Erin and David welcomed their second child, a son this time, on April 5! Erin like many of my clients, has the distinction of giving birth during the Pandemic, with hospital restrictions that relegated my support to virtual. Funny thing, I was her in-person doula with the birth of her first, so we were curious how this virtual-doula thing would pan out. We had our prenatal visit and remained in steady communication prior to labor. Erin’s body made gradual changes that had her midwives telling her weekly, “Today could be the day.” But still, she had bouts of contractions that had her thinking it might be labor, only to fizzle out with a bath. They had a rather hefty commute to contend with in addition to securing care for their toddler, so the logistics of when to leave were complicated.

Then late on Sunday, April 5, I got a text from Erin that was different. It was nearly 10:00 pm (that was different!), and she was really having to breathe through her contractions that were felt down low. They were far apart at 10 minutes, but they had Erin stopping in her tracks and that was something. Well, just 30 minutes later, Erin’s contractions had moved to 5 minutes and then closer, and much stronger and longer. David was talking Erin through each one, reminding her to drop her shoulders and take deep breaths. I could hear him on the other end of the phone. Needless to say, they were packing up and heading out. They arrived at the room at 11:00 that night, and began the admissions process. The midwife came in to assess a short time later and determined that Erin was dilated 6-7 cm with a bulging bag. She felt so much pressure, almost like she was pushing. I reminded her that the bulging bag would make her feel that way and to blow through it as her body finished dilation. A cold cloth on her neck offered a little bit of relief, but her labor was racing on full speed. Erin’s water broke at 11:32 pm and she was fully dilated that instant. Her contractions immediately moved to pushing contractions as she roared her baby to crowning in moments. David was such wonderful support to Erin, looking into her face and supporting her neck through the past part of the birth. When labor moves that rapidly it can be difficult to get a handle on it, but David was definitely Erin’s touchstone. Their baby’s head was crowning by 11:40 and at 11:46 pm Scott Bearach was born!

“Sweet boy,” said Erin, as Scott struggled to open his eyes for the first time in a bright room. His cry was strong and we could tell he was on the chunky side. Erin did an incredible job in the midst of a tornadic labor! She was in active labor less than 2 hours! After things settled down and they had their magic hour with their son, the moment of truth came to learn exactly how big Scott was. He weighed in at 8 lb. 12.8 oz. and measured 20.5 in. long. He was definitely a sturdy baby! Congratulations again, on giving birth with such courage and strength during such an uncertain and crazy time. It was an honor to be present, and to have David be such an excellent hands-on partner. You both rocked it and I am so proud of you!