Motherhood begins at home

Amid prayers and family, a midwife helps bring a baby girl into the world.

[Times photo: Steve Hasel] The Peaster family admires his newest member, Miriam Grace.

By STEVE HASEL

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 14, 2000

FLORAL CITY -- There is something sacred about the birth of a child. No matter how many billions of times it has occurred in human history, each time it happens, it is still amazing.

That miracle was repeated May 2 when Miriam Grace Peaster came into the world. What made her birth even more special was that it took place in a small, warm mobile home, and with the help of a midwife.

The room was lit by a bare bulb, clamped onto a curtain rod. It was also bathed in prayer, just as the parents had hoped. Friends were there to coach and to comfort as Tawnya Peaster managed her labor much as she had planned.

"I was really struck by what a holy birth it was," said Yvonda Hedrick, a certified professional midwife who delivered the healthy girl. "Each one makes me cry. You never get used to it, never become immune to the joy of birth."

Giving birth at home is certainly not new. Midwifery can be traced back to the Bible book of Genesis, and before the 1940s, the vast majority of births in this country were at home, Hedrick said. Florida has more than 100 midwives who participated in more than 1,000 home births last year, she said.

Hedrick, who serves on the state regulatory council of licensed midwives, is the only midwife in Citrus and Hernando counties; another midwife lives in Inglis, and there is one in Dunnellon.

Home births are on the rise in Citrus County. State statistics from 1998, the most current available, show Citrus had 24 home births, far more than Pasco (10), Hernando (2), Levy (4), Sumter (1) or Marion (8). Pinellas County, with eight times the population of rural Citrus, had just 40 home births in 1998.

Why is the home birth choice so appealing in Citrus County? After a few minutes with Tawnya Peaster, who gave birth to three of her six children, including newborn Miriam Grace, in the privacy of her home, the picture becomes clearer.

"There are just so many reasons we wanted this to take place at home," Tawnya Peaster said a week before her delivery. "I like the freedom to make our own decisions about prenatal care and birth. I like that I'm not treated as if I have an illness, with IV's and all.

"At home, birth is treated as a natural event," she continued. "You can eat when you feel like it or walk around as much as you want. It is just so much more relaxing. It's also more personal and definitely more spiritual because you can surround yourself with those you choose, not strangers. It is more of a family atmosphere. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Medical care is not overlooked in home births, Hedrick emphasized.

"We (midwives) carry emergency equipment specific for labor and birth," she said. "We are trained in CPR for mothers and babies as well as the management of emergency obstetrical complications."

Home birth should take place within 30 minutes of emergency care, either ambulatory services or a hospital, according to state guidelines.

"We are trained to prevent problems first and manage the problem secondly. Most complications are during the pregnancy, not with the actual birth," Hedrick said.

"Last year, in over 1,000 home births statewide, only seven emergency situations arose that required transfers to a hospital," Hedrick said. None of those babies died.

"When the mother is in her own environment, she feels safe and unthreatened," Hedrick said. "When she has control over her birth environment, her response to pain is decreased. She just handles the birth process better. Pain medication is not needed, which means you do not deal with adverse reactions and the newborn is more alert and responsive."

Hedrick and the Peasters met last fall, and a prenatal care program began soon after. "She (Tawnya) had had two previous (at-home births) and wanted another," said Hedrick.

"It was important to her to have a Christian midwife. Birth is a very sacred event."

As to her role as a midwife, Hedrick said, "Midwifery may not feed your family, but it will certainly feed your soul."

Labor began the morning of May 2, a day after Tawnya Peaster's due date. Her husband, Don, had gone to Lakeland to finish a painting job the day before so he could have time off with his family.

But a broken water pump on his work van stranded him in Winter Haven overnight.

By late afternoon that Tuesday, the garage was still trying to get Peaster's van fixed.

"They weren't sure whether to believe me when I told them my wife was in labor," he recalled. Tawnya had called her friend Ellen Thelen to come get her five children for the duration.

The heat began taking its toll, as temperatures in the Peasters' mobile home reached the mid-80's. The family goat had been blamed for damaging the air-conditioning system a few weeks earlier.

Dusk brought a concern about lighting in the bedroom where the birth would take place. A single bulb in a clamped reflector was hung on a curtain rod, and a large fan was put in place. A half hour on the front swing helped cool everyone. Prayers were lifted for a safe delivery and the arrival of Don Peaster. A half hour later, the people in the house heard a van approaching on the narrow dirt road leading to the trailer.

Don Peaster laid his hand on Tawnya's stomach and talked to his child. "Miriam, it's Daddy. We're all ready for you to come out. Come on out now."

Tawnya's labor became more intense, but she managed it with controlled breathing. When it came time to push, she attempted to deliver on her side. When that wasn't working smoothly enough, she was helped to a kneeling position beside the bed.

Minutes later, at 11:40 p.m. on May 2, Miriam Grace Peaster entered the world.

Hedrick wrapped the baby in a towel and used a fish scale to find she weighed 9 pounds on the nose.

"She's a keeper," Hedrick announced.

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