Lindsey and David welcomed their sweet baby girl, Delilah Moon, on December 18, 2020. Their birth was a great example of how unpredictable birth can be. It always keeps us humble. At a routine prenatal appointment and NST, it was noted that Lindsey’s amniotic fluid levels were low. Since she was already 10 days beyond her due date and had an induction just days away, they felt it best to err on the side of caution and begin induction that evening. Plus, Lindsey’s cervix was still closed so there was some groundwork to be laid.

She was admitted that evening for some cervical ripening overnight on December 16, 2020. A Cook Balloon was inserted along with some low dose Pitocin and Lindsey and David settled in for the night. But Delilah didn’t respond well to the combo as her heart rate fell low. The Pitocin was turned off and the balloon removed and the midwife was very pleased to learn that Lindsey was dilated 5 cm. The plan was for Lindsey to eat a breakfast, monitor the baby and resume Pitocin in an hour. Slow and gradual was the name of the game and the day consisted of increasing Pitocin and gauging baby’s response as to whether to raise it or turn it off. Just after 4:00 that afternoon, Lindsey was dilated 5-6 cm and the midwife broke her water. The hope was that her body would respond with contractions that moved to active labor. Their intensity escalated quickly, and with the Pitocin at 18.0 mu, Lindsey was coping with her strong contractions well. She labored beside the bed, slow danced with David, used a heat pack on her back, and continued to move.

Another bout of decels had the Pitocin turned off again, however. Lindsey was dilated 5 cm and 80% effaced but had not made a lot of cervical change since the morning. Her uterus would need more time, but it was anybody’s guess whether her baby would be able to tolerate labor for a long time. A fetal scalp electrode provide the reassurance of baby’s true heart rate in response to contractions and seemed a good compromise to keep the induction plan moving forward. Lindsey labored upright in the bed, hoping to get gravity to help. The Pitocin was still turned off based on her baby’s prior response to it. And the hope was that she might not even need it. She continued her labor dance drifting through child’s pose, slow dancing, dangling with the rebozo from the squat bar on the bed, and even lunges. And Lindsey’s hard work paid off because she went from 7 cm dilated at 8:20 pm to 8-9 cm dilated just past 10:00! In the throes of transition, Lindsey still found the confidence to say, “This shit is crazy!” followed by “I’m a badass bitch!” And indeed she was!

Hands and knees over the peanut ball provided some back relief and encouraged Delilah’s heart rate to recover from an earlier position that caused another drop. Valor essential oil gave an emotional boost as Lindsey edged toward pushing, and by 11:21 pm she was fully dilated. Her baby remained high at 0 station however, so there was still some work to be done. Lindsey reached out for Davey’s hand, something she did time and time again over the course of her labor. Their connection was a beautiful thing to witness. In the midst of a complicated induction, they were tethered to each other providing ballast through unchartered and choppy waters.

At 12:15 am on December 18, the Pitocin was resumed at a low dose in the hopes it would encourage Lindsey’s baby to move deeper into the pelvis for a vaginal birth. An hour later at 1:30 am and 4.0 mu of Pitocin, Lindsey made the difficult decision to get an epidural. She was exhausted after being up for two nights and laboring through contractions for the whole day, but also to salvage some rest before pushing. But soon afterward, the baby’s heart rate dipped lower and longer than it had before, bringing the OB on call to her room for a conversation. After palpating the baby’s location, he determined that an amnioinfusion might provide enough of a cushion to free up the cord and allow baby more room to fine tune her position for a vaginal. Birth. The plan was to rest, resume Pitocin (again), and then to push.

But then as if in answer to that plan, Delilah’s heart rate dipped again, this time even deeper and longer than the other ones. And the OB looked Lindsey in the face and said very gently that her baby was choosing a different road. There were concerns about the baby’s ability to handle hours of pushing, especially with decels happening that were already so significant. And Lindsey and David agreed that a c-section birth was the safest way to meet their baby. After laboring all day and dilating to 10 cm without pain medication, Lindsey opted for a complete change in plans for the safety of her baby. I have such admiration for moments like that, when a mother has to relinquish control and reframe her birth experience in such a vastly different way than what she had originally envisioned.

And at 4:29 am on December 18, 2020, Lindsey and Davey met their sweet Delilah at long last. She weighed 6 lb. 12 oz. and measured 21 in. long and was every bit as perfect as they had imagined. And you would think this was where the birth story ends. However, Lindsey took a turn for the worse, and after receiving blood products her vitals weren’t improving. So she was rushed back to the OR for what they initially expected to be a quick fix. But it wasn’t. The doctor discovered some internal lacerations that required swift attention. Lindsey was put under general anesthesia and underwent emergency surgery that lasted several hours. Davey and Delilah had some quality daddy-daughter bonding time, while Lindsey spent the night in the ICU recovering.

At the time of this writing, Lindsey, Davey and Delilah are settled nicely at home getting to know each other and their new family dynamic. Lindsey is navigating early motherhood day by day, trusting her mommy instincts to do what feels right for her daughter. Davey is a constant support, helping and available just as he was during the birth process. Even in the midst of a downright birth odyssey and complicated postpartum, these new parents are thriving and moving forward confidently and full of love and patience for each other. They were adamant that their story be shared. Birth can look so very different from one person to the next. And even when you think you’ve made it through the most difficult part, there could still be a surprise lurking around the corner. And it is in this way that birth is the perfect training ground for parenting. You just never know what the journey will look like. You only know that it is a journey you must take. Flexibility, compassion, patience, and resilience, much like what Lindsey and Davey demonstrated, are incredible attributes for parents to have. They are definitely starting on the right foot.

The Birth of Delilah Moon 12/18/20