Leslie and Jeremy welcomed Kai Jian Hui, son #2 on February 28, 2022, in a much hoped for and prepared for VBAC! I first met Leslie at an ICAN meeting in which I was a member of a panel of doulas. I had just showed up after a birth and not at all dressed for a social engagement, but I somehow gave her a good impression and reached out to me for a doula interview. Jeremy was at the meeting, and they made it very clear how important it was that Leslie have a voice this time. She had some high-risk issues that required care from high-risk OBs, but Leslie believed in her heart that she need not be treated as a high-risk patient.

She educated herself on her own as well as through my classes, and she and Jeremy were ready for whatever came their way. An induction because the recommendation, even though Leslie’s providers were hesitant. They recommended a repeat c-section, but Leslie stood her ground and asked simply “for a chance”. They waited for an available bed and then made their way to the hospital. As is the case with most inductions, there was a lot of waiting around initially. There were also words of caution and concern, sprinkled between the options and plans that were laid. A wireless monitor was brought to the room so Leslie would have every opportunity to move freely with her labor.

They waited through most of the day as the Pitocin was bumped up gradually. It was nearly maxed out, but Leslie’s perception of the pain was still mild. There was a recommendation to break her water to intensify contractions and change her cervix, but Leslie had a strong desire to hold off and let her body have a chance. She was effective in advocating for more time, and a phone conversation with me did her good. Several more hours into the night had her contractions coming closer than 5 minutes and longer than before, so I headed in. I arrived at her room around 10:45 that night.

Leslie was in good spirits, considering she had been staring at the same 4 walls all day. She had one excellent nurse after another and that would continue for the duration of her labor. Nurses work so hard and good ones are priceless! (And I rarely meet a nurse who doesn’t want the best for her patients.) Leslie’s doctor came in and did a cervical exam shortly after I arrived and she was dilated to 4 cm, 50% effaced, and baby was still high at -3. This was the third check that was the same. It was time for some Spinning Babies. Pitocin had been shut off which gave Leslie a nice break from the annoying and unproductive contractions.

We did the Three Balances that Jeremy and Leslie had learned from the Spinning Babies® Parent Class. Once completed, Leslie tried to rest. Two hours later they did another cervical exam and Leslie’s cervix was still unchanged. Once talking through the risks and benefits, Leslie and Jeremy felt comfortable with breaking her water. Her baby’s head was tight against the membrane, and they hoped once broken the head would move down nicely to help dilate the cervix. But it was too difficult to break at that time because there was not much give. So, they started up the Pitocin again to see.

Two hours later at 4:00 am, her cervix had made change! She was dilated to 5cm, 50% effaced (still), and baby was a smidge lower at -2 station. Her doctor tried again to break her water and this time it worked! Clear fluid flowed which brought reassurance to everyone that baby was doing just fine. Leslie lay on her right side with the peanut ball between her legs, and soon she was breathing through intensifying contractions. (She was still able to text between them though, so it wasn’t too active yet.)

She draped herself over the cub birthing chair just before 5:00 am to help her baby continue to navigate downward. But she didn’t rest there. She got up and labored on the toilet some and swirled her hips on the birth ball. And she even did lunges. Jeremy applied counter pressure to her lower back as the pain escalated, and Leslie drew strength from his steadfast support. He was all in the entire time, encouraging her with words, pressing on her hips, or literally holding her up when she was spent. Their love shone brightly through labor and was such a sight to see.

By 6:30 the morning of day two, Leslie was dilated 6 cm, 80% effaced, and vocalizing loudly with contractions. It was hard for Jeremy to see his wife in such pain that she cried out, and it brought tears to his eyes. It wasn’t soon after that Leslie requested an epidural. Her road had already been long, and active labor had only just taken hold. She wanted to preserve her energy for pushing, something she wanted so much in her heart to do!

Peace and calming essential oil helped her to cope and she liked the feeling of the peanut ball between her legs to keep things open. She had to wait a bit but by 8:00 am the epidural was placed, and Leslie was comfortable. She tried hard to sleep and so did Jeremy. About 90 minutes later they started the Pitocin back up to see how labor would unfold. We helped Leslie onto her left side with the peanut and moved her to the right when her baby’s heart rate showed some variables from likely cord compression.

But they stayed the course, walking the balancing act between progress and safety. Leslie “feasted” on an orange popsicle, but truth be told she really wasn’t very hungry, so it hit the spot. An hour later at 11:00 an exam revealed Leslie was dilated 8 cm! Her baby’s head was the lowest so far at -1 station too, so we were all very excited. Leslie was overwhelmed with emotion as tears spilled out of her eyes. She had not progressed to 8 cm in her previous birth, so this was a very significant labor landmark! She confessed that she didn’t think she’d get that far so her heart dared to hope for even more progress. I wanted her VBAC for her so bad, and she wanted it too. It broke my heart a little how tentatively she held her VBAC dreams, but I understood why.

Leslie slept, but after some rest she got busy being active. She lunged on her side with the peanut, we did side-lying releases to help encourage her baby’s passage down, down down, and she even rolled onto her hands and knees to labor over the cub with that epidural. And just over 2 hours later she was dilated to 8.5 cm. It was a small change, but her baby had moved down to 0 station, an even more significant change! She labored upright in bed in the throne position, and we placed the peanut strategically to keep her pelvis asymmetric. And just before 7:00 am she was dilated 9.5! Her cervix was 90% effaced and her baby was solidly at 0 station with some caput. It was back to hands and knees over the cub to get that last lip of cervix to melt away. Leslie felt more pressure in that position which made us hopeful it was working.

Leslie tried to relax as the pressure grew but by 8:00 that night she was pushing into the pressure. She had a lip that remained, but the doctor was able to push it aside, so her baby was no longer impeded by a thing. Leslie pushed with courage and persistence. She dug deep and pushed for nearly two hours, including with closed knees, and even using the tug of war push/pull with the rebozo. By 9:45 pm it was time to call the team! The room swirled with people and at 9:53 Leslie pushed her son out of her body!

She cried, Jeremy cried, baby Kai cried! It was a celebration by everyone, and Leslie savored the feeling of her baby on her chest from the very first moment. This was something she didn’t have with her first and it set the stage for such a healing start. They noticed his hairy shoulders and how alert he was, staring up at mommy. And once the crowd left and the room was once again quiet, Leslie brought Kai to the breast. And he latched in the first hour of life; another wish of Leslie’s fulfilled.

Leslie’s VBAC required a lot of patience, persistence, advocacy, communication, and belief in the process. Leslie was met with resistance, then cautious optimism, and finally a rousing congratulations. I hope everyone who was part of her care team learned something that day. I hope they learned that even risky birth can be approached with options and careful considerations. Communication is the key and does so much for a mom’s heart. I am so grateful Leslie was able to have the VBAC she prepared for and hoped for. And I am also grateful to have been by her side when it happened.

Photos in the gallery above taken by professional photographer, Stephanie Dunn. Follow her on Instagram: @stellar_photography _757

The Birth of Kai Jian Hui 2/28/22