Tina and Brian welcomed their baby girl on September 9! I had such a great time getting to know this couple during our one-on-one class. I knew their goals for this birth…It was Brian’s second child but Tina’s first. They were a great team and had a wonderful back and forth banter which I knew would serve them well during the potentially stressful experience of labor.

Tina developed gestational diabetes which wasn’t ideal. She knew it might complicate things but continued with the intention of a little intervention in her birth as possible. But as Tina approached her due date, her blood pressure crept up. In time it became a safer notion to proceed with induction than wait it out and hope it didn’t continue to escalate. This was not what Tina and Brian would have wanted but they also knew that a healthy outcome was paramount. At Tina’s appointment they scheduled the induction. But then her blood pressure was high enough to send her straight to labor and delivery that very day to get induced. So as the plan of laboring long at home faded, they gathered their belongings to get admitted at the hospital for induction with even less time to let it sink in. They were troopers about it all and made their way to the hospital to settle in.

There was some cervical ripening necessary before any labor, so the plan was to administer Cytotec to ripen and then use a Cook balloon overnight. In total they administered 5 doses of Cytotec before going to the balloon around 6:30 the following morning.

And in those early hours as Tina waited for the balloon to do its thing, her water broke. It was 10:55 am when this happened and was an encouraging sign that her body was on board with the plan of getting the baby out. The balloon was removed, and Tina was dilated to 3 cm so they began pitocin immediately and raised it incrementally over the course of the day. By that evening with the pitocin at 20 mu and no cervical change or labor, they decided to turn it off and give Tina a break. Tina showered and ate dinner and then resumed pitocin at 7:50 pm.

It felt like the right time to proceed with an epidural, so they got the ball rolling with that. Tina had already been in that room over 24 hours and knew she had a long night ahead of her and the contractions would intensify. Plus, there was the caveat that the epidural could also help with her blood pressure management. The initial placement of the epidural went off without a hitch. It would just take time for the medication to work.

But then something crazy happened. When the doctor did an exam to prepare to insert internal monitors to assess contraction strength, she felt the umbilical cord! It was a cord prolapse and suddenly imperative that the baby be born right away! The doctor hopped on the hospital bed with Tina and as they rolled down the hallway, she asked Tina how she was doing to which Tina threw up her hands and exclaimed, “I’m okay!” This was totally in keeping with Tina’s attitude and sense of humor. The trusted her providers to keep her baby safe and her idea of how the birth would go had already veered in a drastically different direction, this was just par for the course.

Brian got dressed in the paper suit as they prepped Tina for the c-section, but they quickly determined that she would need to go under general anesthesia for the safest outcome for baby. Sadly, Brian was not permitted in the OR. Cora Violet was born quickly and safely, weighing 6 lb. 13 oz. and measuring 18.5 in. long and Brian joined her in the nursery soon after she was born. He spent that first hour with her and even got to cut the umbilical cord. Cora and Brian returned to the labor and delivery room where Tina was able to meet her baby for the first time.

As Tina snuggled her baby girl, she was the picture of peace. I admire her for having the courage to let go of so much of how she imagined her birth would unfold. She embraced the new direction of things and welcomed her baby girl with open arms, grateful she was born safely. Tina and Brian continue to be a solid team with a great sense of humor that will always come in handy when life throws them curve balls. However, Cora Violet may be the best curve ball they are ever thrown!

I have always found peace at the beach. The waves that crash upon the sand and recede, as predictable as time itself, bring reassurance in their steady rhythm. I have been drawn to the beach more this past month than usual. I think I’ve been pining for the beach in part as a refuge from the crazy nature of my work and the busy pace of summer vacationing. But I have also relished those times because they have been fleeting. I have longed to go to the beach, but I sadly have had to pass on it due to weather or work obligations more than expected.

I have found myself in a new season. It’s rather uncertain for me, as I am accustomed to going full throttle all the time. But my body, while strong for my age, is getting tired. It is feeling the pull to the beach for the relaxation and restoration it brings me, body and soul. My recovery time from births is taking longer, I require more recuperative sleep, and my joints don’t have as many hours of kneeling, squatting, and counter pressure as they did in my 30s and 40s. I want to continue serving clients in birth but to do so I must make changes to prevent burn out and to honor the needs of my aging body and the needs of my family.

I have started off my 2024 client bookings being very intentional about limiting the number of clients I am able support. I will only take 4 clients due in a month, which is still more than some doulas take. I will maintain availability for repeat clients without limit and am open to taking clients who have previously birthed. However, I will only have 2 of those spots each month for first-time parents. Truth be told, those are the births that take the longest and require much more support and recovery. My hope is by limiting the first-time birthing parents, I can serve them to the fullest while also allowing opportunity for physical and emotional recovery.

For this reason, it will be more important than ever for potential clients to reach out early in their pregnancy, and for me to have discernment in deciding which couples (and which providers) are the best fit for me. I have been blessed to book early for many years and anticipate the reduction in clients will continue that trend. We are blessed in Hampton Roads to have an amazing community of doulas and I will happily provide resources when I am contacted and unavailable to serve.

I look forward to this new season and hope that these changes will breathe new life in my body, my spirit and my resolve to serve birthing families so I can continue this work for many more years. I am forever grateful to the families who have trusted me in their intimate birth space these past 20 years and will continue to be honored by the invitation to serve at any births to come.

Emily and Mike welcomed their second baby, a girl, on August 21. Emily was hoping for a VBAC after having a c-section the first time. Her due date came and went and so an induction was scheduled at 41 weeks. But Emily’s body was showing signs that it was moving toward labor. In fact, by 6:30 pm the night before the scheduled induction, she was having contractions 10 minutes apart that were increasing in intensity. She and Mike waited through the night and went into the hospital around 6:00 am.

Emily was breathing through contractions but managing them well. And she was pleased to learn she was dilated 5 cm, 70% effaced, and baby was at 0 station. The nursing staff was confused however, since Emily was scheduled to come in that morning for an induction. It was a good surprise though!

Emily was not afraid to move around all over the place to encourage her baby’s descent. She did squats and lunges and walked. The midwife came in around lunch time to see about possibly breaking her water. Since Emily’s contractions were picking up in intensity and closer than 5 minutes, things were moving into active. And Emily was coping with the pain just fine.

The midwife came in around 12:45 pm and confirmed that Emily was dilated 5-6 cm and then broke her water. She was moaning lightly through her contractions and managing them well. She was ready for the next step and prepared herself for the strong possibility of her labor picking up in intensity after the water was broken. Emily walked around and paced, labored sitting on the bed, and even did some squats with the rebozo over the top of the door.

Her contractions moved to a steady.3 minutes apart and moving right along. Emily had some tender moments of the imminent reality of meeting her baby girl. “I can’t wait to meet her!” And we all were laughing at how much this little one wanted to keep her mom on her toes! It had been an emotional roller coaster to say the least between a possible repeat c-section, induction, or even a VBAC. It all remained to be seen, but Emily was grateful that her body went into labor on its own and her baby was choosing her birthday.

As the contractions intensified, Emily moved into some forward leaning positions. She labored on her hands and knees over the peanut in bed, and then leaned into the CUB standing beside the bed. Lavender on a cotton ball helped to calm her mind and relax her body.

At 2:30 pm, Emily moved into the shower to labor. The lavender essential oil followed her in there and she sighed through her growing contractions. Mike started some praise and worship music which really filled the space with encouragement and positivity. Emily maintained her sense of humor too, because at one point Mike asked her how she was doing and she said she was living her best life.

By 3:10 pm Emily exited the shower and returned to labor on her hands and knees on the bed. After holding that position through a good number of contractions, she decided to lay on her side for a bit of rest. She sat up in bed next and tried to wrap her head around moving forward. She had hit a wall and began to doubt whether she could keep going.

So back into the shower she went at 4:20, since it provided such great relief and focus the last time. Emily felt her baby moving lower and found peace in knowing her baby’s heart rate was steady and strong through the contractions. After 30 minutes she got out with contractions that were still steady at 3 minutes apart. But when her midwife came to see about her progress at 5:00 pm, Emily was still dilated 6 cm. This had her worried she wouldn’t dilate since she wasn’t able to dilate with pitocin in her first birth. We reminded her that this baby had her own journey to make, and then added a heating pad to her back for some relief. Pitocin was started around 5:40 pm, just low to start.

Emily labored over the peanut ball again and asked us to talk to her to distract. By 6:20 pm the pitocin was at 4 mu. Emily tried laboring on the toilet but the pressure was uncomfortable, so she returned to the shower again. The pitocin was raised gradually every 30 minutes and Emily’s body continued its work. Mike was so sweet in his encouraging words, telling Emily she was so beautiful, that he loved her, and that she is amazing and doing so well. He was the king of words of affirmation!

Emily got out of the shower around 8:00 pm and she was dilated 6-7 cm. She was growing very weary and requested an epidural. It didn’t take long, and she was comfortable about 30 minutes later. Her baby had some decels and the thinking was that it was related to rapid progress. So, the midwife did an exam and Emily was dilated 7 cm but her baby was at -2 station. We moved her into a variety of positions over the next couple of hours. Flying cowgirl, peanut ball between her ankles with knees together, right side, left side alternating positions. But at 11:44 pm she was still dilated 7 cm and the baby had not come down. They recommended putting internal monitors in to get a better idea of contraction strength so they could better monitor contraction strength and finetune the pitocin levels.

We continued to have Emily in a variety of positions and an hour later she was still dilated 7 cm and her baby was having decels after contractions, except on her right side. So, her doctor had the pitocin lowered by half to see how her baby would respond. Emily dilated to 8 cm by 3:00 am, but her baby was LOP which wasn’t helping things. We did some sidelying releases and had Emily lunging on one side and then the other (using the peanut ball), and the pitocin was raised incrementally again.

But by 6:00 am, with pitocin up to 12 mu, Emily’s cervix was the same. There was a reason her baby wasn’t descending, and Emily wasn’t sure she wanted to continue pushing things with her baby’s heart rate dipping. So, she made the confident decision of proceeding with a c-section. She expressed to us how different this birth had been from her first and it was already a healing experience for her, rewriting a c-section as a positive thing that she chose.

It wasn’t long before Emily and Mike were in the OR to meet their newest love. Zelie Mae was born at 6:51 am weighing the same weight as her brother: 8 lb. 10 oz. She was a big girl! And she was also the same weight as her brother: 20.5 in. Emily cried when she heard Zelie’s cry, knowing her baby was fine and had arrived safely. And she wasted no time sticking out her tongue and rooting to latch.

Emily and Mike returned to the room they began the journey in and soaked up the feeling of holding a newborn again. With a busy toddler at home, they knew the first day with just the three of them was precious. Although they were also eager to introduce Zelie to her brother.

Emily mentioned at our recent postpartum visit how healing and empowering this birth was. And I am thrilled that she had the opportunity to rewrite her c-section experience. Every step of the way was different, and Emily turned out to be a pretty strong laboring woman when it was all said and done. And she also had the courage to let go and follow where her baby needed her to go.

Romina and Charles are parents! I had the privilege of getting to know them over the course of my 7-week childbirth series. Romina desired as little intervention as possible and prepared by educating herself, finding a provider who would be supportive, and last but not least, hired a doula. We met early on so the relationship was established over many months until finally Romina’s due date was looming. She was always good about reaching out to me with questions or concerns and addressed her fears as well. This was an emotionally mature thing to do and I was proud of her for it.

Professional photos courtesy of JCPenney

Romina’s body had contractions off and on in the final days which just so happened to be the week of her due date. While Romina grew accustomed to the nightly ritual of contractions in the last days, they did nothing for her sleep. It was hard to imagine how she would have the energy for labor when it happened. Romina worried about an induction, in fact it was one of her biggest (if not THE biggest) fear. So not going far past her due date was a very good thing.

Romina saw some signs of change in her body and sent me updates about them. It was an exercise in trying not to pay too much attention to things that weren’t labor but also getting excited about meeting her baby soon. But by the third night, things seemed to be more laborish. I got a text just before 3:00 am with a pattern of contractions that Romina said were getting stronger. And she also thought her water might have broken around 1:00 am. She reached out to her midwives and eventually headed in to the hospital.

After getting checked and hooked up to the monitor to assess, it seemed that Romina wasn’t quite in labor, or perhaps was in very early labor. Her cervix was very thin at 90% and her baby was at -2 station, which was good. Her midwife recommended Romina stay and get fluids and have her baby. She had already had several difficult nights and the concern turned to whether Romina would have the energy needed. They hooked her up with a wireless monitor which would give more freedom of movement. Romina breathed through her contractions but found it hard to relax. The hours passed but by that evening she had only dilated from 1 to 2 cm. Her midwife said it was time to get some labor to happen, so they agreed to starting Pitocin. This was not what Romina ever thought she would want but she also realized that it was the best next step to have her baby. She was courageous as her birth journey took a different turn.

The Pitocin was increased gradually but it didn’t take long before Romina’s contractions were overwhelming. She decided to get an epidural in the hopes it would allow for some rest, and she might relax better as well. It had also been about 24 hours since her contractions began, and she still had a ways to go. Well, unfortunately, Romina’s epidural did not perform as expected. She continued to feel pain and so we tried our best to rub her thighs and apply a rice sock and her heating pad to mitigate the pain of her contractions. With the pain still much worse than expected post-epidural, they did the epidural again. And thankfully, it worked better the second time.

And second to the pain relief, Romina (and Charles) were getting rest for the first time in a long time. We moved Romina into various positions to encourage continued progress in dilation and her diffuser helped to keep the environment relaxing. The baby’s heart rate dipped in such a way as to get our attention. Her nurse added a pillow under Romina’s hip and some fluids to her iv which seemed to help the fetal heartrate. Romina’s nurse also started gathering delivery since sometimes the baby’s heart rate can alert to big changes in the cervix.

With contractions coming steady every 3 minutes, her midwife came in to see what was happening with Romina’s cervix. And lo and behold at 11:49 pm (a short time after the second epidural was working) Romina’s cervix was completely dilated! Her baby was at -1 station. Her midwife broke her water to encourage baby’s descent and we continued to move Romina into various positions to help baby navigate the pelvis.

Romina continued to sleep (eye covers helped) and by 1:00 am her baby was at +2 station. So pushing began! Everyone was very encouraged and excited that a baby would be born soon. And Romina got started. She pushed in many positions over the hours. She pushed on one side, then the other, she sat upright in the bed, and pushed on hands and knees. We did the jiggle from Spinning Babies to help baby move down and placed cold cloths on Romina to counteract the natural heating up of her body caused by the work of labor. After pushing for 2 ½ hours Romina was tired. So she tried to rest through several contractions and then pushed on her hands and knees over the peanut. Romina tried to push with the tug of war rebozo maneuver, but her baby wasn’t descending. “I’m done,” she said.

And she really meant it. So her midwife recommended having the doctor come in and consider some assistance via vacuum. Romina was open to this if the doctor felt it might work. He came in and assessed things and thought it was a good option. But in spite of hard and consistent pushing efforts and use of the vacuum, the baby didn’t descend, and the vacuum popped off the maximum of 3 times. Her doctor shook his head disappointed that he could no longer assist Romina in this way. It was up to her to push her baby out so she continued to try. We all cheered and encouraged her. We even gave her real talk to dig deep and get her baby out. But it just wasn’t happening.

After pushing on her own for 30 more minutes with no notable progress of her baby’s head (which we could see!), the doctor recommended a c-section as the safest option at that point. He even said himself, “I don’t know why the baby isn’t coming.” After all, Romina had been pushing for over 4 hours. By all accounts Romina was doing the hard work to get her baby out. And after all the work she did, Romina embraced the option of a c-section with such courage a grace. This is a woman who was so determined to have a spontaneous unmedicated vaginal birth and she relinquished control of that idea and walked the journey of a very different birth. She was ready to meet her baby. She and Charles regrouped and came to a place of peace with the new direction. This was not an emergency. There was time to gather the team and for Romina and Charles to wrap their heads around the new plan.

Thirty minutes later they were headed to the OR and their sweet baby girl was born 25 minutes later at 6:34 am. Less than 40 minutes later they were back in the room where it started. Romina got skin to skin and so did Charles. Their baby girl, Sofia Nichole, was born at 6:34 am on August 18. She weighed 7 lb. 9 oz. and was 20 in. long. She had a head full of dark hair and she looked a lot like her daddy to me. (Most babies do.) She was latched before I left and Romina and Charles were off to a great start as parents.

Fast forward to the postpartum visit, and I was so proud of them. They had family helping in the first week or two and had come into their own with the rhythm of pumping and feeding and navigating support for tongue ties. Romina had appointments set up and was taking her postpartum time day by day. They were confident, inquisitive, united, and above all loved their baby fiercely. It was an honor to be a trusted member of their birth team and to truly see them grow into parents.

Kaitlyn and Brian welcomed their second baby, this time a girl, Eleanor Grace, on August 8. Kaitlyn’s first birth involved a 4thdegree tear and challenging recovery, and she was even told it might be a good plan to consider a c-section for any subsequent births since she had such a significant tear. But Kaitlyn had a strong desire for every chance at a natural birth, so she hired a doula and chose providers who were known for them, and Kaitlyn even had regular appointments with a chiropractor. She and Brian also armed themselves with knowledge and attended both my Spinning Babies Parent class and my refresher class. They had the information and the team. Now all they needed was the baby!

But Kaitlyn had a sneaking suspicion even in the Spinning Babies class as we did belly mapping that her baby was not head down. She thought she felt a head up in her ribs but wasn’t sure. There was still plenty of time for her baby to reposition herself so Kaitlyn did the daily activities and exercises as recommended in class and hoped that time would give her baby all she needed to turn.

Around a month before her due date, Kaitlyn’s midwife confirmed what Kaitlyn has suspected, that her baby was in the breech position. It wasn’t an easy determination since it took two midwives and even an ultrasound to verify. Kaitlyn felt some validation upon learning her baby was breech since she had suspected a head in her ribs rather than a bottom. But ultimately if her baby didn’t flip the plan would be to have a scheduled c-section. This was not what Kaitlyn expected but she also knew there was some time yet.

She did not feel at peace with doing an ECV but rather preferred to encourage baby to move by using her own body. And if her baby remained in the breech position, she would follow her lead and schedule the c-section. In the interim she knew she had tools from the Spinning Babies class as well as her chiropractic visits, but she was feeling tired and uncomfortable, and knew the importance of emotionally processing the likely change in her birth plan. And there was the other issue of tending to their son who was in the throes of potty training.

Another appointment the following weeks with an ultrasound confirmed baby was frank breech on her right side and Kaitlyn’s anterior placenta was taking up the left side. Her doctor wasn’t overly optimistic about the ECV, as Kaitlyn suspected after researching it, so they came to the safe conclusion that baby had made the choice for them. She would be born by c-section.

Kaitlyn maintained some hope that baby may still turn, but she also embraced the positives of the scheduled c-section. She could let go of any worries of who would watch big brother and her husband would be readily available and she wouldn’t have to find a way to get ahold of him on the ship as with spontaneous labor. I was so proud of her for letting go of the initial vision she had for her birth and instead embracing the new path that unfolded before her. There was still a decision made by both her and her baby. It was just not the one she thought she would choose, but it ultimately felt like the right one for this baby and this birth.

The spirit in the room of the c-section was upbeat. Everyone arrived one by one and introduced themselves as part of the surgical team. Kaitlyn had nervous excitement and Brian was so faithful in his love and support for her. There were many smiles and even laughs that morning and the idea of a baby in her arms in a very short time was still hard to fathom. As everyone was geared up and made final preparations, the confirmation of a pleasant surprise of allowing both Brian and me in the OR was just icing on the birthday cake, so to speak.

We both sat by Kaitlyn and Brian held her hand. Country music was playing the whole time. We told Kaitlyn what we saw, and as soon as her baby was out and assessed, Brian went right to her side while I remained with Kaitlyn. Daddy’s little girl, aka Eleanor, was adorable and with both legs straight up towards her head she was very obviously a breech baby. While her gender was a surprise, her big brother was sure from the beginning that she was a girl, insisting he was getting a “little sissy” from the first moment he knew she was in his mom’s belly. And the discovery at birth made it even more emotional for Kaitlyn and Brian since she was named after Kaitlyn’s grandma.

Eleanor squeezed her daddy’s finger HARD and made sure everyone in the room knew her feelings on the matter of being born. She was skin to skin with her mom at just over 5 minutes old, and she even very nearly latched in the OR. She was born at 8:16 am and weighed 8 lb. 6 oz. And was declared absolutely perfect by everyone present. And she had some seriously long, dark hair!

Breech legs!

When all was said and done, the family returned to the room together for recovery. It was family-centered, and Eleanor latched at 45 minutes old for a long while as her mom and dad looked on. Kaitlyn was feeling good in the immediate postpartum, and when I saw her at her postpartum visit weeks later, she told me she was actually healing better than she had been after her first birth.

Eleanor rested on her mom’s breast as she listened to the same heartbeat that lulled her to sleep in the womb. She was home. After traveling such a crazy and winding road, it’s nice to know that the destination is the same. I am so proud of this family and the way they handled the changes in their birth. Changes they handled with grace, dignity, courage, and clarity. It’s a wise and wonderful start to parenthood. And their big boy at home is totally smitten with his baby sister. He is quite simply glad she is HERE. And so are Kaitlyn and Brian.

Chelsea and Chris welcomed baby #3 on August 6. I had been hired by them twice before, so they felt as much like friends as clients to me. Chelsea was forthcoming at our prenatal visit about aspects of her second birth that she would prefer not to repeat. Granted it was during COVID which brought added challenges. Her first two babies also had meconium so that altered some of her postpartum experience with them and involved some separation from one as he received extra attention in the nursery.

While there’s no way to control whether there would be meconium, we were hopeful that this birth would be different since every birth truly is. Chelsea and Chris expected to welcome this baby around Chelsea’s due date since that was the pattern she had established with her first two. With that assumption, plus the hectic homelife raising two young children late in pregnancy, they didn’t do a whole lot of packing ahead of time. And the joke was on them! Because I got a call from Chelsea around 11:00 pm on August 5 telling me her water just broke. And her due date was still two weeks away! There was no meconium though which was a very good start!

Chelsea spoke with the doctor on call, and they decided it was best to mobilize and head to the hospital sooner rather than later. After all, her second labor was just two hours long after her water broke. They were on their way just before midnight with no notable contractions yet. Chris also noticed they only had 18 miles left on the gas tank! Oops! And just 15 minutes later Chelsea texted she had felt 3 contractions that were 6 minutes apart and getting stronger with each one. I gathered my things and was on my way soon after.

I joined them in their triage room and Chelsea was 3 cm dilated. Her 6 minutes apart contractions spaced out after sitting on the triage bed for the NST. I had a suspicion she would need to get put in her proper room before she could let go and labor. It took a while, but by 1:45 am she was shown to her LDR room.

We walked the hallways for 20 minutes and returned to the room where Chelsea did hip swirls on the ball. She expressed that she felt a lot of discomfort in her butt to which Chris said that meant this kid would be a pain in the ass! It got a chuckle. We talked through how fortuitous it was that Chris’ parents happened to be in town for a visit so they could leave the children in their care to go to the hospital.

By 2:35 am the contractions were steady at 4 minutes apart, lasting a minute or longer. Chelsea’s body was moving into active labor and requiring her focus. With Chelsea the signs are subtle. A furrowed brow, closed eyes were signs she was working harder. The contractions were more in the front which was a good sign baby’s position was fine.

And just 20 minutes later, by 2:55 we could hear Chelsea’s breathing as she stepped up her work. She leaned into Chris for support as he rubbed her back and gave a kiss after the contraction. She stood beside the bed and leaned into the CUB through some contractions and then labored on her hands and knees over it by 3:05. Chelsea did lunges and felt her baby moving down a short time later. We heard her breath quiver some as she exhaled at the peaks of the contractions, another subtle sign to us that Chelsea was progressing. Nausea hit her so she moved out of the bed to labor standing.

Judging from her efforts, it felt like a good time to recommend laboring in the shower. Chelsea considered renting a tub but since her second labor was so quick, she thought she’d skip it. This was right around when she told us she wished she had the tub. I reminded her that the shower was another good option for hydrotherapy. So she gave it a try. With votives and citrus fresh and lemon essential oil blends on a washcloth, the shower became a labor sanctuary that woke up her senses and maybe even helped her feel a little less tired.

The contractions were 2 minutes apart now, and Chelsea felt her baby ‘right in her butt,’ point with her hand to show us where. Her nurse began setting up the delivery table and Chelsea made her way out of the shower. We switched out cold cloths on her neck and Chris and I rubbed her back lightly. Chris kissed Chelsea on her shoulders as she labored their baby earthside.

At 4:18 am her doctor appeared and recommended a cervical exam. Chelsea was game for it and we learned she was dilated a surprising 6 cm, 80% effaced, with baby at -1. To be honest, we thought she would have been farther along. But the trajectory of labor cannot be contained in Friedman’s Curve, although so many try. Chelsea wandered to the bathroom and returned sounding different. It was 4:26 am and she dropped the f-bomb. She moaned with her contractions and requested no more counter pressure.

She lay upon her side in the bed at 4:40 am and told us she was feeling pushy with each contraction. Her doctor wanted to confirm whether it was “time” to push about 10 minutes later, but since Chelsea’s cervix was 7 cm, it was best to wait. Her baby was at 0 station, and she was effaced to 905, but Chelsea continued to feel a lot of pressure. She lingered on her side for another contraction or two and then returned to her hands and knees at 4:56. “I feel my energy coming back,” and so she resumed an upright position to get it done. Chris later said he knew his wife meant business once she said that. And he was not wrong.

I mentioned that doing lunges might help her baby’s head melt her cervix away and make the urge to push grow even more. She did not hesitate and did a lunge right then and there. It was 5:01 and she felt pushier. She did a lunge on the right with the next contraction and felt an even stronger pushing urge.

Her doctor had been lingering in the room since the previous exam, knowing Chelsea was progressing rapidly. The pushing sounds had her pulling the cart to the end of the bed and then dressing into her paper suit. Then the craziest thing happened, as Chelsea followed her body’s lead she pushed, and we heard a small gurgle. The sheet was covering Chelsea’s back side, so I lifted it up and saw her baby’s face! It was the only full-on pushing contraction and with the next push her baby was out! Their baby arrived at 5:08 am and Chelsea made the announcement that it was another boy! Chris was crying and expressing such love through his tears. Chelsea had gone from 7 cm to baby in 15 minutes.

We helped her get back down to her back upon the bed and the placenta was out in a few minutes, all while Chelsea had William Joseph in her arms from the beginning and for the entirety of that first hour. The placenta was born, and her doctor said those words that make every newly postpartum mom sing: no tears!

Chelsea drank some coconut water and ate some peanut butter for her first postpartum snack but there would soon be much better options in store. After that first hour, William had his first exam. He weighed 6 lb. 14 oz. and was 20 in. long. But he was back in his mother’s arms in no time.

Chelsea and Chris admit that this was the least prepared they had ever been for a birth. But it just goes to show they really didn’t need much. The birth was beautiful, and their children embraced their new brother without reservation. Eleanor is now a big sister twice over as a kindergartener, and Daniel quickly grew out of baby status at 21 months, to welcome his baby brother, in his words, “Baby Wheel.”

It was a joy to accompany this family in their surprisingly early birth. It tied so much together for them and for me as well. It doesn’t matter the dilation, and babies are going to come when they are ready. And this particular baby had something to say from the start!

Zoe and Michael welcomed their fourth and final baby on August 2! But just because this was their fourth time in birth didn’t’ mean it would go the way they expected. (or any of us, for that matter) They took my class to prepare for the birth of their second baby. And then hired me as their doula for their third baby, whose birth I made by minutes. Zoe’s active labor was just one hour! Knowing how fast Zoe’s third labor went had us wondering how this birth would unfold and whether I would have enough time to make it. I know it had Zoe a little on edge as well since she had three kiddos to arrange before leaving for the hospital.

The laboring pictures were actually taken July 25, the first time Zoe came to the hospital thinking it was labor.

Zoe’s body had regular bouts of rhythmic contractions that had her wondering if it was “it”. She reached out from time to time, but the contractions petered out. That is until July 25. Her contractions were 5 minutes apart since 6:30 am and moved to 4 minutes apart by 8:30. By 9:15 am she could no longer breathe through them and was thinking of leaving for the hospital soon. Her midwife agreed that she should head in and we met up around 10:20 am.

Zoe was dilated 3 cm and could easily stretch to 4 cm, but after walking around and breathing through strong contractions she was still 4 cm 2 hours later. She tried to use a breast pump to get her contractions to intensify and hopefully move her into active labor, but another exam that evening around 5:00 had her cervix the same. She was not in labor and much as she had hoped to welcome her baby that day, her midwife reminded her that going home would keep her from the possibility of needing pitocin if breaking her water didn’t work. Zoe agreed and returned home.

About a week later, at her prenatal appointment with a different midwife, the possibility of induction was brought up. Zoe was barely past 40 weeks, but the logistical details were stressful coupled with her propensity for rapid active labor. So she agreed to move forward with an induction the following day, August 2.

Zoe reported to the hospital that day and the induction process was very slow to start. It was a busy day at the hospital too, and Zoe was content to be patient knowing she was finally going to meet her baby and not go home. She was also aware that I was with another client in labor, but her midwife and I were hopeful she would birth midday. (Of course, we were wrong!)

Zoe tried a breast pump that morning around 7:00 to see if it might rustle up some serious contractions. But the contractions fizzled, and her midwife confirmed at 9:00 am that she was the same as she was: 4 cm/80%. Pitocin was the next step and began sometime after 10:00 am. It was raised little by little until at 2:00 it was at 10 mu. An exam had Zoe at the same dilation, but her baby had moved lower in the pelvis. Her midwife suspected with a little bit more pitocin she would be back in a few hours to break her water. Zoe was fine with that plan.

By 3:00 pm Zoe’s contractions were coming close, but she could talk through them. I asked her if she needed support, but she said she could wait. About 30 minutes later Zoe was dilated 6 cm. Her nurse felt it was a good time to break her water and was going to get the midwife to do so, but Zoe preferred to wait. At that point I told her to please keep me posted because it was looking like I would need to call a backup doula in for her. And Zoe said she would.

Zoe took a lap walking with the iv pole and pitocin pump and about 45 minutes later her contractions went erratic and it was time. She texted that they were going to break her water, so it was a good time to have the backup doula come. I sent out the text and Brandy Burd was on her way.

With the backup doula enroute and Zoe ready to have her water broken, it turns out her midwife and the OB were both busy and unable to break Zoe’s water just yet. But her contractions intensified all the same and she was soon feeling her body move through active labor and transition in a short amount of time.

Shortly after Brandy arrived, it was clear that birth was imminent. Zoe had moved headlong into her brief active labor and after less than an hour was feeling a lot of pressure. She was laboring on her hands and knees and feeling pushy, and her nurse looked down and saw a balloon (the bag of water) coming out. The midwife was called but it was looking like a nurse delivery! The water broke at 5:42 pm, then a head came, and the midwife arrived, quickly gloved up and caught the baby at 5:43 pm!

Lots of people came running in since the birth happened in a crazy way, but mom and baby were just fine and mostly relieved to finally meet each other! Michael was also relieved to know there was support and he wouldn’t have to catch the baby himself. Skyler May weighed 8 lb. 14 oz. and was 20.25 in. long. She is adorable and her chunks only add to the cuteness.

Zoe’s birth was unexpected in some ways, but predictable in others. I hope she learned how capable she is and how little control anyone has over birth. Even with an induction it took all day, something we didn’t expect! We had already been together for 8 hours the week prior expecting a birth and were so wrong!

Zoe’s birth also highlights the value of support. Zoe was invested in having me there to serve her but there came a point when it was not going to happen, and she needed the doula Skyler chose to be there! I don’t call backup often, but this day I had to call in 2 backup doulas for the first time ever! The babies were born in the very same hour too! I am grateful for the doulas I trust to serve my clients when I am not available. And I am grateful for the clients who choose to hire me even though they have a history of precipitous labors. As Zoe’s birth highlights, you just never know. Every birth is different. Even in the same woman.

Photo Credit: Sarah Fitz Photo

Photo credit: Sarah Fitz Photo

Photo Credit: Sarah Fitz Photo

Kelsey and Brett welcomed their daughter, Ivy Grace, on August 2, which was a very popular birthing day for babies! (I had 3 clients give birth that day!) Kelsey had a strong desire for an unmedicated birth, so she chose an obgyn practice with midwives and even secured the rental of a birth tub. They had a bit of a commute to the hospital so that was an unpredictable element on top of the unpredictable nature of birth in general.

She first reached out to me on Tuesday at 1:30 pm with contractions coming 10 minutes apart. They were mild at that point but consistent so she would update me with any changes. Many hours passed and by 9:15 pm they had died down. I was a bit relieved to hear it since I had another client with an induction the next day. The need for backup was real.

But at 5:43 am, right as I was waking up to prepare to join my client with the scheduled c-section, Kelsey texted they were on their way to the hospital! Her contractions woke her at 3:00 am and were coming every 5 minutes. They got stopped at the tunnel on their way but ended up arriving just before 6:30 and got into a triage room. And after an exam was confirmed 5.5 cm dilated, 90% effaced, with baby at -2 station. She would be admitted to have a baby!

Twenty minutes later her water broke right as I was parking at the hospital. I was upstairs a short time later. Kelsey was calm for someone in labor. She was talkative and as a contraction washed over her, she focused on her breathing. Brett was a constant source of distraction with his funny comments. They were very helpful in the early part at least. But as things intensified the side chatter would naturally subside.

Kelsey was eventually brought to the room in which she would give birth. Soon after she got settled the tub arrived and was getting set up. We all, including her midwife, anticipated she would give birth by lunchtime, so we prepped the space and took our places in support around Kelsey and Brett.

Kelsey got into the tub at 9:15 am and we had Christian piano music playing over the speaker by 9:30 am. She stayed in the water about 45 minutes before wanting to get back out. Kelsey returned to the bed where we held a warm rice sock upon her back. She chomped ice and moved through waves of nausea. She labored there for a while, moaning with her contractions, and moving as she felt she needed to. By 10:52 that morning she told us they were getting way stronger. And at 11:00 am an exam confirmed she was dilated 8 cm and baby was at 0 station. She was moving right along!

She decided to give the shower a try this time and stayed in there for about 35 minutes. It was a good place to find privacy and to listen to her body. And we hoped the seclusion and relaxation would encourage the last bit of cervix to melt away.

By 11:40 am she returned to the bed, this time laying over the CUB on her hands and knees. She didn’t much care for it so she adjusted her position, so she lay upon her side. We were able to apply the warm rice sock to her back again which helped ease the pain she felt there. At noon we heard the f-word which was a good sign! “How much longer?” Kelsey asked. We couldn’t really say but we told her we felt baby would be coming very soon.

Her midwife recommends she try pushing to see how that felt. There was a forebag remaining and perhaps it might break on its own. Brett’s jokes were definitely shut down by Kelsey at this point as she debated over whether to have her water broken. We put a cold cloth on her head and neck and could feel her body heating up with her labor.

Kelsey was in a tough spot with the task of pushing looming large in front of her and just wanting her baby out. She shed some tears as she processed where she was and what still remained of her labor. Brett took her hand and told her it was okay. I whispered to her, “Your body is there. Your baby is there. You just need to get your mind there.”

Kelsey sat upright in bed to try giving a push and then returned to the bathroom and then the shower. It was 12:40 pm and we could hear her vocalize more in the shower. We could also hear that she was growing weary. So, we gave her a cherry popsicle for some quick energy before she exited the shower resolved to have her water broken and get her baby out.

At 1:11 pm her water was broken completely, and clear fluid flowed. Kelsey felt different almost right away and expressed her concern about whether she could do it or not. She grew hot so we turned on the fan and freshened a cool cloth. She pushed with some contractions as Brett and I held her legs, but the nausea returned. She chomped ice chips and lay on her side to push, resting her leg in the stirrup. But she told us she didn’t think her baby was moving. She had pushed for 5 hours with her previous and that memory was hard to ignore as she struggled through the task of pushing this baby out. She told us it felt like last time to which we reassured her it was a different baby and a different birth.

Around 2:00 pm she was draped over the birth ball. Then she dangled from the rebozo over the door to encourage her baby to come down. Then she pushed seme reclined in the bed. Her midwife checked for progress and realized there was still a cervical lip in front. Kelsey pushed in a variety of positions to try and encourage baby’s head to move the lip aside, but it wasn’t moving. An attempt was made to push the lip aside manually, but it wasn’t moving. So, Kelsey returned to the tub and then the shower to relax and breathe her baby further down.

After some hydrotherapy her midwife returned and to everyone’s relief but most of all Kelsey’s, the lip was gone! Kelsey had spent 3 hours in passive descent, breathing her baby down and laboring in positions to help her baby move the cervical lip aside. She was completely dilated by 4:16 pm and that’s when she was able to really push! Kelsey pushed on her hands and knees and even tried pushing with her knees together to open her pelvic outlet. And her next position was reclined pushing and that would be where she met her baby! Kelsey had to push with great effort at the end as it was clear her baby was on the larger side. But she did it and Ivy Grace was born at 5:20 pm! She weighed 8 lb. 13 oz., surpassing her sister’s birth weight by 1.5 lbs! She was 21 in. long.

In the end it was all worth it, but Kelsey had to work much harder than any of us expected. She had to push through obstacles in her mind and it took a lot of stamina and belief in herself to see her unmedicated birth through. But she did it! And we were all so in awe and proud of her for it!

Christine and Mark welcomed their first child together on August 1. They had previously become parents with other partners, but found each other, fell in love, got married, and decided to further connect their families with a child. This would be the first son between them since Mark had two daughters and Christine had one. This birth was a new beginning on several levels. And this time would be different for both. They took a 1-day refresher childbirth class and my Spinning Babies® parent class, investing time in preparing for the birth they envisioned. This was also the first time they had a doula.

Christine had a strong desire for an unmedicated birth, something she had not yet experienced. And Mark was all in to support her in her goal. I could see right away they had a strong foundation of open communication and mutual respect. I looked forward to seeing that play out in the birth space and had a strong suspicion it would be beautiful.

Christine experienced an induction for her first birth and was very driven to experience spontaneous labor this time. She was optimistic since her body was gearing up for labor ahead of time. She was dilated 1.5-2 cm at 38 weeks. She experienced some digestive upsets that sent her to the ER that night, but things petered off once she was able to relieve her digestive tract. And Christine continued to have bouts of contractions that week. It makes it confusing to know when to pay attention, but after experiencing several of these episodes Christine knew to not pay too much attention to them unless or until they grew longer, stronger, and closer. She was able to manage them fine with hydration and rest, otherwise.

On July 31 Christine texted about low back ache and shooting pain. She had already been dealing with it for 24 hours, but it had intensified since 1:00 am. She took baths, hydrated, and did the Miles Circuit to help baby improve his position if that was the culprit. She felt baby move in big ways that day and felt contractions all the while. Then around 6:45 pm she wondered if her water might have broken. She had her 40-week appointment in the morning and knew there might be some answers then. However, her body helped fill in the blanks as her contractions were consist at 7 minutes apart by 11:30 that night.

By 3:00 am, Christine’s contractions were intense enough to the point of needing support. She called her midwife and was told to come in. Her contractions were erratic, ranging from 5-9 minutes apart but they were strong. An exam at 4:00 am confirmed she was 5 cm dilated. It was exciting to know she was progressing. She had been laboring at home since 10:30 pm, conserving her energy and staying hydrated. It was time to assemble her birth team, so her arrival was well timed. I arrived by 4:45 am.

Christine was having a lot of back pain with her contractions. She asked if she could still labor in the tub with an epidural, but she was told it wasn’t an option but that the tub was the “midwife’s epidural.” Christine knew she was committed to an unmedicated birth at that point because she wanted to be in the tub so badly!  We used a warm rice sock to help, and I offered peppermint for her nausea which was also part of her experience. Her nurse was asking her the admissions questions someone was busy setting up the labor tub for her. And as soon as it was ready, Christine got in.

We made the space conducive, with votives, dim lights, twinkle lights, and instrumental Christian music.

Christine felt more and more pressure as her labor intensified. The nurse tried to get a vein but struggled so they had to find someone else to help. All in all, it took three nurses to finally get a vein at 6:15 that morning. I figured if Christine could labor through all of that she would be just fine.

Mark was a steady, loving companion to Christine. He never left her side or took a break. He was offering gentle reassurance and touch between contractions and did counter pressure. We took turns pressing on Christine’s back, knowing that was where she felt her contractions most intensely. She got out of the tub about an hour later just before 7:00 am. Christine took Mark’s hand and leaned into him for strength as she made her way to the bed. She continued to hold his hand there.

Christine was asking what was next. She looked ahead at what was to come and didn’t feel sure. She got an exam at that time and was 7cm dilated. This was good progress! She then felt her water break somewhat, another good sign of things moving forward for her labor. Her baby was on the right side of her belly, so we did some side-lying release to create more balance in her pelvis.

She felt more pressure after that and told us she felt like she might need to poop. We love to hear those comments! The doctor came in at 7:33 am to follow up on those sensations with an exam. Christine wanted to know where she was and was encouraged to know she was dilated 8 cm, 90% effaced, and baby was at 0 station. There was a fore bag there, so she was comfortable with the doctor breaking her water completely. The hope was it would help her baby to come down upon the cervix and melt it away.

Less than 10 minutes later, we could hear Christine make pushy sounds. It was around 7:40. The doctor lingered in the room just in case, since those sounds can signal baby’s arrival was imminent. But she stepped out just before 8:00 and stayed nearby. It was nice to not have her watching and waiting, freeing up Christine to labor with her core birth team.

She went through waves of hot and cold, as transition can do. We alternated a cold cloth and a heating pad to relieve those temperature fluctuations, knowing they were strong indications that baby was coming soon! Her doctor returned to find Christine’s pushing urges were growing. She was on the bed at this point, moving in ways that felt right. She was on her hands and knees for a lot of it though. As expected, Mark was always the closest to her physically, holding her hands, looking into her eyes, and generally loving her through labor.

The doctor wanted Christine to wait to push since she wasn’t fully dilated at the time of the check, but her nurse and I reassured her to listen to her body and she would know. And Christine’s body took over almost immediately and the time to push was upon her. Christine didn’t have to push long, her body had a memory from her first birth, even though it had been 12 years. We all spoke encouragement to her, but she didn’t need guidance, just support. She was on her side and pushed mightily with contractions and rested between. It only took 10 minutes which by then was only 2-3 contractions. And at 8:38 am her sweet baby boy, Zachariah Julian (Chi) was born!

“I can’t believe I did that! We did it!” was what I heard Christine say in those first moments. Mark’s words were equally wonderful. He exclaimed, “Holy cow! Oh wow!” upon witnessing Christine bring their son into the world. Then the tears! If his eyes didn’t give him away, then his hand wiping the tears did. “The panda can eat bamboo,” Christine said. And when I asked what that even meant she explained that it was the code to announce to her daughter that baby brother had arrived.

There was so much love and joy in that space. Birth is always a celebration but this one seemed particularly sweet to me. It might have been Christine and Mark’s second chance at love in finding each other and bringing a child into the world. It might have been the sense of accomplishment and empowerment that can come when a woman has an unmedicated birth she had hoped for. And their little boy was about the cutest thing I had seen in a long while. I do remember something else Christine said. “He looks just like Mark! That’s what I wanted.” And she looked up at her husband with adoring eyes. It was precious. And he looks like his daddy. I loved being in that space and was honored to assist Christine and Mark in welcoming their first child together.

Laura and Kurt welcomed their second child, a son, on August 2! Laura’s journey to meet this baby was a roller coaster for sure. Their first child had health complications that required a birth by scheduled c-section and a surgery soon after. Laura’s daughter’s birth and her immediate postpartum time was stressful and did not include the immediate skin to skin and breastfeeding, not to mention the bonding that is expected in most births. Instead, her daughter went right to the NICU and had surgery in her early days of life.

Fast forward to this second pregnancy and Laura had high hopes for a VBAC. She chose providers who were known for high VBAC rates (and low c-section rates) and she took the Spinning Babies class and did a lot of information gathering to prepare herself for the upcoming birth experience. After all, this would be her first labor. There would be so many firsts.

Going for a walk the evening before Logan was born. Laura was feeling mild contractions here.

However, as her due date drew near, Laura’s cervix was not showing any signs of moving toward labor. Ordinarily, this isn’t an issue, however, with a VBAC (or as the medical world likes to call it a TOLAC – trial of labor after cesarean), there were a very small number of ways to ripen the cervix before an induction and they would need the cervix to be somewhat moving in the right direction to consider them. Laura found herself in her 40th week with no dilation and not much effacement. Her doctor told her a repeat c-section was the safest route. This was not what Laura wanted but she knew that her baby’s safe passage was paramount. She spent the last days wrapping her head around the disappointing turn of events and tried to keep herself busy.

Kurt was such an engaged and supportive partner.

Then the day before her scheduled c-section, Laura thought she was having contractions. She reached out to me, and we tried to sort through them and came up with the plan of not paying attention to them and hydrating and resting. And if the contractions were changing her cervix, she could absolutely have an exam before any c-section in the morning. I wasn’t convinced it was labor, to be honest, since Laura had been out walking and that can cause the uterus to complain, so to speak. I wanted it for her so badly, but we were also trying to keep her head and heart from jumping too quickly to the conclusion of labor. But her neighbor happens to be an ob-gyn and he agreed with Laura that it was labor getting started. So we looked forward to what the night and morning might reveal.

Laura got through the night and managed some sleep. And she reported to the hospital for the scheduled c-section. She knew her cervix would get checked if she had been feeling contractions and maybe she would have a surprise and the opportunity to TOLAC. It was an amazing turn of events! She was dilated 4 cm and 60% effaced! She was in early labor, and her body had done a lot of good cervical change in the nick of time! She wasn’t having regular contractions and they weren’t very strong yet, but she would keep me posted as things progressed to the point of needing support. I was with another laboring client at the time so the need for backup was high.

Three hours passed and Laura’s cervix was the same. She wasn’t quite in active labor yet but the groundwork had been laid for a very good chance for a VBAC. Her midwife recommended seeing what happened over the next couple of hours and possibly breaking her water or starting Pitocin if her labor had not progressed. Her contractions were intensifying but were not getting closer so they decided to wait on the Pitocin and see if some more natural ways to intensify contractions might work. Her midwife did a membrane sweep and then Laura made use of the shower during this time to help her relax and stimulate stronger contractions.

Freshly born! Logan got some oxygen in the early minutes.

But an hour later, with still no change, it was time to make a change. Laura’s doctor said it was time for Pitocin. Luckily, Laura had a nurse who was all about moving her into a variety of positions as she waited for active labor to kick in with the Pitocin which was started around 1:00 pm.

Getting some respiratory supporting the nursery the first couple of hours with daddy by his side the whole time

As the Pitocin began to work, she labored on the birth ball and leaned over the peanut ball in bed. Laura felt her contractions change in the first 30 minutes so they were hopeful she wouldn’t need much Pitocin. After 1 ½ hours on Pitocin, Laura began to vocalize through each contraction. They were on the short side at 30-45 seconds, but they were getting stronger which was a good sign. Her nurse said her labor was picture perfect.

Reunited after Logan was cleared from the nursery team

Laura kept laboring in various positions and clenched combs in each hand to help her get through the contractions. Kurt was amazing support, and the nurse was very good at giving him ideas for how to support Laura. As her contractions moved closer to a minute in length, she had a cervical check. Kurt updated me at 3:30 pm that Laura was dilated 5-6 cm and her cervix was very thin, and her baby’s head was at 0 station. She was edging into active labor! (The exam was closer to 3:00 but the update came at 3:30.)

It was time to deploy some doula backup since things had turned a corner so my friend, Aimee Roberts was on it. Laura even cussed which is saying something! (See what I did there?) Backup was on her way soon after 4:00 as Laura and Kurt continued their labor dance through various positions with the support of their nurse. Then just 45 minutes after learning she was 5-6 cm dilated, Kurt sent a text that Laura was 9 cm and 0.5+ station just past 4:00 pm! She went really fast, dilating from 5-6 cm to 9 cm in the span of an hour! She was in a lot of discomfort and considering an epidural but since she was so close to pushing she stayed the course and did not receive pain medications. Instead, Laura clenched Kurt’s hand and breathed and focused through the contractions that finished her cervical dilation and brought her into second stage with the involuntary urge to bear down and push her baby out.

Aimee arrived right as Laura was starting to push and supported Laura’s leg so she could push side-lying. Kurt dabbed her face with a wet cloth and encouraged her through. And Laura was able to hold his hand on her side. Laura pushed on her right side as well and rotated to push in the middle too. She remembers it as being especially intense in that position. But when she followed her midwife’s advice to use her legs and curl around her baby, she made big progress in bringing her baby into view.

Laura pushed out Logan at 4:58 pm after pushing just 10 minutes according to Kurt! He weighed 8 lb. 6 oz. and was 22 in. long. In his first moments, they could tell that he was having some struggles with his breathing since he had some amniotic fluid in his lungs. The nursery nurse did end up taking him to the nursery for observation and possible support for his first couple of hours, but Kurt was with him the entire time. But the brief separation was nothing compared to the separation they endured with their firstborn. So, the reunion, albeit delayed, was a beautiful opportunity for skin to skin and breastfeeding. I was in the room for that moment and was so grateful for that. It was a precious moment of getting to know their baby and soaking in all the snuggles that had been waiting.

I love Laura’s story! Birth NEVER goes how you plan it. And holding loosely to expectations (or letting them go all together) can be the best plan. So much about this birth didn’t go as expected, including needing a backup doula! But then again, the surprise ending was more amazing than anything Laura had imagined! Turns out her cervix knows how to dilate rapidly! She labored on Pitocin without any pain medications, and Kurt was incredible support through it all. I am so proud of how they navigated Laura’s surprisingly short active labor!  Short is not easier, that’s for sure. And ultimately, Laura’s birth journey blew everyone’s expectations out of the water. Even hers.

Meeting big sister