S and W started care with me at 17 weeks along in their first pregnancy. S had such a beautiful outlook on pregnancy and birth and we all were excited for her sweet birthing journey. Five days past her due date, S text me late that evening stating she thought her water might have broke, but it was just trickling here and there. I encouraged S to rest and come see me at 9am the next day so we could assess and make a plan. At 7am, S text that she had a big gush of fluid that wasn’t clear. I went over and checked on her and confirmed her water was definitely ruptured and she had meconium in the fluid. Baby and mom looked perfect, and her cervical check showed she was 3cm dilated, 30% effaced and baby was hanging out high at a -2 station. Contractions were irregular. I left her with homeopathy, encouraged her to call her doula and I would be back in a couple hours. I arrived back at S’s home a little after 1pm. Contractions were definitely more regular now, coming every 3-4 minutes, 50-60 seconds long in intensity. She was now 4cm dilated, 50% effaced and baby still at a -2 station. S rested on her side in the bed for a while, then moved to her hands and knees. She listened to her hypnobirthing tract as she rested, looking so peaceful and beautiful in her birthing journey. After her rest, S got up and wrapped her belly and walked around. We applied an essential oil blend to her back that can help with muscular pains in labor. S did a great job at snacking and drinking to keep up her energy. A little after 4pm, S requested an exam. We found no cervical change. S went outside for a walk, and then I had S get on the bed and we tried Walcher’s Maneuver to see if it would help baby engage into the pelvis. S was a trooper staying in that awkward position for three contractions. 
Contractions were now coming about every 3 minutes, lasting 60-75 seconds. I encouraged S to let me try Miles Circuit with her. I loved her sweet spirit in being so willing to do anything possible to try to get her sweet baby down and out. She did knee chest for thirty minutes, then moved into exaggerated runners position for thirty minutes and then was up and moving for thirty. After this time, we did an exam and found S to be 5cm dilated now. I was trying to pull out all my doula tricks on S to help get her sweet baby’s head more engaged. With every exam, baby’s head was acynclitic and not well applied to the cervix. I next head S doing a circuit of three “captain morgan’s” on one side, three knee chest, three “captain morgan’s” on the other side and three knee chest. Captain morgan position is virtually a side lunge with the foot up and doing big hip circles at the same time. This can help give baby some room to move and come down. S did it like a champ. S went for another walk, and then rested on her right side. Z had arrived for a bit at this point and began to do some more reflexology on S as she rested. A little after 9pm, S stated she was really tired. I encouraged her to rest. She had been working hard all day and it was perfectly understandable that she was exhausted. I had her lie on her left side and take a rest. We agreed I would come in and do an exam around 10pm. While she rested, we got the birth pool ready so she could get in and labor in the pool after she rested. At 10pm, she was still 5cm dilated, but not 80% effaced. Baby was still hanging out at a -2 station. After listening to baby for a bit, S happily got into the warm birthing pool, kneeling while rocking her hips. S’s contractions were coming every 2-4 minutes, lasting well over a minute. She moaned gently through her labor waves, alternating positions from kneeling, to sitting to hands and knees. 
A little after midnight, S got out of the tub to sit on the toilet, and then moved to the bed room for an exam. She was exhausted. Her cervix had no change. S had worked so hard, so long and was amazing, but it was becoming clear we could not continue at home. We discussed different hospital options and S and W took a few minutes alone to discuss what they wanted to do. Right before 1am, S and W decided they wanted to transport to a nearby hospital. I called ahead to the hospital as S was preparing to head that way. Epidural was finally placed around 4am. S was still 5/80/-2. Pitocin was started and S got some much needed sleep for the next few hours. At 7am, the OB came in and did an assessment and said the exam was the same and made the same comment that I had made many hours before that the baby was not well applied to the cervix. They moved her into a more seated position. I sat over by S and began discussing options. The new doctor was coming on at 9 and I was sure they would call a cesarean at that point if no change, but wanted to prepare her. We had a good cry, and by 9am S was prepared. Her cervix was no different, and S agreed it was time for a cesarean. Sweet baby Maia was born earthside on February 15, 2015 at 952am, weighing in at 7pounds, 5 ounces. Her sweet mama fought so hard for the birth she wanted. <3 
