The Day of Grey

At 4:00 a.m. on March 6th, my phone rang.  My husband nudged me. I am a sound sleeper. We both immediately knew why my phone was ringing.  A client was in labor. I shuffled to my phone, but not quick enough. I missed the call. Eyes blurred with sleep, I read a text from my client’s husband written two hours previously: “Game Day.”  His wife’s contractions had started. They were three to five minutes apart and a minute long.  When I called him back it went straight to voicemail. He followed up with a text saying that they were at the hospital. She was 90% effaced and 4 centimeters dilated. Active labor had begun.

Forty-five minutes later I entered the double doors of Park City Hospital’s Labor and Delivery floor. Calm energy filled the hospital room. My client was on her hands and knees contracting. She met every contraction with a deep breath and laser focus.  Her husband rubbed her back, whispering words of encouragement. I jumped right in, starting by squeezing her hips. I provided physical counter pressure and emotional support through every contraction.

My client had planned for an unmedicated birth and so far she was on track. She calmly contracted with her eyes closed. Her strength was inside her body. She breathed. She moaned. She stayed focused on opening her body and letting the contractions flow over her like a wave.

Dawn arrived. Orange sunlight filled the room as my client’s labor intensified. When her back ached, I pulled out my Robozo, a Mexican wrap, and tucked it under her pregnant belly. I gently shifted the wrap back and forth to bring her comfort. I offered a bath and snack. Neither sounded good. She felt sick. She threw up, as is common in labor.  At one point, her nurse offered liquids through her IV and she wisely agreed.  With more hydration, she felt better.  And when the nurse brought an orange popsicle, that helped too.

My client was kind and polite.  She never forgot her manners. She graciously thanked us. She did not complain. She smiled when she could. She was a pleasure to be around.

One of my jobs as a doula is to remind my clients to go to the bathroom and change positions during labor.  Climbing out of bed and walking to the bathroom forces movement. Movement helps labor progress. My client’s favorite position was hands and knees - until her knees needed a break. She moved to the “throne position”. We rearranged the hospital bed so the back was tall and the foot of the bed low. Like a queen, she up in the bed and I pushed on her knees for comfort.  Occasionally, we mixed it up and she stood swaying or sat on the birth ball. No matter how her body was positioned her contraction ritual was the same. She felt the sensation building, paused, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and coped.

Her dilation was steady.  When I arrived at 5am, her cervix was dilated to 4 centimeters.  A couple hours later it was 4.5 cm dilated.  Typically, a nurse checks a patient’s cervix every two hours in labor. When it was time to be checked, my client declined. She chose to labor without interruption. Three hours later when she was checked she was dilated to 7centimeters which was tremendous progress.  

It’s tempting for a laboring woman to want to be checked every chance there is. Naturally, they want to know how close they are to the end. However, when my client declined a cervical exam, it kept her in a zone. She remained in her body rather than in her mind.  Laboring women who can turn off their thinking minds progress more rapidly. I saw that principle in action. 

Around noon, the doctor arrived at the hospital and checked her cervix. Since there had not been any progress in an hour and half, he suggested to rupture her amniotic sac. Breaking her bag of waters allowed the baby’s head to apply more direct pressure on the cervix and encouraged dilation. She agreed.  Moments later, amniotic fluid gushed out, marking the beginning of the end.  Her contractions intensified. They were sharper, closer to together, and longer. She stayed focused using her breath, vocal chords and determination.

An hour and a half later, at 1:30pm, she felt pressure and was ready to push.  Her nurse checked her cervix again and declared her “complete” which means she was fully dilated to 10 centimeters.

The doctor came back in and the room was set up for delivery.

With every contraction that followed, she pushed.  It only took a few rounds to figure out the most effective way to push. She was a quick learner.  The baby’s heart rate dipped.  This is not unusual, but the doctor asked her to relax through a contraction. The four-minute break gave both mama and baby a chance to regroup.  The next contraction the baby crowned.  Excitement filled the room when we saw that he had a full head of hair.

Motivated now, my client pushed one more time and at 2:15pm on Friday, March 6th, her beautiful baby boy was born. They named him Grey Charles.

Grey was quiet at first until the doctor suctioned his nose and mouth, and then he gave a big cry.   Emotion filled the room. Tears filled my eyes. A birth! A brand new baby was born.

Birth is always amazing, but this one was especially beautiful.  It was such a pleasure to witness my client’s plan come to fruition. Her body started labor on its own which helps avoid intervention. She coped with the contractions using her breath and focus. She met each contraction one at a time. She never doubted herself. She knew what she wanted. 

My client sweetly texted me the next day: “Thank you so incredibly much for an incredible, positive, loving and empowering birth experience!!”

I love this work! As I proceed on my journey of birth education and doula support, I will remember this birth and the power of the mind.