A Birth at Babies in Bloom

When I first met Nury and Jeff, I was very open about the fact that I didn’t have a back up anymore. All my back ups have either moved out of state, or stepped back from birth during the pandemic.

I immediately felt a deep connection to them. To their energy and their birth space.

Once we got off our initial interview I immediately told my husband Sam that I loved them and so hoped they hired me but totally understood if they didn’t want to because of my back up situation.

Thankfully, that didn’t deter them from hiring me as their doula and birth photographer 😍 It didn’t even take them an hour to respond that they wanted to move forward.

Prenatals.

Our prenatals were amazing. I feel like I got to know them so well, we talked about everything under the sun, and they constantly fed me 😂 I mean what more can you ask for.

They were very clear that they wanted to do the main laboring by themselves and I totally understood and respected that. This was THEIR birth, I was simply there for support and documentation so I was prepared to be called at the last minute and race down to the birth center.

At our last prenatal I brought up meeting them at their house after they had been in labor for awhile to capture some of their laboring at home. More for their sake of having a full gallery of images (or to try and have a full gallery of images at least). I was very clear that at any point they could ask for privacy and I would go grab a coffee or just hang out in the Suburban. And they liked that idea.

early Labor.

When labor began, Nury texted me at about 11:30 am on a Tuesday to tell me her surges had been starting were slowly increasing in intensity.

I checked in at about 7:45 pm that night just to see how things were going. They were now about 3-4 min apart but only 15-45 seconds long. Not long enough to make any significant cervical change. I told her to try a few stretches/exercises that I sent her and then to call me if she needed anything.

Jeff ended up calling me at about 12:45 am. He said they needed support and some new ideas since he said her contractions were close together and lasting a long time, and I said “sweet, I will get ready and head down there!” After grabbing coffee of course 😂

I got to their house a little before 2 am and Nury was laboring in their bathtub. I sat quietly with her in her darkly lit bathroom and between surges heard their story of how things had been going. I was timing her surges (as inconspicuously as I could) to see what they were doing, and they were averaging 3 min apart and lasting about a minute long (exactly what we wanted).

Her deep moans and far away eyes told me she was deep in active labor.

active labor.

As much as she didn’t want to, I told her she needed to get out of the bath and move around some. I initially asked her to walk up and down her stairs once or twice to shift her pelvis, but instead did the “captain Morgan” position on the edge of her bed frame to achieve the same/similar results while using less energy.

I could see the “Rhombus of Micahelis” forming on her lower back, which is a good sign as baby is making their way through the birth canal and pushing everything outwards. There was also a “purple line” forming on the butt crack area which is another good sign of cervical change!

At about 2:30 am Jeff called the midwives to let them know what was going on. I ended up talking to the midwives about what I was seeing and they recommended for Nury and Jeff to come to the center.

Jeff began to get all of their things loaded up in the car as Nury was laboring in the bathroom again (those toilets are seriously great for laboring #dilationstation).

We slowly made our way down the stair and to the car to begin the 35 min drive to the birth center and I followed them the entire way in the Suburban.

arrival at the birth center.

We arrived at the birth center at about 4 am, and when we arrived I wasn’t allowed back with them. As they were getting triaged she was being checked. So I waited in the front for word on when I could join them.

The midwife came out about 10 min later and told me she was “only” 3 cm dilated and that I should go home. But based on what I was seeing, there was NO WAY I was leaving them, so I told her I would wait in my car in the parking lot.

The midwife tried to send Nury and Jeff home, but she refused. She wanted to stay at the birth center and I quote “If we go home, I’m not getting in that fucking car again.”

So she stayed.

And I went to the Suburban. It was 4:30 am.

the wait.

I fell asleep and woke up at about 6:15 am with no word from them still so I texted them to let them know that I was there if they needed me.

I was locked out of the birth center but had to use the bathroom so I of course drove to the closest Starbucks to grab a coffee and pee.

I got a text from them at 6:30 am saying I could come in at 7 am. Sweet, gives me enough time to finish my run to Starbucks for caffeine.

At 7 am, when I tried opening the doors, they were still locked so I had to text Nury and Jeff again to let them know. Jeff immediately came and let me in.

It was so relieving to see them both.

Nury was laying on her side on the bed and within 20 minutes of me being there, there was a shift in her surges. They were more intense, her groans were becoming deeper, more primal.

Within an hour of me being in the room, at the peak of the surges, she began grunting. Pushing.

And the midwife finally noticed her progression. It was just after 8 am.

pushing.

The midwife pushed for Nury to get off the bed and go to the toilet to labor there for a bit. Nury also kept saying how she just wanted her water to break. So the midwife said if she got up out of bed and stood, her water may break.

Low and behold, as she stepped onto the ground, a surge began to happen so I stood right behind her to provide counter pressure, and with an audible *POP* her water breaks everywhere (including on my feet 😂). As her water broke, her mom walked in. It was seriously so cool.

Nury made her way to the toilet while they were filling up the birth tub, and began to push while sitting on it. Jeff right next to her the entire time.

Nury pushed in the tub for a bit in all the different positions: on her back, side, on all fours, squatting, standing, you name it. But eventually she made her way back to the toilet to allow her pelvis floor to completely relax and aid in baby’s descent.

After only 10 min on the toilet, the midwife asked her to move to the bed as baby was close. Nury dropped into a squat at the edge of the bed and pushed again, Jeff right by her side. As baby was starting to crown, the midwife had Nury get up on all fours on the bed for the birth. Jeff was ready to catch his baby, and within a few more pushes, baby was here! Right into Jeff’s hands, and passed through to Nury.

She fucking did it. I seriously couldn’t be more proud.

Everything that had happened, she was still able to achieve the unmedicated birth she wanted. Talk about a fucking badass 😍