The Birth of Aslan Yusuf 4/2/21

Megan and Gokhan welcomed their son, Aslan Yusuf, before the sunrise on April 2, 2021. When I first met Megan, I was struck by her youth. She was the same age as my oldest child and the reality really hit me. I jumped to conclusions based on this and was so humbled and enlightened as I got to know her. She was bubbly and eager, and extremely motivated to welcome her son in the unmedicated birth she envisioned. She was also a student in my in-depth childbirth class, further building upon the innate knowledge of her body. Megan’s cervix made some changes late in pregnancy, thinning and opening before the first labor contraction, so that by her 39-week appointment she was 3 cm and 80% effaced. Her midwife sent her home with the compliment of being the most ready for labor of the many 39-week moms she had seen that day. Still, Megan realized this had no bearing on when she would welcome her son, so she remained open to whatever may come.

And just a few hours later I got a text. Megan was having “cramps” every 6 minutes or so, painful enough to give her pause. Were these from her exam? Or maybe for some other reason? They couldn’t possibly be labor just like that, could they? And of course, we all know that yes, they can. Six hours later, just past midnight Megan reached out with an update. The contractions were 5 minutes apart and very long and painful. It was so quick! So I recommended she call her midwife to get the recommendation of whether it was a good time to head in. The midwife confirned it was, and we met up at the hospital a short time later.

Megan breathed very calmly through her surges and her midwife was pleased to say she was dilated 5-6 cm with a bulging amniotic sac. This was a good place to be, for it meant that the longest most painstaking part of labor was already done. The more intense phase was coming. Megan received some iv fluids to help stabilize her baby’s heart rate and we applied some heat to her lower back as she sat through it. After the midwife checked in and left, Megan asked me about her pain medication options. But she did so with a slight smile. This was Megan’s transition. I assured her that by asking the question we could see she was very soon going to meet her baby. She never spoke another word of it. And neither did we.

The shower was the next stop but it didn’t last long. Megan needed to take a stop on the toilet as she felt some strong rectal pressure. And sitting right there her water broke! She retuned to the bed for a quick cervical update and her midwife declared her to be 9 ½ cm dilated at 4:07 am. Megan reclined in the bed because that felt right to her. And she gracefully allowed her body’s transition contractions wash over her as she started to feel the urge to bear down at the peaks. A fan (HER fan that she directed us to) and a cold washcloth were about all she needed in that moment. And by 4:45 she was full-on pushing side-lying.

Megan rolled over to her hands and knees and pushed over the birth ball. Her midwife leaned in closely to tell her that her baby was in the OP position and would need a bit more oomph in each push to descend and rotate. And Megan delivered. Literally. Megan pushed in a lunge and we could see her son’s dark hair shortly after. The midwife reached for the delivery cart, parking it at the foot of the bed. Then she donned her paper suit and took a seat.

Megan’s pushes were instinctive and strong and effective. Her son come tumbling into the world (and even rotated into the OA position) at 5:56 am! Daddy cut the cord and a quick workup confirmed he was just fine in spite of meconium in the fluid. Megan pulled her son to her and locked into his face. Then she looked about the room at each one of us to express her glee. She had done it! Just like she knew she could. Like we all knew she could. Aslan weighed 8 lb. 3 oz. and measured 21 in. long. He was wide awake, basking in his mother’s smell and sound, peering into her face, the one he already knew.

Watching Megan embrace her labor, actually relish it, was a beautiful reminder of the gift of birthing. It is an act of courage, strength, letting go, and ultimately of love. Megan may be young, but she is already so wise. She trusts her body and believes in herself. And it is no accident those same qualities make a marvelous mother. She taught all of us some things that night. And we will be forever blessed by those lessons. No matter what is happening in the world, babies are born and mothers are strong.