Iyanna Oma’s Birth Story
Written by Sara Murphy
My loving life partner and I decided to have an at home birth with a local and well respected midwife. She had already birthed 300 babies in a smaller city in Eugene, Oregon. We did all the procedures the state insurance required for us to have this at home birth and midwife to be paid for, like ultrasounds and lab tests etc. I really didn’t want to drink any chemical concoctions for the lab tests or go get the ultrasound but we did because it was required by the state to have my birth paid for.
So there we were 2 weeks after the ‘due date’ given and everyone gets nervous except for my partner and I because we know all babies come when it is time. I started to have pre-birth Braxton hicks and I couldn’t sleep, knowing she was starting to make her way down. I was dilating slowly and everything felt natural. We told my parents how it was going. My parents took it upon themselves to call the non emergency line and make a wellness check. A company called ‘cahoots’ showed up at our door and we answered it at first thinking it was a food delivery. ‘Cahoots’ shows up for social work calls or to pick up drunk people off the street. I told them we were fine and we wanted them to leave. We got a second knock at the door which was a medic unit and they would not leave. The medic unit asked to get my vitals which I agreed to as I am a very healthy yoga practitioner and can control my heart rate easily. They said my vitals were fine but still insisted we seek more assistance. They finally left after I went inside and closed the door.
You’ll never guess what happened after that. We got a third knock at the door. This time it was 3 police men. When people started knocking at the door, all I could quickly put on was a big Hawaiian wrap to tie around my body. So here I was answering the door in a wrap just shocked 3 police were there. Then they proceeded to bully and racially profile my partner asking him what tribe he was from because he wanted to sage them before entering our home. The police kept wanting to come in and I said no this is or was my sacred birthing center that has been completely wronged. They stood in a row. One on the left with his hand on his gun, one in the middle with his foot on the door, and pushing the door on me. The third police man just standing there interrogating my partner who was taking such good care of me and taking a video. We were afraid they were going to hurt him or me if we let them in. They continued to stay for an hour plus and black mailed us and said if we do not comply and go to the hospital, they would call DHS!
By this time, we had neighbors of our apartment out watching us and police wouldn’t let them through. We had a strong community and so many know us. Our neighbors showed up and told them our home birth plan and we did not want anyone there yet. I knew our daughter was not coming anytime soon and especially when the police showed up.
So the police got their way and we ended up leaving our home where I so much wanted to birth our first child. They would not allow us to take our own vehicle so our friends drove our vehicle to the hospital along with half the market down the street followed behind the ambulance we arrived in. As we arrived at the doors of the hospital, a snake slithered its way in front of the doors before we entered. I thought it was very ironic.
As soon as we get there, the nurses shove their fingers up my vagina to check how dilated I was and only at a 2cm. By this point my partner and I were so traumatized and distraught. I was just trying to keep my breath and heart rate down to stay calm enough for our baby so she was not distressed as she entered the world.
My birth stopped completely and I had to wait to restart it. The police were like the bear that came down to the river and it was then unsafe to birth at these waters. The hospital kept coming in and asking me if I was ready for a c-section and thankfully I had so many community members there to help me to keep a strong no. A nurse came in after being there for awhile and said if you do not get this baby out we have to bring you in to get a c-section so lets do it. The Nurses were great but the doctors came in pressuring and so I pushed for 6 hours straight! I tried every which way I think a woman could push a baby out at a hospital. I saw the big full red and orange full moon and by day light she finally came. I pushed her 8lb body vaginally through the portal and I was so relieved she came out. She was healthy but we were all very tired. We stayed the night and my bladder stopped working after pushing for so long so we had to wait an extra day. I finally could pee again and were so relieved to go home. My partner had left for a bit before we arrived home so he could clean and cleanse it for baby and I. We were so happy to be home but our home did not feel the same any longer after such a violation of our sacredness. After a few months we found a new home and now we still live with PTSD from the trauma and I still fight to get justice for all women’s sacred birthing space. Later that year Oregon changed their state Medicaid and home birth wives are not covered any longer. Women have fought for so long to keep this sacred circle and costs covering these sacred moments that will never be forgotten. I now feel it is time for us to fight again.
