The Birth of Ford Callum 4/13/21

Courtney and Nathan are parents again! And in somewhat of a déjà vu, they welcomed a second son after a surprisingly long labor. Courtney was motivated and driven to welcome this baby in an unmedicated birth just as she had the first time. But the emotional challenge a second prodromal labor brings can be unexpected. Life was busy as it tends to be with a young child. But add in the sale and purchase of a home and the subsequent home improvement projects, and busy was escalated to a whole new level this time. Pile on top of that the unique challenges of giving birth in a pandemic, and you’ve got a totally new and different experience. But Courtney and Nathan were up for the challenge.

Courtney sensed that her son had shifted in utero, feeling as though he was somewhat sideways. I gave some suggestions of positions to encourage her baby to realign himself and the following night, April 12, she texted to say she had been contracting since 4:00 am overnight. They were inconsistent but persistent. She attempted rest for the second night, but with contractions that were escalating she found it difficult to sleep much with contractions ranging from 10-20 minutes apart all night. By the following morning, and after rounds of positions, Courtney was still contracting. They called the midwife and were heading in that morning for some answers. Courtney was 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced but she was not in active labor. Not technically. Her uterus was trying hard to be. Her baby had shifted downward from -3 to -1 station, a testament to all her hard work with positions. It was midday when they got admitted. 

The plan was to eat a meal and then see about getting contractions to be more consistent. After lunch, Courtney and Nathan walked two laps on the labor and delivery unit and then Courtney used a breast pump to bring on stronger contractions. And it worked! Courtney’s contractions were steady at 5-6 minutes apart by 3:30 pm and had her heading to the shower to the relaxation and pain maintenance it promised. Thirty minutes later, Courtney was out of the shower and dilated to 8 cm.

Courtney labored on hands and knees through transition and was still self-aware enough to comment to us how annoyed she was with the process and how anyone who told her second babies are easier was wrong! We positioned the peanut ball in front of her so she could “rest” between contractions. And her midwife told her to push when she felt she was ready and see what happened. A lunge was the next position in the hopes it would solidify that urge to push that Courtney was ready for. She felt pressure like she needed to have a bowel movement but the pushing part she wasn’t so sure about. She remembered it was a challenge her first birth. She lay upon her side for a bit and then we shifted the bed into a throne so she could see if gravity might move her into second stage.

And an hour later she was dilated 9 cm. She was ready for a change and that change was to break her water. Surely that last barrier cleared would bring her baby down for birth. Her water was broken at 5:12 pm and she returned to her hands and knees over the peanut ball, her preferred labor position. She lunged without hesitation, and then stood with her husband to lunge while she stood. She tried the bathroom again, where the familiarity of softening and letting go might yield her baby. And sure, enough when she returned to the bed at 5:52 her midwife had nursery called. Courtney was pushing! She pushed in lunges, and we could see a baby’s head shortly thereafter. And after 24 minutes of pushing, Courtney welcomed her second son, Ford Callum into the world! He was born at 6:19 pm on April 13, 2021, weighing 8 lb. 1.8 oz. and measuring 20.5 in. long.

Ford made his mom work hard right up to the end, when a suspected shoulder dystocia that wasn’t, elevated the tension for a minute. Ford cried immediately after her was born, adjusting to life with the strength and vigor his mom had displayed through the entire labor. He had a head of dark hair and a smear of vernix across his forehead, and once his daddy cut the cord, he lay against his mom’s chest as they both adjusted to being born. Ford was born as Courtney’s son, and Courtney was born as Ford’s mother.  Ford was breastfeeding at 20 minutes-old and Courtney’s phone was already blowing up with all the well-wishes.

Although Courtney’s labor was slow to start, once it was active, I was just three hours long. She was tired and over it by the time those strong and close contractions came, but she was a warrior all the way to the very last push. Nathan was her stronghold, always there believing in her. Thank goodness for a patient midwife who presented options and did not push, and for the opportunity to choose the path that felt right. You showed once again that women are resilient and strong and will stop at nothing to meet their babies. Congratulations again!