Birth Story: Anna Janice
This is baby #2 for me, my firstborn couldn’t have been more different! He was born at a birth center at exactly 41 weeks after almost 4 years of infertility, 56 hours of back labor, 3.5 hrs of purple-pushing, then had trouble transitioning so we ended up in NICU for 2 days. I needed IV fluids and pain meds along the way and needed a straight catheter in labor because something was pinched where I couldn’t even feel the urge to go. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever physically done and by the end of labor, I was exhausted and so out of it I could hardly see.
This baby girl surprised us from day 1 and is a testament to the fact that every baby and birth is unique. We were surprised to find she was coming when my firstborn was about 11 months old and she has been eager to join our family ever since.
At 40 weeks and 3 days, I started losing my mucus plug. I didn’t have this with my first, but also knew this could mean labor was still days or even a week or more away. Knowing labor could be imminent, I tried to focus on just resting and eating for a few days.
At 40+6 (Tuesday, March 12), I started to have some very regular, normal contractions (about 3 minutes apart and 45 seconds long) from 3am-6am. We texted friends and family to ask for prayer and my husband and I both showered to get clean and ready for whatever was coming our way. When my body asked for asymmetrical movements, I propped my foot up on the side of the tub or up on the couch. I used the Freya app to time contractions and listened to the meditations all morning. After an hour of timing, we called my midwife, Shoshanah, to let her know what was going on. I focused on breathing and listening to what my body wanted in position and pacing and was so excited and feeling great, smiling and rocking through each surge. They were definitely noticeable, but very manageable sensations. Around 6 AM, I laid down and contractions slowed to a stop, so we slept for a couple hours before my toddler got up. We went about our day and made sure we focused on resting, hydrating, eating nourishing foods and preparing for another marathon. I had a few contractions here and there, but nothing too intense.
My mom came by with some food in the afternoon to check in. During her visit around 5:30 PM, contractions started to pick back up, rolling in irregularly anywhere from 8-15 minutes apart and a minute long. Having an audience and trying to converse made the sensations feel more uncomfortable and I wasn’t able to listen to my body as well, so my mom left around 6 and we had dinner and I was able to manage the surges more easily again.
I got in bed to rest and sleep for a bit around 8:30 PM and then we put our son down around 10 for bed. I timed contractions from 10-10:45 and they were from 7-15 minutes apart, so I thought I had plenty of time and told Shoshanah that nothing had really changed and to get some rest…But I was having a hard time getting back to sleep soundly after that.
The surges started feeling more intense, so I started timing again from 12-12:45 AM and they were 6-9 minutes apart, but were getting much longer (1.5-2.5 minutes). I had to start pressing my nails into my palm and could anticipate them coming when I felt her kicking and wriggling inside and my legs would quiver slightly before they’d begin. I kept telling myself that my body knew what it was doing and was doing it. I counted through the contractions with my breaths and told myself I can do anything for 60 seconds. As I felt tension and fear rise up, I would focus my attention on where I felt the tension and relax it, especially at the beginning of each contraction. I drew on the confidence I had that I could do this because I’d done it before and there were other women across the world who had as well. I was feeling downward movement on my exhales… but thought we couldn’t be close to pushing with how far apart and manageable the contractions felt.
Around 12:45 AM, my body told me that lying down was not helping me anymore and it was time to get up. I moved to all fours with my elbows on the bed for a couple contractions and woke up my husband. I decided to get up and walk a bit so I could move my hips through contractions and follow my body’s intuition.
Between 12:45 and 1 AM, contractions quickly dropped from 5 minutes to 4 minutes to 3 minutes apart and over a minute long. We called Shoshanah at 1:06 AM after I threw up and told her things were getting really intense and we were thinking baby was coming soon- she said her assistant, Shea, would be there in about an hour and she would try to be there around that time too. I could still talk a little through contractions at this point so this seemed ok! I tried sitting on the birthing ball, but my body quickly told me to move back to a standing position. I swayed my hips leaning over a chair and sofa in my living room and slow danced with my husband, listening to the Freya app and doing diaphragmatic breathing through each contraction while he gently touched my back. My husband spoke affirmations to me and I read the scripture and affirmations I had all around the house. Surges were now coming every 2 minutes and were lasting a minute and a half. At about 1:35 AM, I had a surge with irresistible pushing and felt something run down my leg and like I was gonna poop my pants. I immediately moved to the bathroom and took off my sweats and underwear and leaned on the bathroom counter. I checked to see how low her head was and it was not even a knuckle deep.
As another surge came in strong with an intense, uncontrollable urge to give a long push, my water popped, blood and everything else splashed on the floor and my husband called Shoshanah again. I reached down to feel my baby’s head emerging and knew she was coming right now! As Shoshanah answered the phone at 1:40am March 13, I delivered baby girl into my arms and held her in front of me face down and rubbed her back. She started crying within seconds and had beautiful color. I moved over to the bathtub and knelt inside, pulling her up to my chest. My husband grabbed our emergency unassisted birth instructions and brought us a receiving blanket to put over her on my chest. I was ecstatic and feeling the best birth high.
Shoshanah ended up sending a backup midwife, Jill, who lives only 3 minutes from my house because another mom gave birth to her 7th just 10 minutes after me in another direction and we all thought I would be a while! Jill came in about 5 minutes after baby girl arrived. By then I had delivered the placenta in the tub and the cord was white and no longer pulsing, so my husband cut the cord, she helped me clean up a bit before helping me to the bed as the adrenaline hit me with shakes. We then settled in for our golden hour, which was closer to two because I was just loving soaking it in - during that time, I got to nurse and snuggle my sweet little one and Shea arrived to assist. Once I was ready, I went to the
bathroom and had measurements and vitals done right
there on the bed. Jill showed me my placenta and explained
all its amazing parts and functions as she checked to make
sure it was fully intact.
I had a slight tear which Jill carefully stitched up while my husband got skin-to-skin time with our baby girl. Snacks and drinks and smiles were shared all along the way and it was the joyful, perfectly-paced birth in every stage that I had prayed for.
We got settled back in and Shoshanah arrived after leaving the other birth to check-in on baby and I. She checked for oral ties and celebrated with us. Around 6 AM, everyone packed up and headed home. My husband ran out to get some Chick-fil-A and, around 8 AM, our firstborn, who slept through it all, got to meet his brand new baby sister. It was an absolutely amazing experience that I will never forget- I am so amazed at what my body and mind working together were able to accomplish!
I am also so thankful for all the folks who were praying for us across the country during this process. I believe God absolutely heard our prayers and answered in many specific ways during this birth and I know he was the one sustaining me through each phase.