Birth Stories
… a special place for clients to share their experiences …
Tripp’s birth story
I’ll start by saying I was impatiently waiting to go into labor since December 28th. Trying all the natural techniques to try and induce labor.
The night of January 5th I bounced on the pregnancy ball (like I had for the past couple nights) for like two hours scrolling mindlessly through my phone until my back hurt and then went to bed. Jeff was tired and before falling asleep he said “ don’t bounce on that thing all night babe”. I woke up at 3 ish AM with no contractions at all, my back hurt still but I got up went to the bathroom, and went back to sleep.
Around 5:50 ish AM Griffin woke me up telling me he had to potty which he did alone and then came and got in our bed. I never fully went back to sleep after that.
I “woke up” to a pop feeling low in my belly. And then it felt like I was going to pee so I got up as quickly as I could and headed for the bathroom. I made it half way there and there was a gush of water down my legs.
My water broke around 6:30 AM
Jeff walked into the bathroom literally at the same time I made it to the toilet after the gush and I told him my water broke. He didn’t seem to register what I said.
I told him to “call work and tell them your not going to make it” wearing a huge smile on my face. I texted my midwife Carly and told her the news. Took a shower and then started a load of laundry. Went and sat on the couch and kinda zoned out for a second and just thought like alright well here we go. There’s no going back. Are we going to have a boy or a girl? What will they look like? I wonder how bad this is going to hurt? - this was so new for Jeff and I.
I texted my best friend Annie who was also going to be taking pictures and my mom who would be coming to the birth something like “my water broke around 6:30 this morning but don’t rush over yet I just want to let you know”
I had learned labor could stall if you get in your head to much and I also knew that it could last all day, so there’s no point to just sit and wait for things to get started. I decided to wash the dishes. That’s when my contractions started. They were about every 4 ish minutes apart, I had a 12 minute break and then 3 minutes apart after that. It’s between 7:15 - 7:30. I was washing the last bowl in the sink and I felt a second gush. My shorts were again soaked and I went back to the bathroom to shower off. I talked to my midwife on the phone about the morning events and how I felt, the length and time apart of my contractions. And not waiting to jump the gun, we decide let’s wait an hour and see what happens. Jeff and I sat outside on the porch. It was really foggy and the weather app was expecting rain. We just gave the pups some attention and talked a little. I think both of us a little anxious not knowing what to expect.. he decided to mow the lawn before the rain. And I went inside to lay on the couch. I was weirdly calm. I took a minute to pray. I trusted that my heart felt so strongly about having a home birth because this was Gods plan for me. I truly felt that The Lord wouldn’t have laid it on my heart if he didn’t plan to protect me and my baby.
Around 8:40 I texted Carly to tell her my contractions were getting more intense and starting to hurt more. she called me to sit with me through one and then she decided to head over. I texted my mom -she should probably head home from work so she could help my dad get the kids to their house before things really started moving. I texted Annie she should probably head on over too.
My mom showed up at 9ish and the rushes were really ramping up. I told Jeff he needed to wake the kids and get them dressed (yes my kids sleep late. It’s fine.) I was laying on the couch dealing with the contractions that were very very uncomfortable at this point. My mom was making them oatmeal and cereal because of course they didn’t want the same thing for breakfast. My dad showed up (9:20ish)
That’s also the same time I realized my mom wasn’t going to have time to leave because in 20 minutes things had really changed. I was struggling. She needed to pack up their food so they could leave ASAP and eat breakfast at their house. I tried to remain calm while they casually grabbed the toys they had to have to go to Gigi and Papa’s. But I think I said to all the adults in the room. “They need to leave”
I gave Coley and Griffin kisses and my dad ushered them out. As soon as they walked out I moved off the couch to kneeling in front of it. Elbows resting on the seat. Instinct i guess. I had only ever labored in a bed on my back before.
Carly showed up sometime around 9:30 and boy was I happy she was there. Things were really intense at that point. It was pouring down rain outside, my mom and Jeff were doing all the things they had been told to do weeks ago. I was in a lot of back pain and Carly reminded Jeff that squeezing my hips and/or pushing on my tail bone can sometimes be helpful.
Carly asked if I wanted to stand so I could take my underwear off and I was like “ no no no just cut them off of me- I’m not moving” and so Jeff went and got the scissors “ are you sure?”. I was. I couldn’t care less about those undies. Carly was setting up the birth pool, my Mom and Jeff trying to take direction for setting up the water hose to fill it. I would scream when the contraction came “babe come back come back” or “somebody!!” And once it was filling. Jeff never left my side. He also wasn’t allowed to, I needed him more than I’ve ever needed him.
I don’t know what I would have done without him.
There’s a ton going on behind me! but I have no idea what. The only thing I knew was there was a portable fan blearing on me which was helpful, my husband behind me supporting me, the rain on the tin roof soothing my nerves, and people I love doing all they could to try and fill that pool.
A water birth WASNT going to happen. There wasn’t enough time.(10:15ish) My mom told me Annie was almost here and I said “ idk if she’s going to make it” - Sometime around then the assistant midwife Kristin had arrived to help Carly, Jeff and myself. I remember her saying hello. I had to go to the bathroom. I had no idea how I was going to get there but I was SO sure I had to go. After sitting on the toilet for maybe 5 minutes a contraction came and there was this deep moan that came out of my mouth that we hadn’t heard yet. Carly walked in and said, “okay you need to get up”
I somehow managed to stand and start walking to my room with Jeff’s help when I saw Annie had arrived. Standing in the kitchen with my mom. I gave her a quick glance and said “ hi” then turned my head and kept walking.
Back to my knees now kneeling in front of my bed, Jeff pushing and squeezing my hips. I could feel baby moving down the birth canal. The pain in my back was awful. I was being reminded by Carly to just breathe and hum through it. She had her hand on my shoulder and her presence comforted me so much. She would say “ in through your nose, out through your mouth”. So that’s what I did. I wasn’t scared - nervous maybe but my body was doing all the work. I just focused on the job my body was doing and staying in a safe place in my mind.
After a bit Carly told me I should stand up(I had told her earlier I didn’t want to move from kneeling) but I didn’t question her. I trusted that she knew better than me. With one leg on the bed and all my weight on Jeff I started pushing. And pushing was wonderful. With each push the relief my tailbone felt was so welcome. I didn’t push for long and the babies head was out. And then my body stopped. It took a break from the contractions. I tried pushing without any rushes but it felt like I wasn’t getting anywhere. Baby was having a hard time getting it’s shoulders out. I wasn’t in pain. Carly and Kristin decided that I needed to lay down on the bed.
Everything happened very quickly after that. Jeff sitting behind me near my head. I’m laying on my back holding my ankles and pushing. Carly putting pressure on my stomach,and with all efforts. We pushed.
Suddenly there’s a baby being set on my chest and alllll thoughts of pain or pressure is stripped away. 30 seconds later I said “ oh hiii. your so purple” and then “omg that’s so much better”. Carly says “ you did so good”. Kristin listening to baby with the stethoscope.
In an oxytocin bliss we heard baby cries and sighs of relief flooded my whole body. I smile at Jeff who’s now by my side and has his face fully fixed on his newborn. “that is the cutest freaking cry I’ve ever heard”. Jeff playful speaks for baby “turn the light off”
I ask “ is it okay? It can breath just fine ?” Carly rubs baby and says “oh yeah babies good”
When you watch the video, which I will absolutely never put on the internet you can see Carly and Kristin look at each other and smile with relief when they heard the cries. And then instantly check her watch and quietly say 10:42.
“ babe loooook!!!” - smiling he says “I know!!”
“ is it a boy or girl?” Mom asks.
“ I don’t know. I’m not ready to find out”
Truly I had forgotten. After a minute of listening to the best sound of fresh newborn cries I look at Jeff. “wanna look daddy. You ready”
I lift babies little body. My mouth drops wide open.
Jeff claps his hands
“It’s a boy!!”.
Tripp Joseph Hemenas
Born on a rainy Wednesday at 10:42AM
1-6-2021 - he weighed 9lbs 8oz, with a full head of hair and a purple face. He was purple because he was stuck. Something called shoulder dystocia. But with my calm and wise midwifes guidance, Tripp and I are both healthy. I didn’t tear even a little. And after a day or so his purple color was gone. I’m so so grateful for Carly and the care she gave me during pregnancy and birth.
Postpartum care is literally a whole other journey she walked with me through that I am also equally grateful for.
The first two births I had in the hospital with an epidural I’m still grateful for. I’m not any more connected to one kid because of they way they entered this world. But with Tripps story I am more connected to my faith in the Lord. I know that I am willfully strong. And I’m really proud of myself and My husband.
Lincoln’s Birth Story
The weeks leading up to my due date I started going to bed early just in case labor started through the night. Friday night I was ready for bed by 10 pm. Around 10:30 we heard London wake up crying out for water. Both of us have been sick the entire week at this point. London with RSV and myself with an upper respiratory infection. I went in first to comfort her and sat next to her crib for about an hour. I’d been mindful of my posture all day bc I just got adjusted for my sciatica pain that morning (it had me crawling & crying on the floor in pain). So sitting next to her crib in the most up right form at 39 weeks pregnant was so uncomfortable. Of course my contractions would start now.
Kevin went in with London for the next hour to help soothe her to sleep because my back couldn’t take it any longer. He laid down on the floor next to her and covered himself with a blanket and fell asleep.
I started tracking my contractions at 1:13. They were coming every 15 min or so by this point. I let Kevin know he should try and go back to sleep in case this was it. But, of course he emptied some of his “tired tank” while settling down London so he said he wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon.
Around 2 am the contractions started coming in around every 4-5 min. We knew now it was officially happening. Kevin called our midwife Carly and we started getting things ready around the house. Kevin swept the floors, changed the sheets and got the house prepped for our birth team to come in. I started making my Labor Aide. (I’ve been waiting to make this ever since I heard of it. It was so good and refreshing through the labor!) We started up my labor playlist on the tv and set up the diffuser with my birth essential oils. We were ready and waiting.
Carly arrived around 3 am and contractions were now 2 min apart lasting about 40 seconds. They were very manageable at this point and I kept saying I wasn’t sure if labor was actually happening. She reminded me that with every contraction my body was doing something. No matter how small, my body was working to get baby out.
Around 5 am I started to think about London and how we were going to manage her care. What if my labor was at its peak and I needed Kevin to provide counter pressure. What if I was in the pushing stage and she started wailing that she needed us to get her. What if she heard me in labor and started calling out “momma?!?” All of these thoughts put a complete halt to my contractions and stall to my labor. I took this time to get some sleep. The contractions would only come about every 30-40 min. Being in the side lying position made the contractions pretty painful and I needed Kevin to provide pressure on my back through each one.
Around 8 am London woke up and everything I was worried about came to be. It was total chaos and I was not here for it. Her care team was scattered and she woke up with a fever. Because she was sick, she was more fussy this morning than her norm. Kevin needed to be her care taker which meant he couldn’t be my birth partner. This part of the labor was emotionally exhausting.
I think it was around 11 am when everything finally fell into place. Contractions started coming in strong. I was on my knees crying bc I was trying so hard to be strong on my own but I wanted, NEEDED, Kevin with me. Eventually I caved and asked for him to come to me and he came straight away telling me the whole plan of his mom taking London to the pediatrician and taking her away from the house until the labor was over. FINALLY. I was able to get started with the real labor that was already unfolding.
Carly let me know the pool was nice and warm and ready for me to go in whenever I was ready. I remember saying I wanted to wait a bit longer until the contractions were just a tad bit more painful. Amy from ATX Doulas taught me not to use all the tools in my toolbox until they were needed; so I was waiting until I NEEDED the water. A few more contractions came through and I knew it was time to get in the tub. At this point I was barely able to manage to stand up between my contractions from the hands and knees position I was in. Carly and Kevin provided leverage for me to get up and over the side of the pool.
The water gave my body just enough tension release to get to that next stage of transition. I knew I was close when my breathing needed to switch from “Up Breathing” to “J breathing” and the low moans started coming in. I started to feel more of an urge to be active in pushing baby down the birth canal.
Side note: Lincoln had a 2 vessel umbilical cord through the pregnancy, so it was important to me that Carly check in on him with the doppler during the labor to make sure all of the stress wasn’t carrying over to him and his heart rate.
I sat leaned over the tub for a good while. I kept checking myself to see if anything was happening down there. No baby head yet. I needed towels on my face and back to help cool me down. Carly and Kevin were great at coaching me and reminding me to breath and make lowwww sounds. Carly would ask me “do you mind if I check on Lincoln to make sure he’s still ok?” And I would say “noooo” in my low deep moans. She would have to rephrase, “do you mind if I check on your sweet baby boy to make sure he’s doing okay?” Of course I had to say yes; she would check for all of 1/2 a second and I would say “ok ok all done”. Sorry Carly 😅
They reminded me that sometimes it’s beneficial to switch positions and I remember acknowledging them by slowly moving my body into a more leaned back/squatted position. I leaned back into Kevin and gripped his poor shoulder so hard with every contraction. I kept reaching down to feel for progress and started pulling out my mucous plug out chunk by chunk. I remember coming to that point of exhaustion where I was over the whole thing. I kept saying “I’m sooo tired” over and over. My team responded back “oh but you’re so close. You’re almost done.” I finally felt ready to start pushing. This was the most surreal part of the labor. No one told me to push. No one told me it was time. My body told me. My baby was ready to come out.
I started breathing down and I could feel his head coming down lower and lower. My birth canal widening more and more. After a few more contractions I pushed his head out. I remember Kevin getting excited knowing it was so close to the end. Carly told me on the next contraction I needed to work really hard to get his shoulders to come out because there was something going on with his cord. The next push he came sliding out of me. Carly grabbed a hold of him and started unwrapping his cord and was showing me how his head was still in the sack. She cleared all that off of him and handed him straight to me. He was born at 12:43 pm.
I remember immediately saying things like “that was terrible. That was so painful. Don’t ever do this.” But also, “it’s done. He’s here. We did it”. The sweet relief.
Birth Photography by Lisa LeBaron
Gideon’s Birth Story
Gideon was born early Sunday, July 18, at 4:56am. He was 8 pounds 10 ounces and 21.5 inches long.
In retrospect, I can say I went into labor the morning of the 17th, although at the time I wasn’t sure that’s what was happening. I had some mild cramping the last few evenings, so when I woke up at 4:30 am to some tightening sensations, I tried not to get my hopes up. I dozed through them for at least an hour, but they never got closer together than 10 minutes. Eventually, I got up and got dressed, and as the time passed it seemed even less likely this would be the day; things were so irregular that an hour could pass with no contractions. Since it was Saturday, my husband was home from work and watched our 4-year old daughter. We went on a walk together mid-morning, but beyond that I did my own thing and relaxed in our master bedroom.
Throughout the day I texted Carly, as well as my doula, with updates. By early evening I told her that things seemed to have completely tapered off, which was disappointing. She suggested I do a Miles Circuit to help realign things in case baby boy wasn’t in the best position. Despite completing a circuit after dinner, I still wasn’t really having contractions. I texted my doula, and she recommended taking a bath and trying to get some sleep. I took her advice, added some Epsom salts and got into the tub. As I relaxed, I realized how truly tired I was and began to doze off. Finally, I made myself get up thinking I would be able to hop in bed and get some rest, but the moment I stood up, I was hit with a contraction. This one was more intense than those I experienced throughout the day, so I made sure to dress in something labor friendly and pulled my hair back. Once I finished up in the bathroom, I walked to the kitchen for a snack, but I could barely make it from the bathroom to the kitchen without getting hit by another wave! I talked with my husband and told him that things might be gearing up after all, and paused every so often to lean on the counter and focus on my breathing. After having a few in fairly quick succession that were definitely uncomfortable, I texted my doula and told her “if she was still up” I “might” want her to come by since things seemed to be picking up. I still wasn’t 100% sure it was happening, but I had my husband start blowing up the birth pool & hook up the hose before he went to bed with our daughter.
Side note: My husband is very supportive of me and home birth; he simply can’t handle the messiness of it. We tried having him more involved with our daughter, but he has an incredibly weak stomach! This time around we decided it would be easier for both of us if he stayed with our daughter to keep her company. This was a huge factor in my decision to hire a doula so I wouldn’t be lacking support.
After everyone else had gone to bed, I stayed leaned over the counter in the kitchen with my phone nearby to text my doula, who ultimately arrived around 10:30. I didn’t move from that spot the whole time; just stood there, swaying when the waves came. As soon as the doula arrived, she timed my contractions, told me not to worry about texting Carly because she would take care of it, and made me some labor-aid to keep me hydrated. After 30 minutes, she said she had asked Carly to come over because the contractions were fairly strong, long, and coming almost back to back. At this point, she helped me get set up in bed with a bunch of pillows so I could rest a little and started my essential oil diffusers. Then she headed back out to finish blowing up the birth pool and began to fill it with water.
When I look back, it is around here that things began to blur together. I was turned inward and so focused on every contraction that I only remember bits and pieces, so here are things that stood out to me, although they might be a bit jumbled!
My doula was often seated next to me and would squeeze my hips or apply counter pressure to my back during contractions, which helped a lot because I had back labor. For a while, I felt very cold and was trembling, so she covered me with blankets, which helped some. I had my playlist with worship music going and during each contraction I would pray for no pain, or help bearing it at the very least. (Although I feel that this helped with some of the contractions, it also was not the “pain-free” birth experience I had heard about from some sources!)
Carly arrived around midnight, set her things up and came to check mine and the baby’s vitals. Everything was normal. I requested a cervical check because I had a lip with my daughter that dragged out the process— when she checked I was about 7 or 8 cm dilated with no lip. I alternated between laying on the bed, leaning forward on the bed while sitting on my birth ball, and sitting on the toilet. I lost my mucous plug sometime in this stretch and got really nauseous, so my doula brought me a large bowl from the kitchen with some peppermint essential oil in it. I don’t know how many times I was sick, but I know it was more than once and that the peppermint oil helped so much! I focused a lot on counting my breaths and keeping my vocalizations to low “ohhhh” sounds during contractions. Both Carly and my doula said that I was so quiet and calm that it was hard to read me, which was similar to a comment made during my first labor.
Eventually, the birth pool was full and warm enough that I decided to get in. I anticipated the relief the water would bring and had spent much of my previous labor in the tub. The water felt good for a moment and chased away the cold feeling, but I didn’t last there for long. My doula couldn’t apply the counter pressure to my lower back while I was in the pool, which I sorely missed. I went from feeling cold to sweaty and uncomfortably warm, although they would have to add more hot water in order to have the water birth I hoped for. I kept vomiting after the most intense contractions, which was another similarity between my first birth and this one. Carly suggested another cervical check to see if I was 10 cm; I think they felt I should be getting the urge to bear down and I was beginning to doubt myself. If I was fully dilated, she offered to manually break my water in the hope that it would move things along, although this isn’t her standard practice. I was very open to this because of how exhausted I felt, but each time I would try to roll over onto my back so she could check, another contraction would come that was so intense it prevented me from staying there. She asked if I would be okay with moving to the bed to see if that would help. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
After a couple tries with me on the bed, I needed to use the bathroom. As a result, I went back to sitting on the toilet. After emptying my bladder, I stayed there because the contractions weren’t letting up at all and I didn’t want to move. I was hit with the urge to push rather abruptly, and after a couple, my water broke over the toilet. Once that happened, things intensified so much! It felt impossible to control the urge to bear down or do anything except push. It was one of the most intense things I’ve felt in my life, despite having a natural birth once before! Carly offered to help me get up off the toilet so I could go to the bedroom and have him, but I couldn’t imagine moving at this point. I’m typically a reserved and quiet person, but the primal noises I recall making were anything but! Carly had to remind me to pant as the baby’s head began to crown in order to slow things down, but that was a struggle. After this, she told me I needed to stand, so my doula helped me up and I held on to her as I finished pushing. All of a sudden, I was sitting back on the toilet and I had my sweet, squalling baby boy in my arms. The pushing phase felt like a whirlwind and when I asked how long it took, she estimated maybe 7 minutes!
It was so nice to be able to move with Gideon straight to MY bed and then lay there holding him as I birthed the placenta and got checked out. The feeling of accomplishment knowing my baby boy was here with us, and we were both healthy, was so wonderful. I’m grateful that I found Carly and that she was the one to help us move through this beautiful transition with love and patience.
Scarlett’s Birth Story
It was around 6PM on a Wednesday nightand 2 days before my due date that I felt consistent, stronger contractions. After a few strong ones and one deep in my back, I texted my midwife, Carly, and she said all signs indicate I'm in labor! The contractions did not feel strong enough, this being my 4th baby, I knew they'd get much stronger before baby was ready. We all went to bed, knowing that our sweet baby was making her debut in the next day or two.
I woke up Thursday morning with the same contractions and they progressed throughout the day. Some were stronger than others. It wasn't until about 6:45PMthat they became painful and I had to bear through them. Carly had gotten to the house a couple hours prior and was a wonderful support, giving us space at times and also staying close by and providing encouragement when the contractions got painful. At that point, knowing how I'd birthed in the past, my husband let Carly know that I would probably be having her in the next 90 minutes. Carly called Kristin from there, another midwife we'd previously discussed having there to assist at the birth.
From there the contractions only picked up, coming in faster and faster and it wasn't long until I felt that familiar pushing sensation. By that time we'd already filled up our bath and I was getting in it. Kristin walked in as I was screaming through the pain of that first pushing sensation.
After a few of those contractions and pushing, baby girls head was out and Carly was feeling everything, coaching me through it, helping me feel her head and when she noticed the chord wrapped around baby's neck, she calmly and gently moved it over her head. Another contraction and pushing and baby girl was out, 7:58pm, in my arms and flooding my heart with so much love for her.
From there both Carly and Kristin worked to make sure we were both doing ok, deliver the placenta, and take care of all the post birth processes. They started to notice how much blood I was losing and were quick to act, checking my vitals every few minutes, getting me to eat snacks and drink liquid IV. They were completely calm around me while also quietly communicating the urgency of the situation with each other. They said I measurably lost at least 1500ml of blood. A severe post partum hemorrhage is 1000ml lost blood.
My vitals never changed. I was able to get up and down to try and go to the bathroom, to get into an herbal bath they prepped for me after with lots of healing herbs and salts to help stop the blood and get me on fast track to healing. They gave me a pitocin injection to help my uterus contract and stop the bleeding and when I was in the bath, they had a little more pitocin and fluids in an IV to manage the situation and bring my fluids back up. They only left after they were sure the situation was managed and that I was safe. Carly told me during our follow up, had my body shown any signs of distress I would've been transferred to the hospital and that most people in this situation would've been transferred. If you could've only been in that room, the atmosphere felt anything but and I feel that because of how calm everyone was, I remained calm providing my body the optimal chance to remain stable.
The way my body handled that blood loss was nothing short of a miracle. God was here with us that night - guiding them on what to do, while keeping me strong and all of us calm. Carly and Kristin are angels. Absolutely heaven sent. I couldn't be more thrilled to have had them deliver my sweet baby girl and will be forever thankful for them.
Carly has been wonderful about checking in on me and guiding me through recovery, getting my iron levels up, checking on baby girl and guiding me through breastfeeding.
I had another baby at home just under 2 years ago with another midwife and I simply cannot rave enough about Carly. I felt so much more prepared with her and I honestly don't want to think about what could've happened if I had anyone else this time around. She had all the tools and she knew how to use them and I LOVED that she and her network of midwives all assist each other at their births. That extra support from Kristin made all the difference in allowing Carly to focus on me and the baby and it gave me tremendous comfort knowing that I had two set of experienced eyes assessing the situation.
Although this sounds super scary, to me it was a beautiful birth, and beautiful moment filled with so much joy and I have Carly and Kristin to thank for that. God bless both of them!!
Lydia’s Birth Story …
It was 4:15 on Monday morning and I was sitting up in bed mindlessly scrolling on my phone when suddenly my water broke. I woke up Zach to tell him before getting on the phone with my midwife, Carly, and she began talking me through the next steps.
I had been planning a home birth for my entire pregnancy even though we didn't yet have a home for me to birth in. We had been living in a trailer since November and had planned on only being there a couple months, but as the saying goes "we plan, God laughs".
Having a midwife who came to see me for prenatal appointments (even in the trailer) provided me with such a relaxed and comfortable prenatal experience and I wanted to have that same environment for my birth. I trusted that God would provide a place and His plan for my birth would be beautiful no matter the circumstances. A safe and healthy baby were always my top priority.
During my phone call with Carly, she advised me to begin monitoring my temperature and heart rate as infection risk increases after your water breaks. I began monitoring and started searching for an Airbnb close by that would provide more space and comfort for my labor, delivery, and post-partum period. Thankfully we found a house nearby with availability all week. As we began packing up the car and preparing for when we could check in, I opened the box in the trunk of my car that I thought was my birth kit. I had put it in the car so I would be ready wherever we were. Upon opening the box I realized it was not in fact my birth kit, but baby clothes and books! We rushed over to where we were storing all our boxes and picked up the real birth kit before heading to the Airbnb (thank goodness I checked!).
After settling in at the Airbnb, Carly came by to check on me and baby. She left some homeopathics for me to try to kickstart labor. I tried the regimen that evening and did get stronger, more consistent contractions, but they soon eased up and spaced out again.
After no progress overnight, we decided the next morning to try castor oil to kickstart labor. I started that afternoon and contractions picked up in intensity and frequency. That same afternoon, our realtor called us and asked if we would be able to come sign closing documents for our house. I thought "Well, if not now, when?". So I somewhat reluctantly got in the car and off we went. On the way to town, we received a tornado warning on our phones (after the close call with the last one, I take these more seriously now) and I just had to laugh. "What's one more exciting event today?"
After getting back to the Airbnb that evening, my contractions really picked up in intensity and frequency. I gave a call to my doula, Drea, to have her come over and provide some extra support. She kindly stopped at the store on the way to pick up a few things we had forgot to pack in the chaos of the day. When she arrived she showed Zach how to apply counter pressure during my contractions to help provide me some relief. Through the night, the contractions continued to get stronger to the point where I could no longer sleep and Drea called Carly to come assist sometime around then.
The timeline of the next week gets a little fuzzy for me from here, but I remember the incredible coaching, encouragement, and support from my birth team throughout the night and early morning. They helped me breathe, push, and find different methods and positions to help bring this baby earthside. They really gave their all and supported and protected my desire for home birth while still keeping the health and safety of me and baby the top priority.
After pushing for what I believe was about 6 hours with little progress and much exhaustion, we were lovingly advised it was in our best interest to transfer to the hospital for further support, monitoring, and intervention as needed. As I mentioned previously, our health and safety were number one priority and I felt at peace knowing that this is what we needed to do to protect that. Bags were hastily packed and Drea went ahead of us to the hospital to meet us when we arrived. Carly called ahead to let them know our situation.
We arrived at the hospital and were immediately taken to our room and visited by a nurse and OB. After examination by the OB, it was his determination that due to the length of time since my water broke, the length of time I had been pushing, the size of the baby, and the apparently rare anatomy of my pelvis, it was time for a C-section. I still don't remember a lot from this period, but one thing that stuck in my mind was how my birth team advocated for me, asking all the questions Zach and I didn't have the capacity to ask in those moments.
I'm so thankful that I got to have both Zach and Carly with me in the OR for support. As soon as I had the epidural placed and was no longer focused on the pain and pushing, I was able to relax and feel the excitement of knowing we would meet our baby in a few short minutes. I had a bleed during surgery which was another tense moment, but the surgical team, Zach, and Carly all remained calm and distracted me, maintaining the most peaceful environment I'd ever experienced in an OR (and that's saying something considering it was the first time I was there as a patient!).
Then finally, at 5:47pm, 61.53 hours after my water broke, our precious girl made her entrance into this world. It was relieving and joyful and I felt like I could finally breathe again. After the nurses quickly checked her out, Carly made sure I got my skin to skin time with my sweet girl. Once we saw her face, we decided on her name, Lydia Rose.
Nothing about my pregnancy, labor, delivery, or postpartum experience has been anything like I expected, but God has richly blessed us through it all. I don't have any regrets about my decision to try for a home birth as it ended up providing me with a combination of western medicine and holistic care that together met all of my physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
The staff at the hospital were kind and efficient and we had the most amazing midwife and doula educating, advocating, praying, and caring for us throughout the entire process. They always met us right where we were at and anticipated every need. We also have the best family and community (near and far!) who have cooked, cleaned, moved all our belongings, and consistently prayed for us along the way. I couldn't be more thankful for the crazy way God worked things out!
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say: It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Georgia’s Birth Story— on film! Check out this vlog storytelling of an incredible water birth.
