The Birth Story of Daniel Charles 11/5/21
Chelsea and Chris welcomed their second child, Daniel Charles, on November 5, 2021. I had been their doula with the birth of their first and looked forward to welcoming baby number two. But fate had other plans, or perhaps Daniel Charles did, as he made his debut on the final day of my out of town Spinning Babies Parent Educator training. Here are my written details of the events based on the notes and observations of the backup doula.
Chelsea’s body was gearing up in her last week or pregnancy. It also happened to be right around her 40th week, the same time she welcomed her first, so naturally, her radar was up. She felt a lot of pressure, as if her baby had moved deeper in her pelvis, and her exams at the end of pregnant revealed a completely thin cervix that was beginning to dilate. Her body was getting ready. In fact, on her 40-week appointment, she was checked and had a very, very thin cervix that was already dilated 4 cm. She declined a membrane sweep at that time, trusting labor would begin on its own and if it was meant to be that her son would wait for me, then he would. Turns out, Daniel was ready. And he didn’t want to wait for anybody!
Later that night around 9:22, ON her due date, by the way, Chelsea reached out to my backup doula to share that she had felt a few contractions. They were inconsistent and she didn’t think she was in labor, but she wanted to give a heads up. After all, her midwife had told her to leave for the hospital with any strong contractions that came closer than 10 minutes. The 5-1-1 guideline no longer applied. Those experienced cervixes can’t be trusted to follow guidelines and expectations! (Neither can first-time ones, come to think of it.) But even more important that that, Chelsea’s intuition as a woman and mother was telling her that this labor would be a fast one. And a mother’s intuition is a powerful force that is right almost every time.
Just over an hour later it became absolutely clear that her son was coming. It wasn’t so much from her contractions, although they were still there. Chelsea’s water broke! It wasn’t the “gee, did my water break?” sort of break, but the “oh wow! My water definitely broke sort!” They reached out to the backup doula telling her to meet them at the hospital. And they left almost immediately.
Just 40 minutes later at 11:10 pm, the doula arrived to find Chelsea being admitted. There was some meconium in the fluid but it was light and the baby’s heart rate looked stellar on the monitor. Five minutes later the midwife came in to do a cervical check and confirmed that Chelsea was dilated 7 cm! (already!) Her contractions were still inconsistent, bouncing around between 3 and 10 minutes apart. And Chelsea was the epitome of calm, resting on her side and talking casually to her husband, and with each contraction, pausing her conversation to squeeze his hand and breathe through it. You might not suspect she was as advanced in her labor, but her quiet focus was enough to hint at the hard work at hand. She was feeling significant pain in her back, which helped provide insight as she sought out labor positions that were predominantly forward leaning.
A short 20 minutes later, Chelsea’s labor had intensified. Her nurse began to prepare the room for delivery as the contractions moved to a consistent 3-4 minutes apart interval. Chelsea moaned lightly through them as Chris held her hand and offered her sips of water between. She would be meeting her son soon, but she maintained her gentle focus as the power of her contractions grew.
Just 15 minutes later at 11:45 pm, Chelsea said, “I feel like I need to push.” The nurse called for the midwife who skipped a cervical check in favor of sitting quietly on the bed and waiting for Chelsea to feel the strong urge to push her baby out. Chelsea still felt back pain, so as her urge to bear down intensified, she rolled over to her hands and knees to push. There was no counting, no direction, just trust and patience as Chelsea moved and pushed into the growing pressure within her uterus. Her body told her what to do and when. She did not require any guidance from anyone.
Chelsea began pushing in earnest, and her midwife suggested she try a side lunge. And by 11:53 pm she was pushing mightily with each contraction. The midwife gowned up and everyone took their places. Nursery was called soon after as Chelsea continued to bring her baby down to her perineum. And at 12:05 am on November 5, 2021, her baby was born after just 2 ½ hours of labor!! And just 5 minutes after the end of her due date, no less.
Chelsea grabbed for her baby as the midwife passed him between her legs, and then turned back onto her back upon the bed. It was then that she and Chris realized they had a baby boy! This baby had been a surprise gender! Daniel struggled to breathe initially, most likely due to excess fluid that can remain after a precipitous birth like his. The meconium was an added concern, so he went to the nursery for some initial close observation but was returned to his parents within a couple of hours.
Birth always teaches us things. Chelsea’s second birth reinforced the value of a mother’s intuition and her trust in her body. It reminded us that birth workers need only stand by unless needed. And it taught me (reminded me!) that my clients don’t NEED me. They don’t NEED anyone. They only deserve steady, attentive support. I don’t use the word support to infer there is a need fulfilled, but rather in the meaning of support by simply being present and affirming Chelsea’s steps on her birth journey. For the work of birth is done by no one but the person birthing. And Chelsea did a fine job of it, regardless of who was there.
