MUSIC BIRTH STORIES: 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.