Brittany and Mike welcomed their sweet lass, Selah Brielle, on December 26, 2021, ending my year of births beautifully. Brittany is not a woman who has an easy time of pregnancy. She had hyperemesis for both pregnancies and it didn’t let up. In her final week, even up to the day before labor, she was still getting sick. Still, Brittany maintained a positive attitude and was very motivated to have an unmedicated birth this time. She had a long an involved induction with the birth of her son that began with her water breaking at 36 weeks, and developed into a birth that included Cytotec, Pitocin, and an epidural. The outcome was excellent, and Brittany was so happy with the journey. But she was also curious about the possibility of labor starting on its own this time and what that experience might be like.

Brittany and Mike took my Spinning Babies® Parent Class to learn all they could about helping make pregnancy more comfortable and easing labor. The goal was for a shorter labor this time and a spontaneous one at that! In the last month, Brittany measured a few weeks larger which had her providers hinting to a possible induction if things continued in that direction. Brittany hoped to avoid an induction and chose to stay the course with confidence unless or until there was reason to do otherwise.

A few days before Brittany would go into labor, she felt a lot of cramps that wrapped around her abdomen. But they weren’t rhythmic and felt more like a digestive upset with other symptoms. She also had some hot and cold flashes but found that taking her prescription for hyperemesis helped. But two days later, Christmas Day, Brittany texted to tell me she was having trouble keeping anything down. She called her OB who recommended going to the hospital to get fluids at the very least and see what was going on. She was having contractions, but they didn’t seem regular. Fluids helped and her body settled down enough to warrant a return home if or until her pains developed into labor.

Brittany minimized her contractions and tried to play it cool and not get drawn in too quickly. Surely this would take some time. After all, her first labor was 26 hours long! Brittany ate cinnamon rolls and pulled pork from Christmas Day since she wasn’t able to keep down light foods in early labor. But her early labor didn’t last long. Brittany’s body quickly moved from erratic contractions to consistent and strong ones. In the first two hours they moved from 5 minutes apart consistently, then quickly moved to 4 minutes apart, to 3 minutes, and to 2 minutes in a short amount of time. She had two very difficult contractions in bed, then as she made her way downstairs to go to the hospital she had two more intense ones. Brittany even had a contraction on the porch before getting to the car. They left the house at 2:40 pm and Brittany endured a very difficult and uncomfortable car ride. Thankfully it was a short one, although she might argue that it didn’t feel very short at the time. Mike had the car parked in the hospital lot by 2:53 pm.

When Brittany arrived on the unit it was clear she was about to give birth. She had a lot of back pain and her contractions were coming back-to-back. She was led quickly to a labor and delivery room, bypassing triage altogether (thank goodness!), and an exam confirmed she was already completely dilated! I walked in around this time, arriving right behind them toting my birth ball and cub birthing chair. A nurse glanced up at me when I entered, saying, “You won’t be needing all of that.” And she was right! Brittany was already in position in the bed, stirrups, and all, surrounded by several hospital staff with her doctor suited up at the foot of the bed to catch. I quickly put all the “stuff” down and went right to Brittany’s side. She was on the threshold between full dilation and pushing, and the next contractions sent her headlong into second stage.

Brittany only pushed for two contractions and brought her baby girl into the world at 3:08 pm on December 26, just 15 minutes after they parked in the hospital lot! Brittany and Mike were so sweet in those first moments. They looked at each other in disbelief as Brittany held their sweet baby and were stunned as they smiled and giggled in disbelief. The placenta came by 3:12 and to punctuate the exhilaration of the experience, her doctor confirmed there were no tears!

Brittany and Mike tried to wrap their heads around all that had transpired that day. So much had! In the end, Brittany had labored and birthed her baby in the unmedicated labor she was hoping for. And as soon as her baby was born her hyperemesis was cured! That was a big motivating factor right behind healthy mom and baby. Brittny and Mike had the opportunity to share one last Christmas with their son as an only child, and were blessed with the best Christmas gift the next day, Selah Brielle. She weighed 7 lb. 6 oz. and was 19 in. long. She had a crooked nose like her big brother, and she had so much vernix it covered her ear and made it stick to itself. It was also a nice coincidence that Selah was born on St. Stephen’s Day (Boxing Day), which happened to be the same day her Aunt Margaret passed away. Surely she was looking down on her and smiling.

Every birth is a new experience. And every baby has their own journey to enter the world. But it’s nice when birth comes through us so quickly that it leaves us exhilarated and empowered. I was thrilled for this couple and their birth and the promise it fulfilled that every birth is different, and an opportunity for a totally new story. What an exciting story they have to tell Selah Brielle when she’s old enough to understand.

the Birth of Selah Brielle 12/26/21