My 2 older sisters and I were all home births. Mom and dad were actually considered so alternative when my oldest sister was born in 1977 that the newspaper got wind of their home birth plan and actually published a full spread article in the St.Petersburg Times on the whole event. this is one of the photos the newspaper photographer took, and also just one of the most beautiful photos of my gorgeous young mommy, age 27:
Therefore, for me, there was no question in wether i would have a home birth; if i were ever to have children, it was an absolute given.
So in planning my first birth, at age 37, i decided to go with a tica midwife that my friend had recommended to me when she had her babies here in Costa Rica.
Highly recommended and trusted by a few friends actually, this was another easy decision. She came along with not only a perfect doula, an Argentinian immigrant, but also another midwife, a Canadian immigrant. A well rounded group of women with hundreds of births if not thousands of collective attended births, coupled with my unofficial doula, Dee; I feel completely held in this group:
baby daddy Kona visiting form Maui, me, Ines, Doula and Monica midwife.
A few months ago i had planned a place to stay in the City of San Jose - the capital -- and most places i looked up were in the $2000/month range, which for me is a little steep, however as far as the process goes i wanted to be prepared for anything. But in any case i found a cheaper spot for $1000/month and booked it right away. However a week went by and they canceled my reservation on account that their roof needed immediate attention. So for a couple months i was floating in the air about where i would stay, kind of procrastinating, but also just biding my time as my due date came closer.
In the beginning of august i came up to the capital from Pavones for a Doctor's appointment and to have a visit with my doula. After my visit with her, she mentioned a place that maybe had space for me when the time came to rent. She mentioned a name and i immediately recognized from about 7 years ago in California...
Not a coincidence at all! Chaca! totally unforgettable earth angel. She remembered me too when i messaged her and arranged to go visit that day.
The spot is located almost around the corner of where i was staying, so close! and so perfect- She gave me a tour and it was impeccable, the price was right at $1100/ month, large property with many dogs, i can have Little Bear (my dog), there are horses, a spring fed pool, nature and 2 yoga decks, with daily classes. It was an absolute affirmative the second i entered the gate.
The house we are renting is 150 year old historic stable converted in to a house, which is so fitting as i am the virgin mother (unwed), and it's got a few quirks but is just perfect for us. There was also archaeological artifacts found on site when ever they do little constructions here. The energy of the land here feels so powerful and positive, so supportive.
Our birth here will be the 23rd birth, including Chaca and her sister whose family has owned the property for going on 3 generations.
We are walking distance to Piedades, a cute little town for conveniences and just down the road to Ciudad Colon where Tuesdays there is a fería, an open air market, with cheap organic produce, eggs, local breads, honey, crafts and booty moving tunes.
So far we have had a few awesome day trips to water sources. We are right next to the Universidad de Paz, just 10 minutes driving through Ciudad Colon, which has a huge and beautiful nature reserve type campus , full of coffee growing under the overstory of mature forest, some epic looking hiking/biking trails, and with a river running through it. We go there when we need a drip or to look for crystals and minerals, because its so close.
We actually stumbled upon some archaeology; a very peculiar chunk of a multiple course rock wall:
It just so happened that at the river the first time we went I encountered a plant called manzanillo, el arbol de la muerte, the death apple! Unbeknownst to me until that evening i was tainted! any encounter with the plant can leave an actual painful and itchy blister! even if you sit under the tree in the rain. I had blisters on three locations on my leg- neither Dee nor I had even even heard of this plant - either way we went to the mineral springs, and the next day :
We traversed clear across town to a mineral hot springs, recommended by the midwives and doula, called Hacienda de Orosi, on the Rio Macho, in Orosi, Paraiso- down through the oldest and most industrial part of San Jose, Cartago (which next trip will be to see the Ruinas in Cartago!).
This place was awesome, a little expensive however for us ($45 each) but nice cheap cafe with really yummy food, and at least 5 pools of varying heats, and an awesome view. The mineral water actually healed my blisters from the manzanillo! I was impressed :)
The next time we saw the midwives they mentioned another mineral hotspring, close to the Orosi so we made the trek through Cartago again and were not dissapointed!
This place was a little bit of longer drive but so scenic and such a beautiful little nook where the cold river runs adjacent to a hot river.
We parked at a local family's house after literally burning my brakes out driving down the steep access road (the brakes were smoking when we arrived, oops!) and then we walked the rest of the way down to where a fellla has his cafe, Gaia Cafe and eco lodge, where he took us to his natural pools. One very hot and the second not as hot, but just as much mineral healing as the Orosi spa.
We only stayed for a couple hours before the usual afternoon storm scared us away. But we were basically the only people there (Apparently most people come at night from Herredia and set up candles)
We have so many more day trips we want to do but with my 41 week condition, i'm increasingly tired and lazy and we have been enjoying most of our days at the pool and taking Little Bear for walks and eating of course.
All in all we are so pleased with staying here and access we have to all the fun things we can do in the area! being a tourist can be really fun!
Today is the 26th of September, due date was either the10th or the 21st (i feel like it was more the 21st) and we have an ensuing prenumbral full moon eclipse scheduled for the 29th, so here we are in the meantime while we hunker down for the main event! And as i write this i am feeling the pangs of some gentle cramps in the pelvic region...any moment now!
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