A Daily Miracle

At 9:45 Tuesday morning I received a "heads-up" call from my clients, saying they thought mom was in early labor. I waited all day to be called to the birth, and finally almost 22 hours later we met at the hospital. They definitely get the award for giving me the most amount of time to get ready. :) They also get a patience award... not only was mom in early labor for an entire day, she was also several days past her due date. What a trooper.

In the early evening she wondered if her water had broken, and the car ride to the hospital confirmed that it had. But at 7:30 pm, she was still only dilated 2 cm. When I arrived shortly after midnight I found mom and dad laboring perfectly together. Meditation music was playing, and mom was using the birth ball to ease her discomfort. During contractions mom felt most of her pain in her back, and we suspected a posterior baby. The nurse checked her cervix at 1:45 am, and she was now dilated to a 4, and did indeed have a posterior situation.

Mom continued to really pump out the contractions, and spent her time walking the halls and leaning on the birth ball. She started to feel her baby moving, and suddenly most of the pain from her back was now on her right hip, meaning her baby was starting to find a better position. Her contractions were intensifying quickly, and at 2:50 am she was dilated to a 5 and headed to the jacuzzi. That water provided some much needed relief and rest until an overwhelming urge to push came over her during contractions. This is a wonderful sign of progress, but can make things pretty difficult for mom. After being in the tub for only an hour she was now dilated to 8!

Mom headed to the bed to prepare for delivery, and get through her final contractions. Like her entire labor, mom combined her knowledge with her instincts, and the result was a mom who labored like a pro! She was so in control and focused, and totally blew her husband away. At 4:20 am the doctor told her she could start pushing, and all mom could say was "really?".

Then just 35 minutes later, at 4:55 am on February 24th,
Mya (sp?) was born (without any intervention).
Isn't she a beauty?!

Baby girl appeared to be so content and
happy to be in her mommy's arms.

Weighing in at 7 pounds, 4 1/2 ounces.

And just like the lyrics to one of the songs we listened to during labor:

"It's just another, ordinary, miracle today."

While birth may be an everyday occurrence,
it truly is always a miracle.

2nd VBAC, for 1/3 of the time!

Two years ago I attended the longest birth of my doula career. We were together for a whopping 21 hours, and after the baby was finally born, the first thing the mom said to me was "we're done having kids because there isn't any good way to get them out of me". And you know what, I believed her! Her first child was born via emergency cesarean, and her second child was vacuum delivered after an entire day of labor. So when she told me baby #3 was on the way I was pretty surprised, and very hopeful for a shorter delivery this time.

Mom had her membranes stripped on Thursday morning, and I got a call at 2:00 am Friday morning. Mom and dad were planning on a long, leisurely early labor like last time; and I was going to meet them at their home. But by 3:00 am they had changed their minds and were heading to the hospital where we all gathered by about 3:20. Mom was dilated 4 1/2 cm, and things were rolling. She vocalized low tones during her contractions, and was dilated to almost a 6 by 5:00 am. After enduring the never ending questions and monitoring, mom eagerly headed to the jacuzzi. She continued to labor amazingly well. Listening to music, vocalizing, and staying perfectly relaxed.

Around 7:00 the contractions had sadly slowed down, and it was time to get out of the water and start walking the halls to get things moving again. Mom was tired, but was a good sport. Once the contractions were strong again, and to avoid the chaos of shift change, we made our way back into the delivery room and mom labored on the birth ball. Dad was a great support, offering a hand to hold, and shoulder to lean on, words of encouragement, water, and anything else she asked for. :)
By 9:00 mom was complete, and pushing began. And at 9:21, a beautiful baby girl was born! It was quite the relief since mom pushed for over two hours to deliver baby #2. Here they are just seconds after delivery.... The moment that makes everything worth it! And thankfully this time around, not a single intervention was used.

Is anything sweeter than the first time your baby holds on to your finger?

Weighing in at 7 pounds, 6 oz; and 19 1/4 inches long.

Before I left, we sang through the lullaby my recent class wrote, and here are the lyrics:

Baby Mine, so excited to meet you
I will cherish you.
I can't wait to spend my life with you,
no matter what we go through.
Time to dream of your perfect day,
full of laughter and play.
I'll love you til the end of time,
Beautiful Baby of Mine.

Baby girl looks soooo cute in this picture, I just had to include it.
Mom kept commenting on her perfect, tiny nose. What a doll!

Thank you for sharing your birth, and for choosing MUSIC BIRTH.