Erica Johns' Birth Stories and Ten Month Mama
Pregnancy Journal
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Erica
Johns is a Kentucky woman who parents
her children with gentleness, careful research,
and loving consideration. Her birth experiences
have been diverse indeed; including giving
birth unassisted at home in the water to
her 5th child at 45 weeks gestation in July
2001, and to her sixth child by emergency
cesarean in March 2003.
On this page are Erica's birth stories,
as well as the journal she kept in her late
pregnancy with her fifth child. Note that
each page includes a link to the subsequent
page in the list- so one could begin a deeply
moving read by beginning with Micah's birth
stoy.
To the left: the family in October,
2000.
* * * * *
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Micah's Birth
Erica tells of the birth of her first child: her
joys, as well as her frustration with insensitive,
ignorant nurses, and her great sadness over the
episiotomy that was cut.
Haley's Birth
Erica had a home birth with this baby- one that
was longer and more painful than she anticipated;
Erica knows though that being in her home provided
much needed strength and comfort. Included: how
she tore badly during this birth, but did not
want stitches. The tear healed beautifully on
its own, and actually healed her bottom from the
effects of the episiotomy!
Jacob's Birth
Erica was with a CNM for this birth, and had to
fight against a labor induction due to "post
dates". (She won.) Also- how the jacuzzi
tub in the birth center made her labor feel wonderful.
Isaac's Birth -or-
An All-Natural Momma Trapped in a High Tech World
Isaac was born at only 29 weeks gestation via
cesarean section. Erica learned so much from this
pregnancy and birth... such sadness, wisdom and
peace came out of it all. Includes photos.
Christmas, 2002
Erica's Ten Month
Mama Pregnancy Journal, Page 1 So soon after
Isaac's birth, Erica is blessed with another child.
Erica talks about how she felt in the early pregnancy,
and around her "due date".
Erica's Ten Month
Mama Pregnancy Journal, Page 2 Oh, how well
I, Leilah the site editor, can relate to this
page. I have felt personally all the pain, impatience,
tiredness, lethargy, misery and joyous yet careful
anticipation Erica talks about here- the feelings
that that come with ten month pregnancies. But
rest assured, our babies always pick the perfect
days to be born when they are allowed to be born
in their own time. (Really!!! You look back and
think- "That was the perfect day!")
Judah's Birth
At 45 weeks pregant, on July 20, 2001, Erica gave
beautiful, blissful birth at home in her watertub.
What an empowering story this is!
Aidan's
Birth Erica was planning a home waterbirth,
but when she was bleeding heavily, she went to
the hospital. After careful thought, she had an
emergency cesarean. Her recovery has been wonderful,
but her experiences with nurses was not. This
includes how ultrasound missed signs of a placental
abruption.
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