This is the story of a birth that I attended last Spring -- an amazingly peaceful experience. I am always so grateful to families that allow me to be a part of such an important time in their lives.
Contractions began for Melanie on the evening of April 16th, after her baby shower. She tried to go to sleep for the night, knowing that her baby would be coming soon, but she was too excited, and didn’t sleep until very early in the morning. Her contractions were strong, but remained spaced apart.
Throughout the next day she continued to have regular, strong contractions. She and her doula went on a walk, enjoying a very beautiful morning with many flowers in bloom. Melanie, her husband and their doula went to the Farmer’s Market to pass the time, all while she was having contractions. She found some soap she really liked and ate a bit of bread. She ran into several people that she knows, and all were amazed that she could actually be in labor. Melanie had such a big smile on her face, she was so excited, and no one expected to see such a happy laboring woman.
Early in the afternoon Melanie’s doula left Melanie and Kuno alone in the house for a couple of hours so that they could rest. Everyone hoped that by resting and being in a quiet house that Melanie’s contractions would intensify and become closer together. Alone time worked, and three hours later (around 4 pm) Melanie was ready to go to the hospital.
Melanie’s contractions were much more intense, but she continued to have a smile on her face. All of the people who saw her commented on her happy attitude and told her how amazing she was. When she was checked in, her cervix was checked and found to be 2.5 centimeters. The hospital staff wanted her to spend time walking around because they did not want to admit her until she was 3 centimeters. So everyone did a bit of walking the halls. Melanie relied on her husband for support while she was standing. After a couple of contractions in the hall, Melanie asked to go back to the room to sit on the ball for a while. She felt a lot of back pressure, so she liked to have someone push on her back during a contraction.
After 90 minutes in triage, Melanie was found to be nearly 4 centimeters dilated and was taken to a room to have her IVs inserted and antibiotics administered. Melanie was eager to get into the Jacuzzi tub, so it was a long wait to have everything done, but Melanie continued to smile through it all.
Finally she was able to get in the tub, and it was such a relief. It was as good as she imagined it would be. Kuno stayed with Melanie in the bathroom, supporting her through her contractions. After about 45 minutes in the tub, Melanie wondered if she might be pushing. Her nurse helped her out of the tub and onto the bed so that she could be checked again. She was 8 centimeters! Everyone knew the baby was coming soon, and within three contractions, and after a couple of kisses from her husband, Melanie was actually pushing (still smiling). No one needed to tell her how to do it, she just knew exactly how!
Sylvia was born before 8 pm and was perfect in every way. Her mother and father were so excited to meet her and to introduce her to Big Sister. Sylvia nursed right away, showing everyone how healthy and strong she was.
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