the Birth of Kyla Christine 10/3/23

Meredith and Brett welcomed their second baby on October 3! It was an incredible confluence of perfect timing that allowed for Brett to be at the birth. He was deployed for the majority of the pregnancy and due to return a couple of weeks before Meredith’s due date. It was cutting it close, but it seemed a realistic expectation. I got a text from Meredith that was an update from her appointment. She was frustrated she tested positive for GBS, but she was excited that Brett was flying home that evening. They were in the clear!

Then three hours later I got a text from Meredith that her water broke. “What time does Brett’s plane land??” I asked first thing. It mattered. At least it would matter if her birth unfolded as it did the first time – with everything moving along at a breakneck pace once her water broke. He was due to land in a few hours, so we crossed our fingers and Meredith crossed her legs and hoped for the timing to work out.

Since Meredith had tested positive for GBS she was headed to the hospital soon after her water broke so she could receive antibiotics as soon as possible. We also thought her labor might capitulate and wanted her to have as much time to get treated as possible. She settled in at the hospital without much labor happening and Brett landed and went home to hug his firstborn and MIL and pack a quick go bag and turned around back for the hospital. Brett was severely jetlagged. And since Meredith was not in labor yet he tried to catch some sleep on the hospital couch. After all, he had been up for 48 hours at that point. He came off deployment and fell right back into life, whether he was ready to or not.

Since Meredith arrived at the hospital the first time completely dilated, we hedged out bets and I got to the hospital on the early side. Probably too early looking back. But you just never know how things will go with birth. Meredith bemoaned the fact that she was supposed to greet Brett at the airport looking pretty in a nice dress and here she was in a hospital gown wearing a diaper as she dripped. Brett’s sense of humor (and Meredith’s) shone throughout this labor. It was entertaining and a joy to witness.

Since Meredith’s labor was poky to start, we did the Three Balances to help it out. Meredith had already done the Miles Circuit. Next, she did three cycles with the breast pump and walking the halls, 10 minutes each, in an effort to start up some contractions. It wasn’t doing much for her labor yet, so she did hip swirls on the ball and even consented to an enema to rile things up, to no avail.

Meredith did some standing lunges and another round of pumping and walking. But it wasn’t doing all that much for her labor. She was tired so she rested during the next course of antibiotics, and when her midwife returned, she was ready to try something else. Suspecting Meredith might have a high leak in her amniotic sac which didn’t really push her into labor, the midwife recommended breaking her water completely. At 4:00 am Meredith’s water was broken all the way. And Meredith was on the move walking again.

Her body was still slow to come around to labor. She rested in bed with Brett and at 7:45 am (after a long night), she was dilated just 2 cm with no labor. We did the Three Balances again and she rested on her hands and knees over the CUB, but it was becoming clear that it would soon be time to start pitocin. Meredith had already relinquished her expectations about this birth being anything like her first. And that included accepting pitocin as a tool. They started it at the lowest level and raised it incrementally.

By 11:00 am the pitocin was at 10 mu. Meredith moved into the shower to labor. She emerged and with Brett’s help did some abdominal lifts and tucks to help her baby get positioned better. By 12:45 pm while on her hands and knees on the bed, Meredith felt more pressure in her butt which was an encouraging sign that her baby had moved. She lay on her side with the peanut ball between her legs and we watched the tremors of active labor take hold. The contractions were painful, and we used a heating pad to help ease the discomfort.

At 1:50 pm her baby was noticeably lower, and she was dilated 4-5cm/100% effaced. We turned on some birth affirmations which garnered some giggles at first, but the mood quickly turned more serious as Meredith descended into active labor. In fact, her body had taken hold so well, they turned down the pitocin a bit to spread out the contractions.

Meredith breathed through intensifying contractions and labored in a variety of positions. We applied counter pressure on her back and a wet cloth on her forehead. She sat upon the edge of the bed and then slow danced with Brett thorugh some contractions. And by 3:20 pm, just 1 ½ hours later she was dilated 8-9 cm!

Meredith returned to her hands and knees, a position she felt intuitively, and 15 minutes later she was pushing involuntarily. I tied the rebozo to the head of the bed so she could grab hold through contractions as she pushed. Then Meredith rolled to her back to try pushing that way. This baby was taking a lot more work to come out, so it became necessary to change positions. Meredith was so patient even though she was working way harder than anyone expected. And after pushing with her knees closed and then open again, her baby was crowning. And at 4:38 pm Kyla Christine was born!

It was soon obvious why it took so much work to bring Kyla down: her cord was wrapped twice around her neck! Kyla suffered no ill effects and her heart rate only dipped once or twice. And she came out and gave a big cry that pinked her up right away. It was an emotional moment, and a huge sigh of relief was heard all around. Kyla weighed 7 lb. 5 oz. and was 19.5 in. long. Big brother was able to meet little sister in the hospital and before discharge Kyla had actually gained weight! Suffice it to say, they were off to a fantastic start as a family of four.

Meredith’s journey to meet her second baby was not at all how she expected. She completely flipped the script with the timing. She arrived at the hospital fully dilated the first time and took nearly 24 hours in the hospital to welcome her second. But honestly, is it ever? She was grateful for small mercies though like the timing that allowed Brett to get home for the birth, and plenty of time to receive antibiotics to treat for GBS. She might have been okay with it not taking all night and into the following day, but she could also look back and see just how strong and patient she was. I am so proud of this couple and their positive attitude and love for each other through it all.