The Birth of Eli Melech Charles 6/23/23

Rachel and Lucas welcomed their third child, this time a BOY, on June 23! Rachel was familiar with the road of induction since she had been induced for her first two births due to high blood pressure. She hoped to avoid it but knew that it was a possibility again. She also had experienced a postpartum hemorrhage and hoped to avoid that this time. But Rachel trusted her providers and knew with good support and some strategies in place she would have every opportunity to welcome a third baby in an unmedicated birth.

Like third babies do, Rachel’s uterus was very busy preparing in the final weeks, producing bouts of contractions and general discomfort. She’s also a busy mom so it’s not easy to sit much and rest like one might do with a first pregnancy! Her body set the stage for labor in the last weeks though, and she was dilated 3-4 cm at her last prenatal appointment.

With an induction on the calendar, Rachel tried to do “all of the things” to jump start labor beforehand, but none of it worked, although it might have helped lay some groundwork. The day of the induction there were no beds at the first call—a hurry up and wait experience that is typical of inductions--but a few hours later there was a call that a bed was ready, so Rachel and Lucas made their way in.

Rachel was dilated 4-5 cm with regular (but far apart) contractions at 9 minutes. Her midwife did a membrane sweep in the hopes it might move her into active labor along with the breast pump. The contractions got stronger and closer but remained irregular. A few hours later around noon Rachel was dilated 5 cm, but her labor wasn’t really coordinated yet. The plan was to break her water closer to 1:00 and hope that worked. Pitocin at a low dose was another option but Rachel hoped to avoid pitocin and go the most natural way with induction.

Rachel stayed quite active as she waited, even doing full low squats. She continued to chat pleasantly with us, hardly acting as though she was in labor. And when her midwife returned at 1:00 she broke her water. Rachel was still 5 cm, same as an hour before, but we expected her body would take off with active labor and big changes soon.

Rachel squatted and leaned over the Cub birthing chair and kept moving around to see if her body would get going with active labor. She even did lunges over the Cub on the bed in case her baby’s head might interface more directly with the cervix to dilate it and bring on stronger contractions. She was willing to do anything suggested and even some things she thought of on her own. She listened to her body and was not afraid to move it.

Rachel shared with us that her contractions were definitely stronger soon after her water was broken, but by all accounts, she was managing them well. It seemed a good time to have her try the shower so we dimmed the lights, added votives so she could focus on her body’s signals. Rachel stood on the shower, sat on the bench seat, and even lunged with her foot upon it. Her chatting lessened as she was drawn more inside herself for the last bit of labor. She might not have known it at the time, but the 20 minutes Rachel spent in the shower when she thought it felt “so good”, was when she went through transition!

In fact, Rachel had the wherewithal to tell Lucas and I towards the end of the 20 minutes, “It’s not long now. We’ll want to notify the midwife soon.” That’s when we let the nurse know and helped her out of the shower and back toward the bed after a quick potty stop. Her midwife arrived a few minutes later at 2:42 pm and confirmed at 2:47 that “baby is right here.” In fact, as Rachel recalls, her midwife said, “You’re a 10!” And Rachel responded with, “That means I can push?” She felt him descending as she breathed through two contractions. And then her midwife gently suggested Rachel push.

“Babe, I need chapstick,” was Rachel’s response before her first push. Lucas had it there in a flash. Rachel pushed through one contraction. Then Lucas applied chapstick to her lips, and with the next contraction Rachel reached her hand down to help ease her baby out as she growled her push. Rachel received her baby from her midwife’s hands, meeting Eli Melech Charles at 2:55 pm.

Eli tried to cry when he was halfway out! And once his body was born, he cried out in a high-pitched squeal. Rachel got a good look at her boy and noticed in a short time that he had the same toes as his sister. I love how parents see family resemblances in their newborn babies.

Rachel did not tear and as a result her midwife was finished soon after the placenta was out. There was plenty of time for a big hug! It was such a beautiful birth and a very gentle induction. And when I saw Rachel recently for our postpartum visit, she was still riding the high of the birth. She said it was perfect and everything she would have wanted. And as her doula, I can say the same about her as a client!