It has been a very busy few weeks for me with babies! Trying to catch up on birth stories for these sweet mamas. <3 N began care with me in September for her third pregnancy. Her to previous had been born in the hospital and she really wanted something different for this pregnancy. She was excited to have midwifery care and was looking forward to her home birth for this pregnancy. N’s family is all in Japan and she found out a couple months before delivery that none of her family could come to be with her during the birth and postpartum period. I spoke with N about hiring a doula. God works in mysterious ways. During this time, I happened to meet sweet doula A who was also from Japan and living in the area. It was a perfect match for N. I could see much more confidence in her decisions and about her birth after hiring A to be her doula. What comfort A was to her through out her pregnancy and birth. N was in my office on January 20th for her regular appointment. She stated she had been feeling some funny pressure, but was not experiencing contractions that she could tell. She asked if I would check her cervix. Her cervix was super soft, anterior, 3cm dilated, 80% effaced and baby was at a -1 station. Despite the check being gentle, there was bloody show on my glove. I reviewed labor symptoms with N and told her I didn’t think it would be long and she would be calling me in labor, even though her “due” date was not until February 1. Baby felt in a good position, LOT/LOA, and felt to be 6.5-7 pounds. Seemed like a smooth labor would happen once baby was ready. Sure enough, N called me at 0435 the very next morning. She said she woke at 0400 feeling contractions, and now they were every 15 minutes and she could not sleep through them. I encouraged N to drink a large glass of water and to take a warm bath or shower and see what happens. I told N to call me when they were closer, stronger and longer. Twenty minutes later N called saying contractions were now 5-10 minutes apart and painful. She said no bloody show and her water had not broken. I encouraged her to call her doula to come her way and that I would get up and get dressed and wait for her call that was ready for me to come. N agreed to the plan. Ten minutes passed and N called and said contractions were now 5 minutes apart and she was having bloody show. I told N I would be on my way soon. I finished getting ready and headed her way. I text N that I should be there by 0600am. At 0551 my phone rang. It was J, N’s husband. Calm as can be he said the baby was here and all was well. I froze. The baby was here? J said that N had begun making some noise and soon after her water broke. As soon as her water broke the baby came out. He said the baby cried within seconds of birth and they brought the sweet baby boy to mom’s chest. I arrived minutes later. Baby was on mom’s chest, rooting. I listened to baby and gloved up to help deliver the placenta. Placenta came, and we got N sitting up and baby boy latched. He nursed like a champ. N had struggled with breastfeeding her older two children, and it was very important to her that this baby breastfed well. Despite the quick delivery, clean up was a breeze. N had taken alfalfa during her pregnancy per my recommendation and you tell by how minimal her blood loss was. We got her bed cleaned up and tucked her back into bed with baby. This was my first time missing a birth since starting my business. I missed a birth when I was at the birth center, but it was quite a unique situation. The patient’s water broke and she had a baby coming and couldn’t make it to the center, and the baby came too fast for either me or the other midwife to make it. I never anticipated this delivery to go so quickly! From start to finish, N’s labor was 1:40! She delivered an hour after her first call to me. I told her if she has another baby, I would be speeding there at the first contraction! Welcome to the world baby Olum! Sweet baby boy was born on 01/21/2013 0540 after a fast and furious labor, weighing in at 6.8 pounds and 17 3/4 inches long. Congrats N and J on your beautiful baby boy! Shannon Stellhorn, CPMLM