Brooke and Ben welcomed their son, Braxton Asher, on February 4, 2021 at 12:32 pm. When they woke up the previous morning, I don’t think they expected to head to the hospital. After all, Brooke was only 35 weeks that day, and things had seemed to be going well. But Brooke had some blurry vision and after an NST and some tests, she was admitted for induction. Her blood pressure skyrocketed and it became clear that Brooke was safer not pregnant and Braxton was far enough along to have what he needed. We hadn’t yet had our prenatal visit but at least they had finished their refresher childbirth class. The plan was to update as there was news. But that was the kicker. There wasn’t much happening for a while. Brooke’s cervix was doing its job well. It wasn’t time to open for a baby just yet. Her past pregnancies had gone beyond her due date so this was a big shift, to say the least. Brooke took it in stride and accepted that it was the safest course.
They moved quickly after making the decision to induce. In no time Brooke was on magnesium and had a foley catheter in her cervix. She was counseled to get an epidural but she desired to avoid it. This would be the first birth without one and she really wanted to keep with her plans. This would also be her second VBAC for which everyone was thankful. At least that was less of a risk than had it been her first VBAC. Her scar had already withstood the contractions of labor and birth.
By 3:30 pm Pitocin had begun to flow. And it continued that way for many hours, getting bumped up incrementally as Brooke waited for contractions. The foley bulb was removed and contractions came at a steady 4-minute interval, although Brooke hardly felt them. The biggest challenge in those hours was not getting overly frustrated with the many cords attached to the outside and inside of her body. And when she moved the monitor would lose contact with her baby’s heart rate, sending her nurse in to push and adjust the belt and monitor until the baby’s heart rhythm was once again detected. The waiting hours of an induction are the longest. And with no food and little to distract her, by the middle of the night Brooke had hit a wall. She was over it—tired of being tethered, wanting to eat, impatient with her lack of contractions, and desperate for the sleep that never came. She was in a difficult place.
With the sunrise came a new day and a new attitude. The day staff came on, bringing a new nurse and I arrived at bedside to ride it out alongside Brooke and Ben. The Pitocin was at 24 mu/min, which was quite high, but Brooke remained unchallenged by the contractions. She had been dilated 5-6 cm at her previous exam and laying on her left side with a peanut ball between her legs. She was trying to be restful even if she couldn’t sleep. But she was ready to be more active.
I recommended Brooke move to her hands and knees over the head of the bed. She labored that way for about 45 minutes, using gravity to her advantage. Squatting seemed the next place to go as the Pitocin continued to get bumped up. Brooke’s nurse fetched a squatting bar for us and Brooke got busy. She grabbed the top of the bar and squatted through each contraction, sitting back upon the bed in between. She squatted quite low, hoping her open pelvis would encourage her little boy to find a lower space that might bring on some labor.
And then we saw it. After about an hour of squatting, Brooke changed. She vocalized more with each contraction and she was spending more time in recovery between. It had been many hours since her last cervical exam so the doctor came in to see where she was at. Brooke’s cervix had also turned a corner. It was dilated 7 cm, 90% effaced, and her baby was at -1 station. That effacement was the biggest news of all for it meant that her cervix would melt away with less effort than getting to 7 cm had taken. And sure enough, within minutes of the doctor stepping out, Brooke exclaimed, “There’s an incredible ring of pain!”
The next doctor on shift came in right away and it was clear that a baby was coming. The room quickly filled with people, especially since Braxton was only 35 weeks, but the doctor did the most wonderful thing. She squatted at the base of the bed, right there at Brooke’s feet for she was also squatting. And she told her to keep doing what she was doing and that she would be right there. I saw her cradle the baby’s head as it emerged and in just a contraction or two Braxton Asher was born at 12:32 pm! And he weighed 5 lb. 8 oz. and measured 19 in. long.
He was rubbed and suctioned in an effort to bring out a cry or two. And he was then passed into his mother’s waiting arms. She had waited much longer than she expected to considering he came earlier than she had planned. She kissed him and Ben had his hand on Brooke through it all as they took in their newest son. Once the cord had stopped pulsing and Ben cut it, Braxton was taken to the warmer for a little more attention. It was determined that he would need additional support in the NICU so Brooke and Ben waved their son off as he traveled in his fancy box.
Minutes later there was good news. Braxton had figured out breathing and would be in the observation nursery instead of the NICU with the plan to return to his parents in 24 hours. This was not the same as never being separated at all, but Brooke knew full well that a 24-hour separation was not nearly what it might have been. Thankful for improved health and blood pressures, and for the simpler recovery that comes with a birth without pain medications, Brooke felt really good immediately after delivery. We would touch base a day later and she maintained her position that natural birth was a completely different recovery and she was grateful for that.
Birth comes in many shapes and forms. But in the end, the journey to meet our babies is less about how they came into the world and more about how we were treated during the process. Brooke’s birth journey was a triumphant one in which she found her voice and her options and a provider who was respectful and patient. Congratulations on your unique journey!
