Full Circle Midwifery

I was 40 weeks and 1 day on November 20, 2021 Just after 4:00am on a full moon night. I was woken up by a full bladder and some intense contractions. I went to the bathroom and laid back down, expecting the contractions to go away like they always had done. I quick looked at the clock, 4:11AM. Plenty of time to get some more sleep. I laid there and another contraction came. Half asleep I realized several contractions, intense contractions, had come and gone in a very quick amount of time. I pulled out the app and started timing them at about 4:40 AM not thinking much and expecting them to go away after a short while. 

It was about 5:15 AM when my moans woke my husband, Kyle, up. I had been bouncing on the ball, walking around, doing some generic positions to help me get through each contraction. When Kyle woke up I was kneeling on the floor with my body draped over our bed. He sat up and asked me if I needed anything and if this was the real deal. Still me in denial, I said I have no idea but with the intensity of the contractions I was thinking this has to be it. Kyle got the room together: Christmas lights on, bed made, got me the ball to bounce on which I was now leaning over on our dresser making my way through each contraction. I had some back pressure so with every contraction I had Kyle come behind me and push on my back. Kyle was also trying to quick clean up anything on the house: quick vacuumed (we have two dogs), got midwives stuff out etc. When I wasn’t contracting I kept visualizing a flower opening and my baby’s head coming through the center. Sure enough, the next contraction was VERY intense and I could actually feel my cervix widening and my baby’s head pushing through. After a couple more of those, at 5:50 AM, I had Kyle call the midwives and let them know they should head over. At this point my contractions had been consistent with lasting around 1 minute long every 2.5 minutes since I woke up at 4 AM. I still didn’t have any mucus plug, bloody show or water breaking. Between a contraction I called my mother in law in case our oldest was awoken or I labored long enough for him to wake up from sleeping. 

Kyle asked me if I wanted to move around. I said sure and went to the three steps that lead from our mud room to the kitchen. After going down the three steps I had another very intense contraction and said screw it I want to go into the tub. I kneeled back down on the floor over our small coffee table and had a couple more contractions waiting for Kyle to take the hot tub cover off and get some towels. Once he was done with that and I was done with the contraction I practically flew Into the tub. The hot water helped distract me from the intensity of the contractions. Another one came, I was trying to figure out how to have Kyle help me. I felt like I needed to squeeze something. We ended up having him cross his arm and lean over the edge and held my hands. I was able to squeeze and lift myself up a little or whatever I needed to do to get through the intensity and power. Kyle then saw I had some bloody show around 6:11 AM. Finally! A sign I was really in labor and the intensity wasn’t just going to go away. After my head wrapped itself around the fact that this is for sure it, I get to see my little baby for the first time and find out the gender (We never had an US or any testing done). My body knew my head had came to terms and things progressed quickly. 

At 6:35 AM Barb showed up and very quickly started getting things together. She kept telling me to breath through each contraction because my body, unwillingly, started to push. I physically was a soul in a vessel, unable to control anything at this point. I was at will with my body. I squeeze my husbands hands. Slowly feeling baby descend. Trying to listen to Barb and hold back but I was unable to. “Your doing great, baby” Kyle whispered in my ear. At 6:43 AM, Kelsie and Patrice showed up. At that point, I felt baby’s head in my bottom. Within two pushes baby was descended into my vagina and I reached down and I could feel a good portion of baby’s head. I wanted my husband to feel it too but there was another contraction. My body, still controlling everything at this point, started to hold back. My breathing changed to slowly let baby descend down and allow my body to stretch. My body knew exactly what to do, and I trusted it fully. 

I could feel burning and asked for some oil. Kelsie was applying some pressure to my back side and put some oil on as well. I was still kneeling at this point so I widen my left leg up and out just as I felt the top of baby’s head come through. Withinin seconds, I could feel the rest of baby’s head come out, along with her shoulders and the rest of her body. My waters finally breaking right as baby came out. Kelsie passed my baby between my legs and I reach down to grab my beautiful baby. It was hard to see where to grab. I reached down and pulled baby to my chest and laid back on the tub. What. The. Heck. Just. Happened.

Baby was perfect. I wiped off the left over membrane from the sac off baby’s head and face. Baby didn’t have hardly any vertex, wonderfully pink and the most perfect shaped head you’ve ever seen. “Dang I did good,” looking at baby’s head. I remember Barb stating that this was the difference between your first and second birth. (My first home birth, my oldest was born sunny side up. It was much longer and much different than this birth and his poor head was not pretty.) Baby was perfectly content being in my arms. All was well and bliss when I looked up at my husband and asked if he was ready to see if it was a boy or girl. We both looked. Squinting because it was still dark in the early morning…

A beautiful and wonderful little girl. 

Briar Fern was born at 6:52 AM on 11/20/21. 

7 lbs 4oz

19.5 inches long. 

‘You are a child of God, you are wonderfully made, dearly loved and precious on His sight.”

Psalm 139