The Birth of Eliza Rose 6/12/21

Laura and Chris welcomed their second child, this time a girl!, on June 17, 2021! We had walked this road before as doula and clients and hoped this time Laura might not have to work as hard or long to meet her baby. She was ready though, and she also knew she had tools should she need them. They attended my 2-week refresher class over Zoom, carving out those hours to really think about and prepare for this birth. It’s a difficult task when you have a young child at home. Of course, this was during the COVID-19 pandemic so worries were heightened and there were added measures taken at the hospital that while had health and safety in mind, weren’t ideal for labor. Still, Laura felt good knowing she had the same providers as last time. And she knew the end result was what was most important, finally meeting her sweet Eliza Rose!

Laura’s body had warm up contractions that had her wondering if it might be labor. She struggled with the idea of leaving her son behind to go to the hospital for birth since it would be his first overnight without them, but she understood that this anxiety was not helping her labor. And wouldn’t you know it, once she finally felt at peace with that reality, her body was able to let go. On Thursday, June 17, I got a text at 12:38 am telling me that Laura’s body had been contracting at a regular interval for the past hour and a half. The rapidly moved to 4 ½ minutes apart and since she suspected her water might have broken, they thought it best to call the midwife. It was a busy night so they waited for that call back, but her midwife agreed that it was a good time to come to the hospital.

Once settled in her room, an exam confirmed that Laura was dilated 4 cm and 80% effaced. Her baby’s head was low at 0 station too! It was just past 1:30 am and Laura found herself doubting her baby would come that day. “She’s coming today, right?” she asked us and we responded with a resounding YES! Laura was concerned about her energy after some sleepless nights, and remembering how her first labor went on and on, she opted to get an epidural. The CRNA was in the room within minutes and Laura was comfortable by 2:30 am. What’s more, about 20 minutes later she was already dilated to 7 cm and 90% effaced! We made sure to keep her moving to allow her baby to continue to traverse her pelvis. Some bouts with nausea were unpleasant but Laura also knew it was part of labor and would help her baby move down. 

Sometimes an epidural can slow things down which was the case with Laura. But she was patient and things were still moving along at a much quicker pace than last time. She was dilated 9 cm by 5:28 am and she had also managed to get some rest here and there. Shift change brought in a new nurse and midwife, and since her water hadn’t yet completely broken, Laura agreed that it was a good next step to break it completely. It seemed the only thing keeping her baby in, after all! And within 30 minutes she was completely dilated!

Laura waited until she felt such pressure she needed to push. It grew at 9:05 am to that point and at 9:09 she was dilated complete with her baby’s head low at +2 station! Laura gave her first push at 9:11 am and it was immediately clear she would not have to push for 4 hours like last time. In fact, it was hardly 4 pushes! The midwife pulled the cart up beside the table and with the second pushing contraction nursery was called to delivery. Laura welcomed Eliza Rose after just 6 minutes of pushing at 9:22 am on June 17, 2021! What a difference a birth makes!

Chris was crying at the sight of their baby girl, overwhelmed with a father’s love. But this daughter was extra special because she was the first daughter born after 13 boys on Chris’ side of the family! And another fun fact—the last girl born on his side of the family was born in the 1800s and her name was Eliza! And NO, they didn’t know this when they named their daughter Eliza! Isn’t that amazing?!

Eliza was born weighing 7 lb. 7 oz. and measured 20 in. long. She was just perfect and a wonderful juxtaposition to her brother’s birth. I am so pleased that Laura and Chris had the opportunity to experience how unique each birth can be. And I’m also proud of how they navigated this birth as a team, just like last time, taking labor contraction by contraction, and making decisions that were the best for their family. Great job to you both!