Moriah and Desmond met their son face to face on April 15, 2021 in a surprising and beautiful birth. Dorian Prince was well named as he entered the world the prince of his mother’s heart. I got a phone call from Desmond just past 9:00 am on April 14 that Moriah thought her water had broken. The plan was to rest until she felt notable contractions and since she had a midwife appointment later that morning she would plan to go if labor hadn’t really taken hold.

At her appointment she was dilated 3 cm. The midwife confirmed that her water had begun to break and since she had tested positive for Group B strep, she was sent to the hospital to be admitted. Desmond called to keep me up to date and to share that Moriah was given space and time at the hospital to see if she would naturally go into active labor. Her midwife broke the forebag, then Moriah used a breast pump to bring on contractions and walked the halls of the unit. But by 9:40 that night just dilated 4 cm, Pitocin was recommended to bring stronger contractions. They started slowly and raised it gradually. Moriah rested initially but within two hours she was in active labor. She breathed in sighs through her contractions and nausea overcame her, making her vomit at midnight.

The wireless monitor gave much freedom as Moriah moved her way through labor. And she was dilated to 5 cm by 1:00 am. She labored on her hands and knees over the peanut ball, and then labored sitting upright in the bed. By 2:00 am there were late decels in her baby’s heart rate but fluids leveled it out just fine.

Her next go-to was the shower at 3:00. But it was difficult to trace her baby’s heart rate, and Moriah had to return to the bed for a better strip. She hit a wall there and confessed to us that she wasn’t sure how much longer she could take it. She was tired and labor was painful. We recommended she get an exam to see if perhaps she might be in transition and sure enough, she was dilated 7 cm at 3:45 am. Moriah found encouragement knowing her labor had taken off and she was able to refocus her efforts.

She flipped back to her hands and knees and we cooled her with wet cloths. And just a few minutes later, Moriah felt like she had to push. I reminded her to continue laboring down, breathing through the pressure as it grew. Desmond applied counter pressure to her lower back since the sensations grew larger and she felt like she had to have a bowel movement. (She actually didn’t. It was her baby coming!) But when Desmond heard that he said, “We’re gonna check it!” And he was right on the money because Moriah was 9.5 cm dilated at 4:30 am.

Moriah continued to breathe through the growing urge to push until she couldn’t stop it anymore. And she was officially pushing at 4:45 am. She zoomed from 7 to 10 cm in an hour! Moriah moved her baby quickly and in no time we saw his hair. I will never grow tired of the reaction of parents upon seeing the first glimpse of their baby! And at 5:12 am Dorian Prince was born! Moriah was able to reach down and help grab her baby as he entered the world! He weighed 8 lb. 5 oz. and measured 20 in. long, although those stats wouldn’t be determined until after the magic hour. Snuggling was first on the agenda and then breastfeeding! There was plenty of time to statistics.

These first-time parents navigated the unchartered waters of labor with confidence and open minds, which brought their son to them with as little intervention as possible. It was a joy to get to know them and to accompany them as they traversed such a significant phase in their lives together, from couple to parents. Welcome to the club! And welcome to the world, Dorian!

The Birth of Dorian Prince 4/15/21