in the pool.”
(Source: Vanessa Brown ) Katie tried everything she could to induce labor.
(Source: Vanessa Brown)
Katie admits that while she looks rather calm and stable in the birth photos, she was actually quite the opposite. In her interview with BabyCenter, the mum said, “I remember a frantic inner commentary in my head: Can I really do this? Yes I can, I have to. Dear Lord, I’m not ready for this! Why was I in such a hurry? THIS IS NOT FUN! Settle down, you can do this. Ride the wave. Hang on.”
(Source: Vanessa Brown)
Mum delivering her own baby
In a stunning turn of events, Katie Doherty was able to deliver her own child during the home birth! “I was a passenger and my body just knew exactly what it needed to do. I felt my baby’s head and I braced against it a little easing her out little by little. It was hot searing pain and I was terrified I’d split right in half,” she said of the incredible must-see delivery!
(Source: Vanessa Brown)
“All the self-doubt and fear I ever harboured vanished the second I laid eyes on her. I knew this would be my last baby, and she was perfect,” said Doherty.
(Source: Vanessa Brown)
You can learn more about Vanessa Brown’s documentary called “A Mother is Born”, featuring Doherty. Check out the Facebook page for more info.
Original article published by BabyCenter