Kirsten, Aspen, & Seamus (8/8/07)

At home on the evening of August 7th, Kirsten (1 week late) told her baby that it was ok to make an appearance. She had been struggling with balancing the idea that he will come in his time and the doctor's assertions that she needed to be induced. By 1am on the morning of the 8th, Kirsten starting having contractions regularly. At 5:30am when I arrived, contractions were 3 minutes apart. We worked on the birth ball and she did pelvic rocks. At one point, she and I went for a long walk around Colonial Lake in the melting heat! When we got back to her house, she showered and at 9:15am, she said "we need to go". An hour later at the hospital, Kirsten was 8cm, 100%, and baby was at a -1 station. Kirsten, Aspen, and I walked the halls for awhile and we came back to the room and her membranes ruptured. It was then that the baby's heart rate was decelerating a bit and we had to find a position that seemed to help with this and bring the heart rate back to normal. Unfortunately, after trying a myriad of positions, the one that worked best was having Kirsten lie on her left side. This wasn't the most ideal for relaxation or for pushing which she was ready to do at 12pm. But Kirsten persevered and listened to her care provider…and Seamus Gibson was born gently into this world at 12:11pm weighing 7 pounds 13 ounces. He's got a head full of red hair!!

Mama D, Dad C, & Baby C (5/28/07)

HOMEBIRTH
D was exactly 2 weeks past her estimated date. She awoke in the early morning hours of May 27th "with the baby punching out of my cervix." By 7am, she was having mild and erratic contractions. She and C spent the morning nesting and preparing the house. I arrived at 1:30pm and her contractions were 3 minutes apart. She spent some time trying to eat a little and leaning over the back of her couch during the contractions. She also spent some time on the birth ball. She was so calm and confident. At 3pm, she climbed into the birth tub. She tried pelvic rocks, leaning over the side of the tub, and sitting while in the tub. She found the water to be very relaxing. When the midwife, Nicole, arrived she wanted D to get on land for a little while. At 5pm, D got out and spent time on the toilet and again leaning over the back of the couch. She went back to the tub around 6pm and stayed there until 8:45pm. Again, it was time to feel her feet on terra firma, so D got out of the tub and spent time on the toilet, walking the stairs, pelvic rocks, and even drinking a good dark beer to try to relax. At 8:45pm, for the first time she was checked and at 8 cm, 100%, and baby was at 0 station. She continued to rock her hips while leaning over the couch. Finally at 11:45, she climbed back into the tub. By 12:30am on May 28th, she was feeling the need to bear down. Her membranes ruptured at 12:51am. D pushed wherever she felt best in the tub. She continued to push for 2 more hours. The baby's head was visible for awhile before it popped out at 2:42am. Immediately, Nicole saw that something wasn't right and promptly got D out of the tub and onto her hands and knees. When this wasn't successful at birthing the body of the baby, she rolled her onto her back. When Nicole checked, the baby's shoulder was stuck on the pubic bone. Nicole worked on moving the baby's arm so that she would arrive. After a long 6 minutes, Baby C landed on this earth at 2:48am. She took a few minutes to let us know she was here but with the assistance of Nicole and the kind and loving encouragement of her mama and dad, she let us know she ok very quickly. None of us expected her to weigh in at 9 pounds, 13 ounces! And…D didn't have any perineal tears!

Audrey, Jerome, & Ava (5/14/07)

Audrey had been diagnosed with breast cancer when she was only 10 weeks pregnant with Ava. She was asked how she would proceed with the pregnancy and she was absolute in her decision to maintain the pregnancy. During her pregnancy, she underwent a lumpectomy and chemotherapy. By her 36th week, there was some concern about the growth of the baby and they all felt it was best to have the baby sooner rather than later. On the evening of May 13th, Audrey, Jerome, and big sister Alexis went into the hospital for an induction. That night she was given Cervadil and she slept some. The next morning, she was to put on Pitocin but she was starting to have contractions on her own. At 8am, she was 1 cm, 80% effaced. She asked me to come around lunchtime and when I arrived, her contractions had picked up to about 3 minutes apart. She was 2 cm, 75%, and baby was at a -2. We walked around the hospital for a long time until Audrey was ready to return to the room as the contractions were getting stronger. In the room, she tried squatting, pelvic rocks, leaning over the bed, and other positions to help with descent of the baby. At 3:30pm, she was 3 cm and 100%. She's was making incredible progress for a "mini" induction! Things changed drastically at this point, Jerome, myself, Alexis, Susan (Alexis' caretaker), and the CNM were all in the room supporting Audrey. She became much more serious and the contractions were obviously much stronger. Audrey leaned on the side of the bed while I applied pressure to her hips and massaged her back, Jerome sat in front of her providing encouragement. By 4pm, Audrey felt like she was losing control and spontaneously, her membranes ruptured at 4:06. She was grunting a bit and the CNM checked and she complete and the baby was right there! Audrey got focused and everyone else got busy preparing and Ava Grace was born very rapidly at 4:10pm into her mama's arms. Amazing; she went from 3 cm. to baby in 40 minutes! Big sister Alexis got to cut the cord and Ava weighed 5 pounds 5 ounces. UPDATE: Audrey started the remainder of her chemo treatment a month after Ava's birth and the radiation in August 2007. She's doing terrific and loving every minute with her new baby.

Joy, James, & Malia (5/13/07)

VBAC
James called me around 5:45am on May 13th to let me know Joy had just awoken him and was having contractions about 3 minutes apart. She had been having contractions all night but at 3:30am, they woke her up and she began having to concentrate on relaxing. I headed to their house but about half-way there, James called and said they were headed to the hospital. I met them at the hospital at 7:15am and Joy was certainly working very hard. We walked through the halls to arrive in her room. She was doing so well, we would have never guessed her to be at 8 cm! At this point, Joy wanted to stay in the room and we worked through a few positions around the bed. At 7:50am, Joy was squatting with the help of a squat bar and her membranes ruptured. As soon as that happened, Joy felt the need to bring the baby down. Unfortunately, the doctor hadn't anticipated Joy to move so quickly and took some time to arrive! Once Joy was finally able to push, she birthed baby Malia very quickly. Malia made her entrance to this world at 8:46am on Mother's Day, weighing 7 pounds 10 ounces.

Emily, Kevin, & Harley (10/23/06)

On the morning of October 23rd, Emily called me to let me know she'd started having contractions and they were about 20 minutes apart. I suggested eating, drinking plenty of water, resting as she could, and also to do some work on the birth ball. By 11am, a friend with Emily called me to say that her contractions had really picked up and were about 5 minutes apart. I suggested that they go to the doctor's office for a labor check. None of us suspected what they'd tell her; she was already 7 cm and baby was at a 0 station! Naturally, she headed to the hospital from there and was met by her husband, family, and myself. Emily was in such a good mood, it was hard to fathom that she was actually so far along! We walked the halls and worked on the birth ball. By 5:30pm, she was 8cm, 100%, and +1. She wanted to try out the tub and she and Kevin spent some time there where Emily found it to be the most relaxing. At some point while in the tub, Emily got serious and we knew that things had changed. At 7pm, she was completely dilated but wasn't feeling any need to bring the baby down. It is strongly encouraged that women wait until they feel that overwhelming sensation since it usually cuts down on their pushing time. Emily used positions that would encourage the baby's descent, including squatting. Her membranes ruptured a small leak at 9pm and she consented at 9:15pm to have the bag fully ruptured. By 9:30pm, Emily was working well with her intense need to push and Harley Ann was born at 10:32 with a nuchal hand. (no wonder she needed time to work herself down!) She weighed 7pounds 3 ounces.

Carmel, Jess, & Garin (9/17/06)

HOMEBIRTH
On September 16th, Carmel's contractions had changed to feeling really crampy and they were about 6 minutes apart. She and Jess wanted to spend these first few hours alone and preparing the house for the upcoming birth so I told them to call me when were ready for me. Around 11:30pm, Jess called. When I arrived, Carmel was on the birth ball and her contractions were about 4 minutes apart. She said she now really needed to focus on each contraction as it surged. She was still in a good mood and her and Jess were doing so well together. When Carmel would have contraction, she'd stand from the ball and lean on Jess and they would slow dance. This went on for a couple of hours. I encouraged Carmel to stay hydrated and to eat as she could. We filled up the birth tub and called Nicole, the midwife, at 2am. Carmel had said "things are different now." So once Nicole arrived, Carmel entered the tub around 4 am. Carmel labored there for the remainder of her time. Jess stayed right beside her. Sometime around 6am, Carmel started listening to her body and helped bring the baby down. The first thing we could see was the bag of waters. At 6:15am, the baby's head was out and "in the caul" and Garin Francis landed on this earth at 6:17am. He weighed a hefty 9 pounds 8 ounces.

Debbie, Jason, & Katie (8/27/06)

On August 27th, Debbie woke up to contractions shortly after midnight. She managed to sleep through some at this point but by 3am, her membranes ruptured and her contractions picked up. At 8:30am when I arrived, her contractions were about 5 minutes apart. She was working well on the birth ball and also on her hands and knees doing pelvic rocks. Debbie was having a hard time as she was vomiting quite a bit, so I gave her some Emergen-C to drink and she seemed to do better after that. She and Jason walked around the house some and Debbie would lean on Jason during each contraction. She was doing great work! At 11am, we headed to the hospital as Debbie contractions were 3 minutes apart. She was already 6 cm, 90%, and -1. She stayed mobile within the room and finished this hard work. At 1:30, she had only an anterior lip of cervix left, so I suggested an asymmetrical position on the floor to encourage that part of the cervix to pull back. It worked almost immediately as by 1:50pm, she was grunting, ready to push. Catherine Amy was born into her mama's arms at 2:45pm weighing 7 pounds 7 ounces.

Catherine, Marcus, & Laylah (6/7/06)

On the evening of June 6th, Catherine called me to tell me that her membranes had ruptured at 6pm and she had started having contractions at 7pm. When I arrived around 10pm, contractions were about 5 minutes apart. She was working on the birth ball and handling labor very well. She and Marcus went on a long walk and by midnight, contractions were 3 minutes apart. Since her membranes were ruptured and she was GBS+, it was time to head to the hospital. When we arrived and she was examined, she was at 2 cm, 70% effaced, and -2 station. For the next couple of hours, we walked the halls. By 3am on June 7th, she hadn't made any change, so she decided to rest for a little while. At 7:30am, with a little rest behind her, we got active again. Catherine has a strong yoga background, so she was doing some yoga poses, lunging, birth ball, walking, and homeopathy. At 12:30pm, the doctor came in and checked her; she was 3 cm, 80%, & -2. Catherine was so patient and positive even though she had made very little progress. So, back to labor promoting techniques including acupressure. At 3pm, she hadn't made any progress, so after some informed discussion, she consented to using Pitocin. By 5:30, she had finally made a progress to 5 cm. Since she was being monitored continuously after the Pitocin, she got very creative at the bed finding positions that both promote descent and are relaxing. Catherine found around 7pm, that lying on her side was helping her more than anything because she could doze for the minute or two between contractions. She was relaxing very well because by 8pm, she was 7 cm. She continued with her meditation. Marcus was incredible this whole labor. Finally at 9:50pm, she was completely dilated. She felt the urge to push at 10:24pm. Catherine pushed in a few different positions and Laylah Maris was born at 11:11pm weighing 7 pounds 15 ounces.

Margaret, Bert, & Elise (4/4/06)

Margaret had been laboring on and off (prodomal labor) throughout the weekend. On April 4th, Bert called me to let me know that her contractions were about 4 minutes apart and they were headed to the hospital. When I arrived at 2:45am and she was examined, she was 3 cm, 80% effaced. We spent several hours walking the halls and moving around the room using the bed as a place to lean on and relax during contractions. At 8:45am, a new provider came on and checked Margaret's cervix. She was progressing well; 5 cm, 100%, 0 station. Her membranes were intact and she consented to have them artificially ruptured. After some monitoring, she went to the shower and sat working well with her contractions. She also found herself liking the toilet for labor. She stayed there for quite awhile before switching to the rocking chair and then birth ball. Margaret was really surprising herself by her stamina and her ability to work with her body. This is so empowering for women who've been shut down by others who said "you can't do it." By 12:40pm, she was 8 cm. She was tired and wanted to try side-lying to see if she could rest between contractions and relax. At 3pm, we got her up and tried some pelvic rocks as I suspected the baby might have a slight malpresentation. She worked there and then went back to the toilet. At 4pm, I stepped out of the room to make a phone call. As this was shift change time, the new nurse came on while I was out and began to plant seeds of doubt in Margaret's head. When I re-entered the room, she was already administering Nubain to her. Margaret had consented to the Nubain since the nurse had told her it would be awhile before the anesthesiologist would make it to the room. Well, the Nubain was administered at 4:25pm and the epidural was in place by 5pm. At 5:35pm, Margaret was 8 cm, 100%, and +1 station. It was determined that she needed Pitocin to augment her labor since she'd made little cervical change since around 1pm (even though the baby had moved down from 0 station). Margaret and Bert did get some much needed rest during. At 8pm, Margaret was complete and she started pushing and Elise Bowers was born into her mama's arms at 8:53pm. She weighed 7 pounds 6 ounces.

Monica, Kevin, and baby Anya ~ January 9th, 2006

Monica contacted me around 6:30pm on the evening of January 8th to let me know that her contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart and had been for about an hour or so. We remained in close contact through the evening until Kevin contacted me at 2am early Monday morning. I joined them at home shortly thereafter. I found Monica relaxing quite well through her contractions. She was having back pain, so she spent some time leaning on the birth ball while I applied pressure on her back. We made the determination to head to the hospital around 4am. Once we arrived, Monica was found to be 4cms, 90% effaced, and baby was at 0 station. For the next few hours, Monica walked around, worked on the birth ball, and did lots of squatting. She was still having some back pain and Kevin and I switched turns applying a hip squeeze and a rice sock to alleviate some of the pain. When her midwife arrived around 8am, Monica was again checked and was at 8 cms. Her membranes spontaneously ruptured at 9:50am. Monica was amazing! She has a serious yoga practice and was so in tune with her body and her baby. At 11:30am, Monica’s midwife suggested they start pushing since she was fully dilated. Monica still hadn’t felt the urge to push. Monica tried pushing in several different positions, but it wasn’t coming together for her since her body still didn’t feel the urge. Finally, it was decided that Monica would spend some time laboring down and allow her baby to work herself down. During this time, it was discussed that more than likely her baby was in a posterior position and doing some lunges could be prudent. Monica worked on bringing her leg to the bed and leaning in to it. Suddenly around 1:20pm, Monica felt the urge to push. Very quickly, Anya Marie was born into her mama’s hands. She was 6 pounds 8 ounces.

Kirsten, Aspen, and baby Freya ~ January 29th, 2006

Aspen called me at 7:30am on the morning of the 29th to fill me in on the evening. Kirsten had been having contractions 5-6 minutes apart for most of the evening and morning. She spent most of this time lying down and trying to sneak in some sleep. When I arrived at 8:30am, Kirsten, Aspen, and I went for a walk downtown on a beautiful morning (the Chinese New Year, no less). For the next several hours, Kirsten walked and worked on the birth ball. Around noon, it was decided to head to the hospital. Upon admission, Kirsten was at 4 centimeters, 80% effaced, -2 station. Kirsten continued to walk and work on the birth ball. Since baby Freya was still so high in her belly, she needed to stay upright and work with gravity. Kirsten was so patient! She knew what she needed to do in order to give birth to her baby the way she wanted. Around 5:30, Kirsten spent some time in the tub to help with pain relief. At 8:00pm, Kirsten was 7 cms, 100% effaced, and baby was still at a -2 station. At this time, Kirsten and Aspen made the decision to have the doctor rupture her membranes to hopefully allow for the baby to drop. Kirsten spent some more time walking and working with her body. At 10:45, she was checked and baby had moved down and she was at 8.5 cms, 100 % effaced, and 0 station. Kirsten was feeling on overwhelming urge to push, but since she still had some cervix left that was swelling was encouraged to not push. So, I spent the next 30 minutes working with Kirsten encouraging her to blow up during her contractions in order to avoid pushing and swelling her cervix anymore. Finally when Kirsten couldn’t contain the urge anymore, the doctor came in and she began pushing. It took just a few pushes and Freya Mae was born at 11:39pm.