I’m so pleased to announce the Rachel and Jason have welcomed their second daughter, Quinn Hawley. Rachel had a long and involved first birth and hoped things might be different the second time around. After all, every birth is unique and offers the same clean slate as a first birth. She did make some changes to her preparation, however. She enrolled in my refresher class, enlisted care with a chiropractor, and hired me as her doula. We were in communication off and on after appointments, and we had our prenatal visit and discussed logistics and Rachel’s birth preferences. It was a nice chance to reconnect and to meet Jason! (Thank you, Covid.) And after that, we were left to simply wait and see.

Rachel’s cervix made some gradual changes leading up to the birth. She was dilated 1 cm at 39-weeks and she felt pain in her hips as her body got ready. She incorporated the Miles Circuit into her routine in the hopes her baby would have the benefit of optimizing her position for birth. But ultimately it would be up to Rachel’s baby what she wanted to do. And on February 25, around 4:00 pm, Rachel texted to tell me she had felt the rhythmic cramp of contractions every 7 minutes for about 4 hours. They were mild enough to minimize and mostly ignore, but she did have to breathe and focus through them. By 8:00 that evening they were a little closer and a little stronger, so she labored in the shower for the second time to help her relax.

Things continued to intensify through the night until at 12:10 am her water broke. And the contractions jumped to 3 minutes apart just 20 minutes later. With the contractions very strong, Rachel and Jason left for the hospital shortly thereafter. Rachel had done some work at home because her cervix was dilated to 7 cm upon arrival. Things appeared to be moving right along and we thought there might be a baby before sunrise.

After her initial stint on the monitor, Rachel went straight to the shower to labor. She sounded through her contractions and we angled the shower to hit her back just so. The pressure intensified in her bottom too. Rachel called the shower a “miracle worker,” she found it so helpful. And she labored in there for over an hour. She had opened to 8/9 cm by shower’s end and her baby was at +1 station. Conditions seemed right for pushing sooner rather than later. Rachel used a squatting bar on the bed to squat into the contractions in the hopes her baby’s head might melt her cervix away. The playlist “Push!!” filled the room with rollicking tunes Rachel had selected for that purpose. And we applied counter pressure to her lower back through each contraction where she felt the most discomfort.

Rachel used the rebozo to dangle through contractions as well, with the same goal of opening that cervix. And she lunged on her hands and knees through several contractions too. She was doing every single thing to get her baby out, but she was hitting a wall. It was time for some information and to possibly make a change. Her nurse confirmed that there was still cervix and also that her baby was trying to rotate! Rachel labored on her side and pushed a few times that way, but her cervix wasn’t budging. The midwife recommended some Pitocin to give more oomph and Rachel was willing to try. She had been up all night though, and the day was looming large in that moment. So Rachel decided it was a good time for an epidural. And thankfully, unlike her first birth, the CRNA administered it quickly and effectively, providing the relief and relaxation (and rest) that Rachel was counting on.

Two hours later at 9:20 there was the tiniest bit of cervix left. It was stretchy but would not yield to the midwife’s hand. So we rotated Rachel one way and another, incorporating the use of a peanut ball and stirrups to maintain an open pelvis. About two hours later, Rachel felt pressure in her bottom and an exam confirmed that her cervix was completely gone! And after laboring down another 40 minutes she began to push. It wouldn’t be easy, since her baby was determined to be in the OP position. Rachel was no stranger this since her first baby was in the same position and rotated at the very last moment. This baby appeared to be gearing up to do the same thing. But Rachel was game to push on her hands and knees which would prove to help rotation! Baby’s heart rate dipped, which isn’t uncommon during second stage. So an oxygen mask was placed over Rachel’s face to help give her little one a boost. Rachel continued to push in various positions—why stop moving at second stage, right? Her stamina and tenacity did not wane. It was there in full force all the way to the end of her marathon labor. All told, Rachel pushed for just over an hour and her baby was born at 1:18 pm on February 26, 2021 with the cord wrapped around her neck twice. (That would explain some heart rate dips that showed up late in labor.) Welcome to the world, Quinn! She weighed 7 lb. 12 oz. and was 21 in. long.

Rachel cried at the sight of her daughter – relieved, exhausted, elated, and happy tears! She did it! And she did it without even tearing, which was another huge win for her in comparison to her first experience. Quinn needed a little bit of stimulation to get that first robust cry and to transition, but she was back in her mom’s arms a few minutes later and was latched at the breast at less than 20 minutes old. And that gave her parents the chance to investigate how she looked like family. She looked like her sister, only different, and she had a hairy back like her great grandpa!

Rachel’s labor is one that defied our preconceived expectations of second labors. And shame on us for trying to predict what a baby can do! For ultimately, we really have no clue how a birth will unfold. We only grasp at generalities that happen more often than not. When it comes to birth, the most important skill is to be flexible. Rachel exemplified this! She was an expert at dodging and weaving with her birth journey. She took her labor one contraction at a time and was able to labor through another birth experience that took about 24 hours. She is a rock star in my book and she also managed to maintain her sense of humor too. Once again, this is an important mothering skill so Rachel is well equipped with two essential skills. Congrats again on another surprising birth and a beautiful baby!

The Birth of Quinn Hawley 2/26/21