S and D started care with me in the first trimester of their fourth pregnancy. I had the privilege of being S’s midwife for her three previous pregnancies. You can read about those journey’s here, here, and here.
S’s pregnancy progressed along without issue just like the previous three. As with her last, S was insistent she wanted me to give her herbs and a membrane sweep at 38 weeks, to try to get her into labor. So we made plans for her to come over at 38 weeks to see what would happen.
S came over at 8am on June 2nd for labor encouragement. Her cervix was 3cm dilated, 80% effaced, and baby at a -3. I swept her membranes, and sent her with an herbal tincture to take for a bit while she went and ate breakfast and went for a walk.
Contractions began that morning, but were all over the place. S had her doula stop by around 12pm to try lift and tucks, but nothing changed with them, and her doula did not think she was in labor.
S debated taking a nap, but decided around 2pm that a nap would not be happening, and she wanted to come see me for an exam and another sweep.
S same over about 230pm, and we repeated everything. Her cervix was now 4cm dilated, 80% effaced, and baby at a -2 station. Her contractions were coming every four minutes, and seemed mildly intense. We decided I should try some lift and tucks in my office before sending S home. After ten, S was getting antsy and moany with her contractions. Since she lives very close, I sent her home with instructions to update me after the next 3-5 contractions, as I anticipated she would need me very soon.
I arrived at 330pm, and found S pacing her bedroom. Active labor was definitely upon us, as S has a history of moving a lot when she is in the throes of active labor.
S bounced all over her bedroom. Laboring on the toilet, then against the wall, before deciding she was running a bath. While on the toilet, she exclaimed, “This f***** hurts!!! I remember this (pain) from last time!!!”
As 4pm neared, S was laboring in the bath tub, yelling with contractions. She was trembling from the throes of labor, and the water was giving some relief from the intensity of the labor.
S decided she wanted to get out of the tub around 410pm for a cervical exam. S really likes cervical checks in labor! I found her to be 7cm dilated, 100% effaced, and baby at a +1 station. Things were definitely moving well.
After the exam, S hopped into the shower. With her next contraction, she did a calm moan to help work through it. After it had passed, S exclaimed, “I am trying to stay calm like one of those hypnobirthing people.” I love her. She is so fun and raw in labor.
It is is hard to put times to a lot of the remainder of labor, as S moves so fast. At 619pm, S moved to laboring on her hands and knees in the shower. At 421pm, she exclaimed that she needed to run around, and got out of the shower, moving all around the bedroom, while her doula provided counter pressure with contractions.
S’s water broke at 433pm. She insisted on an exam, and was found to be 8cm and baby at a +2.
She was running around her bedroom, then dashed to the shower, before getting right back out again. She made motion for the bedroom door. We had a big policy because of S’s previous deliveries that she could not leave her room and endanger herself on the stairs outside her bedroom. D slammed the door shut before she could do anything further.
She dashed to her bedroom, where she asked to be checked at 444pm. She was 9cm, and baby at a +2. Please note this, because 20 seconds later, the baby was crowning. I was assisting my senior apprentice with delivery, but primarily having to hold S up to give her strength. The baby was born 30 seconds later.
Welcome to the world, Kash! Born earthside on June 2nd, 2019 at 445pm, weighing in at 7lbs 0 ozs, 20 inches long. He was his mama’s quickest labor by far, the one she coped the best with, and the one his mama and hoped and prayed to go the way it did. S screamed that she was a “bad a**” over and over. She did amazing.
Thrilled that I have gotten to welcome all of these sweet kiddos earth side, and work with this sweet mama for all these years. We are super close, and I look forward to the years to come with our relationship and watching these kiddos grow.
#sacredjourneymidwifery
