Christina and Sam welcomed their second daughter, Tatum Ellis, on June 11! After giving birth to her first daughter, Stevie, Christina had a good idea of her goals in this birth as well as postpartum. Having journeyed through a challenging first experience, Christina knew to remain open-minded and to use what worked last time. And I really think this freed her up to have a very positive birth experience.

Her body made some gradual changes as her due date approached. An exam around 38 weeks showed she was already 2 cm dilated. This was exciting news since she received the call that same day that the induction was scheduled for the weekend. But when Christina called at the appointed time, they told her there were no beds available. She waited through the night and finally the following morning she got the call to come in. Inductions can be a lot of hurry up and wait!

Around 11:30 am Sam sent an update that the foley bulb had been placed but just an hour later it came out and Christina was 3 cm dilated. Christina wanted to delay (or even avoid) pitocin so she used a breast pump first for a bit. She also tried to rest as long as she could as she waited for labor. Eventually they began Pitocin at 3:00 pm and raised it slowly in the hopes her body would respond with labor contractions.

By 5:00 she was contracting every 3 minutes but still able to talk through them. But since this was her second baby it seemed a good time to head in. I arrived to find Christina coping well and Sam a steadfast support to her. There was an exam soon after I arrived at 6:45 pm. Christina was about the same: 3 cm, 50% effaced, and her baby as at -3 station. It was time to use some techniques to help bring baby down. So I used the rebozo to “shake the apple tree” and did the jiggle from Spinning Babies to help get her baby situated.

Just past shift change at 7:15 pm we helped Christina into the flying cowgirl with the peanut ball. She took all of the maneuvers and positions in stride knowing they were all to help bring Tatum earthside. A cherry popsicle was a godsend and so was my jumbo heating pad as her hips ached from labor.

Christina lay on her right side for some contractions and then moved to her hands and knees at 8:30. After a bathroom trip she wanted to sit upright in the bed to use gravity to brig her baby down. She preferred that position since it helped her feel like she could better cope with her contractions. It also gave Sam a good opportunity to rub her feet.

Christina was feeling her labor take a turn and was curious about her progress. But at 9:30 pm she was dilated 3-4 cm, and not farther like she had hoped. Her cervix was softer but it had a good deal of effacement left before big dilation could happen. Christina decided to get an epidural at that point since her labor was taking longer to get established than she expected and the night loomed long.

She was comfortable by 11:00 pm and did her best to sleep. Pitocin was still flowing at 8 mu and at 1:00 am an exam confirmed she was dilated 4 cm, 70% effaced, and her baby was still high at -3. They broke her water at that point since Christina was on board with it. And we all hoped it would put her into active labor.

We used the peanut ball to keep her hips asymmetric and kept her body rotating from side to side as well. Sam got some sleep and Christina tried, but it can be hard to rest when you are meeting your baby soon. Plus busy hospitals aren’t very conducive to sleep. We sat Christina up in the bed in the throne position again and she was soon feeling nauseous and shaking. We were excited because this was an encouraging sign of progress! Even with an epidural, the body knows. They set up the delivery table taking this as a strong sign baby was coming soon!

Just before 5:00 am Christina had a lip on the right side but she was 100% effaced and her baby had moved down to 0 station! Christina labored down another 1 ½ hours so that lip could melt away and her baby could descend even further. She spent a lot of time on her right side along with a heating pad on her back and hip and peppermint close by for nausea.

And feeling lots of pressure at 6:25 am, the doctor checked to discover Christina’s baby was “right there”! She began pushing at 6:32 and her baby girl arrived at 6:36, after just one or two contractions! Tatum Ellis was welcomed with such love and joy! Christina scooped her up and in that moment the long induction journey was already the last thing on her mind. It was all worth it to have her second baby girl in her arms.

And even though her baby came in just a couple of pushes there were no stitches needed! Kudos to Christina for having control as she pushed and the benefit of warm compresses and oil from the doctor. Tatum weighed in at 7 lb. 3 oz.

Tatum was a very chill baby who hardly cried. But her nursery nurse was content with hearing breath sounds and seeing her pink up before her eyes. She snuggled with her mom right away and before long Christina was presented with a pancakes, sausage, and egg breakfast!

This couple was a joy to serve. They partnered beautifully and kept a sense of humor through the entire process. Christina knew an induction wouldn’t be an easier way, but she was prepared and knew her options every step of the journey. She had agency and was respected and supported. And that makes for a strong start to motherhood.

The Birth of Tatum Ellis 6/11/23