Annah and Amos ushered in their second baby girl on December 20! Annah’s due date was December 22, which posed a bit of a challenge when it came to having her doula present. I had out of town holiday travel plans so Annah decided an induction was something she was comfortable with. She technically had gestational diabetes as well, and had been told an induction at 39 weeks was the usual course. But when a doctor at her last appointment assured her no induction would be necessary since she had kept her sugars in check and her baby wasn’t large, it threw her for a bit of a loop! Ultimately, she decided to wait a few more days before the induction to give her body and her baby the best chance to be ready for labor. So that’s what she did.

Annah went in at 7:30 am for her induction with plans to keep me posted until she was having noticeable and regular contractions. When the midwife came in to check her cervix and formulate a labor plan, she was pleasantly surprised to learn she was already 5 cm dilated! Her body was on the brink of labor, so the plan was to do a membrane sweep and then try the breast pump, with the plan for Pitocin several hours later if needed.

The pump didn’t seem to escalate labor much so the midwife broke Annah’s water at 1:30. I was there within the hour. Annah tried to walk the halls to bring on contractions, but the wireless monitor wasn’t tracing well enough, so she returned to her room and labored in various positions there. Truth be told, her contractions weren’t really getting significantly stronger so that evening it was decided that a little bit of Pitocin would help the process.

Annah was brave and courageous, knowing the Pitocin would make things more difficult. Then again, that would also bring her baby. She was surrounded in support with her husband and her mother, not to mention her doula, so she steeled herself to the task. At 6:00 pm the Pitocin began to flow at 2.0 mu.

Annah labored beside the bed leaning over the cub chair. She labored in the arms of her husband, and she felt a wave of nausea that signaled to everyone that her baby was on the way. She was in labor! We placed the fan nearby to cool her, and she labored on the ball facing Amos. He was a steady birth partner and didn’t hesitate to be “in the fire” with her.

Annah began to sigh with the peaks of her contractions, and we assured her she would be meeting her baby soon. She moved back to the bed, laying over the cub chair so she could rest between contractions, but also birth more easily. Hiccups just past 7:00 pm were an encouraging sign as well, believe it or not. But it’s true. (Burps are another good sign of labor progress.)

And at 7:22 pm Annah’s body trembled with the transition shakes. We helped her get her bottoms off and the midwife took her place at the foot of the bed, patiently waiting. Things had taken a sharp turn and Annah felt the overwhelming sensation of pressure and very strong contractions. She cried in that moment, but not in defeat, more in acknowledgement that she was doing it and it was hard work.

She pushed involuntarily and cried out to God for strength and help, and He delivered just that because Annah pushed Felicity Jean into the world at 7:43 pm, less than two hours after the Pitocin was started. That little bit of Pitocin tipped the scales to labor and her body moved rapidly in birth after that.

Annah held her sweet baby girl and felt all the feelings of euphoria and happiness she was hoping for. We helped her settle back into bed as the placenta was delivered, but not before her own mother cut the cord. We praised Annah for trusting the process and letting go of control when she needed to. Her entire journey of pregnancy and birth was an exercise in letting go of control. Just ask Annah!

Annah was struck with how tiny her baby was and even remarked on it saying, “She’s so tiny and beautiful!” It wouldn’t be official until after the magic hour in Annah’s arms, but Felicity weighed a petite 6 lb. 3 oz. Clearly, Annah managed her gestational diabetes just fine! ;) Words of love were expressed to her baby, to Amos, and right back. The love swirled around her and it was beautiful.

I loved serving this couple. They worked so beautifully together, masters at following the ebbs and flows of pregnancy and labor. The only thing we knew for sure was that we didn’t know. And sometimes that’s what makes birth so difficult. And the act of letting go was what allowed Annah’s birth to unfold, releasing her baby into her loving and patient arms.