Full Circle Midwifery

9/3/2023

This was my first pregnancy and came as a surprise to both my husband and I as I had struggled with my hormones in recent years. Just 3 months after we got married we discovered I was pregnant and I panicked because I hadn’t prepared or felt ready whatsoever and my mind went straight to the horrific birth scenes shown in movies/TV shows. I had always envisioned having an unmedicated home birth, but being pregnant years before I thought I would be now made me feel intimidated, uneducated, and on a timeline. I began seeing an OB for the first 3 appointments and quickly realized it was not the path for me. I switched to a midwife through the Grand Rapids Butterworth hospital and felt very supported, but had hesitations when I learned water births were not allowed and my chances of getting one of their “natural delivery” rooms were slim at best. It wasn’t until my third trimester that I made the decision to have my baby in the comfort of my own home where I was free to labor as I wished. I listened to many positive birth stories, learned all I could about physiological birth, prioritized my diet and exercise, and decided to see a chiropractor regularly in preparation. My husband and I met with Patrice and we absolutely loved her demeanor, approach, and obvious wealth of knowledge. I felt new confidence in my ability to have a baby at home after talking with Patrice and Melinda. I also hired a doula for additional support.

My due date was August 29th (Tuesday) and around that time I began to slowly lose my mucus plug for about 5 days. That Saturday I was having very mild contractions all day averaging 6 minutes apart. The midwives and doula came at midnight and began monitoring me. I did not progress significantly through the night and the next morning I ended up stalling. Patrice and Melinda left and my doula stayed with me. My doula helped me rest comfortably, eat, and then began working to loosen my hips and try different positions/exercises to reposition the baby. At approximately 1:30 PM that day, active labor started. Looking back I believe I had back labor – it was such a game changer to have the doula and my husband apply counter pressure on my back during contractions. At any point I felt anxiety creeping in or that I was out of control I focused solely on my breathing saying, “4 seconds in, 6 seconds out”. I was shocked at how helpful this was during any contraction – I felt it grounded me. The midwives arrived at 2:30 PM and resumed regular monitoring of his heart rate. I labored between leaning over the couch and sitting on the toilet until I felt like getting in the birth pool around 5:00 PM. I was getting discouraged as I didn’t know how long this would last. We decided to have Patrice check how dilated I was and I was so relieved to hear 9cm I cried tears of joy. Patrice suggested I labor leaning back in the pool to help move the last bit of my cervix in the front. At 6:30 PM I began pushing. I didn’t feel I was pushing effectively and Patrice helped show me where to push which helped immensely. I pushed in the pool for a while, then continued in various positions on my bed, and occasionally going back to the toilet. This was the only point I briefly thought I wanted to give up, not because any discomfort was too great, but because I was getting frustrated with how long pushing was lasting in my mind. I had an unusual tissue structure that was in the way of baby’s head which Patrice was eventually able to push out of the way and it helped me progress easier. I knew I made the most progress on the toilet so I went back into the bathroom and sat on the toilet. Within a handful of contractions I could feel my baby’s head right there at the opening. As he continued to move down, I stood up to hold onto my husband as I pushed. Patrice and Melinda were struggling to find his heart tones during monitoring and when they were able to, it was much lower than where it should be. I could tell something was of concern but neither Melinda or Patrice showed any panic which greatly helped me remain calm and focus. Patrice instructed me to push him out instead of breathing through some of the contractions when she noticed his cord wrapped very tightly around him. When enough of his head was out, Patrice quickly unwrapped the cord from him. I sat down on the birth stool and pushed with all I had and out he came at 9:41 PM. Immediately his heart rate picked up and he resumed a healthy color. I was amazed and couldn’t believe how big he was! He was 8 lb 12 oz and 21 inches long. We enjoyed our skin to skin time in our bed as he nursed for the first time. 

I ended up tearing and went to the ER for a few stitches around 1:00 AM. (I also had a urethral prolapse that I will see a pelvic floor therapist for to ensure a proper recovery and to strengthen the muscles.) It went smoothly and I came home to our healthy baby boy asleep on my husband’s chest. 

Although it was the hardest thing I had ever done, I never felt like I couldn’t do it or it was too much. My experience was nothing like the movies depict. I am so thankful to have had Patrice, Melinda, and my doula on the birth team. They were all so comforting and knowledgeable I felt completely safe throughout the entire process.