The Birth of Arlo Elliott 10/26/21

Arlo Elliott was born to his parents, Alex and Will, on October 26, 2021. His parents are wanderers, comfortable living in their RV and driving where their hearts are led. Upon becoming pregnant, they thought it best to set down some roots and so their journey got established here, and they reached out to me. I was honored to be chosen to accompany them on their birth journey, for I got a strong sense of adventure. Every birth is adventurous, but theirs would somehow be an especially memorable experience, I just felt it.

They attended my childbirth class and learned all they could about creating a safe growing environment for their baby and how to work with Alex’s body in labor. And so we all waited for quite a bit. Alex’s due date came and then it went, and she remained pregnant. She fought the temptation to try to coax her baby out with various methods. She knew he would come when the time was right. So nearing 42 weeks, an induction was scheduled just to be cautious. More patient waiting was required as the first call to the unit did not yield an available bed. Alex and Will had one more night of sleep until the next morning when they had a room.

Alex’s cervix was not ready and thus needed some ripening. Cytotec was the plan and they went through three rounds of it which took up the entire day, but dilated her to 2 cm. The next step was to use a balloon with low dose Pitocin to continue ripening of her cervix. And by 4:00 am on the second day she was dilated 4 ½ cm and 80% effaced. This was a good starting point for labor. And once the balloon fell out, Alex said, “I feel amazing!” 

By 8:30 that morning, Alex’s contractions were steady and moderate. They didn’t require much coping at that point, but were a mild distraction. Her bulging bag of water was broken at 9:15 that morning as the Pitocin continued to flow. And she was soon dilated to 5 cm, 80% effaced, with her baby’s head at -1 station.

Alex labored in every position she could think of. She was on her hands and knees, standing beside the bed, swaying, and even sitting all in the first 45 minutes I was there. But it was difficult to keep track of her baby’s heart rate. Whether it was her movement or an issue with baby, they were unsure. So an internal monitor was placed on the baby to be assured of accurate information. Alex’s blood pressure rose, something new for her, and something to be aware of. And with increased lighting, they noticed meconium in the amniotic fluid. Once again, not necessarily a problem, but something to be aware of.

Her baby’s heart rate continued to dip, so an intrauterine pressure catheter was inserted to gauge the precise strength of the contractions to help titrate Pitocin accurately. But her baby kept showing signs of stress with continued dips in his heart rate. Since Alex’s blood pressure also continued to climb, her doctor recommended she get an epidural to help with her pressure as well as provide an opportunity for her to rest. After some discussion, Alex and Will agreed that it was the best decision.

She was comfortable by 1:40 that afternoon, but her baby continued to show signs that he was tired. The doctor came in and had a heart to heart talk with her, as did her midwife. They were worried about her baby and whether he had the wherewithal for the rest of labor. Alex’s cervix had not opened further and her baby had not descended, and he was quite frankly running out of steam. So they took their time to reflect and discuss, and after some tears, they took the advice of the providers and agreed to a cesarean birth. 

Alex was adorable at this point. She was comfortable so she figured she might as well put on some makeup. I just loved that about her. She was upbeat and kept her focus on the fact that she would soon have her baby in her arms. Within half an hour she was on her way to the OR to meet her baby, with Will walking behind.

Their sweet son, Arlo Elliott was born at 4:19 pm, healthy and sturdy, at 8 lb. 2 oz. He was perfect, especially after getting two extra growing weeks. The sun set outside as this new family got familiar with each other. Alex and Will were naturals with Arlo, cradling him with confidence and familiarity that not all new parents possess day one. Will handed Arlo to Alex as if he had been doing it forever. Alex learned a lot that day. She learned about the unpredictable nature of birth and how you can’t plan anything. She was reminded of the value of spontaneity and being flexible, things she and Will already knew about from their RV tripping. And she connected with her inner strength, courage, and patience, all important attributes for a mother to have. And I sat and watched her soar.