M and J started care with me at the start of the first trimester of the first pregnancy. I will never forget the day M called me. She had just taken a test and she was excitedly calling to set up a consultation. Pregnancy was uncomplicated until the 39th week started. I saw M for her weekly appointment at 38.5 weeks, and found her blood pressure to be borderline high. I asked M to monitor it over the next couple days and to let me know what it was like a few times through out the day. Monitoring the blood pressures showed us that this was a continuous problem through out the day. I had M meet me at the office two days later in the afternoon to talk about a plan. I gave her homeopathy to start taking that normally works by day 6 to start labor. I encouraged M to go to an acupuncturist for labor encouragement and to help the blood pressure. I did an exam, and after working with her cervix, M was 2cm dilated, 50% effaced and baby at a -2 station. I gently swept membranes and made plans to see M the next day after her acupuncturist appointment. I saw M the next day and did a much deeper sweep. She was now 3cm dilated. M continued to feel crampy through out the night, and woke up the next morning (now 39.2 weeks) with regular cramping that was coming in waves. I saw her that morning and did another deep sweep and had M drink some pregnancy tea with an herbal tincture and honey mixed with it. She was 3-4cm dilated, 50% effaced and baby at a -2 station. The head was more applied to the cervix. M looked more uncomfortable and I was hopeful this was going to put her into labor. The crampings continued to get stronger through out the morning and early afternoon. At 2pm, M decided she wanted to try and take a nap, but she soon realized a nap would not be happening. The waves were coming on strong. We chatted about her pattern, which seemed to be every 2-2.5 minutes, lasting 30-40 seconds long. M said she wanted me to come do an assessment so I headed her direction. I arrived around 4:15pm and found M sitting on her couch, blowing through a contraction. I sat with her and talked and noticed her contractions were definitely frequent and short. I did the initial set of vitals and first cervical check of labor. At 4:45pm, M was 6-7 cm dilated, 80% effaced and baby was a little lower at a -1 station. She has been working very hard! Soon M’s doula and the birth assistant starting filtering into the home. I encouraged M to try and move around the house some, since her preferred position was sitting. M reluctantly started walking around the house for a few minutes. We had a little issue getting the birth pool initially. M and J’s hose adapter wasn’t connecting. J got it connected to the washer and we got the pool starting to fill for M so it was ready when she needed it. M sat through a few contractions, then layed on her right side, her doula placing the peanut ball between her legs. Her doula used a warm rice sock and counter pressure on her back with each contraction wave. As 6pm neared, I asked M to try and do three captain morgans with hip circles on each leg to help baby move down. M was such a trooper. Even though it was uncomfortable, she did it to help with the progression. At 620pm, M moved back to laying on her right side on the couch. Right away I could see her contraction pattern shifting and changing. Contractions were every 2 minutes, lasting 60-70 seconds long and appeared to be stronger. I encouraged M that she was doing everything just right to help things progress perfectly. The birth pool was soon ready, and M happily got into the warm birth pool at quarter to 7pm. She sipped on apple juice and water in between contractions, that were coming quite frequently. M alternated from sitting, to resting on her left and then her right side in the birth pool. She held J’s hands as she gently moaned through each contraction. She kept saying that she was feeling a lot of pressure at the peaks. A little after 7pm, I could tell M’s body was bearing down on its own at the peaks. After talking, M asked for a cervical check and I found her cervix to be 9.5cm dilated, 100% effaced and baby at a +1 station. I encouraged M to blow through a few contractions to finish dilating her cervix, or I could hold it back. She decided to blow through a couple. A couple contractions later at 7:06pm, M said she couldn’t hold the urge and her body began to spontaneously bear down. Three minutes later, as she pushed, M’s water broke. We saw clear fluid speckled with vernix in the birthing pool. Baby had a slight shock to his system with his comfy water bag gone, but soon his heart beat sounded perfect again. M continued to push laying on her side. Around 7:20pm, I recommended to M to try pushing in hands and knees. She moved into that position and seemed to get her pushing groove going there. Each wave she pushed, bringing her baby a little bit closer. The head was visible at 7:43 pm and soon was crowning three minutes later. With one swift push, M birthed her baby’s head and soon followed the rest of his body. He had a loose nuchal cord that I unlooped from the baby as his mama held him on her chest. Couldn’t have been a more perfect birth or postpartum period! Such a gentle, peaceful birth followed by sweet bonding time mom and dad got with their son. When M and baby were ready for nursing, I went to help and on the first try the baby opened his mouth wide and grabbed right on to the breast. Welcome to the world Vincent, born earth side on November 14, 2015 at 7:48pm, weighing in at 7lbs 4ozs, 19.5 inches long. Such a privilege to help this sweet couple welcome their first baby into the world.
Recent Posts
Categories
- Adventure
- Big Baby
- Birth Education
- Birth Story
- Breastfeeding
- Breech Birth
- Cesarean Birth
- Christian Living
- Clean Eating
- Cruising
- Documents
- DoTerra
- Emotional Dystocia
- essential oils
- Family
- FAQ
- First Time Mom
- From Mom's Words
- Home Birth
- Hospital Birth
- Infertility Awareness
- Long Birth
- marriage
- Midwifery Services
- My Journey
- My Thoughts
- Organic Living
- Paleo
- Postpartum
- Products
- Quick Birth
- Rainbow Baby
- Repeat Client
- Services
- Testimonials
- Texas Information
- Transport
- Uncategorized
- Vacation
- VBAC
- Water Birth
- Whole 30
- Young Living
Archives
- August 2023
- March 2021
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- February 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
© 2024 A Sacred Journey | Midwifery Services