Joy and Dirk welcomed their third baby, Glawen Margaret, on January 14, 2023. Our initial interview was over video chat as I was driving to visit family over the Christmas holiday! In fact, our prenatal was also virtual. So, the first time I met Joy and Dirk, was on the day of the birth. Since they had just moved to the area, it was more important to Joy that Dirk stayed home with the other children so she could feel confident that they were well taken care of. She knew it would help her labor progress. When her labor began, the plan was for Dirk to drive her with the children, and then return home when I arrived. This was a unique situation but was what Joy needed in her birth. That is what good support looked like to her.

Joy felt her first contractions on January 13, the day they planned to move from their Williamsburg home to Virginia Beach! So she sat in the car feeling waves of contractions as they literally moved to their new home. Joy also had an induction scheduled for the very next day, but it became clear she would not need it. I got an update a few hours in and then nothing until 2:00 am, telling me she was on her way to the hospital. Her first exam revealed she had done a lot of work that day because she was dilated 5 cm. Needless to say, Joy and Dirk were very relieved they made it to Virginia Beach before it was time to go to the hospital! I arrived soon after they texted me with the update.

By the time Joy was out of triage and in her rightful labor and delivery room, she was ready to get an epidural. It was always part of her plan, but she did consider waiting longer since she felt more confident with her contractions this time around. I remember Joy telling me she felt more confident with me there. But then there was one particularly strong contraction that reminded her that she really did want the epidural, so the anesthesiologist was paged to come and Joy was able to get her pain managed soon after that.

 We continued to move Joy into various positions while also encouraging rest. But it wasn’t too soon after the epidural that Joy said, “Oh! There’s something!” Her water had broken! It was 4:35 am. Her nurse hadn’t even placed the bladder catheter yet, so she went ahead and did that and confirmed that Joy was dilated 7 cm. Her cervix was very thin, and her baby was at -2 station. It felt like there was some time, but with multips (women who have previously given birth) you really never know! Their cervixes can stretch like a rubber band.

And at 6:00 am, Joy was already completely dilated. Her doctor came in and noticed there was a fore bag so she broke that with Joy’s consent. We positioned the bed like a throne to encourage Joy to use gravity to bring her baby down since baby was still a little high. And Joy gave her first push at 7:05 am. joy was just as her name describes, joyful and happy to be meeting her baby soon. She was sweet and positive the entire birth, come to think of it.

 And after just 15 minutes of pushing, Joy brought her daughter into the world at 7:19 am! Glawen came with the amniotic sac wrapped around her foot like an accessory, and she had a full head of dark hair. She was a beautiful baby! And she didn’t want to miss a thing, with her eyes wide open from the start! Her eyes and nose looked like her mom, but she definitely had some of her dad in her too. Glawen was the perfect size, weighing in at 7 lb. 12 oz. and 20.5 in. long. Joy snuggled her baby and hummed to her and spoke sweetly to her. She handled her with confidence and was excited for her husband and children to come meet her soon.

But first, breakfast and a nap! Joy gave birth just in time for a breakfast tray to be delivered! So she enjoyed some food while her baby had her first exam. Dirk arrived with the children a little while later and they were all overjoyed to meet their newest family member. Dirk and Joy were grateful for a safe delivery during which their children were in their beds sleeping and woke up to daddy’s familiar face, knowing Joy was surrounded in support. It was a joy for me to serve Joy as she welcomed her baby and I will forever be grateful that she and Dirk trusted me to serve in his stead. And I am amazed at how carefully they mapped out their support plan, and how perfectly their baby executed it, right down to labor starting just an hour or two after pulling up to their new home.

Nikki and Will brought their sweet son, Link Mark Matthew into the world at home on January 12, 2023, which also happened to be his due date! Nikki had given birth a couple of times previously, so her body was familiar with the heaviness of a full womb and the contractions that can come and go. She reached out to me with rhythmic contractions, but they faded away. Her body was gearing up and she was not disheartened but encouraged to know her birthing time was drawing near.

She texted me on January 11 with the report that she had been feeling contractions all day and generally just yucky and suspected labor might be afoot. Steady communication was critical as I was leaving the house to teach my childbirth class a short time later. And within the hour, as I sat down in front of the couples to begin the class, a text came through that the midwives were on the way and recommended I do the same. The turnaround was quick and I was on their doorstep a short time later.

Nikki was calm and pleasant, laboring gently through her contractions in the birthing nest she had built in their bedroom. The midwives were setting up their things and the children came up to pay a visit while labor was still simmering. Will had a bubbly excitement, flitting here and there to take care of details as needed or requested by the midwives or Nikki. But he mostly kept his post right beside or in front of Nikki, making it clear he was her solid support and was there for her every step of the way.

Around 8:00 that night, labor seemed to pick up slightly. Nikki was laboring on her hands and knees and swaying her hips with the contractions. She was worried she might have called us too soon and didn’t want everyone waiting around a long time, but we reassured her it was our job and we could step out if that became prudent. We made sure Nikki had some food in her since she hadn’t eaten much all day. A plate of apple slices, dates, and Cheezits came up from the kitchen, along with some homemade bone broth. Little did we know, those morsels of food would be a critical part of her energy stores for later. And Will thought he might as well put in a grocery order too since they would soon be homebound for a bit with the newest little one.

A wave of nausea hit Nikki, but peppermint essential oil helped. She felt her baby’s hands or something moving down low and wished her baby would move them so he could make his way deeper in her pelvis and right on out. By 9:50 that night, Nikki moved her labor to the shower, and it was under the flow of the warm water that we heard her first sighs through the peaks. Her midwives made their way upstairs since there had been a change in intensity, and they were quietly present. They asked if Nikki might want the tub, but she was content with the shower. Nikki labored in there nearly an hour, taking advantage of the roomy shower to move in a variety of positions.

Will helped the kids to bed around that time, then returned to his post beside his beloved. He spoke encouragement into Nikki’s ear, praising her and telling her he loved her. Contractions were punctuated with sweet kisses on her shoulders and back. Nikki grew warmer so she took off her robe and we setup a fan. It was nearly 11:00 pm by then and the midwives gathered their supplies for delivery. Music was playing in the background, setting the stage for the birth space, and the waves of nausea continued. Will rubbed Nikki’s back and we did counter pressure off and on during contractions too.

Just past midnight, Nikki’s contractions spaced to 5-7 minutes apart, so she lay down to rest on her bed for a while. The midwives retreated downstairs and came up periodically to check on baby’s heart tones. After a couple of hours, Nikki expressed interest in the tub so her midwives began setting it up. Nikki sucked a honey stick and then descended in the warm water around 3:12 am. Her legs were tired, and she appreciated the buoyancy the tub provided. Nikki labored on her hands and knees and moved as she was able to, even lunging from side to side.

Then at 4:20, because she was curious and hopeful for information, she decided to have her cervix checked. She was dilated 4 cm, 70% effaced, and baby was at -1 station. Her midwife confirmed that baby’s position was less than optimal with his head tilted to the left, chin untucked, and lots of posterior space. It was time to incorporate some Spinning Babies. Her midwife and I came up with a plan and Nikki was all in. She would do 3 forward leaning inversions, then take a Benadryl for some therapeutic rest, and lay in right-side runners with the peanut ball between her legs. Her midwives would go home to get some rest with the promise to return as soon as things changed.

I stayed with Nikki, quietly observing, and listening for changes, while also catching a bit of rest myself. She was resting by 5:00 am but towards the end of that hour, her contractions picked back up. She said, “ouch,” with each one, until I recommended, she say the more positive “open” or “out.” She breathed slowly through each surge and continued to lay on her right until the intensity required a change. Her water broke at 6:15 am at which point we updated her midwives.

Soon after that, the contractions really ramped up, sending Nikki on all fours to better cope through them. They were suddenly long and close at almost 2 minutes long and 2 minutes apart! I called her midwives who were on their way back right away, and Will tried to add water to the tub since it had cooled.

By 6:50 am, Nikki made a pushy sound, and we knew her baby was coming very soon! Her midwives were just 3 minutes away at that point, so Nikki blew through each contraction as her baby moved lower and lower. Both midwives arrived right as Nikki made the first big pushing sounds, and they took their places in support of Nikki. She pushed instinctively for about 15 minutes with the steady feedback and support of her birth team. By 7:14 am her midwife could see baby’s head and by 7:18 baby was crowning. And at 7:22 am, their little man was born to the gleeful tears of his parents!

Link had somehow twisted his arm around his neck and over his shoulder as if he was patting his own back. Maybe he was! So, his journey out was a convoluted one for sure! After working through some fluid, he gave a lusty cry and the placenta followed in time. Nikki had absolutely no tears which was quite a feat given Link’s positioning!

He was latched by 7:54 am and Nikki and Will stared enraptured by the person they created. “You’re so fuzzy and beautiful,” she said. And Will took Link’s first selfie and sent it to big sister. The sweet words of love shared with this baby boy were so precious.

“I’m looking forward to our life together.”

“Your mom worked so hard to have you. She brought you into the world safe and with love, with so much love.”

“I love you so much, so much, so much.”

It was hard not to shed tears at the overflowing love.

Link weighed a hefty 8 lb. 15 oz. and measured 21 in. long. This only made Nikki’s feat more impressive. Women’s bodies are engineered in an amazing way! And even when our babies give us positional challenges, it’s good to know there are ways for mom to move her body to encourage her baby to do the same. When I think of this birth, I can’t help but think of love. It was woven throughout the entire thing, from the way the room was decorated and prepared, to the tender way the midwives cared for Nikki and her baby, and the sweet words and kisses exchanged between Will and Nikki. I am grateful and humbled to have been invited and trusted to bear witness to their beautiful birth journey.  

Lindsey and Alan welcomed their third child, Breckyn Larguier on January 4, 2023, which also happened to be her due date! I remember when I met with Lindsey she had a strong desire for natural childbirth, something she had not experienced with her previous two births. She felt like she could do it but wanted the added layer of support a doula provides. She and Alan also kept the gender of this baby a surprise! We had our prenatal meeting in which Alan expressed his belief that Lindsey could labor without an epidural. His solid support was a wonderful thing to see. And we all were excited to learn truly who this baby would be!

Lindsey had contractions off and on, which tends to happen with any pregnancies that aren’t the first one. In fact, on January 2nd around 9:45 pm she texted she had been feeling contractions since 2:45 that afternoon but they felt like they were getting stronger. She would reach out if things changed and had an ultrasound appointment the following day which would likely give more info.

I didn’t get an update about contractions, but the following afternoon around 3:30, Lindsey called to say her blood pressure was running high and the recommendation was induction. This was not how she hoped her birth journey would go and wondered if she could see her natural childbirth through. I encouraged her and would be ready to join her once she was having regular contractions 5 minutes apart that she couldn’t talk or walk through.

The induction plan was to start with a membrane sweep and then go from there. Lindsey’s body was already showing some signs of readiness and her cervix was opening, so her provider was hopeful it wouldn’t take much. After the sweep they started off with a dose of Cytotec and would give another dose and see if that worked.

My phone was quiet for many hours, but the Cytotec dosing is spaced far apart so I wasn’t surprised. Then Lindsey called me at 3:20 am saying, “These are getting really bad. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve?” At the time of the call, Lindsey was at her wits end and Alan was fresh out of ideas of how to help. This was the first I heard from her about contractions, so I mentioned hands and knees and possible use of the shower. Then I grabbed my bag and was on my way!

I got there about 30 minutes later. It was about 4:00 am. I knew that Lindsey was feeling overwhelmed and struggling with the intensity of her labor. I reminded her to breathe deeply and to let go of tension and fear, keeping her thoughts positive and reminded her of her strength.

Lindsey was sweaty from her labor, so I prepared a cold cloth and placed a fan nearby. She was having a lot of back pain, so I demonstrated counter pressure to Alan and warmed up my heating pad for her. Lindsey labored on her hands and knees over the cub birthing chair for about 10 minutes before her doctor came in.

It was time to check on progress and possibly break her water if Lindsey was on board with that. She was dilated 5 cm and 90% effaced and her baby’s head was at -1 station, all a very good place to be! Lindsey was courageous and ready to get things going so she gave her doctor permission to break her water. The plan was to move her labor straight to the shower.

Lindsey paused at the toilet, wondering if she had to make a bowel movement or maybe it was her baby moving lower. She couldn’t get anything out, so she went into the shower. It was 4:45 am. I put citrus essential oil on a washcloth in the shower to help energize Lindsey. She instinctively swayed her hips and leaned forward against the molded seat in the shower.

Lindsey held some tension in her shoulders, so I reminded her to drop them and to sigh low tones with her contractions. And it wasn’t 10 minutes, maybe 15, before she felt pushy. First, she felt it, then we heard it! I told Alan to let the nurse know and then we helped Lindsey out of the shower to the bed. Her nurse was is the room right away and confirmed by exam that her baby’s head was right there! (We, of course, already knew this based on Lindsey’s body and what she was feeling, but it confirmed things.)

Lindsey landed on her hands and knees on the bed and that’s where she pushed. “Make it stop,” she implored, but we told her to breathe calmly and to simply push and her baby would come. And then it would stop. It only took a couple of contractions before her sweet baby was born right into her nurse’s hands at 5:03 am! There were three nurses present and then a midwife arrived right after to see that Lindsey had done it! Her baby had a lot of dark hair and we all saw it as the nurse passed the baby through Lindsey’s legs into her arms.

Alan made the gender pronouncement, “It’s a girl! She’s the tie breaker.” He knew big sister would be so happy to have a little sister. Lindsey settled into the bed with her daughter in her arms. The look of euphoria and surprise was priceless! It’s always a special moment to witness but those looks are particularly shocked after a quick birth! The stats wouldn’t be revealed until after the magic hour, but Breckyn weighed 6 lb. 13 oz. and was 21 in. long. And for the record, Lindsey pushed without any tears!

She put the pieces of her labor together in her mind and giggled over the fact that she was modest until she got into the shower and then when she got out, she didn’t care! I loved talking through the timeline with her and Alan so they could see the time stamps of how active labor unfolded. It didn’t take long at all and she rode the crazy tornado of a labor like the strong woman she is, the strong woman she thought she was, and the strong woman she has always been. I was so proud of her, and she was proud of herself. Alan was awfully proud too. It’s worth noting also, that Lindsey felt so good she asked her nurse if she could take a shower. For the record it was just 5:20. Breckyn was only 17 minutes old!

As a doula, I am not there to guarantee a certain outcome. But I am there to support a plan and to accompany my clients on their birth journey. I hope to also help them see their own wisdom and power in their birth. It is always an honor to be present during such a vulnerable and empowering time, and when the birth unfolds in the way my clients had prepared and hoped for, that’s the icing on the birthday cake! ;)

Annah and Amos ushered in their second baby girl on December 20! Annah’s due date was December 22, which posed a bit of a challenge when it came to having her doula present. I had out of town holiday travel plans so Annah decided an induction was something she was comfortable with. She technically had gestational diabetes as well, and had been told an induction at 39 weeks was the usual course. But when a doctor at her last appointment assured her no induction would be necessary since she had kept her sugars in check and her baby wasn’t large, it threw her for a bit of a loop! Ultimately, she decided to wait a few more days before the induction to give her body and her baby the best chance to be ready for labor. So that’s what she did.

Annah went in at 7:30 am for her induction with plans to keep me posted until she was having noticeable and regular contractions. When the midwife came in to check her cervix and formulate a labor plan, she was pleasantly surprised to learn she was already 5 cm dilated! Her body was on the brink of labor, so the plan was to do a membrane sweep and then try the breast pump, with the plan for Pitocin several hours later if needed.

The pump didn’t seem to escalate labor much so the midwife broke Annah’s water at 1:30. I was there within the hour. Annah tried to walk the halls to bring on contractions, but the wireless monitor wasn’t tracing well enough, so she returned to her room and labored in various positions there. Truth be told, her contractions weren’t really getting significantly stronger so that evening it was decided that a little bit of Pitocin would help the process.

Annah was brave and courageous, knowing the Pitocin would make things more difficult. Then again, that would also bring her baby. She was surrounded in support with her husband and her mother, not to mention her doula, so she steeled herself to the task. At 6:00 pm the Pitocin began to flow at 2.0 mu.

Annah labored beside the bed leaning over the cub chair. She labored in the arms of her husband, and she felt a wave of nausea that signaled to everyone that her baby was on the way. She was in labor! We placed the fan nearby to cool her, and she labored on the ball facing Amos. He was a steady birth partner and didn’t hesitate to be “in the fire” with her.

Annah began to sigh with the peaks of her contractions, and we assured her she would be meeting her baby soon. She moved back to the bed, laying over the cub chair so she could rest between contractions, but also birth more easily. Hiccups just past 7:00 pm were an encouraging sign as well, believe it or not. But it’s true. (Burps are another good sign of labor progress.)

And at 7:22 pm Annah’s body trembled with the transition shakes. We helped her get her bottoms off and the midwife took her place at the foot of the bed, patiently waiting. Things had taken a sharp turn and Annah felt the overwhelming sensation of pressure and very strong contractions. She cried in that moment, but not in defeat, more in acknowledgement that she was doing it and it was hard work.

She pushed involuntarily and cried out to God for strength and help, and He delivered just that because Annah pushed Felicity Jean into the world at 7:43 pm, less than two hours after the Pitocin was started. That little bit of Pitocin tipped the scales to labor and her body moved rapidly in birth after that.

Annah held her sweet baby girl and felt all the feelings of euphoria and happiness she was hoping for. We helped her settle back into bed as the placenta was delivered, but not before her own mother cut the cord. We praised Annah for trusting the process and letting go of control when she needed to. Her entire journey of pregnancy and birth was an exercise in letting go of control. Just ask Annah!

Annah was struck with how tiny her baby was and even remarked on it saying, “She’s so tiny and beautiful!” It wouldn’t be official until after the magic hour in Annah’s arms, but Felicity weighed a petite 6 lb. 3 oz. Clearly, Annah managed her gestational diabetes just fine! ;) Words of love were expressed to her baby, to Amos, and right back. The love swirled around her and it was beautiful.

I loved serving this couple. They worked so beautifully together, masters at following the ebbs and flows of pregnancy and labor. The only thing we knew for sure was that we didn’t know. And sometimes that’s what makes birth so difficult. And the act of letting go was what allowed Annah’s birth to unfold, releasing her baby into her loving and patient arms.

Jordan and Chris became parents on December 19, 2022. I loved getting to know them over the course of my 7-week childbirth series and grew excited for the opportunity to attend their birth. Jordan was due near the holidays and she and Chris hired me knowing I had travel plans. They trusted they would be in excellent hands in the event of a backup doula, but as the due date drew closer and Jordan was not showing any signs of labor, she felt more and more comfortable with an induction.

Jordan wanted to wait beyond her due date but was comfortable with an induction at 41 weeks to insure her chosen people would be present: her doula, her mom, and other family members who had traveled from Africa and were scheduled to leave on the 20th. The date was put on the calendar for a Sunday night ripening on Dec. 18, and induction the next morning since she was only dilated 1 cm.

Jordan checked in for induction and her body had made some big changes since her previous appointment. Jordan was dilated 4 cm and 80% effaced, and she was already having contractions! Just like that, the plan changed from ripening overnight to a full-on induction. The plan was to begin Pitocin in about an hour or so.

 In a surprising turn of events from my end, I was at another birth.. It had been a drawn-out ripening and induction that spanned the weekend and while we were hopeful for a baby in the early morning hours, we couldn’t know exactly when. In spite of best laid plans to schedule an induction to assemble her birth team, Jordan was likely going to have a backup doula anyway. I am so grateful for steady backup support and so were Jordan and Chris. They continued with the induction plan trusting it would all work out as it was meant to. I contacted my backup doula, Liz to get her in the loop with what was going on so she would be ready to possibly get called in. All of this came together around 8:30 pm on Sunday.

Three hours later, just before midnight, Chris texted to say that Jordan was dilated 4-5 cm with contractions coming 3-5 minutes apart. The Pitocin had taken hold but Jordan continued to breathe calmly through each contraction and was coping well, so they didn’t feel it was quite time for doula support.

 Two and a half hours after that, around 2:00 am, Jordan’s water broke. She was still dilated 5 but the intensity of the contractions was ramping up. I was with my other client who was pushing, but it was looking like time to call in backup. Within 10 minutes, they reached out to Liz who was soon on her way to the hospital to support them.

Jordan’s labor took a very active turn with long and strong contractions that were hard to stay on top of. She decided to get an epidural in the hope she might get a break before it was time to push. She was exhausted. By 3:30 am, once comfortable from the epidural, an exam confirmed it was a good decision since she was still dilated 6 cm, 90% effaced, and baby was at -1. Jordan was eager for a nap and it was looking like she had time to get one.

Within the hour Jordan was dilated 7.5 cm and 100% effaced, and her baby was coming down well. I was still with my other client so it was still up in the air whether I would make it. But Liz was holding down the fort and providing excellent support. An hour later, upon feeling lots of pressure and with some bloody show, Jordan got checked and was dilated 9 cm! Her body had taken off. Some creative positioning with the bed had her upright to help her cervix melt away and bring her baby down.

Having welcomed a baby with my other client, I was able to come support Jordan and Chris in the last part of the birth. (It helped that both clients were birthing at the same hospital!) We were all very grateful for Liz’s 2+ hours of support in the meantime. I joined them just before 5:30 am.

Jordan’s nurse had been very diligent about coming in every 20 minutes to encourage position changes, and with Liz’s help she was already very close to pushing. Jordan was feeling some pain in her right hip and back, so I prepared a heating pack for some relief.

The midwife came in and did an exam and was excited to find that Jordan was completely dilated. At 6:15 am Jordan gave her first pushes to see how her baby moved. Her midwife was very pleased with her pushing, so she remained in the room and had Jordan continue. With her mom on one side, and Chris on the other, Jordan pushed with each contraction and moved her baby down so well. We saw her baby’s dark hair by 6:45 am and at 6:52 Jordan reached down and felt her baby’s head with her own hand. (I just love to see the reactions of moms when they do this. Their eyes are always wide as saucers!) Then at exactly 7:00 am Jordan pushed her big girl, Sahara Rose, out into the world! It was December 20, and ironically at right about the time the induction process was originally scheduled to begin.

There was so much love in that room! Jordan’s nurse had made a deal with Sahara that she WOULD be born ON her shift, and we all laughed to see that she did just that. Nurses are priceless, especially when they connect so well with their patients. Sahara was a gorgeous baby, and the added chunk only made her more so. She had a head full of dark hair and a sweet disposition from the start. Jordan and Chris were immediately enamored with their daughter and doted on her little parts and the wonder of how strong she was, lifting her head and grabbing fingers from the start. And as if her neck roll didn’t already give her away, her strength did, because she weighed a hefty 9 lb. 3 oz.! No on expected that, least of all Jordan. But it just goes to show that her body was made for it.

Jordan had eager family in the waiting room who came in to meet sweet Sahara Rose. She was the first grandchild on both sides, so she was obviously much anticipated. I gathered my things to leave after the initial hour. I knew after the euphoria wore off a bit, she would be hungry and tired. But the euphoria was contagious as I left the room. The blessing of two babies born so close to Christmas, ignited the anticipation I had for seeing my own family over the holidays. And I was grateful the babies had spaced themselves in such a way that I could attend at least some of Jordan’s birth.

Angelica and Dan welcomed their son, Otto James, on December 6, navigating the unknown of childbirth with love and courage. Dan texted me at 8:00 am on December 5 to share the exciting news that Angelica’s contractions began at 5:15 that morning. They were clocking at 7 minutes apart, so it was still early. The plan was to rest, hydrate, and eat as her body allowed, and to keep me posted for when things got active.

But Angelica’s labor was taking its time. Her contractions were still averaging 7 minutes apart 5 hours later. She found some relief in the bath, but with her contractions still hovering at the 5-minute mark I suggested she give the Miles Circuit a try. Then she did some stair walking and the contractions felt significantly stronger and were closer at 3 minutes apart. They decided it was time to head to the hospital and I met them there.

Angelica was dilated 6 cm, 90% effaced, and her baby was at -1 station. Not bad for a day’s work! It was almost 7:00 pm though and she was looking at a long night. Just knowing she had progressed was a boost to her energy and mindset and Angelica was ready to stay the course for an unmedicated birth.

Dan was a great encourager, saying things like, “You’re so strong,” and “you’re so tough.” Angelica returned to the shower, with contractions coming regularly every 3.5 minutes. She threw up in there and felt more pressure which we took as a very good sign! Peppermint essential oil on a washcloth in the shower helped with the nausea and Angelica inhaled it. The pressure continued to increase and by 12:50 am, Angelica was ready to get out.

Angelica was curious about her dilation and a quick check revealed she was dilated 9 cm, with an anterior lip. We knew what to do and suggested Angelica labor on her hands and knees and incorporate some lunges. Classical guitar played on the speaker and a hot pack on her back helped with the pain and her mindset, and a fan and cold washcloth helped with the hard work of labor.

Angelica moved into the right runner’s position as shivers overtook her, then she stood up do to some lunges on both sides. By 3:00 she gave toilet sitting a try in the hopes it would bring her baby down low enough to stimulate the urge to push. We suspected there might be something holding her baby up and Angelica was not afraid to try “all of the things.” She sat with her knees in and ankles out to open her pelvic outlet. And some clary sage on a cotton ball helped her uterus resume a steady contraction pattern of 3 minutes.

At 4:15 am Angelica did some practice pushes but with her baby at +1 it was best that she labor down a bit longer to conserve her energy. She lay on her side with the peanut ball between her ankles on her left side. Her contractions had spaced out to 6 minutes apart by 5:00 am so after careful thought, Angelica decided a little Pitocin might help. She wouldn’t need much. Angelica resumed pushing with gusto at 6:30 am after her doctor told her she really needed to make some descent before other options might need to be considered. Angelica was going to do it on her own terms!

At 7:00 am she had her water broken and then pushed on her hands and knees. And when her doctor returned at 7:30 to check in she could see that Angelica’s baby was much lower than before. She got dressed and they broke down the bed and even turned off the Pitocin so baby could get some more recovery time between pushes.

And Angelica brought her baby into the world with a mighty push at 8:04 am! He hardly cried but was pink from head to toe almost instantly. Daddy helped get those Apgar’s checked off by rubbing his son’s foot, keeping the hard rubbing from the nurse at bay. And at 8:19 am their son found his voice and cried out steadily, clearly robust and strong.

Those first moments were sweet and tender between Angelica and Dan and their son, Otto. Dan felt the strong squeeze of his son around his finger and even got in the hospital bed beside Angelica to hold his family. After their magic hour the stats were made official. Otto weighed 6 lb. 15 oz. and was 19.29 in. long. He was a peanut, but it just goes to show how much position can impact the birth. He was clearly doing something in there with his hands or body to make the process extend out the way it did.

I am so proud of how Angelica and Dan worked as a team. His belief in her never faltered and together they brought their son into the world in the gentle natural birth they had envisioned. It was not easy or quick by any means. And there were moments that night where time seemed to stand still and the promise of a baby at the end of it seemed hard to believe. But they stuck it out, stayed positive, and taking it one contraction at a time, and using some strategic positions recommended by their team became parents in a beautiful and empowering way.

This birth story has some backstory which is an important part of the journey. Jessica and Dan welcomed their fourth child on December 1, 2022. This was our fourth (and final) birth journey together which made it a bittersweet one for sure. Jessica’s births were a journey of self-discovery that originated with an ob practice with doctors in Newport News, then shifted to a Midwifery Center run by midwives in Norfolk. Her births were all unmedicated and showcased Jessica’s ability to stay calm through the most intense contractions. So, she was confident in her ability to birth wherever she might be, as long as she felt supported. Given her history and the fact that she would have to drive through a tunnel to get to her birthplace, Jessica felt most comfortable with a provider on her side of the water. This was a sensible consideration but was a leap of faith on Jessica’s part since they were new providers to her. They had midwives though, and that was her primary draw.

But Jessica experienced some red flags as her due date drew near. Her midwife pushed for an induction at 37 weeks that didn’t feel right to her. She went so far as to go to the hospital for monitoring and labs and still had to sign a paper leaving against her provider’s recommendation. But Jessica had always birthed past her due date, and she wasn’t eager to sign up for an early induction for a questionable reason. Then a week or two later, as Thanksgiving drew near, her midwife recommended scheduling an induction to avoid birthing near the holiday since there would be less midwives available. Jessica had chosen this ob group specifically for their midwives so to be told she might not have access to one in her labor was the last straw.

She reached out to me desperate for alternatives, feeling trapped in her 40th week of pregnancy with unsupportive providers. I mentioned homebirth and Jessica was open to considering it if she could find a midwife who would take her. Thankfully, she did and felt an immediate weight lifted and a sense of peace at their initial meeting. Jessica was at ease and ready to welcome her baby whenever she might decide to come. It didn’t take long to feel safe and protected, and unconditionally supported, which was a very strong reminder to her of the importance of assembling a team that you trust. She would have a homebirth. And just 11 days later that’s what she did!

It was just over a week past her due date when Jessica felt the familiar waves of contractions. It was around 6:30 pm when she sent the first text to me, but she had been feeling contractions soon after doing the Miles Circuit as recommended by her midwife. She was wise to have the children and dog head to her parents’ house close-by for the night, knowing she would likely be giving birth. I didn’t hear from her for nearly four hours and then a call came in from Dan telling me Jessica was breathing through strong contractions and very focused. This is significant for Jessica and meant she was in active labor, so I was out the door and got to their house by 11:30. (The drive was a long one, given the tunnel, but I was grateful to have made it!)

Her midwife was not yet there and after watching Jessica through just a couple of contractions I knew it was time to call and fill the tub. Dan was on it, and he let the midwife know it was go-time and got to work filling the tub. In the meantime, I remained with Jessica. She breathed with a sigh through her contractions, clutching the headboard of her bed, and trembling through the peaks. She looked to be in transition or very nearly there. This was moving quickly!

She tried a bathroom trip and took several contractions to get there and back. Her contractions were lasting 90 seconds and 3 minutes apart, leaving her with a very short recovery. A cold cloth on her neck and a fan nearby gave slight relief, but her sweat revealed her strong work. Her midwife arrived with her assistant by 11:50 pm, just 20 minutes after me. Jessica stood beside the bed through some contractions and immediately felt pressure down low. Her midwife got her things set up and they paid a visit upstairs to Jessica in the bedroom to greet her and check on baby.

Jessica was in labor land, looking disoriented and tired in between her contractions. Around 12:15 am she asked me, “If they don’t check you how do they know you can get in the tub?” I smiled at her innocent question and reassured her that there were other ways to know. I reminded her that if she felt stinging and burning and that would be her baby’s head. Three minutes later, Jessica felt her baby’s head there.

She made her way slowly down the stairs to the birth tub as the second birth assistant arrived, and she sank down in the water. The tub was situated beside the Christmas tree and made for a lovely backdrop for birthing a baby on December 1. While in the tub, we made sure Jessica took sips of her electrolyte drink prepared by Dan, and we kept a cold cloth and fan nearby. It was little things we did, but the significance behind it all was that we believed in her and trusted her.

Jessica lay back in the tub, eyes closed, and breathed with each contraction. She was in tune with her body and literally breathed her baby down and out. Her midwives watched in wonder, as did we, as Jessica with hardly a sound, and ever so gradually, brought her baby lower. First there was the bulging sac which had always been broken in her previous births. Her patient midwife waited until it gave way naturally, allowing Jessica’s body to ease her baby into the world and prevent a tear.

The midwife summoned Dan close, so he was poised to catch their baby. And he leaned in with complete confidence, saying all of the right things to encourage and reassure Jessica that he saw more of their baby with every breath. And then the head came, so quietly and gently. And after three minutes, another push brought the baby into Dan’s hands at 1:12 am on 12-1-22! Dan and the midwife brought the baby up into Jessica’s waiting arms and she held her to her breast.

It was a truly wondrous birth that left every person quietly in awe. And as I sat in those first minutes it occurred to me how very differently this birth might have unfolded had Jessica not taken the leap of faith and courage to switch her care providers! It was a beautiful and gentle birth by a woman who has a quiet strength about her that I have always admired.

There was no aggressive rubbing of their baby as she made subtle sounds and moved her body in a way that verified she was breathing. And she was pink from head to toe almost immediately. She transitioned in her own way with hardly any cries in the warmth and security of her mother’s arms; a far sweeter first moments in the world than those of a typical hospital-born baby. The placenta came a short while later and remained attached until it felt like the right time to cut it, yet another unique feature that is hard to come by outside of homebirth.

When Jessica felt up to it, she did the herculean task of getting out of the tub and walking back upstairs to her bedroom. Once settled, and confirmed she had NO TEARS (the first time ever!), she watched her baby’s newborn exam occur at her feet and saw as Dan did the honors of weighing her. She weighed 8 lb. 6 oz. and was 19 in. long. The name was still being debated but they would soon settle on Esme Joy. Interestingly, Esme means ‘to love’. Partnered with Joy as a middle name, it’s the perfect name for a baby born on the first day of December in the early part of advent, in which we celebrate with joy the coming of a Savior who came to the world to teach love. In true homebirth fashion, we assured Jessica had some nourishment and hydration, cleaned up any remnants of the birth, and then took our leave so she could settle in her own bed to sleep.

I can’t imagine a more perfect way for Jessica and Dan to have rounded out the births of their four children. I am so proud of Jessica for her courage in making a last-minute change in care. I am grateful for the midwife who could take her on so late. And I will forever be honored to have accompanied Jessica and Dan in all four of their births. I hope they share their story so others may know the importance of feeling safe and supported in birth, and trust the voice that speaks to their hearts is the same voice that has a right to be heard.

Katie and Philip met their sweet baby girl, Penelope Rose, on November 27, 2022, after a long labor journey. Katie had a strong preference for the midwifery model of care, and she believed in the process of birth and her body’s ability to do it, so she secured her care with homebirth midwives. Their home was ready, and they even decorated for Christmas early, just in case their baby came later in December. However, we were all pleasantly surprised when Katie felt her first labor contractions on November 26, with an estimated due date of December 5.

Katie’s initial contractions were very regular at 5-7 minutes apart around 4:30 am and by 7:30 had grown longer and stronger and even closer. It was soon clear that her baby had chosen to be born early. Katie alerted her midwives and me a couple of hours later and we all arrived shortly before 10:00 am. Her midwife assessed her and determined she might be dealing with an OP baby, so we went to work having Katie labor on her hands and knees over the CUB chair. A heating pad also eased some of the pain she felt in her back. She was curious about her progress and wondering what sort of labor journey she might expect. So her midwife did an exam the revealed it was still very early labor. Katie was dilated a fingertip and 30-40% effaced, with her baby at -1 station. It was time to rest. Her midwives left at 12:15 and I stepped out an hour later.

Katie rested at home as well as she could, and when things picked back up her midwives and I returned. Katie was struggling with nausea that had her throwing up, and her body was feeling very weary from laboring as long as she had. Her midwives made sure she tried to get some electrolytes down as well as food, but she was having a challenging time. With the strong suspicion that baby’s position was largely to do with her labor journey, her midwives discussed options. After talking through everything, Katie and Philip decided to transfer to the hospital to get some i.v. fluids and see about next steps. Katie’s midwives made the necessary phone calls and had the records all assembled for the transfer, and hugged Katie and Philip as they left. We promised to keep them in the loop along the way since they were emotionally invested as her initial providers.

Katie was patient and brave through three tries at finding a vein, but once the fluid was running, she exhaled a sigh of relief. Her body truly needed hydration and her uterus would likely respond well to it. A cervical exam showed that Katie was dilated 4 cm and 100% effaced at 8:45 pm. She had done good work at home! She was also pleased that there was an amazing midwife on call who received her and would be her provider during her birth.

Katie decided an epidural would be a good tool to help her get much needed rest for (and for Philip!) and perhaps aid in some pelvic relaxation to help baby do some rotation. She got about 7 hours of sleep overnight, with steady progress. We kept her changing positions, and she was dilated 4-5 cm at 11:30 pm, and 6 cm by 3 am. And by 7:50 am her water broke on its own and she was dilated 8 cm!

We used gravity to help by putting the bed in an upright throne position to bring baby down. It helped because by 9:25 Katie was dilated 9.5 cm with a rim on the right side. Baby was also lower at +1 station. We had helped her roll to her left side with the peanut ball between her ankles to open her pelvic outlet. And in 20 minutes she was fully dilated!

Katie began pushing at 9:55 am and she didn’t take long to figure it out. She pushed steady and strong and changed positions regularly, and at 11:44 am we could see her baby’s head and all that hair! And with progress every single push, Katie birthed her sweet girl at 12:03 pm on November 27, nearly 36 hours after her contractions began!

Philip cried at the sight of his daughter and Katie held her close as she let the enormity of what she just did settle on her heart and mind. She was all smiles in those first few minutes, so joyful to have her baby in her arms! The midwife was singing Katie’s praises and pleased to tell her there were no tears. And she even got the opportunity to wait until after the placenta was out before Philip cut the umbilical cord. After their magic hour as a family of three, the nursery nurse returned and did Penelope’s measurements. She was perfect at 7 lb. 10 oz. and 20.25 in. long. The midwife paused at bedside before leaving to congratulate Katie on such a beautiful birth and embracing her as an adopted patient. Her homebirth midwives had also been cheering her on, sending messages of love and congratulations as the updates came. It was a loving village of support for this new family.

Katie’s birth was a beautiful example of how seamlessly a homebirth transfer can work as well as how a doula can be the link to bridge the gap from home to hospital. Making a change in location and providers can be a daunting and scary task, but it wasn’t like that. Katie and Philip were met with respect and kindness and were immediately embraced by the nurses and provider on call. Katie was well cared for and had nothing but wonderful things to say about her experience. Her homebirth providers were pleased with the cooperative relationship between them and the hospital staff, with the transfer of records and information really paving the way for solid continuity of care. It was an amazing example of teamwork making the dream work and Katie and Philip still beam as they talk about their birth. And as their doula, that makes my heart sing!

Photography Credit to Carpe Diem Photography: Website & Facebook

Shelby and Ryan, repeat clients of mine, welcomed their third child in a homebirth on November 19, 2022. I met Shelby when she was pregnant with her second child, longing for a different birth experience than her first. It wasn’t a bad experience, as she said, but she wanted choices and options. Her second birth was closer to what she desired, being an unmedicated birth. However, her membranes were swept without her express permission, leaving her feeling out of control in her birth.

Shelby’s birth journeys awakened a passion within her for supporting others in birth as a doula. And over the course of her third pregnancy, almost exactly, she worked hard and became certified as a birth doula. Her eyes had been opened to all of the options available in birth and she was eager to explore them all with her third birth. She selected a homebirth midwifery practice, and she was sure to incorporate all of the details about her birth she desired – a birth photographer, delayed cord clamping, cord burning, waiting to discover the gender at the birth, and more – knowing she would have full freedom in her own birth space at home.

But God had different plans for her! Much of it would align with Shelby’s imaginings, but the location did not. Ryan was offered a wonderful job opportunity in the final month of pregnancy which had them selling and buying a house and settling in temporarily with Shelby’s grandmother until their baby was born. Shelby did a lot to prepare her birthing space in a home that wasn’t technically her own. Ultimately, she did the mental and emotional work to prepare a space for her baby in her heart. With all of the moving parts she had been forced to let go of, she could control her readiness within herself. And when the time was right, Shelby was ready.

She had bouts of contractions in the final weeks that were exciting, irritating, and confusing all at once. Those third babies have reputations for being wild cards, and Shelby’s was no different. Her uterus was experienced with two previous births, and it contracted in rehearsal for the big day. Shelby became a master at minimizing the discomfort and trusting she would know when it was time to rally the birth team.

On November 19, around 4:20 pm she texted me to say she had bloody show. I went into detail about how that wasn’t important enough to report and to wait until she had escalating contractions. Of course, being a doula now, and having given birth twice, Shelby knew this. But she replied telling me she had been crampy and felt different that day. She was intentional about giving herself some alone time to prepare for the baby and to pamper herself as well. She did yoga, took a magnesium bath, and did some meditation. She even made arrangements for the kids to be in Richmond for the weekend so she could really hunker down and focus on having a baby if it was truly time.

And it was time. An hour later, Shelby texted to say she was contracting regularly at 7 minutes apart. She had already alerted her midwife and told Ryan to drive back down from Richmond. She felt quite sure it was the real deal but was still content to lay low. Her midwife was with another birthing client, and she didn’t want to interrupt that. (How sweet and thoughtful!)

But a couple of hours later it was clearly time to come. Shelby was having to focus and couldn’t chat anymore, and her husband felt uneasy without the birth team present. She rallied the team at 9:45 pm and I was there by 10:40 pm. And with all of her birth team present and accounted for, Shelby was able to let go and have her baby. She relaxed and smiled, and at one point grabbed her sister’s hand and cried a little at the awe of it all.

Shelby was calm but excited and breathing confidently through her contractions and laboring standing up. The midwife and her team trickled in soon after me and set up their things. She had her eye on the tub that was being prepared for her in the center of the room. It was filled with air, then the water was started around 11:15 or so. The temperature needed to be right, so that would be another detail. It’s not a fast process but it was a process we thought there would be plenty of time for based on how calmly Shelby was laboring. But we were wrong.

Shelby was very in tune with what she felt, and she would tell us. She felt more bulgy pressure at 11:17 pm and by 11:25 she leaned forward into Ryan and scolded him because he leaned on her, a totally active labor sort of thing to do. I pressed on her back, which initially felt good to Shelby. But soon it didn’t. She was quickly spiraling through active labor into transition, and we didn’t quite see the active labor.

Shelby moved easily through each contraction, following her instincts about which positions felt best. She didn’t ask for any advice from anyone but rather owned her space and her birth. She told us what she needed, and we gladly obliged. She went from standing to sitting on the birth ball and there she would remain until right before she birthed.

Her contractions were very close at 2 minutes apart, and her labor behavior changed rapidly from casual talking between and breathing with eyes closed during, to very focused deep vocalizing and short bursts of comment between. I rubbed her back and shoulders between her close and strong contractions to remind her to let them go. But there was hardly time before the next one came.

At 11:31 pm Shelby said, “These feel slightly transitiony.” She expressed the need for counter pressure, and I did it. She was nauseous and requested some peppermint essential oil and her midwife and I scrambled around for some. She even told Ryan where and how he could best hold her and support her. And he was a humble and willing partner for it all. I mentioned after the fact how Shelby was her own sports commentator for her labor. “They are back-to-back! Why are they coming so close? I have no breaks,” Shelby said. And I quietly reminded her that her baby would be born soon. The tub was still too hot, however, and she so wanted to get in. Her midwife leaned in and told Shelby to let her baby come if it was time, and not to hold him in waiting for the tub.

Shelby’s transition contractions, both of them, brought her to her feet. She told us she didn’t want to be on the ball anymore. Later she would tell us how it felt like it was in the way, obstructing the birth of her son. And then she reported to us that her water broke. Like a pit crew, someone helped bring her bottoms off and she stood and breathed through her contractions and felt his head. “Fire in the crotch,” Shelby exclaimed, making it clear to the room that her baby’s head was there.

Her midwife crouched behind her, and Shelby reached down to catch her baby herself. She brought him up to her chest and said, “What the actual heck?! Did that just happen?!” Bringing laughter from the room. William Lewis was born at 11:38 pm, not even 10 minutes after Shelby’s 2 difficult contractions. She stood there and looked at her baby, then up at Ryan and they shared a moment of pure euphoria and amazement. And she was soon escorted to the couch nearby to properly snuggle her baby, birth the placenta, and begin her immediate recovery.

Shelby and Ryan had not found out the baby’s gender, so the great pronouncement was made by Ryan that they had a son! It was a sweet moment of revelation for the two of them and was an immediate perfect addition to their matched set of girl and boy. The placenta was born at short time later, and when the time was right, the separation was made with a ceremonial cord burning, using a handcrafted wooden box built by Shelby’s dad. They were still considering names so we didn’t know it yet, but they would settle on William Lewis.

The scale displayed an impressive weight of 9 lb. 6 oz. for this chunky baby with the 9-lb. neck roll to prove it. He was Shelby’s largest baby but born the fastest without any tears. What a testament that is to the power of a birthing woman’s body when she is given the freedom to follow its lead! We helped Shelby get situated upstairs in the room in which she would do her long-term recovery. And we showered her with all the compliments so deserved for a calm and intuitive birth that had about a 10-minute span of no-longer-chatty-to-transition-and-baby!

The midwives got another labor call, that’s three in one night! So, they cleaned up and gathered their things to go. I left soon after and played Shelby’s journey over and over in my head. There was a point where she felt like the rug had been yanked out from under her when the homebirth, she had already prepared a space for would move to a completely different place that wasn’t her home. But instead, she found her peace within and from her God, and welcomed her baby boy in the manner she had always imagined—on her terms, with her chosen support people present, and surrounded by nothing but birthing freedom and respect, two things she never felt before in her births.

This was a transition to mothering three babies, but it was also a transition for Shelby in her doula journey as well. She will be such a gift to the women she serves in her personal journey about options and advocacy, but also in her personal experiences with letting go and following your baby’s lead. I am so proud of her and will forever be honored to have been chosen as her doula twice.

This announcement has been posted without pictures at the family’s request.

Rachael had quite the journey to meet her third baby. Third babies are often called the wildcard, and Rachael’s baby number three fell right into that label! Her husband, Marc, was deployed and would almost definitely not be home in time for the birth. So, Rachael prepared herself to welcome this child without him by her side.

 Rachael aspired for a VBAC this time since her second baby had been born by emergency c-section over three weeks early due to fetal distress. Her first birth was a long induction, so she was hopeful for a different journey this time around.

She enrolled in my Spinning Babies® Parent Class and learned all about the daily positions and stretches she could do to encourage this baby to find the most space to position himself head down. And she even switched her care providers to a group known for their low c-section rate and high VBAC rate.

 Everything was proceeding well for a vaginal birth until at her 37-week appointment it was discovered that Rachael’s baby was in the breech position. This was a shock to everyone and required some quick thinking and extensive work on Rachael’s part. She ran down the list of suggestions I gave for encouraging her baby to go head down and she continued to seek regular chiropractic adjustments. Her doctor even attempted an ECV (external cephalic version) to flip baby from external manipulation but that did not work. He seemed resolute in his position, but Rachael did not stop there. She continued to do all she could to encourage him to flip.

 At Rachael’s 38-week appointment they did another ultrasound to confirm position since the c-section was scheduled for the following week. And wonder of wonders, Rachael’s baby boy had flipped head down! It was another surprise discovery but a much happier one. So, Rachael went about walking and lunging to keep her baby in the head down position. The following Tuesday they had an ultrasound scheduled to confirm he was still head down and would then cancel the c-section for the following day.

 But, true to wild card baby form, when they did an ultrasound the following Tuesday, in week 39, Rachael’s baby was breech AGAIN. Her provider was not comfortable doing another ECV due to the risk of rupture, and Rachael was left unsure as to what felt like the best choice. Her cervix was still closed, and they planned to do another ultrasound the next day before the scheduled c-section just to be sure. Ultimately, Rachael made peace with the safer controlled c-section rather than increasing the likelihood for an emergent situation with a repeat ECV or even delaying the c-section another few days.

 The next morning, Rachael reported to the hospital for the c-section with her sister by her side. Everyone’s eyes were trained on the screen during the ultrasound. What position would her baby be in today?? The plan for the day was soon clear because her baby was still in the breech position. He had made his decision known too it would seem! Rachael handled the situation with grace and a positive mindset, knowing she trusted her providers and wanted only the safest birth for her son. Plus, she had come to peace with everything the previous day.

 Rachael waited through the morning for her c-section. She had been bumped for a more urgent need. It was a reassuring reminder that the path she had chosen was not the urgent one. Her baby was fine and would be born when it was their turn. Not only was her baby’s position flipping and flopping, but her line in queue for the OR was also flipping and flopping. Originally, she was bumped to the afternoon from her early morning slot, and then was returned to a late morning time. 

 The wheels started turning after 10:30 that morning. Her team came in one at a time for introductions and to ask the necessary questions, and by 10:49 that morning Rachael was escorted out the door and down the hall to the OR. Her sister was summoned to her side once the spinal anesthesia was in place. And at 11:26 am on November 23, 2022, the day before Thanksgiving, Judah John Paul was born! He weighed 7 lb. 9 oz. and was 20.5 in. long. He looked like his daddy and once he was with his mommy he grabbed for her hand. Rachael was in recovery with her son within the hour and he latched for the first time at 12:53 pm, just shy of 90 minutes old.

 There was some clarity in the decision when Rachael’s doctor went in for the baby. Rachael’s incision was thin, and with an already elevated chance for rupture, she might have dodged a scary outcome. Her baby boy presented with his feet and his bottom, so he was very much in the breech position at the time of birth.

 Rachael never would have imagined choosing a scheduled c-section in light of her history and her plans for this birth. But as she gathered more information and had discussions with her providers, she felt included in the decision and her option mattered. Given all the information presented and discovered, Rachael chose the best path to meet her son. And that’s the stuff that positive birth experiences are made of! I will forever be amazed at how mobile Rachael’s son was up to the very end, and in her grace in allowing him to literally choose his birth position and path.