Jacqueline and Tony welcomed their third child, Cooper Jay, on June 12. After giving it some thought, and listening to what her heart had been saying for many years, Jacqueline decided to welcome Cooper at home. After all, she herself had been born at home and she had always felt drawn to it. This was also my third time to serve as their doula so we rejoiced together with the previous births and looked forward to welcoming Cooper with just as much love. Jaqueline was in her first trimester during a time of much upeaval. The Midwifery Center at DePaul had just closed its doors, and her beloved midwives who had cared so well for her twice before, would be attending births at a different facility that did not have the same amenities, aka a birth tub. Then the world was overtaken by the COVID-19 pandemic, further affecting her birth options, most namely, that she could have her doula and children present. Finally, she had good reasons to just listen to the desires of her heart without reservation. She did her research and found her midwife.

Towards the end of her pregnancy, Jacqueline lost sleep over bouts of contractions that left her confused and frustrated, and very exhausted. After one particularly tough night, she reached out to me. And as it turned out, those contractions would never relent and I was at her house shortly after lunch. Jacqueline was lovingly doted on by her daughter who was a veritable doula in training! Tony drifted in and out to take care of the children’s needs as well as giving Jacqueline the in person emotional support she needed. Things were slow to intensify, but several hours later, once her midwifes had arrived, Jacqueline drifted into more active labor. Her contractions were strong and she felt pressure like she might need to push but she could sense that her baby wasn’t descending. Her midwife did an exam and confirmed that Jacqueline was dilated 7 cm and 90% effaced. Her baby was likely malpositioned so the recommendation was to do some stair walking. Jacqueline had already been laboring in a variety of positions but her baby needed a bit more. So she walked up and down the stairs, legs spread as far as she could manage, all while having contractions, for about 45 minutes. The stairs flipped a switch and Jacqueline was working. I recommended the shower and she returned to where she had already felt such comfort hours before. Jacqueline felt such pressure from her contractions that she knew her baby would be born shortly. Then we heard a loud splash (over the sound of the shower!) as her water broke. And with a growl her baby was quickly on the verge of birth. Jacqueline only pushed a couple of times before her son entered the world at 9:41 pm! She grabbed him to her chest and took in all of the emotions.

Jacqueline was surrounded by her husband and children, feeling all of the love…and admiration, as we heard, “I didn’t know my mom had superpowers!” She settled into her own bed in her own room as she completed delivery of the placenta and began her recovery. Her children peeked in on their baby brother and welcomed him with snuggles and sweet words. Tony and Jacqueline exchanged a kiss and after admiring Cooper, Tony went downstairs to prepare a snack plate for Jacqueline and the kids. After some extended skin to skin time and nursing, Cooper was weighed and measured. His numbers came to 7 lb. 7 oz. and 20 in. long. He had a head full of brown hair which prompted Jacqueline to share with us that she had dreamed years ago she would welcome a brown-haired son. Clearly his time had come. I love that Jacqueline listened to her heart instead of her head so much. She is a thinker. She followed her desire to welcome her baby at home, and she even followed her yearning for a third child, who turned out to be the one she had been dreaming of all this time. Congratulations again to this family who is so dear to me. I appreciate you and am grateful to have journeyed in birth with you three times.

The Birth of Cooper Jay 6/12/20