A beautiful birth

I was not surprised when my phone rang at 1:30am. 

 “Hi.  How’s it going?” I said quickly and quietly.    Although I thought it would be my client on the other side of the phone, it was her husband.   His wife was in labor.  He responded, “She’s good.  We’re at five centimeters and we’re ready for you.”

 He sounded both excited and nervous.    

 “You bet.  I’ll be there soon.”

Knowing that I might be awakened in the middle of the night, I had packed my doula bag before going to bed.  It didn’t take long for me to dress and hop in my car.  I drove down Parley’s Canyon.  I looked at the clock. It was 2:22.  I made a wish.

When I walked into their kitchen, I was greeted by the soon-to-be-father.  He held a small cup of coffee and thanked me for coming.  Their two dogs barked making sure I knew they were there too.  He pointed me to the bathroom and said that his wife was in the tub and that their midwife was with her.  My client worked as a nurse and met her midwife in nursing school years prior.  They were dear friends. 

I loved what I saw.    It was an ideal laboring scene.   A candle lit the bathroom.  Music played quietly through a speaker on the counter.  The midwife was pouring water over her friend’s back through each long contraction.    My client breathed beautifully.     My client’s husband was outside the door, ready to do provide anything that was needed.  Now that I was there, the birth team was complete.

I whispered hello to the midwife.  We sat on the bathroom floor together for a few minutes until my client was ready to get out of the tub.  I stepped out of the bathroom and walked down into the kitchen.

“What an amazing gift to have the midwife here.” I said to the husband. He agreed.  “She is great.  We are lucky.”   Having her at the house provided a sense of calm and safety to my client allowing her labor to progress.

The husband walked up the stairs to the bathroom and the midwife came down to the kitchen.  We chatted for a minute and I gave her a short massage, rubbing her shoulders.  I know she appreciated the gesture.

A few minutes later, my client walked down the basement taking one step at a time.  We rolled out a yoga mat and she knelt on her hands and knees.  Her head rested on a birth ball.  She breathed and swayed through a couple contractions until she was uncomfortable and needed to move.

The sensations were tremendous and relief was difficult to find.  She was filled with doubt.  “I don’t know….” She repeated over and over.  I knew she was in transition.  When I teach childbirth, I talk about the emotional milestones of the stages of labor.  The final part of the first stage of labor, transition is the shortest and for a mama without an epidural, it is the most intense.   Transition is marked with doubt, overwhelm and fear.   She was showing all the signs.  I responded by looking her in the eye and said, “You’ve got this.  You are doing this.  Trust your body.” The affirmations helped her calm her mind.  She closed her eyes and continued contracting. 

We helped her move to the couch.  She laid on her side with a pillow in between her legs.  Her water broke.  We cleaned it up and decided that it was time to go to the hospital.

I walked her outside to the car.    The air felt crisp and cool, and the night was dark and still.  I assisted her into the back seat of the car, right next to their brand-new car seat.   I drove my own car and we caravanned down the empty streets of Salt Lake City.   We hit every green light.  There was not a single car on the road.  The clock read 3:33.  I made another wish.

Her husband dropped the midwife and her at the front door of the hospital and parked in the garage next to me.  Together, we walked to the second floor and into her hospital room. The action had begun!  My client was hooked up to an external monitor to measure both the strength of her contractions and the baby’s heartbeat.    Her cervix was dilated to nine centimeters.  She was nearly complete.  We were about to have a birthday party.

Her baby was doing great, as was she.  She continued to meet each contraction with focus and determination.  We reminded her to breathe, moan, and move.  I offered her sips of water and rubbed her head. 

My client was so polite to everyone in the room.  Being a nurse, she knew how it was on the other side.  I knew it was Nurse Appreciation week (one of my best friends is a nurse) and I mentioned how much we loved our nurses.

We were at the hospital for less than 20 minutes when it was time to push.  She tried laying on her side.  And then moved to her hands and knees.   And then returned to her side.  

She was a very good listener.  We were coaching her: “Bear down.”  “Take a deep breath in and push,” and “10, 9, 8, etc.”  Excitement filled the room.  “Yes.  Yes, that is it.  I can see hair.” 

I looked at her husband. His eyes were wide and filled with love and admiration.  He reached for his wife’s hand.  The anticipation was palpable. Moments before the baby was born, the midwife directed my client to take three quick pushes and then pause.  Pushing is more of an art than a science.  To avoid tearing, we want women to push and take two steps forward and one back.    It’s difficult to pause when the sensation is to push.  However, my client did not waver.  She remained calmed and stayed focused.  

I looked at the clock a minute before her daughter was born: 4:44.  One more wish. One more push and…….

She was here!  Her husband looked at the baby and paused.  He knew he had a big job of announcing the sex.  “It’s a girl!” 

“What?! What?!” My client exclaimed in surprise as the nurse placed her baby right above her abdomen.  The umbilical cord was short.  My client was surprised. I had asked her earlier to guess the sex and said said “probably a boy.”  Wrong!

Joy, joy, joy!  It was a true birthday party! 

My client only pushed for forty minutes - amazing woman.  That is not long for a first-time birth. 

I left the hospital at 6:30am after the baby girl had latched for her first feeding.   My clients were tired and looking forward to a nap.  Their baby girl was so comfortable.  So perfect.  So sweet.

There are many reasons why labor can be long and difficult.   The position of the baby in the uterus, how the labor begins (naturally or induced) and the shape of the mother’s pelvis are a few factors.  In addition, the feeling of safety and ability to relax in labor can contribute to a shorter labor. Creating a calm environment,  surrounding yourself with a supportive birth team and preparing for the birth through education and self-care can make a huge difference.  

This birth, last month, reminded me that laboring at home for as long as possible with a supportive birth team is an ideal approach to a smooth birth.   Lucky me to have been there.   It was a joy and an honor to witness.