Nikki and Will brought their sweet son, Link Mark Matthew into the world at home on January 12, 2023, which also happened to be his due date! Nikki had given birth a couple of times previously, so her body was familiar with the heaviness of a full womb and the contractions that can come and go. She reached out to me with rhythmic contractions, but they faded away. Her body was gearing up and she was not disheartened but encouraged to know her birthing time was drawing near.

She texted me on January 11 with the report that she had been feeling contractions all day and generally just yucky and suspected labor might be afoot. Steady communication was critical as I was leaving the house to teach my childbirth class a short time later. And within the hour, as I sat down in front of the couples to begin the class, a text came through that the midwives were on the way and recommended I do the same. The turnaround was quick and I was on their doorstep a short time later.

Nikki was calm and pleasant, laboring gently through her contractions in the birthing nest she had built in their bedroom. The midwives were setting up their things and the children came up to pay a visit while labor was still simmering. Will had a bubbly excitement, flitting here and there to take care of details as needed or requested by the midwives or Nikki. But he mostly kept his post right beside or in front of Nikki, making it clear he was her solid support and was there for her every step of the way.

Around 8:00 that night, labor seemed to pick up slightly. Nikki was laboring on her hands and knees and swaying her hips with the contractions. She was worried she might have called us too soon and didn’t want everyone waiting around a long time, but we reassured her it was our job and we could step out if that became prudent. We made sure Nikki had some food in her since she hadn’t eaten much all day. A plate of apple slices, dates, and Cheezits came up from the kitchen, along with some homemade bone broth. Little did we know, those morsels of food would be a critical part of her energy stores for later. And Will thought he might as well put in a grocery order too since they would soon be homebound for a bit with the newest little one.

A wave of nausea hit Nikki, but peppermint essential oil helped. She felt her baby’s hands or something moving down low and wished her baby would move them so he could make his way deeper in her pelvis and right on out. By 9:50 that night, Nikki moved her labor to the shower, and it was under the flow of the warm water that we heard her first sighs through the peaks. Her midwives made their way upstairs since there had been a change in intensity, and they were quietly present. They asked if Nikki might want the tub, but she was content with the shower. Nikki labored in there nearly an hour, taking advantage of the roomy shower to move in a variety of positions.

Will helped the kids to bed around that time, then returned to his post beside his beloved. He spoke encouragement into Nikki’s ear, praising her and telling her he loved her. Contractions were punctuated with sweet kisses on her shoulders and back. Nikki grew warmer so she took off her robe and we setup a fan. It was nearly 11:00 pm by then and the midwives gathered their supplies for delivery. Music was playing in the background, setting the stage for the birth space, and the waves of nausea continued. Will rubbed Nikki’s back and we did counter pressure off and on during contractions too.

Just past midnight, Nikki’s contractions spaced to 5-7 minutes apart, so she lay down to rest on her bed for a while. The midwives retreated downstairs and came up periodically to check on baby’s heart tones. After a couple of hours, Nikki expressed interest in the tub so her midwives began setting it up. Nikki sucked a honey stick and then descended in the warm water around 3:12 am. Her legs were tired, and she appreciated the buoyancy the tub provided. Nikki labored on her hands and knees and moved as she was able to, even lunging from side to side.

Then at 4:20, because she was curious and hopeful for information, she decided to have her cervix checked. She was dilated 4 cm, 70% effaced, and baby was at -1 station. Her midwife confirmed that baby’s position was less than optimal with his head tilted to the left, chin untucked, and lots of posterior space. It was time to incorporate some Spinning Babies. Her midwife and I came up with a plan and Nikki was all in. She would do 3 forward leaning inversions, then take a Benadryl for some therapeutic rest, and lay in right-side runners with the peanut ball between her legs. Her midwives would go home to get some rest with the promise to return as soon as things changed.

I stayed with Nikki, quietly observing, and listening for changes, while also catching a bit of rest myself. She was resting by 5:00 am but towards the end of that hour, her contractions picked back up. She said, “ouch,” with each one, until I recommended, she say the more positive “open” or “out.” She breathed slowly through each surge and continued to lay on her right until the intensity required a change. Her water broke at 6:15 am at which point we updated her midwives.

Soon after that, the contractions really ramped up, sending Nikki on all fours to better cope through them. They were suddenly long and close at almost 2 minutes long and 2 minutes apart! I called her midwives who were on their way back right away, and Will tried to add water to the tub since it had cooled.

By 6:50 am, Nikki made a pushy sound, and we knew her baby was coming very soon! Her midwives were just 3 minutes away at that point, so Nikki blew through each contraction as her baby moved lower and lower. Both midwives arrived right as Nikki made the first big pushing sounds, and they took their places in support of Nikki. She pushed instinctively for about 15 minutes with the steady feedback and support of her birth team. By 7:14 am her midwife could see baby’s head and by 7:18 baby was crowning. And at 7:22 am, their little man was born to the gleeful tears of his parents!

Link had somehow twisted his arm around his neck and over his shoulder as if he was patting his own back. Maybe he was! So, his journey out was a convoluted one for sure! After working through some fluid, he gave a lusty cry and the placenta followed in time. Nikki had absolutely no tears which was quite a feat given Link’s positioning!

He was latched by 7:54 am and Nikki and Will stared enraptured by the person they created. “You’re so fuzzy and beautiful,” she said. And Will took Link’s first selfie and sent it to big sister. The sweet words of love shared with this baby boy were so precious.

“I’m looking forward to our life together.”

“Your mom worked so hard to have you. She brought you into the world safe and with love, with so much love.”

“I love you so much, so much, so much.”

It was hard not to shed tears at the overflowing love.

Link weighed a hefty 8 lb. 15 oz. and measured 21 in. long. This only made Nikki’s feat more impressive. Women’s bodies are engineered in an amazing way! And even when our babies give us positional challenges, it’s good to know there are ways for mom to move her body to encourage her baby to do the same. When I think of this birth, I can’t help but think of love. It was woven throughout the entire thing, from the way the room was decorated and prepared, to the tender way the midwives cared for Nikki and her baby, and the sweet words and kisses exchanged between Will and Nikki. I am grateful and humbled to have been invited and trusted to bear witness to their beautiful birth journey.  

Katie and Philip met their sweet baby girl, Penelope Rose, on November 27, 2022, after a long labor journey. Katie had a strong preference for the midwifery model of care, and she believed in the process of birth and her body’s ability to do it, so she secured her care with homebirth midwives. Their home was ready, and they even decorated for Christmas early, just in case their baby came later in December. However, we were all pleasantly surprised when Katie felt her first labor contractions on November 26, with an estimated due date of December 5.

Katie’s initial contractions were very regular at 5-7 minutes apart around 4:30 am and by 7:30 had grown longer and stronger and even closer. It was soon clear that her baby had chosen to be born early. Katie alerted her midwives and me a couple of hours later and we all arrived shortly before 10:00 am. Her midwife assessed her and determined she might be dealing with an OP baby, so we went to work having Katie labor on her hands and knees over the CUB chair. A heating pad also eased some of the pain she felt in her back. She was curious about her progress and wondering what sort of labor journey she might expect. So her midwife did an exam the revealed it was still very early labor. Katie was dilated a fingertip and 30-40% effaced, with her baby at -1 station. It was time to rest. Her midwives left at 12:15 and I stepped out an hour later.

Katie rested at home as well as she could, and when things picked back up her midwives and I returned. Katie was struggling with nausea that had her throwing up, and her body was feeling very weary from laboring as long as she had. Her midwives made sure she tried to get some electrolytes down as well as food, but she was having a challenging time. With the strong suspicion that baby’s position was largely to do with her labor journey, her midwives discussed options. After talking through everything, Katie and Philip decided to transfer to the hospital to get some i.v. fluids and see about next steps. Katie’s midwives made the necessary phone calls and had the records all assembled for the transfer, and hugged Katie and Philip as they left. We promised to keep them in the loop along the way since they were emotionally invested as her initial providers.

Katie was patient and brave through three tries at finding a vein, but once the fluid was running, she exhaled a sigh of relief. Her body truly needed hydration and her uterus would likely respond well to it. A cervical exam showed that Katie was dilated 4 cm and 100% effaced at 8:45 pm. She had done good work at home! She was also pleased that there was an amazing midwife on call who received her and would be her provider during her birth.

Katie decided an epidural would be a good tool to help her get much needed rest for (and for Philip!) and perhaps aid in some pelvic relaxation to help baby do some rotation. She got about 7 hours of sleep overnight, with steady progress. We kept her changing positions, and she was dilated 4-5 cm at 11:30 pm, and 6 cm by 3 am. And by 7:50 am her water broke on its own and she was dilated 8 cm!

We used gravity to help by putting the bed in an upright throne position to bring baby down. It helped because by 9:25 Katie was dilated 9.5 cm with a rim on the right side. Baby was also lower at +1 station. We had helped her roll to her left side with the peanut ball between her ankles to open her pelvic outlet. And in 20 minutes she was fully dilated!

Katie began pushing at 9:55 am and she didn’t take long to figure it out. She pushed steady and strong and changed positions regularly, and at 11:44 am we could see her baby’s head and all that hair! And with progress every single push, Katie birthed her sweet girl at 12:03 pm on November 27, nearly 36 hours after her contractions began!

Philip cried at the sight of his daughter and Katie held her close as she let the enormity of what she just did settle on her heart and mind. She was all smiles in those first few minutes, so joyful to have her baby in her arms! The midwife was singing Katie’s praises and pleased to tell her there were no tears. And she even got the opportunity to wait until after the placenta was out before Philip cut the umbilical cord. After their magic hour as a family of three, the nursery nurse returned and did Penelope’s measurements. She was perfect at 7 lb. 10 oz. and 20.25 in. long. The midwife paused at bedside before leaving to congratulate Katie on such a beautiful birth and embracing her as an adopted patient. Her homebirth midwives had also been cheering her on, sending messages of love and congratulations as the updates came. It was a loving village of support for this new family.

Katie’s birth was a beautiful example of how seamlessly a homebirth transfer can work as well as how a doula can be the link to bridge the gap from home to hospital. Making a change in location and providers can be a daunting and scary task, but it wasn’t like that. Katie and Philip were met with respect and kindness and were immediately embraced by the nurses and provider on call. Katie was well cared for and had nothing but wonderful things to say about her experience. Her homebirth providers were pleased with the cooperative relationship between them and the hospital staff, with the transfer of records and information really paving the way for solid continuity of care. It was an amazing example of teamwork making the dream work and Katie and Philip still beam as they talk about their birth. And as their doula, that makes my heart sing!