Abby Phillip: How I wound up giving birth at home

(CNN) – It was a little after 6 p.m., Aug. 15, 2021, and things were about to get real. The mild discomfort I had been feeling for days was suddenly noticeable enough to stop me in my tracks: I was in labor. My husband, mother and I jumped into action. I insisted on cooking a meal – I had to keep busy, and I refused to be hungry while giving birth. As I stirred a pot of pasta and chopped up vegetables, I fell into a routine. Every 7 or 8 minutes, I stepped away from the kitchen and found a quiet place to breathe through the contractions. Related Stories Within a few hours, I was in my bedroom, lights dimmed. I sat on a birthing ball, swayed through the pain and pressure as each contraction gripped my body and prepared to give birth at home. If this were a movie, it would be the moment the record scratches, and I look straight to camera, saying, “You’re probably wondering how I ended up here.” Never in a million years would I have thought that I – a huge believer in modern medicine and someone who takes no unnecessary risks with...