MUSIC BIRTH STORIES: September 2017

I received a text from my latest client early Tuesday morning letting me know that her water had broken around 4:00 am! Water breaking is always exciting, but it doesn't always mean that labor is in full swing. My client was only have mild and infrequent contractions, so we planned to keep in touch throughout the day. Several hours later she felt like her water had a yellow color to it (which can mean the baby has already had a bowel movement), so she decided to head to the hospital to get things checked out.

I arrived at the hospital at 7:45 pm. Mom was admitted because of the water breaking, but she wasn't in active labor yet. The nurse came in around 8:30 to talk about options. Her main concern was mom being GBS+ and the risk of that spreading into the uterus since the water was broken. After receiving some antibiotics, mom opted for a bluetooth monitoring system so she could get some rest and the nurse could monitor the baby. (Most labors do not require continuous monitoring, but this one did because mom was going for a VBAC, had ruptured membranes, was GBS+...)

The nurse literally had to use sand paper on mom's abdomen before placing on the monitoring system. Dad told her to pretend she was at the spa getting a microderm abrasion. :) Once everything was set up, mom and dad settled in for some sleep and I went home to do the same. I was called back shortly after midnight, as contractions had begun to quickly intensify. But they were short-lived, and after a couple hours, we all decided to get some more sleep.

I arrived the next day at 11:15 am. Mom had been on pitocin for a little over an hour. Contractions were definitely intensifying, and mom was finding comfort on the birth ball. She circled her hips and breathed deeply.

Mom was determined to do anything she could to help labor progress and help baby engage into her pelvis. At this point in things, her cervix hadn't dilated at all. So shortly after noon we did some laps. From that smile, it's hard to tell this woman is even in labor!

Back in the room we listened to "Beauty and the Beast", and tried lots of different positions and comfort techniques. By 1:45 mom was ready for the tub. She liked the short relief it brought to her aching hips and tired legs.

Around 3:00 mom was starting to "have her doubts". Labor is a very emotional experience that can definitely feel like a mind game. We doubt ourselves and we worry about how long it will last and if we will be able to cope. Her husband offered snacks and lots of physical and emotional support. Mom opted for some nitrous to help her relax, and it appeared to help with that quite a bit. At 3:15 the nurse checked her and she was 2 cm, 80% effaced, and she could even feel the top of the baby's head! So not the progress we were hoping for, but progress still! This mom only dilated to 1 cm with her first labor, so this news was still encouraging.

But the contractions were intense and mom was tired. She wanted an epidural, but she said getting one would make her feel like a failure. :( We talked about it and I reminded her that labor is not a pass/fail experience. After some inner turmoil, mom opted for the epidural and received it shortly after 4:00 pm. It quickly took the pain away, but not the anxiety of the experience. We talked for quite some time as mom processed all that she and her baby had gone through that last 36 hours.

The doctor came in to check on things at 6:30 pm and we found out that mom was dilated 5 cm! Amazing progress! Baby was still high, about negative 2 station, but the cervix was thin and was responding well to the contractions. Such great news! Since mom was going to settled in for a nap, I ran home to tuck my kids into bed. We touched base at 9:20 pm. Mom had been checked again at 8:00 pm and was still about 5, maybe 6 cm. She was planning on going back to sleep and said she would call me when she was ready to push or if she had any questions or needs I could help her with.

I was surprised when my phone rang at 10:14 pm. It was easy to hear the sadness and disappointed in mom's voice when she told me her baby was having signs of fetal distress and they were going to do a cesarean. My heart sank. It really seemed like everything was lining up perfectly for her VBAC. I jumped in my car and arrived just in time to snap this photo.

Mom's emotions had shifted quite a bit by the time I got there. She had taken some time to process the events of the day, and was now focusing on the joy of meeting her baby! They didn't even know the gender! Mom was quickly taken back to the OR to be prepped, and dad was taken back at 11:10 pm.

It's a girl!

Dad really loved his one on one time with his little girl while mom was still in recovery. They took some selfies and there was some serious bonding going on.