The Birth Story of Adrian Leo

I had the honor of supporting Erin and Paul at the birth of their second baby. Erin was my first ever client, only a few weeks after I had taken my doula training, so it was a special honor to be asked back to support her again, at the birth of her son, Adrian Leo. Erin shares her birth story below, in her own words.

This story starts much like the first of mine (read her first birth story here; my due date had come and gone. Only this time, I was expecting as much and I wasn’t quite ready for a baby just yet. The day before my due date I had given myself a nasty case of poison ivy while on a walk with Claire and Sumo. It was everywhere – on my face, neck, chest, pubic area, arms, legs…so I spent the week aggressively treating it with whatever People’s Pharmacy recommended. On top of that, I had a job interview on my due date and a second interview scheduled for the Thursday after! I spent most of my days preparing for a new job in a new industry and wanted to get through just one more interview before heading off into my mom cave. This baby had other plans.

I had forgone having my membranes swept the day after my due date at the birthing center, but now that we were a week over and the worst of the poison ivy was kicked, I had to bump having a baby from number 3 on the priority list to an even 1 with the job interview. My favorite midwife saw me that day, Wednesday August 16, and boy did she sweep! I distinctly remembering wanting to clock her in the face as a reflex, but held back, hoping this brutal act had better work!! 3 hours later I was having regular contractions, though they were weak and far apart enough for me to wonder if they would just die down. I was trying not to get too excited, but tried to go to sleep early anyway, after emailing my job that I would be out for the count. That night I slept fitfully. The contractions kept waking me up!

The next morning was Thursday, August 17th. I sent Claire off to school with Paul, and he to work while I stayed back and felt what my body had to say. Though the contractions were still coming, they were still slight enough that I wondered if they would continue in that manner for hours or days or simply peter out as a false alarm from the sweeping the day before. I stayed calm and Netflixed on the couch. At about noon I realized that I was having to work a bit harder at relaxing through the contractions, closing my eyes and rubbing on or tapping the furniture around me to distract my mind a bit more. I called Paul home and got up to do some laundry. I had to stop to sway and breathe at the dresser while folding clothes, so I decided it was time to call the birthing center. My favorite midwife, Vickie, called me back as the one on duty. Could it be true that I would get her this time?!?! She asked me how I was doing and I described my current state to her, telling her I wasn’t sure what would happen and that I was still just hanging out and waiting. I also called Jamie, my doula, to update her. Paul arrived not too long after and we Netflixed again on the couch, only this time I was jumping up to bounce on the ball or lean on the coffee table every time a contraction would come. I was also thoroughly annoyed at his every move at this point. While going through one, he was not to make any noise, laugh, talk, or scroll his phone. This time was about me. I would announce when one was coming on and when it faded as fair warning. Still, over all I didn’t feel sure things would move very fast, and wavered as I requested Jamie come to the house. Even when she arrived at about 4pm I still felt the slow ramp up could continue to draw itself out.

Shortly after Jamie arrived, however, it was as if my body knew it. Now that everyone is present, let’s get this show on the road, it seemed to say! My contractions shot up into the red zone in no time, and I took to my spot (like the last birth) on one end of the couch, resting during the breaks to save energy (and because going through contractions make me feel so tired and heavy!) and shooting up onto my knees to brace through a wave, leaning over the arm of the couch and trying hard NOT to clutch my hands and push my feet into something. Jamie massaged my hands and feet to remind me to relax as much as I could. She helped get Paul in line as gopher and set the stage for seriousness, all while whispering sweet confidences in my ear. The shades were closed and lights dimmed. I had on my favorite piano playlist once the TV went off, and Paul kept the rice sock warm and ready for me. After a time, I remembered to yell, as it had helped me so much during the last birth. That low, primal, guttural yell; long and slow. It felt forced and awkward at first, but I quickly found my voice and the power it gave me to hear myself call out in response to the sensations rocking my body. Even still, I wondered if the contractions were opening my cervix; if they were actually “working”, so I visualized myself opening up. Over and over again. Opening like a flower; opening like a round, gaping doorway; the baby facing the right way and moving down, sliding through and out; easily and beautifully. I relaxed my butt as much as I could, fighting the urge to tighten into a burning coil instead and writhe in a corner. My prepared mantra – “You are strong, you are powerful. Open up and let the baby out.” Did I say that exactly at the time as I had planned? I cannot remember now. At 6pm, someone called the birthing center again and announced we would be coming in, and to please run the bath. Vickie was still on and I was getting her after all! As the contractions ripped through me, I could feel the sensations sputter and rev as they ramped up, rather than seamlessly smooth. I pictured my cervix jerking open millimeter by impossible millimeter as I felt this, as that must have been what was happening. It was a fascinating experience to feel it work in such a precise manner.

Once the phone was hung up, we all rushed to gather our things and I went to the car as fast as I could manage so as to not be caught in so many contractions on the way. By this time, the contractions were coming on so fast and violent that I only had a few breaths in between and they never truly went away. My break was at 20% or 30% of their full force. I felt this wasn’t fair and even whined out loud about it a time or two, but took what I could get and learned to appreciate the new and diminished definition of a break that I was given. Paul and I took our car, and Jamie followed in hers. It was just after 6pm, RUSH HOUR, AT LEAST 195 degrees out, and we had to get from the east side to the far south side of town. HOLY HELL. I held a rice sock over my eyes, since we were surely on the surface of the sun now, and held on for dear life with the other arm, quite literally trying to pull the headrest out of the car with shear strength and will. As I writhed around, screaming at the top of my lungs, Paul cut corners through parking lots, raced, and bumped his way to the birthing center…every jolt surely the culprit of yet another contraction come to challenge the best of me.

By the time we were just a few minutes and a few turns of the steering wheel to salvation, I felt the urge to push. I didn’t think much of it at the time since that can happen when close but not actually ready for such. Also, I was still of the mind all day to keep my expectations low, in case this whole experience ended up being longer than I would want. I had to keep my hopes and my attitude up! At the birthing center at last, I walked into our room as fast as humanly possible, passed a family in the waiting room for another mother in the building, and reached the bed just in time to rock out yet another wild contraction – yelling at the top of my lungs with all my fury. “Alright, well here we are!” I could hear my midwife say, exuberantly, as her and others bustled around the room to prepare for us. I was instructed to lay on the bed, and for the first time all day I was checked to see how my progress was going. It was the moment of truth. ”Well, you are ready to go – 10 centimeters dilated! Not even a lip in the way.” It was the most glorious, wonderful, amazing thing I was sure anyone had ever said to me. In fact, I thanked her with tears in my eyes and professed my love for her that very moment.

The tub not yet filled, I rocked it out on the bed on my knees, gripping the headboard for support for what felt like 20 minutes but was surely only 3 or 4. I tried pushing once or twice, but only gave half an effort as a bit of a warmup. I felt the baby’s head move down into my pelvis and felt the impossible pressure of bones squeezing into bones (that usually are left well enough alone and don’t much like to move) and my reflex was to retreat as far from that sensation as possible. ‘Oh, hell no, I am not doing that’, I thought to myself. It felt wrong and like a very, very awful thing to do. A flood of memories came to me from Claire’s birth like preparation for the work I still had coming.

At last, the bath was ready, and I waddled, with assistance and great effort, to the edge. Stepping in, the warm enveloped my weary body and instantly calmed every muscle, nerve, and emotion inside me. I sighed, closed my eyes, and went limp in welcoming surrender for a magnificent moment. But, this was no Friday night bubble bath. I had so much work to do, still. I got on hands and knees and gave a push or two, adjusting my energy from escaping out of my mouth, to down through my center. Ferocious yells turned to grunts and growls. Vickie then suggested that I flip onto my back and hike up my feet on the hand-holds like stirrups. She was right, it was much more comfortable this way and it was easier to curl my body into a C-shape to help push. I felt more in control of the contractions, now that I was pushing. I could push as long as I could stand it, and then break to gulp long and replenishing breaths and melt down into the side of the tub. During my last birth I had pushed for over an hour; I wanted to make sure and make much progress with each try and gather as much energy in between. The first big push in the tub I could already feel the immense pressure of him moving down, and the splitting of my body under the strain. Someone had already called out seeing the head; full head of the dark hair that I knew he would have. With the 2nd push I was sure that I would get him out; he felt so close and I bared down with even more than I thought I had to give, taking in a quick desperate breath in between extra-long and hard pushes. My heartbeat was checked after the push – it was in the 60’s. Whoa. The baby’s heartrate was also checked – he was beautifully calm as well. It was two more pushes or so that did the trick, long and arduous, and I finally felt the final burning sting of his head pop out.

The very worst of the day was truly over. I knew everything else would slip out of me like on a waterslide. Vicki instructed me to push very gently, as she guided the rest of his body out of mine. She held him under the water for a few precious seconds before lifting him out and placing him on my chest. He called out like a kitten in the cold and I wrapped him in my arms. Looking over at Paul, he was flooded with joy and tears at the first sight of his son. I kept repeating, “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness”, letting the ecstasy and the exhaustion wash over me as I looked on at my perfect, amazing child for the first time. Finally holding him, finally meeting him, and finally getting to share him with Paul and Claire.

Later that evening, Claire came to visit with Paul’s parents. It was really the moment I was anticipating all evening. It was past her bedtime, but I couldn’t wait for her to share in this new baby as soon as possible. I wanted her to be included; to feel ownership as we did as parents. I held my arm out to her as she jumped on the bed with us and we all cuddled up together – my complete family. She was beautiful with him; gazing at him in wonder and kissing his sleeping head. Her hands cupping him with tender delicacy. I probably cried with joy yet again, all of us filled to the brim.

Welcome Helen Adria!

I had the honor of attending the birth of Keris and Stuart's first born, an adorable boy named Aston Davis, so I was thrilled when Keris was pregnant again and asked for me to be their doula and photographer for the birth of their little girl, Helen Adria.  Keris was induced for her first birth, but she decided to wait a little longer this time and let Helen pick her birth day, and she did!  Labor started gradually and Keris did a great job of distracting herself during those early contractions, and when they started getting more intense but we still spaced out a little, they waited a little longer and labored at home.  They told me to wait too, but I knew things might pick up and go pretty quickly.  Sure enough, her contractions were soon under five minutes, and they headed to the hospital, and I left to join them, but on the way there they just kept coming on faster and faster.  When they got checked in she was already 9 cm!  I arrived shortly after and Keris was laboring on the bed on all fours, but doing a great job and still laughing with Stuart in between contractions.

Just a few contractions later, she felt like she needed to push, and Helen pretty much came flying out! Aston was 9.5lbs (and Keris is very petite) so she pushed for a few hours with him, but Helen was much smaller, and even though she had a nuchal hand, she came out much quicker.

One of the special things about this birth was being able to witness the birth pause, in which the birthing mother takes a brief pause to gather herself and make the great transition from birthing her baby to the first step of mothering, picking up her baby on her own terms.  Since Keris was still on all fours, she requested a minute to breathe and rest before she turned over to pick up her daughter and bring her to her chest.

The birth had happened so quickly, that there was still so much shock and surprise mingled with the relief and great joy as she welcomed Helen in her arms.

It was such a joy to see the love between Keris and Stuart flow over as they both began to bond with their precious new daughter.

And before long, Keris's mom brought Aston came to meet his new little sister.  He wasn't quite sure what to think of this new addition.

A little later, Keris had some quiet time to start breastfeeding Helen, and she was a champion nurser!

And then it was time to transition to their postpartum room and try to get some rest and settle in with their new baby.

Congratulations Keris and Stuart!  It was such an honor to serve you at the birth of both your babies, and see your beautiful family grow.  You have so much love for each other and for your children, and it is a blessing to share in your joy!

Hazel's Birth Story

Tricia and Eric were expecting their first baby, a little girl.  They planned to give birth at Natural Beginning Birth Center.  I came during the night when Tricia was in active labor, and she was laboring in the tub.  She was well-supported with her husband, doula, and midwife at her side. She was such a peaceful laborer, and had a such a calm environment.  She labored through the night trying many different positions.

Finally, with the morning light shining in, it was time to push!

She pushed with all her strength to bring that baby down.  She tried several different pushing positions and techniques.

Finally, exhausted after pushing for many hours, it was decided that it was time to transfer to the hospital.  This is such an emotional decision, but she was so lovingly supported and encouraged that she was making the right decision for her baby.

The hospital is across the street, so the whole birth team walked over with a determination to see this baby being born.

Her doula lovingly set up her hospital space, and she enjoyed a nap with an epidural before beginning to push again.

After pushing again for another few hours, it was time for baby to come.  A doctor joined us and assisted with a vacuum to bring baby down the rest of the way.

After all her hard work, Hazel finally made her appearance and is in mama's arms.  The new family rejoiced and dad bonded with his new little girl.  

Radiant, yet exhausted, a full 24 hours later, mom finally achieved the fruit of her labor and had her baby girl in her arms. She worked so hard and was so brave and determined through all the changes in plans.  The depth of love and strength of a mother as she works to bring her baby earthside is unplumbed.  

Congratulations Tricia and Eric! It was an honor to document your story!

Welcome Aiden James!

Congratulations to Gaby and Alex on the birth of their son, Aiden James! This sweet couple were college sweethearts; now they're married and starting their family.  Gaby was committed to having a natural birth out of the hospital, and she chose to give birth at Austin Area Birthing Center.  It was a little before her due date when her water broke unexpectedly.  Contractions began soon after but things weren't progressing into active labor.  We tried some positioning and walking, and she was exhausted after a day of prodromal labor.  She checked into the birth center, and we all tried to get some sleep before beginning the midwives induction routine of pumping, herbs, and castor oil in the morning.  A few hours after that, things started to pick up and labor got intense and progressed quickly.

At the beginning of her labor, she did such a beautiful job of relaxing.  I love her posture her with her hands open as she surrenders to each surge, letting it open her and bring her baby nearer.

With her eye on the prize, she found her focus to help her through each wave.

Her husband was such a great support to her, giving tender encouragement, and intuitively following her lead.

This is transition, and she needed to clear gaze of her husband to help her through.  This look below shows so well the feeling of "I can't do this anymore, please help me."  But with constant support and encouragement, she pressed on toward the goal.

Even as she neared the finish line, she was so composed and relaxed.  I loved the way she folded her hands so beautifully in front of her.

Now for the pushing--such a powerhouse of strength and determination!

And finally, after so much hard work, baby is in her arms!

This such a beautiful, intimate moment as mom turns to her partner after the birth, with the expression of "we did it!".

This newborn baby knows his dad, and gazed so intently at him.

This beautiful golden hour as the new family settles in and gets to know each other!

Such a proud, gentle papa as he gets to hold his son for the first time!

Welcome to the world Aiden James!  This beautiful healthy baby weighed in at 6lbs 14oz and 20 in.  It was such a pleasure to serve this sweet couple and witness such strength, love, and beauty as they brought sweet Aiden into their arms.

The Triumphant Homebirth of Phoeniks Ezra

I had the privilege of attending a really beautiful homebirth for one of my former clients. I had worked with Andrea and Hector two years ago at the birth of their twins. While she had been hoping for a natural, vaginal birth for them, she developed pre-eclampsia and went into pre-term labor at 30 weeks, so it was decided that a cesarean was the safest way for them to be born. They were such tiny babies, and had to stay in the NICU for 53 days. Andrea's older daughter was also born prematurely when she had pre-eclampsia the first time.  These births were traumatic for her, and she desperately wanted to be able to avoid that if at all possible this time and have the homebirth she had dreamed of.  She took especially good care of her health and diet this time around and when she reached 35 weeks, still healthy, she was released from her high-risk status and got accepted with Central Texas Birth Center for a homebirth.  It was such a blessing as she reached full term, perfectly healthy.  Andrea's labor began on Friday evening with light contractions that continued through the night and much of the next morning.  By noon, they had picked up some, but they still seemed irregular and bearable, so her midwife decided to come check on her.  To everyone's surprise she was already 8 centimeters! I came shortly after, and Andrea was doing well, breathing through her contractions and making everything look easy.  It wasn't too long, and her water broke.  She got into her birth pool and had about three intense contractions and then the baby just slid out before anyone was quite ready.  Hector, who had been caring for one of their twins who had been sick, just made it into the pool and was able to catch the baby.  Andrea kept remarking after the birth that "that really wasn't too bad."  It was a beautiful, gentle birth, with a completely healthy baby who was born right into their arms in the comfort of their own home. It was such a joy to witness and document this birth for this sweet family and see them have the birth that they had waited so long to have.

Andrea and Hector waited to find out the gender, and when he was born, they waited till everyone had gathered to look and to announce that "Its a boy!" He was immediately welcomed by the whole family, two big sisters, two big brothers, and grandmother.  His big sister had such a perfect response!

Yes, Phoeniks Ezra, you were indeed worth the wait!  Congratulations to Andrea and Hector and the whole family!  It was an honor to serve you in both of your births, and to rejoice now with you in the beautiful birth of this beautiful baby!

The Birth Story of Claire Rosalia

It is my two-year doula-versary! Just two years ago I got to attend my very first birth as a doula, and I got to share in the welcome of a special little girl.  This is her story:

Claire’s due date had come and gone. Long ago it seemed. Every day after October 16th I would start each day and each night wondering, “could this be the one?” But they would continue to pass just as the one before. After just a couple turns of the clock like this, my hope became stained with anxiety. I knew that many first time moms went past their due dates, and I knew that those dates are educated guesses at best, but still I started to worry. I had stopped going into work that Friday before and felt that I needed the baby to justify to them why I was no longer sitting at my desk typing emails from nine to five. I started to think that how each day off work without that baby was a day that I wouldn’t have her all to myself at the end of my leave. I also worried about that fourteen day mark that was ever growing nearer. What if I had to give birth at a hospital? There were so many unknowns to that scenario that I wasn’t ready for, things I never wanted to have to prepare for or think about.

I had been having Braxton hicks contractions for a couple of weeks already, which feel like a simple tightening of the abdomen (as if it wasn’t tight enough already!), and these quick and rather sharp cervical pains that I learned were likely the start of effacement. As with so many other things during the course of pregnancy, these feelings became the new normal after the first week or so of experiencing them. It was wonderful and reassuring to know that my body was gearing up for the big day and I enjoyed feeling each practice uterine contraction, each cervical pang, and each leg stretch from the little baby inside me, despite the worries and anxieties that I just couldn’t seem to squash. One way or another, we were going to meet this little girl soon!

Monday October 21st was the best day since my due date had passed. I went to see my midwife for a checkup and she really set my mind straight again. She reminded me with perfect conviction that it was completely normal to be late and that there was nothing to worry about. She checked me inside and out and was impressed with my general health, the baby’s health, and my body’s progress thus far in getting ready for labor. She seemed sure that we would have this baby before the week’s end. I let her know my fears of having to go to the hospital and she reminded me that if we did make it to that point after trying all of their tricks to stimulate labor for all of those days, I would be ready for that option.  A midwife would go with me to the hospital to navigate the protocols and be my liaison to help me get the best birth possible. She gave me some ideas for getting things going and sent me on my way. I felt a million times better after that. I went home relaxed, happy, and willing to wait it out until Claire was ready to greet the world. Trying every trick in the book that I learned from the midwife, the grapevine, and Google anyway, just in case. I had to feel like I was doing something to encourage this show to get on the road. If it was baking spicy gingerbread cookies and watching a weepy movie that just happened to be the ticket, then I would leave no stone unturned!

The contractions I was feeling were starting to get more noticeable and more frequent by midweek. Days passed like this, but still there was no rhythm to them and they weren’t strong enough to take much of my attention. I would announce them to my husband and mom (at their request), but even that got old after a while. ‘Yup, guess what? I am having another contraction. Big Whoop.’ Some of them came with a new dull ache that felt like period cramps, and a couple of them I felt in my back. Then, on the evening of Thursday October 24th while sitting on the couch with my mom, I felt like the contractions had started to take on a rhythm and got a little “spicier”. I downloaded an app (which was a great idea!) and started timing them. They would ramp up relatively slow, keep a little plateau of feeling at the top, and then so very slowly ramp down until all I could feel was the tightness in my uterus but no sensation other than that. For a few hours they were about 30 seconds long for anywhere between 8 and 15 minutes apart. Now THIS really could be the night!

I decided to go to bed since it was now about 11pm or so and I had been taught to get sleep if I could just in case it was the last chance I had. A couple of contractions woke me up while I was sleeping, but it wasn’t until 3am that I realized I had been having contractions for the last hour that I could no longer sleep through. The sensation of them was getting stronger now! Excited, I hopped out of bed and told my mom that I was having regular contractions that seemed to be about 6 minutes apart. She hadn’t slept a wink yet, probably as excited as I was trying not to be about all of this activity. I timed a few more contractions while sitting on a birthing ball in the living room, my excitement growing as they came almost on cue and showed no signs of relenting. They were now only a few minutes apart, but became irregular between 2 and 5 minutes apart. I counted them as lasting between 30 seconds and a minute. There was no doubt about it now, this was definitely going to happen today. I decided to take a shower and gather some last minute things for the birthing center.

At 4:30am I called the midwife and our Doula, Jamie, to let them know what was happening. The midwife that called us back let me know that I was in the earliest stages of labor still and that if I could make calls and answer questions, then it was still too early to go anywhere. She must have been right, because I found myself talking to her through a contraction or two while I had her on the phone. The sensation was bordering on pain now, but it was still very manageable. She let me know that I was looking for the contraction to take all of my attention for a full minute, and be 4 minutes apart for an hour. I hung up the phone and woke my husband. It may not have been time to go anywhere just yet, but it would surely be soon and it was time for all hands on deck.

Jamie showed up about an hour later, at 5:30am. We weren’t sure until the week of my due date if we wanted a doula for our birth. When she came in the door, I was immediately happy that we had decided to get one in the end. I filled her in on the progress of the morning and she got to work; never leaving my side. Already, the contractions were getting stronger. We sat on the couch together, me switching between sitting up and laying down, and rode those waves that were coming now every 3-6 minutes and lasting 30 seconds to a minute. She helped me visualize the sensation as riding up a steep hill on a bicycle. Seeing the top coming closer and pushing through the discomfort of the effort, and then finally making it to the top and coasting down the other side, relieved and accomplished. This worked well at this stage, and I crested hill after hill knowing that the release was always soon to follow. At some point during this time, I started to vocalize each contraction. I had learned from birthing classes, prenatal yoga, and reading Ina May books that this can be a very useful tool. Using an “O” sound with your mouth can literally help to open you up down below. Using a deep voice rather than a high pitched one is said to help too, as well as keeping your face relaxed. I also concentrated on keeping my breath slow and deep, which the vocalizing helped with a great deal. I started using these tools almost automatically once the contractions became intense enough to need something additional to focus on. It was as if my voice was matching the power of the sensation in my back and lower uterus. Like an answer to a challenge; my power to its power. This method worked really well for me and I stuck to it for the remainder of the labor.

Most of the pain was in my lower back and hips, so I tried to do a lot of rocking on my knees or on all fours when I could manage it in case it was because Claire was faced the wrong way in my pelvis. But my body was tired already, so it was difficult to prop myself up on my arms for too long. I had taken to closing my eyes, going inside myself and taking each contraction at a time, resting as much as possible in between. Jamie was behind me for every one, pressing in on my back and hips – this was also something that I needed for each and every contraction until the end. It became necessary to have that counter pressure on my pelvis to get through them.

At 9am we called the birthing center again. The midwife had been right; at this point there was no way I was going to talk on the phone and I hoped no one expected me to be able to answer any questions. I needed to not be distracted by the outside world any longer. The contractions were now lasting a full minute and were coming every 4 minutes or less and had been doing that for right around an hour. I could feel the sensation of each contraction radiate through every part of my body now, though they were certainly concentrated around the middle of me. I think we were all anxious to move into the room where we would have this baby. They cleared us to come in and Paul and my mom went into a flurry of activity gathering food and drinks, the overnight bags, and stuffing everything in the car. We took two cars there, Paul took ours with the car seat in the back and my mom took her little rental with barely enough room for me to lay in Jamie’s lap in the back. By now I was in it! My eyes remained closed as I breathed through each contraction and in anticipation of the next. It was too hot, too bright, and I could not get into a good position. Even though I wasn’t looking, I knew the route so well that I could tell exactly where we were at each moment, each turn of the journey to South Austin. It felt like an eternity and I wanted so badly to get out of the car.

Once at the birthing center (about 9:30am), my family quickly unpacked and Paul’s parents showed up. The midwife checked my cervix and announced that I was only 1 ½ cm dilated. No it couldn’t be!!!! I was heartbroken at this news and wondered just how long this day was going to last. The midwife could also tell that I was exhausted from only sleeping a couple of hours the night before. It was tough decision time. She let me know that in order to avoid me wearing out before enough progress was made and us having to transport to the hospital, she could give me a mild pain med that would hopefully relax me enough to take a nap. And either way, we were going to have to return home to labor until I was 4-5 centimeters dilated. The last thing I wanted to do was leave there! Returning home felt like backwards progress and I didn’t know if I wanted to try and handle TWO more car rides. One was hard enough to take. The fact that I even was expected to make such an important decision in my state was surreal in itself. Maybe if I just laid there with my eyes closed and retreated back inside myself, she would go away and we could continue with the rhythm of the contractions. But I knew she was right, even though I asked her two or three times just to let us please stay. It was true that I was exhausted from laboring thus far, and I could hardly keep my eyes open to listen to her options for us. That, and since we had landed at the birthing center, the contractions had faded a bit (though I was only told this, I didn’t notice a change myself). I decided to take the mild pain med to see if I could sleep. I wasn’t happy about having to make that decision, but it was what would save us from having to go to the hospital, and somehow that was my greatest fear of the day.

 Paul’s mom, Janie, had the marvelously amazing idea of us going back to their house to labor, since it was on the same side of town and so much closer. Somehow I was stood up, put my shoes back on, and tried to hide as much of myself in my hoodie as I could as we ambled back out into the bright, hot world and into the cramped little car for another impossible car ride. At their apartment, it was now about 11am. I laid down on the guest bed and tried to feel sleep coming on or those pain meds that I had just been shot with. The problem was that though I did feel drowsy for a short time and I did get a few longer breaks between contractions which probably only amounted to a few extra seconds each, I never got this “nap” everyone was hoping for. Not even close. In fact, we only stayed at the house for a couple of hours. I would lay on my side and relax as much as possible, breathing deeply, until a contraction would send me shooting up on all fours to rock it out (still thinking maybe Claire was turned the wrong way and I wasn’t taking any chances either way.) Things really picked up at about 12:30pm and I no longer felt much of a break between contractions. My voice became louder and louder in response to the ever increasing waves of sensation that shook my body. It was apparent that this labor was moving ahead whether we were ready or not, especially when a few of the last contractions gave me the urge to push! Jamie and my mom could hear it in my voice. I didn’t even have the luxury of being tired any more, and it soon became clear that we needed to call the birthing center and get the ok to make our way back.

We arrived back in the room at 1:30pm. Upon being checked, the midwife announced that I was 7-8 cm dilated now. Oh my GOD that was good news to hear. We had made so much progress! Granted, I had absolutely no concept of time throughout the whole day and I did not know how long we labored at Paul’s parents or what time it was at that point. Godzilla could have trampled all of downtown Austin that morning and I wouldn’t have known nor cared, as long as it didn’t get in the way of my immediate world of careful laboring. All I knew was that somehow I had opened up and we were getting so very close to meeting this baby of ours. It didn’t really occur to me at the time that the centimeter reading meant that I was in the middle of transition and had been for the car ride over. All I knew was that I could handle this. I was handling this. I was so close. What was 2 more centimeters? The bath was run and I quickly stripped the rest of my clothes off and gingerly got in to kneel down on a towel. The water felt warm but didn’t provide the relief I always hoped it would. At this point, there was only a few breaths between each long contraction, which I met with a now furious roar that came out with each long exhale and had me almost gasping for breath in between. I couldn’t believe the strength of the noises coming from my mouth. It made me feel powerful. It gave me a sense of awe for the power of my body; a respect for what it could do all on its own. I knew with each contraction that it would rise but then it would fall. I would get a few precious seconds of relief to recover and ready myself for the next one. It was the most intense physical pain I had ever sustained willingly and consciously, but I was never fearful of it. Especially since I knew we were so close. Jamie was in the tub with me, standing and pressing on my back. I would direct her hands to the right spot if she was off a little. Paul got in front of me on the counter and I found both his hands and clutched them desperately through the contractions. I wanted him to feel the intensity of what I was going through. My eyes remained shut and it was harder to keep my face relaxed, though the open mouth roaring really helped me relax as much as I could manage. Some of the contractions made my head rise up and my back arch in response. I felt the strength of my arms and my legs holding on for dear life. The last ones gave me that urge to push again and I could hear waves of agreement around the room when they heard it in my still rising voice. They told me to try and shorten my breaths, which I tried but had no idea if I was doing what they meant and if it was making a difference.

 In 20 minutes I was checked again. I was fully dilated with just a little lip left to go! I was almost there! The midwife announced that I would have to move to the bed to push since I had progressed so quickly. They needed to be able to get a better view of what was happening and to make sure that I wouldn’t tear. I wasn’t happy about this; I think I had imagined having this baby in the tub, with my husband in it with me. But they knew best. I did the next couple of contractions with the midwife’s hand inside me to lift the last lip around the baby’s head. Then, it was time!! Moving out of the tub proved difficult, and I had to stop twice to let a contraction pass - once with one leg in the tub and one leg out, and once standing in front of the bed before I was able to get on. I felt like any major movement at this point brought on another contraction. It made me hesitate to move much unless I had to. I could also feel the baby low in my pelvis, and the widening pressure of her head bones squashed between my hip bones also made it difficult to move too much. The last thing I wanted to do with my legs was close them to perform actions such as walking or crawling on the bed. It wasn’t a painful feeling, just awkward and I didn’t want to run the risk of squeezing her little head any more than I was already or pushing her back up into the uterus.

I was back on the bed and ready to push at 2pm. I tried hands and knees, on my knees with Paul in front of me so I could hang on his neck (and scream in his ears which were surely ringing by now), and on my back but cocked to one side with one leg up. On my knees with my arms wrapped around my husband was the best feeling in the world at that moment. Knowing that he was right there, taking my weight and my screams and experiencing everything through me was an amazing bonding experience for both of us. Feeling the strength of his body gave me strength. I could actually hear people around us agree that it was a beautiful sight to see, as I buried my head in his neck during my recoveries. For over an hour I pushed; only getting 3-4 exhales of pushing before needing to recover for what seemed like 10 breaths. It was such exhausting work! Much tougher than any of the contractions before. Each time my long recovery started, I breathed deep and slow, knowing that I would have to give it even more the next time…and I was so tired. During this time more people came into the room. A new midwife instructed me to stop letting out so much of my energy through my mouth now. I would have to bear down instead, and send all of the energy to the bottom. I tried this and it worked beautifully. I gritted my teeth and grunted, visualizing my energy moving downward rather than upward, which is where it had been going for the last however many hours it had been.

The extra people in the room were there for a reason. I knew that something was up and that the midwives and assistants were not alarmed, but they were on high alert. They didn’t let me know what it was, and I started having inklings of worry toward having to go to the hospital again. I felt like I had been pushing for so long – hours – what if I didn’t have the energy to get her out? An oxygen mask was put on over my face and I heard something about the baby’s heart rate. Turns out it had dropped a few times and they were just monitoring it extra carefully in case it turned into a situation worth acting on. Still I pushed. I pushed and I pushed, recovering deep and long and slow in between. I could feel the stretch and tightness of her moving down inside me, and I was hoping for someone to call out, “the head!” but I heard no such thing yet. Push Push Push! Loooong Recovery. Push Push Push! Loooong Recovery. I had been moved from my back to my knees and again to my back. Paul was behind me and I was gripping his hands; Jamie had my left leg in her arms to hold it up. I was instructed to curl my body inward rather than arch my back while pushing. I dutifully did so. I had a room full of cheerleaders all around me encouraging me on. “That was a great push, let’s give it one more!” “Yes, like that, keep on pushing!”.

Finally, someone saw the head. It was full of dark hair! I could see it in my mind. I gave it a couple more rounds of pushing and felt the stretching sting of her head make it through. So many hands were on me, protecting me and the baby. She had come down in the right position. I paused to let them check things and then pushed on command. For the last time I pushed. Immediately out gushed the rest of her body, so fast that it surprised everyone. It felt so small and slippery compared to that head. They lifted her up and set her on my chest, all warm and slippery and bloodied. I could feel the warm tug of the cord that still connected us between my legs. She cried and I was in complete shock, my eyes now wide open. A million emotions flitted through me as I held onto my daughter for the very first time. I looked up at Paul, who was crying and looking on at her. The midwives covered us with a blanket, put a little hat on her, and got busy cleaning me up (there was a lot of blood, but I had been prepared for that so I didn’t mind.) The energy in the room was so incredible. Cameras came out, and everyone was buzzing with wonder, relief, and happiness. I kept looking from her to Paul and back to her. Our new family.

All in all it seems that I was in labor a total of 13 hours, (starting from the contractions that kept me awake at 2am), with active labor only lasting a short 3 hours. I did tear a little bit when her body came out so fast, but it was an internal tear and it just took a few stiches. I didn’t even feel it when it happened, and they numbed me to stitch it up.

Claire Rosalia Garcia weighed in at 6 lbs and 10 ounces, was 19 inches long, and extremely healthy and happy. She didn’t cry much, and almost immediately took to the most important task of eating. She took to my breast right away (with some help from the experienced ladies in the room) and fed for over an hour, which is always a good sign. I couldn’t have been happier with how everything went. Already I started to recount the events of the day, in awe of my very own birth experience. It was an incredible, intense, epic journey that I couldn’t believe I had just accomplished. All of those hours of reading, yoga’ing, studying, and prepping really paid off and helped to empower and comfort me. Knowing that each contraction, each sensation, and each hour every step of the way was all part of the process. All natural, normal, necessary, and most importantly, perfectly surmountable pieces to getting my beautiful baby girl out and into the world.

Rorie's Birth Story

This little guy just had his first birthday, so I thought it would be a good time to share the amazing story of his birth.

Amber was expecting her third child.  With her previous births, she had elected to use pain medication but had had bad reactions, so this time she was determined to have a natural childbirth and let her body do what it was capable of doing without interventions.

Her husband was in the military and was stationed out of state, but Amber hoped and prayed that he would be granted a leave to come home for the birth.  And as we were quickly approaching her due date, his leave was granted for ten days.  So we prayed that her labor would hold off until he made it home, and it did!  But then the days of his leave were passing by, and we still didn’t have a baby yet, so we prayed for labor to start, and we began trying a few natural methods to get labor going, but nothing was working.  Amber reluctantly consented to an induction so that her husband could be present for the birth, but we were still hoping for labor to begin spontaneously.  Her induction was scheduled for Sunday morning so she checked in the night before. 

And from here on out, Amber tells the story in her own words:

“I went in to the hospital around 10 pm. I was scheduled to be induced the following morning. My OB wanted me to start the IV with Pitocin at 5am. I was a couple of days past my estimated due date. I had spent the last week trying natural induction methods and they didn’t seem to be working. I was only 1 cm dilated and maybe 20% effaced at that time. It didn’t seem as if I was close to natural labor at all.

When I was admitted to labor and delivery, I immediately asked the nurses if I could try induction with the foley bulb. My doula, Jamie, had me look into that as an alternative to Pitocin. After I read into it, I decided I wanted to try that first. Unfortunately, the doctor wanted to stick with the Pitocin in the morning so my request was denied. The nurses got my husband and I settled in a room and the nurse have me some melatonin to help me fall asleep.  I fell asleep a little before midnight.

At 2am I woke up with some mild contractions. They were the first of any painful contractions I had felt throughout the pregnancy. I tried to fall back asleep but them at 2:30am I got out of bed to use the restroom. That was when I noticed I was losing my mucus plug. I started to get a little excited. I was hoping I would go into labor completely naturally. I called the nurse and told her that I was experiencing mild contractions and she came to monitor them.

At around 3am I noticed fluid leaking. My water was slowly breaking. The nurse had me on the monitor for about 30 min but I didn’t have any contractions at all during that time. I was a little discouraged but I asked for a birthing ball.

I bounced on the birthing ball for a while listening to praise music and praying. Soon I started experiencing more mild contractions. It was a little after 4 am. The nurse came and checked me around 4:30 because they wanted to start the Pitocin at 5am. I was dilated 2-3cm.

By 5am I was having painful contractions and they were getting regular about 5 minutes apart. I thought it might be a good idea to let Jamie know that I was going into labor. I told the nurses I did not want any Pitocin and I was sure my body was doing everything on its own. It was such a wonderful feeling to know that! My contractions became stronger and I became very nauseous. I began to throw up during and after every contraction. It made the contractions seem unbearable. I asked the nurse for something to help with the nausea. She gave me Zofran and it helped a bit. I tried laboring in different positions, including the birthing ball. I found that the only position I could tolerate my contraction in was standing, rocking side to side and leaning forward into my husband.

Jamie arrived to my room a little after 6am. I was still nauseous so she pinned a cotton swab with peppermint oil to my top, it helped and was refreshing. My contractions were very painful and Jamie helped my husband apply pressure to my lower back during them. It helped so much!   Around that time the nurse checked me again and I was 4-5cm dilated. They put me back on the fetal monitor. My contractions became closer together. The baby’s heartbeat would drop with the contractions so the nurses had me try to labor in different positions. I tried lying on my side in the bed but it was too painful and felt very uncomfortable. I stood back up and next to me bed. The contractions were coming so quickly.

The doctor came in to check on me. I was in so much pain and I became very afraid. I didn’t think I could do it anymore. Jamie and my husband assured me I could. Jamie told me I was very close. Soon after that I felt an urge to push. The doctor began to put on her scrubs and gloves. I really had to push and I was still standing on the side of my bed. I was finally ready. It came so fast! The nurses raised my bed and the doctor sat on the floor. I felt so much pressure. The baby’s head was crowning. I continued squatting on the side of my bed andafter a couple of pushes he was out. He was born at 7:05 am. They had to cut his cord immediately because it was around his neck and then they gave him to me. I was still standing next to my bed. I held him to my chest, completely in shock. It was the best feeling. I smiled and laughed."

We were all so happy that her prayers had been answered.  Her husband was able to be present, and Amber had the beautiful, natural birth that she was hoping for.  She did an amazing job as she coped with a very fast and intense labor, and her body did it all on its own, in the most perfect timing.

Congratulations Amber and William, and happy birthday Rorie!