Birth Stories
All shared with permission
Ashlyn Marieta
November 2, 2024
Welcome to the world, Ashlyn Marieta!
Morgan reached out for her and James' second baby for doula services, and I was thrilled to work with them again!
Morgan was again going for an unmedicated and physiological birth, just as she had 2 years ago.
In the weeks leading up to pregnancy, Morgan worked on preparing her body for the baby. She did her stretches and drank red raspberry leaf tea. She easily ate dates as she loves to eat them as a snack!
At 39 weeks, Morgan decided to have a cervical check, and she was 2-3cm and about 50% effaced. The doctor attempted to sweep her membranes on Tuesday, hoping it would encourage things! Morgan had some cramping, but nothing seemed to kick in.
On Friday evening, Morgan went to bed around 10 after staying with their daughter. Around 12:30 a.m., she woke up to slightly inconsistent contractions but strong enough to wake her up at 1:00 a.m. Morgan called me to let me know that she was having contractions and that they were getting stronger. She was getting up to start moving around, and we decided to stay in touch. She texted me about 30 minutes later that she felt things were becoming more consistent and stronger. And they were going to head to the hospital. We decided to wait and see if she was dilated before I decided to head to the hospital because she was still coping well through contractions. Morgan called me again at 3:05 a.m. to say she had arrived at the hospital. She was 4-5cm dilated, and the baby was very low! I got up and headed to the hospital and arrived around 3:45 a.m.
Once at the hospital, Morgan and James were working together amazingly! She was standing and swaying through contractions and was breathing baby down perfectly! We started working through different positions to encourage the baby to descend through the mid-pelvis. We did some hands and knees, standing and swaying, Captain Morgan, the dilation station, and several more. Morgan began to get tired as now she had been up for most of the night, so we decided to have Morgan lie on her side in exaggerated runners, hoping everyone could rest some. James could take a nap for about an hour, and Morgan could doze off in-between contractions while I provided counter pressure.
The doctor came in around 6:00 to check Morgans's cervix and see how she was doing. She came in and said that she was 7cm dilated and 90% effaced, and the baby was at 0 station. This was encouraging, and Morgan wanted to get up and start moving again. We continued working through contractions and encouraging positions through the mid-pelvis. The doctor returned around 7:30, and Morgan was now a 9 and decided to break her water. After Morgan's water broke, things started getting intense! She was now breathing through contractions but was having to yell out because of the intensity. There comes a point of surrender in labor when women hit their breaking point and tend to get emotional, and the feelings of "I can't do this!" start to come.
After a few contractions, Morgan started to feel the urge to push. The doctor checked her cervix and felt that there was still a rim that she needed to breathe through. This was the most intense part of labor when Morgan had to fight through that urge to help the rest of her cervix dilate, finally at 7:59 a.m. Morgan was complete! She began actively pushing at 8:07 a.m. She continued to change positions every couple of contractions, and soon, we began to see some of sweet Ashlyn's hair! Morgan was working and having to push hard to help bring this baby earthside, but then, with one final super strong push, James and Morgan's baby was here! James looked at their baby and said, "It's another girl!!"
Ashlyn Marieta
November 2, 2024 at 8:54 a.m.
7lbs 14oz
Morgan and James again worked so well together for the birth of Ashlyn. This birth was shorter than her last but felt more intense for Morgan. She stayed in control and breathed her baby down even when it was tough. She cried and surrendered to the emotional rollercoaster that birth is, and she was able to trust in her body and baby. I was so in awe of Morgan's strength again and was so blessed to get to walk alongside her and James another time!
Barrett James
September 22, 2024
Jett and Ashley's journey to the birth of Barrett is one full of heartbreak and surrender.
On January 13th, Ashley sent me a picture of a very early pregnancy test and asked if I saw a line. It was faint, but it was positive! We talked back and forth for several days, and she had labs drawn. Everything seemed to be on track as it was supposed to be! After her first ultrasound, it appeared as though Ashley had ovulated late, giving her a due date of September 26th.
Throughout this pregnancy Ashley dug into tons of research! She studied different supplements during pregnancy, specifically Vitamin C, to decrease labor time. She did all her stretches, dates, and tea and stayed active at her job as a PTA and mom to a busy toddler!
Every ultrasound and NST checked out well, which was a relief after their previous stillborn birth in June at 31 weeks. Ashley was cleared by maternal-fetal medicine to deliver locally, which was an answer to prayer! Early induction was suggested, but Ashley did not feel comfortable with a 38-week or 39-week induction, so in collaboration with her provider, they agreed to an induction one day before her due date.
Sunday at 1 p.m., Ashley texted me that she was having some irregular contractions. She was 39 weeks and three days pregnant and felt this would be the real deal! She did her stretches and kept up and moving, and soon, things began to grow in intensity and feel more consistent! I told her to try resting, if possible, in the flying cowgirl position to see if the baby would engage more and also to allow her to sleep a bit, maybe. At 3:21 p.m., she texted me, "Water broke." Since Ashley lives in the same town, I decided to get ready, head over to her house, see how things were going, and maybe try some positioning. I arrived around 3:45 p.m., and Jett brought me upstairs, where Ashley was laboring in her bathroom and cleaning up the floor where her water broke. With her first birth, she was doing the same thing of standing in her bathroom, and "there was a flood!" Jett met Ashley's mom and handed over their three-year-old son Kai, as he had been "helping" mom labor earlier, but now that things were growing in intensity, that help was not as helpful.
Ashley was having to stop and breathe through contractions but coping amazingly! She could talk and have conversations in between, and we decided to try resting in bed with my peanut ball in Flying Cowgirl. Ashley rested while cuddling with Jett. We talked and laughed, and they enjoyed their time together! Ashley stayed on one side for about 20 minutes, then flipped to the other. Things were getting intense by the time the next 20 minutes were up! Contractions were coming more frequently, lasting longer, and Ashley was ready to get in their tub. She wanted to labor as long as possible at home, and her doctor was just fine with this!
Once inside the tub, Ashley could relax her head on the tub's edge while on her hands and knees. Contractions still were coming consistently and growing! After about 10 minutes in the tub, Ashley felt like she had tons of pressure. We decided to get out and head to the hospital. Ashley dressed while Jett got the van ready and grabbed a few last-minute things. She would stop and breathe for each contraction, and I encouraged her to sway while I provided counterpressure. Jett laid down a seat so Ashley could be on hands and knees during the short drive to the hospital. I rode along and provided counterpressure while she stayed on her hands and knees. Jett had been in contact with their doctor and a family friend, so he had let the nurses know we were on our way in. We were met outside with a wheelchair, and Ashley was wheeled back to labor and delivery. Once she got to the room, I started filling the tub as it was a big one! The nurses did their things, like placing an IV and asking questions. Shortly after arrival, the doctor stopped in. He offered to check Ashley's cervix, and she agreed. At 4:40 p.m., she was 8cm dilated!
The baby had to come down a little, so Ashley was ready to get in the tub for some relief. The tub was not as warm as we wanted, so I encouraged Ashley to empty her bladder and straddle the toilet for a few contractions. When the water was warm enough, she eagerly climbed in and felt relieved! She continued to have back and pelvic pressure, so Jett and I were both able to push on her sacrum for relief. She could stay in the tub for the next hour while we kept changing positions. She would go from lunging through a few contractions to squatting to standing, holding onto the bars. Jett was there every step of the way! He provided pressure wherever she needed it, made sure she was drinking enough, and gave her encouraging words! We kept the bathroom dim and calm, had lavender diffusing, and played soft Christian music. At one point, the goodness of God was playing, and Ashley was softly singing along, offering praise and surrender.
After over an hour, the pressure became more intense, and Ashley decided to get out of the tub. We helped her to the bed, where she climbed onto her hands and knees and leaned over the top. Jett was able to hold her hands and stay right by her head, reminding her she could do this while I was able to provide counterpressure. At around 6:15, the doctor came back and rechecked her cervix. She had a small anterior rim, so she continued breathing through several contractions. Throughout the labor process, Ashley was so controlled!
Soon, Ashley was bearing down at the end of contractions. The doctor returned at 6:50 p.m. and got all his gear on, as she was close! He checked her cervix at 6:54 p.m., and she was 10cm dilated! She started "pushing" at 6:56 p.m.; four pushes later, at 7:00 p.m., their baby was on this side of creation!
Immediately after their baby was out, he let out the loudest cry and continued crying. Ashley laid her head against the bed and sobbed with relief. Jett held her as they cried and thanked Jesus for this beautiful sound. Everyone had tears in their eyes, as their last baby, June, had been born eternally, sleeping exactly one year and two days prior.
After soaking in the beautiful baby's cries for several moments, Jett looked at the baby and announced to Ashley, still hands on knees leaning against the bed, "It's a BOY!"
Barrett James
6lbs 9oz 19.5in
September 22nd, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.
Little Bear (Barrett) ‘s birth was filled with faith, God’s goodness, and raw emotions. Jett and Ashley surrendered their fears and anxieties and trusted in His plan. When the room was filled with the sweet cries of a healthy baby boy, Ashley and Jett held each other and thanked Jesus. The last year was full of heartache, and the moment Barrett was placed in Ashley's arms was so beautiful! God is truly so good! Thank you, Ashley and Jett, for allowing me to witness such a redemptive birth!
Alexis Noelle
September 3, 2024
You already know how much we love our repeat clients! We love having an already-established relationship and being a part of a growing family. Of course, this birth was no exception! I was thrilled to be a doula for Madison for the second time with the birth of her third baby. Madison’s last delivery was a nurse's delivery on the bathroom floor! She was an absolute rockstar and had a beautiful, empowering birth.
For her third delivery, Madison hoped for nothing less than her last—a natural, fast, empowering birth. Madison was well-educated and knew exactly what interventions she was open to, and what she did not want. Madison prepared for labor staying active with her two kiddos at home, seeing a chiropractor regularly, doing her stretches, and trusting in her body’s ability to birth her baby.
On the morning of September 3, the day after her guess date, Madison texted me that she woke up early to some mild contractions that were coming every 20-30 minutes. Contractions continued to progress through the morning, and at 10 am, Madison texted me that things were picking up and she was ready to head to the hospital.
We both arrived at the hospital at noon. Madison was happy and chatty between contractions but needed to focus on her breathing when contractions came. They were coming every 3-4 minutes. I had Madison do an inversion and try sitting in the ball, but she gravitated towards being on her hands and knees over the ball while I offered counterpressure to her back.
Her doctor came in soon after we arrived. He wanted to make sure he wasn’t missing the birth like last time! Madison was wanting to use some water for relief. Her doctor asked if she would be willing to be checked to see where things were at, as he would prefer her to not go in the tub if she was close to delivery. Madison was 8cm, so we decided the shower was a better option since this hospital doesn’t do water births.
Madison got in the shower and contractions were continuing to pick up with lots of intensity! Her husband Brady ended up getting right in the shower with her so that she had someone to hold on to as she was starting to squat slightly through contractions. Her doctor got right on the bathroom floor ready to catch this baby in the shower. The number of doctors who are willing to do this for their patients is very few and far between.
Madison started to grunt through contractions and we knew this baby was coming very soon! Around 1:10 pm, Madison’s water broke and the overwhelming urge to push was undeniable. Madison squatted down, holding onto Brady, giving everything she had. With a handful of pushes, and about 3 contractions, Madison delivered her baby girl right there in the shower! Her doctor caught her and brought her right up to Madison’s chest as she sat down in the shower chair. There was so much joy and relief that sweet baby Alexis was here!
Alexis Noelle
Born September 3, at 1:16pm
9lbs 7oz
It truly was another beautiful, fast, and empowering birth to witness. Madison and Brady, thank you for welcoming me back into your birth space. It such a honor to play a small part in the story your growing family.
Colton Nathaniel
August 20, 2024
Welcome to this side of creation, Colton Nathaniel!
At 6:32 p.m. on Tuesday, December 12th, a positive pregnancy test! These are my favorite messages to get! Kendra told me she would be due around August 9th and to hold her spot as a repeat client!
Throughout pregnancy, Kendra stayed active, chasing her toddler around and doing her stretches regularly. She could also choke down her dates and drink red raspberry leaf tea. Soon, Kendra's due date came and went, and she continued to wait until her body was ready to have her baby.
On August 19th, Kendra texted and let me know that she had some irregular contractions that seemed to increase in intensity.
After talking back and forth for a while, I decided to make my way to her house. She was going to try to rest, and Tanner was going to try to sleep for a while. I got to her house around 12:15 a.m. and found Kendra lying in her bedroom, breathing well through contractions. She was smiley (as usual) but had to stop and breathe through some contractions. I took in my peanut ball and helped her to flying cowgirl to see if we could encourage the baby into the pelvis. She could rest in between some of the contractions and close her eyes. After doing this for approximately 45 minutes, Kendra wanted to get up, go to the bathroom, and be upright through some of them. At this time, contractions were visibly getting more intense, and I texted the midwife that if she wasn’t on her way yet, she should probably start heading. She was about 20 minutes away!
Kendra felt good standing and moving, so she leaned over the couch, and I propped a footstool up and had her lean into it with every contraction to encourage baby through the mid pelvis while I could do counter pressure. She was doing fantastic breathing through contractions and listening to her body!
We decided to wake Tanner up and start filling the pool, as Kendra hoped for a water birth this time. After the midwife arrived, she took vitals, monitored the baby, and watched Kendra. She kept moving during this time, and we continued driving through different positions to work with the baby.
Kendra felt ready to get in the tub as she felt more pressure and wanted relief. She got in the tub around 1:45 a.m. and was able to relax. Kendra moved from her back, hands, knees, and lunging. She began to feel the urge to push around 2:15 a.m. as she was bearing down with contractions. But she felt it wasn't an overwhelming urge. The midwife offered a cervical check, and Kendra consented.
At 2:30 a.m., Kendra was about 9cm dilated, and the baby seemed to be somewhat hung up on her pubic bone. She breathed through several more contractions, and soon, the urge to bear down started to become more overwhelming. Kendra again consented to a cervical check at this time and was found to have an anterior lip that was starting to get swollen. The midwife tried to hold the cervix out of the way to allow Kendra to push past it but was not able to. After discussing her options, Kendra decided to get out and try to rest in bed for a bit, as well as some IV Benadryl to help with the cervical swelling. She got out and was settled in bed with a peanut ball. The nurse placed an IV and administered some IV Benedryl, and we tucked Tanner and Kendra in bed in hopes of some rest, as it was now around 3:30 a.m.
Kendra and Tanner were able to rest for a bit, as was everyone on the birth team. Kendra returned from her room around 4:00 a.m. and felt ready to get back in the tub, where she could most relax. We encouraged her to go to the bathroom again, and Kendra felt defeated. With her last birth, her baby was hung up on her pubic bone, and she felt that this was the same. She has had lots of pain with every contraction. As she cried, we all held her close. We all believed in her!
Once she was back in the tub, she could rest and relax her body while closing her eyes in between positions. She continued to move as we suggested positions. She was getting so tired but continued to work through them. Around 5:45 a.m., it seemed Kendra's contractions had switched, and the urge to push was much more overwhelming. The midwife checked her cervix; the baby had moved way down, and she was complete! She breathed through a few more to get more control.
Kendra moved into hands and knees and began to bear down with contractions. Tanner held her hand and stayed right by her face, encouraging her to do this even though she was exhausted. Kendra could move in the tub by pushing and putting one leg up and then the other. Then, with one final strong push, the midwife said, "Reach down and grab your baby, Kendra!"
Kendra reached into the water and brought her baby to her chest, and the nurse placed a towel around him and stimulated him. Kendra said, "Hi, baby! Hi baby! Oh my goodness, that was so hard!"
Colton Nathaniel
August 20th, 6:19 a.m.
8lbs 13oz
23 inches long
Tanner and Kendra were the most incredible team through labor. When things were getting hard for her, Tanner knew exactly what Kendra needed to hear. Watching how they relied on each other was so sweet, showing his love for her. Kendra astounded me with how she released her fears and surrendered to God's plan for her birth. It was emotional, raw, and so very heartfelt as she cried through pain and exhaustion. Colton's birth was a testament to Kendra's strength, and I am so honored to have witnessed it! Thank you, Kendra and Tanner, for taking me a long second time for another homebirth!
Leo Gabriel
August 6, 2024
Another beautiful baby boy has arrived. Happy birthday Leo!
It was such a joy to get to know Emma more throughout her second pregnancy. After a long induction with her first son, Emma was looking for more support along the way with her second. Throughout her third trimester, Emma stayed active chasing her almost 2 year old, doing all my recommended stretches, and going on lots of walks. She also saw her chiropractor regularly, ate her dates, and drank her RRLT to help prepare her body for labor.
At 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant, Emma had a cervical check at her appointment. She was 3-4cm dilated and 30% effaced, so she opted for a membrane sweep to see if it would start anything. Emma had already been having more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions and more pelvic pressure over the past week. The next day, Emma woke up not having gone into labor. She was a little disappointed, but knew her body still had plenty of time to do what it was made to do. By the afternoon, things started to change a bit. Around 12:45 pm, Emma told me she was having more intermittent cramping and was losing more of her mucus plug. She went on a walk with her toddler and did the miles circuit. Her contractions started coming regularly, every 10-15 minutes. Emma let me know around 3:30pm that this could be it!
Emma moved on her birth ball and did some positions I suggested she do at home as we waited for things to pick up more. She started making some dinner to have one last meal with her son and husband, before becoming a family of four. When her supper was ready, she texted me, “I’m not hungry anymore”, so I knew she was in labor. Her contractions were coming closer together, every 5-7 minutes, and starting to grow in intensity. I started getting ready to head over, knowing she would want me there soon. I called my husband to get home ASAP so I could get going. At 6:20 pm, Emma’s husband texted me from her phone saying she was in the shower and that things felt like they were changing rapidly. I was about to head out the door to their house, but Emma decided she was ready to go to the hospital to use their jetted tub, so I headed to the hospital to meet them instead.
We both got to the hospital at 7 pm. I filled up the tub as fast as I could for her. Before getting in the tub, Emma had a cervical check, and she was 4 cm and 70% effaced. Emma got in the tub on hands and knees to help her relax. Her contractions continued to grow rapidly while in the tub. Emma had to work hard to breathe and stay in control through her quickly progressing labor. Nathan held her hand and sat by her side and I leaned in the tub offering counter pressure and affirmations.
At 7:35 pm, Emma decided she wanted the epidural and asked the nurse to get things started for that process. The nurse put in an IV, started her fluids, and called the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist was 45 minutes away, so I tried to prepare Emma for the chance that she might be progressing too fast to get this epidural, if it would take that long for them to get there. She wasn’t thrilled to hear that, but I wanted her to be prepared for what could happen. Emma asked for a dose of IV pain medication to help get her through till the epidural could be placed.
At 7:50 pm, her doctor came in to see how things were going and asked if she could do a cervical exam. Emma got out of the tub to be checked, she was 7cm dilated and 100% effaced! So much progress in under an hour!
At 8:10 pm, the anesthesiologist was there and ready to place Emma’s epidural. Initially, the epidural took awhile to take effect, but after a bolus and a little time, Emma was comfortable. At 8:52pm, Emma’s doctor came back and discussed breaking her water. Emma got a cervical check and was 9 cm and her water was so ready to break, it only took the cervical check for it to happen. Emma felt confident she had enough strength with her epidural to turn onto her hands and knees. She had a lot of confidence that this was “the perfect epidural” and that she was going to be able to move great. Emma in fact did have a successful epidural in the fact that she flopped on her side, unable to move her legs at all. So the nurse and I helped Emma move from to hands and knees, and also side to side.
We kept moving Emma frequently as her baby started having some decelerations during contractions. We kept trying different positions to keep this little guy's heart rate happy. Thankfully with every deceleration, he recovered well and her doctor just made sure to keep a close eye on things. Throughout our many position changes, Emma’s cervix was not changing. Staying at 9.5 cm for almost 2 hours. Eventually her doctor decided Emma could try to push past the lip and have this baby. At 10:54 pm, Emma started pushing. Just 3 contractions later, Emma delivered their perfect baby boy!
Leo Gabriel
Born August 6 at 11:01pm
Leo had a double nuchal cord which was causing his decelerations during labor. With just a little help from the nurses, Leo transitioned well to this outside world. The joy in this delivery was truly palpable. There is nothing sweeter than seeing a mama become overwhelmed with love for her baby when they first meet. Thank you Emma and Nathan for letting me be a small part of your pregnancy and delivery journey. Leo has two of the best as his parents!
Gabriel
July 26, 2024
Irene and Jeremy have had quite the whirlwind of different experiences for each baby, and Gabriel was no different!
Irene had had a c-section with her first baby due to breech presentation and a bicornate uterus. She reached out with her second baby for doula services, and she at that time had a successful VBAC. Her second birth was long and hard work for Irene, so now, this time, she was hoping for a different outcome for her third.
At 38 weeks 2 days, Irene called me at 2:45 p.m. that her water had broken and she was starting to have regular contractions. This was already leaps and bounds ahead of her "timeline" from last time. I started getting myself and my stuff ready as I had an hour's drive to Spencer.
Irene texted me that contractions were getting more regular, but she was coping well! I arrived at Jeremy's parent's house as that, where they were staying after her water broke to be close to the hospital. They had let the doctor know that her water had broken and that they were going to labor at home for a while. Irene was walking sideways up the steps and could not talk through each contraction yet, but they were coming about every 3 minutes. Irene was also GBS positive but had chosen to follow an alternative protocol that was a more "watch and wait." Irene was able to check her cervix and felt that the baby was still pretty high and not engaged. I suggested flying cowgirl with my peanut ball to help the baby come down. Irene lay on one side until a little after 5 o'clock and then switched to the other until about 5:30 p.m. While lying on her right side, contractions seemed to slow to about 5-6 minutes. When she turned to the other side, contractions seemed to pick up and soon became much more intense! When 30 minutes was almost up on her left side, Irene had to breathe through them, and we asked Jeremy for more support. She then got up, stood by the stairs, and swayed back and forth. I was able to provide some counterpressure for her. She decided she wanted to shower and clean up more after her water had broken. She got out of the shower around 5:40, and Jeremy informed me that she was ready to go to the hospital as things were increasingly getting intense. She had also gone to the bathroom and noticed some more bloody show. I texted Dr. Keith and let him know we would be heading in, and Jeremy also let the OB unit know.
We arrived at the Spencer Hospital at 5:54 p.m., and on our walk into labor and delivery, Irene had to stop several times and breathe through intense contractions. She was able to lean on Jeremy while I was able to provide counterpressure. Walking down the labor and delivery hall, we saw Dr. Keith waiting happily for us in the doorway. He escorted us to the room, and we met the nurse while he talked. The nurse came in and attempted 2 IVs with no success while Irene was standing and swaying, leaning on the end table. Jeremy was able to be right by her and rub her back as she had to cope with contractions. I set up the lights, diffuser, and music, and we left the beautiful daylight coming in through the big windows.
While the nurse was working on her IV, I had Irene place her leg on the stool and lean into a lunging position while she stood and swayed. She was able to do this on one side and then the other. She soon continued to have a growing intensity in contractions, and she was ready to get in the shower while waiting for a paramedic to put her IV in. She emptied her bladder as contractions got intense on the toilet, and then she was able to move to the shower at 6:38 p.m. She wanted to sit on a birth ball under the shower water. This was very helpful to her, and with each contraction, she continued to moan her baby down. She soon became vocal about wanting relief and talking about pain medication. Jeremy was fantastic in reminding Irene that she could do this, which is what her body was made to do. Irene also still did not have an IV at this point, so pain medication wasn't an option yet. Right at this time, the paramedic came, introduced himself, and quickly placed the IV while Irene was in the shower, still laboring on the birth ball. At this point, the tub was almost full, and Jeremy and I encouraged Irene to try the tub before the epidural as she was hoping to labor in the tub last.
At 6:42, Jeremy assisted Irene into the tub. This provided her with some relief, and Irene could continue breathing. After 2 contractions in the tub, Irene began to yell, “ I have to push!" Jeremy stayed right by her side and remained so calm and encouraging. As Irene was close, I pulled the staff assist chord so that more nurses could come in. A few nurses assisted her out of the tub and to the bed at 6:48 p.m. Once on the bed, Irene went to their hands and knees, and her body started pushing. They called Dr. Keith to come to the bedside, and she was getting close.
Dr. Keith quickly arrived and sat on the edge of the bed behind Irene. On the next contraction, Irene pushed, and we saw meconium and soon a little baby bum! The baby was breech! Dr. Keith is breech trained, so he said calmly. "Okay, guys, the baby is breech; prepare for a breech delivery!"
The nurses called for extra staff to enter the room, and I began taking pictures and videos. Irene was fully prepared to do a vaginal breech with her first baby but had no options providers at the time. She told me that she wasn't scared and trusted her body!
Once the baby was discovered breech, Dr. Keith waited patiently as at first on the leg delivered, then most of the body. One foot was still hung up, so he did one-time positioning, and the other leg quickly came. Shortly after, one arm, the other, and the head immediately followed! She had done it! A vaginal breech delivery!
6:52 p.m. Gabriel was here!
After some stimulation and a short time, Gabriel began to cry! He was passed through Irene's legs and she was able to hold him to her chest with the chord still pulsing. The excitement in the room was unmatched! Irene and Jeremy are taking in the new soul and praying blessings over Gabriel's life.
Irene describes this birth as redemptive and healing after a c-section and tough prior birth. She was absolutely amazing and so well educated on different variations of birth, that when she was found to have a surprise breech baby, she didn’t panic and knew what to do. It was an incredible delivery, and I am SO blessed to have witnessed such strength! Thank you again, Irene and Jeremy, for taking me along on your pregnancy and delivery journey.
Kolter Isaiah
July 18, 2024
Welcome to the world, Mr. Kolter!
In the summer of 2021, Kala was one of my first ever doula clients for the birth of her first son, Kade. Kala’s first pregnancy and delivery wasn’t exactly easy. She developed preeclampsia at 32 weeks, and ended with a 3 day long induction, and postpartum hemorrhage. It was quite an experience to say the least. Kala had now been planning for the delivery of her second baby. She choose to work with the Flourish midwives and plan for a birth center delivery for this pregnancy. She also worked with a chiropractor and cared for her body, hoping to prevent preeclampsia this time around.
At Kala’s 36 weeks appointment, her blood pressure was slightly elevated above her normal range, but not yet within the preeclampsia range. So Kala tried to increase her protein and electrolytes over the following week. Kala also started to have frequent Braxton Hicks and signs that her body was preparing for labor. At her 37 week appointment, her blood pressure was back to her normal range! However, at 38 weeks, her blood pressure was elevated into preeclampsia range, so her midwives sent blood work to confirm. Kala hung around Sioux Falls and got some accupuncture while she waited for her lab results. Around 3:30pm, the decision was made that Kala should go to the hospital to be triaged for preeclampsia.
In triage, Kala’s blood pressure remained elevated and the recommended plan from the hospital’s on-call midwife was for an induction that day. This wasn’t the birth-center birth that she was dreaming of, but she remained positive throughout the entire experience. Kala’s husband had just taken a truck load to Nebraska that morning, so he wouldn’t be able to make it to Sioux Falls until late into the evening. Kala and her midwife decided to wait to start the induction until 8pm just to ensure that Kyle would be there before things picked up.
At 8:00 pm, Kala had cervidil placed to start her induction. She was 1cm dilated at this point. I sent Kala some ideas of stretches to do with her nurses until Kyle got there. She had great nurses who knew spinning babies techniques and helped her do the miles circuit, forward leaning inversions, and the side-lying release. Around 9:30 pm, Kala was starting to feel crampy with the cervidil and decided to try and rest while she could. A little after 12:00 am, Kyle made it to the hospital and got settled in. They both tried to get a little more rest before things got crazy.
And boy, did things get crazy!
At 2:51 am, I got a text that said Kala woke up a bit ago with intense contractions, had bloody show and was going to get in the tub. At 3:03 am, Kala called me that she was getting in the tub and her contractions were intense. She felt ready for me to head over. I asked her if she would be willing to get checked to see where things were at, but I got up and started getting ready, knowing I was probably going to head up to Sioux Falls at this point. At 3:12 am, I got a call from Kyle saying, “the nurse says you need to get up here fast”. He also let me know at 3:29 am that Kala was 5 cm dilated.
I left my house at 3:31 am to head to Sioux Falls, and at 3:51am I got a call from Kyle, “Don’t speed, he’s here”.
Kolter Isaiah
Born July 18 at 3:45am
While Kala was in the tub, she started having intense pelvic pressure that felt like she could push. Her nurses and midwife helped move her to the bed where she labored on her side for a few contractions. At this point, her baby’s heart rate was starting to dip and the nurse was having trouble hearing his heart rate. The midwife placed a fetal scalp electrode to monitor his heart rate more accurately. With the next contraction, Kala had the overwhelming urge to push and Kolter was born.
I continued up to Sioux Falls since I was already on my way. I talked with Kyle and Kala about how everything went and apologized for not making it. Kolter was ready to come and wasn’t waiting for me. Thankfully, he had waited for his dad to get to the hospital before he made his arrival!
Even though I missed the delivery, it was a joy to work with Kala again and be a small part of this redemptive and quick birth, after her long induction the first time. Kala is so strong and truly showed that in this birth story. I’m so thankful to have gotten to know Kala better and to witness her love and passion for her sweet boys!
Brooklyn Rae
June 29, 2024
Another beautiful NWIBN baby girl is here!
I was over the moon to be among the first to know that Makena was pregnant and to be asked to be a part of her delivery. Makenna was already well educated and had learned about all things physiologic birth. She knew all the options and tools available to her during the process. She kept herself active throughout pregnancy with walks, stretches, seeing the chiropractor, eating her dates, and drinking red raspberry leaf tea.
At 39 weeks pregnant, Makenna was feeling a lot of lower pressure and frequent Braxton Hicks and was curious if she was dilated at all. She had her doctor check and she was 3-4cm dilated 59% effaced and already 0 station. She opted for a membrane sweep and waited to see what happened. Not much changed throughout the day, but before bed, Makenna felt her Braxton Hicks seemed a bit stronger. She was still able to fall asleep for a bit though. Around 3 am, Makenna woke up to intense contractions, mostly in her back. She tried doing a few stretches and then filled up her tub at home for some relief. The tub only helped a little bit as the contractions were already strong and the pain in her back was intense. She decided to go to the hospital to use their tub instead. She arrived at the hospital just before 6 am and was 5cm dilated, 50% effaced, and 0 station. I got to the hospital at 6:45 am and Makenna was in the tub lying back holding Brett’s hand. We quickly caught up on how things were going and soon after, her doctor came in to see how things were going. Makenna was feeling ready for a cervical check at 7:15 am, and she was 6cm, 100% effaced, and +1 station. We were so excited about how much progress she already made!
I had Makenna lean over Brett while standing for a few contractions and then move to the toilet for a few contractions as well. After this, she got back into the tub. Makenna's back labor was still intense and it felt best laying back in the tub. I had her move to her hands and knees to help take the pressure off her back but overall it was too intense for Makenna to stay in that position. Makenna opted to have some IV fentanyl to help give her some temporary relief from the back labor and help her relax more in the tub. She stayed on top of her breathing and never lost control, despite the growing intensity of labor. After a while longer in the tub, I had Makenna stand while holding onto Brett for a contraction or two. After the first couple of contractions standing up, she tried to check to feel the baby’s head but all she felt was a big bag of water. She asked if she could have her water broken to help things move a bit faster. I told her, “If you have that big of a bulging bag of water, it’s going to break with one of your next contractions, maybe you could wait a little bit”. As if on cue, with her next contraction, her water broke. We decided to move to the bed to do a few side-lying positions.
At 9:15 am Makenna asked to be checked and was now 7cm. Makenna was getting tired and the back labor, despite position changes, wasn’t letting up so Makenna was feeling ready for an epidural. She got another dose of fentanyl to tie her over till the epidural was ready and got back in the tub while she waited for her fluids to finish and for the anesthesiologists to get there.
At 9:45 am the epidural was in, but it was barely working. Makenna’s toes were numb but that was about it. She was still feeling every contraction but stuck laying on her back in bed hoping that the epidural would start working so that we could keep moving positions.
At 10:15 am Makenna was checked again and was 8cm dilated. Her doctor noticed that her cervix was becoming swollen so they gave her some IV Benadryl. Makenna's epidural was starting to take some effect but it still really wasn’t giving much relief, so the anesthesiologist came back and tried a bolus dose. When that didn’t work, they had to adjust the epidural tube by pulling it back and giving lidocaine through the epidural. After nearly two hours, the epidural started to bring some relief to Makenna.
We were now able to do some positions in the bed, moving side to side with the peanut ball while Makenna rested. At 12:05 pm, Makenna was checked and was 8cm and her cervix was now very swollen. Her doctor did some ice massage to the cervix and we continued with side-lying positions. We continued with intermittent ice massage over the next hour and after that, Makenna was 9cm. Her doctor tried to feel the position of the baby and thought she was in a good position. We crossed our fingers and hoped she was. We moved to a high throne position for a bit and then went back onto her right side. After a few contractions on the right, her baby’s heart rate had a large dip so we moved back to the throne position. The baby also had a heart rate dip in that position, so we then moved to her left side. Thankfully her baby seemed to like this position, so we kept Makenna on her left side for a while, making sure the baby was recovering well. After about 40 minutes on her left side, we decided to try hands and knees but once again, her baby didn’t seem to enjoy this position either and we had to move back to her left side again. At 4 pm, Makenna’s doctor checked her and she was still 9cm but the baby was +2 station. We could see the sweet baby girl's hair when her doctor checked her because she was SO low! Her doctor decided that she should give a few pushes a try to see if she could push past the last bit of the cervix. With her first push, Makenna moved her baby and we were already seeing baby girl’s head peeking out! With just 24 minutes of pushing, Makenna delivered her baby girl sunny-side-up!
Brooklyn Rae
June 29 at 4:24 pm
7lbs 15oz
When Brooklyn was born, the song “Goodness of God” came on. It was a perfect moment to celebrate this sweet gift from the Lord. He truly is SO GOOD! This birth story wasn’t exactly what Makenna envisioned but she took every turn with grace knowing all her options with a birth team that supported her wishes.
I still am in awe of Makenna's ability to push a sunny-side-up baby in just 24 minutes! This is seriously unheard of for a first-time mom! I couldn’t be more proud of her power, patience, and fierce love for her baby girl.
Jon Virgil
June 26, 2024
Happy birthday to Jon Virgil!
Last February, I had the honor of working with Jackie during her third pregnancy and I couldn’t wait to be a part of another birth with them. Jackie and I began planning and preparing for another unmedicated, low-intervention labor.
About 30 weeks into Jackie’s pregnancy, she had a follow-up ultrasound that found a mass in her baby’s chest/abdomen. This left Jackie with many unanswered questions and worries throughout her third trimester. Jackie started working with maternal-fetal medicine specialists and transferred care to a larger hospital for specialized care for her and the baby. As much as Jackie desired a low-intervention birth, she also knew her pregnancy was a special case and there was no way to avoid interventions completely. Follow-up ultrasounds were still unclear as to what exactly this mass was, so Jackie and Joe had to wait and pray throughout their third trimester until their baby boy was delivered to have answers on exactly what was going on and what the plan of care after delivery would be.
Jackie was still able to have a vaginal delivery so she made sure to be prepping her body with lots of movement and stretches. Jackie was hoping to go into labor naturally but the MFM doc wanted to induce at 39 weeks to make sure Jackie could be in the larger hospital, which was 2 hours from her house. Even though this wasn’t Jackie's first choice, she understood and felt confident her body would respond well to an induction with this being her 4th baby.
On the morning of June 26th, Jackie and Joe headed in for her induction. At 6:30 am, Jackie was 2cm and 50% effaced and they placed a dose of cytotec to get things started. Soon after, Jackie began to have some cramping and mild contractions. She decided to try resting after a not-so-great night of sleep. At 9 am the maternal-fetal medicine doctor came in to check Jackie again. She was now 3 cm and 60% effaced. Her doctor performed a membrane sweep to help encourage things along. Not long after that, Jackie began having manageable, regular contractions, so I started planning to get to her soon.
I got to the hospital around noon. Jackie was still having contractions but they weren't too strong yet. We started with balancing stretches to help Jackie's ligaments loosen and help the baby descend. At 12:40 pm, Jackie was checked again and she was 4cm dilated. Her doctor then gave her the option to start pitocin or break her water to help contractions pick up. Jackie decided to start with a little bit of pitocin. The pitocin was started and we continued with different positions to keep things moving. The pitocin intensified contractions quickly and Jackie soon needed to stop to breathe through them. She tried every position I suggested: squatting, side-lying, the birth ball, walking, lunging, and more.
A couple of hours into the pitocin being started, Jackie was feeling ready to get this over with and meet her baby. She decided she wanted her water broken to hopefully speed things up. Her doctor was busy in the clinic so we waited till her nurse practitioner could come in and break her water. At 3:50 pm, Jackie was 4 to 5cm dilated and her waters were broken. Things intensified quickly after her waters were broken. Contractions were coming quicker and stronger. Jackie leaned over the birth ball on the bed and I offered counter pressure to her hips as her baby was descending into the pelvis. Jackie then sat on the toilet for a few contractions and the pressure was intense! She moved to the bed on her hands and knees and the urge to push was undeniable. With just one more contraction, Jackie delivered her baby boy!
Jon Virgil
Born June 26 at 5:17 pm
Jon was able to come to Jackie’s chest for just a couple of seconds before he had to be taken to the warmer to assist with his breathing. A few minutes later, he was taken to the NICU. Being separated from your baby so soon is heartbreaking. Joe was initially in a bit of shock after Jon was born, but after the adrenaline wore off, Joe went to the NICU to be with Jon and I stayed with Jackie till she could leave the unit and get to the NICU.
Jon was in the NICU for 2 weeks to assist with his breathing and run tests to understand more about the mass in his chest. The Mass was identified as a pulmonary sequestration
a benign congenital mass in the chest. Jon is home now doing well and will have surgery to remove the mass within the next few months.
Jackie is a fierce mama for her babies and Jon is lucky to have such an amazing support system. Jackie and Joe, thank you for letting me be a part of your pregnancy and delivery journey for a second time!
Tenley Rose
June 19, 2024
It is always so special to be welcomed back into the birth space for a second time. I had the privilege to be a part of Madison and Zach’s delivery of their first baby in 2022. Madison messaged me this fall saying that baby Kinny #2 was on the way, and I couldn't wait to be a small part of this baby’s birth story.
Madison's first delivery was a long induction with many interventions and a scary epidural experience. This time the hope was to go into labor naturally, have minimal interventions, and avoid the epidural. Madison stayed active throughout her pregnancy by going on frequent walks, doing stretches, and chasing around a toddler. She also tried to snack on dates and drink red raspberry leaf tea in hopes of helping her uterus and cervix become favorable throughout her pregnancy.
In the weeks leading up to Madison's delivery, she had a few bouts of prodromal labor. A couple of times we got prepared for labor to start but each time things ended up fizzling out. At her 40-week appointment, Madison decided to have a cervical exam and a membrane sweep in hopes of starting labor. A few mild early labor symptoms started and fizzled out, so again we waited. A few days later on Monday, the 17th, Madison had another appointment where she opted for another membrane sweep as a last-ditch effort to avoid an induction a couple of days later. That evening, mild contractions started but eventually Madison was able to get some sleep. Tuesday morning, she woke up with more cramping and some bloody show. We were hopeful that the second membrane sweep was going to work after all! Throughout the day, Madison continued to have mild contractions but they still were not very intense or close together. Evening rolled around, so Madison and Zach were going to try to sleep a bit. She was hoping labor would kick in during the night, otherwise it would be induction day in the morning.
At 11:30 pm, Madison called me that there would be no sleeping for her. Contractions were more intense and consistently 5 minutes apart. She was ready to head to the hospital. We were so excited she was going into labor just a few hours before her scheduled induction time. Zach and Madison headed to the hospital, and I had them keep me in the loop, and call me when they needed me. At 2:45 am, Madison called me that she was 4cm when she checked in and things were picking up. I headed over to the hospital to meet them. Madison was in the tub when I got there breathing through contractions. After a while in the tub, Madison was ready to try something else, so she got out and I had her do standing lunges on each side through a few contractions. Her ontractions slowly started to space out and become less frequent. Since Madison's body was giving her some more breaks we decided she should rest while she could. I got Madison set up with the peanut ball and I headed home as well to hopefully catch a little more sleep. At 5:30 am, she updated me that contractions were still spaced out but were growing in intensity. The plan was for her doctor to come check her in an hour and go from there.
At 6:30am, Madison was 6cm and 100% effaced! She was making such amazing progress! Madison ate some breakfast, bounced on the ball, and walked the halls to keep things progressing. Around 8 am, she was ready for me to head back to the hospital. Madison was back in the tub when I got there. Contractions were intensifying but Madison was having nice breaks in between. After a while in the tub, she was ready to get out and try some different positions. She started on the ball where the nurses could monitor the baby's heart rate and her contractions. After getting out of the tub, contractions started slowing even more to about 7-10 minutes apart. The intensity during contractions was still there but the breaks were getting longer and longer. After some time being monitored, we decided to try some hands and knees in the bed and do a side-lying release. Contractions were still not picking up in frequency so Madison was feeling ready to have a cervical exam and was considering having her doctor break her water to get things going again.
At 10:15 am, Madison was 7cm dilated, 100% effaced and the baby was very low at +1 station. Both Madison and her doctor thought breaking her water would be a good idea at this point. We finished up our side-lying releases and Madison got back in the tub knowing that there was a good chance the contractions were gonna start picking up. It didn't take long at all for contractions to pick up to every 3-4 minutes. Madison tried her best to relax in the tub through contractions but the intensity was growing and it was hard to not tense up through them. She breathed beautifully through contractions working so hard to stay in control. After a little over an hour in the tub, Madison started feeling an increase in pelvic pressure and was having small urges to push through contractions. Zach and I helped Madison out of the tub and onto the bed and called the nurses to come in. Minutes later, Madison’s doctor was there and performed a cervical exam, Madison was 9cm dilated. She was so close! Madison worked so hard to breathe through a few more contractions till the urge to push was completely overwhelming and there was no stopping it. Madison’s doctor was back to do another check, and she was complete at 11:43 am. Madison pushed on her side for a couple of pushes and then felt she needed to try something else. She moved to her hands and knees and each push moved her baby so well. With just 10 minutes of pushing, Madison delivered her baby girl!
Tenley Rose
June 19, 2024 at 11:53 am
8lbs 13oz and 21 inches long
Madison put in the work throughout pregnancy and had so much patience waiting for her baby girl’s arrival. Being able to be a part of both of Madison's births has been an honor, to say the least. Tenley’s birth was truly a night and day difference from her first. Every birth is beautiful, and this one was no exception. Thank you, Madison and Zach, for letting me be a small part of both of your beautiful births.
Avery Lynn
June 17, 2024
When Chelsey and Lucas found out they were pregnant with their second child, they felt they could benefit from doula services with this birth as they were looking for suggestions with position changes and support!
In the prenatal appointments, Chelsey and Lucas soaked up all the information I had to offer! They learned about the processes of labor as well as examples of several positions to utilize and why they work.
At Chelsey’s 39-week appointment, she had a “higher than her normal” blood pressure, but after a discussion with her midwife, she decided to watch and wait. Over the weekend, Chelsey had some off-and-on contractions and even one point where we thought it might be the real deal. On Saturday, June 15, she texted me that she would start timing contractions as she felt they were coming more regularly. After several hours, her contractions were still consistently coming about every 10 minutes but not growing in intensity. She decided to try to sleep and see what the night would bring! In the morning, she texted me and told me everything fizzled out and it was just a false alarm.
Monday at 11:01 a.m., I was headed to another client's induction when Chelsey texted me from her 40-week midwife appointment. The text said, “Hello! Blood pressure is still elevated, so we have decided to induce versus triage…”. I immediately called and informed her I was heading to another client's induction. We talked back and forth, and since she was delivering in Sioux Falls, we knew we had a couple of hours until things would start moving along. I also called Kyla and informed her that Chelsey was going to be induced, and she said that she was able to go to her and Lucas’s birth if needed! What a benefit it is to be a team! Lucas kept me in the loop with updates, and at 1:30 pm, Chelsey checked into Labor and Delivery. She was checked and was 3cm dilated, and the baby was at -2 station. The midwife gave them several different options of things to do for induction of labor, and ultimately, at 2:10 pm, they were going to break her water. After her water broke, Chelsey had to lie down to be monitored for 20 minutes and then could get up and move. I let Kyla know that they would be ready for support soon! We started a group text between Lucas, Chelsey, Kyla, and me. At this point, Kyla got on the road to Sioux Falls!
I got to Chelsey and Lucas around 4 pm. Walking into the labor room, Chelsey was lying in the large birth pool in the corner of the room holding on to Lucas’s hand through contractions. I quickly introduced myself and asked them what was most important to them about this birth and how I could support them the most. Chelsey and Lucas desired to have suggestions for positions, have emotional support and advocate for Chelsey’s choices. I began setting up the room with lights and set the speaker up with Chelsey’s birth playlist. Her contractions were coming on regularly every 4-5 minutes with growing intensity but Chelsey was coping so well through each of them, staying in control and breathing through each one. After a few more contractions in the tub, Chelsey was ready to get out and try something different. She gravitated towards the birth ball. She moved her hips between contractions and leaned into Lucas who was sitting in front of her through contractions while I offered sacral counter pressure. After a few more contractions like this, Chelsey was ready to move again! She and Lucas were great with changing positions to keep her pelvis moving. Chelsey wanted to get back in the tub so the nurse warmed the water for her. Chelsey leaned back through a few contractions and then tried to breathe through some of them on her hands and knees, but overall, that position didn’t feel right. Chelsey moved back to lying back through her contractions. She stayed like this through a handful of contractions, and then she was ready to move again. Lucas helped her out of the tub and I had Chelsey stand while holding onto Lucas for a few contractions to use gravity to her advantage. Contractions were coming closer and stronger. There was no doubt that this labor was moving along! We then decided to try sitting on the toilet for a few contractions to help relax the pelvic floor. They don’t call it the dilation station for nothing! Chelsey then wanted to lie on her side which was a position she gravitated towards in her first labor. Lucas and I switched off offering counter pressure through Chelsey’s quickly intensifying contractions. Her midwife stopped in to see how things were going and asked to check Chelsey’s cervix since she was having a lot more pressure with contractions. Chelsey was now 8cm dilated, so we knew things were close! I had Chelsey move onto her knees on the bed with the head of the bed up so that she was in a supported squat/hands and knees position. After a couple of contractions like that, I had her bring one leg up to what I like to call the “Captain Morgan” position. Chelsey instantly felt the urge to push while in this position, so she wanted to lay back down on her side if she was going to push. The next contraction was intense but the overwhelming urge to push wasn’t there anymore. Chelsey continued to work hard to stay in control as these contractions were so strong and close together, helping her get to the end of this labor. We added a peanut ball between Chelsey’s ankles to open the pelvic outlet for a contraction to help the baby descend. With just one contraction in that position, the overwhelming urge to push was back and Chelsey was ready to have this baby! We quickly moved the peanut ball and held up Chelsey’s leg. With 1 contraction, Chelsey was crowing and with just one more, her sweet baby was born!
Avery Lynn
Born June 17 at 5:54 pm
9lbs 1oz
Chelsey and Lucas were the definition of the perfect team. They took the unexpected turns of induction and a backup doula with grace. It was a joy to be added to their birth team at the last minute and to witness Chelsey’s strength.
Halle Wren
June 6, 2024
Sweet baby Halle has arrived!
Being welcomed into the birth space of people you love makes birth even more special than it already is. Throughout our years of friendship, Alyssa and I dreamed together of our birth experiences. Walking alongside Chad and Alyssa as they welcomed their second baby into the world was a huge honor.
Alyssa has been a labor and delivery nurse for many years, so she was educated on her pregnancy and labor options. She was mindful of her nutrition and exercise throughout pregnancy to support her body and baby. At Alyssa’s 20-week ultrasound, her baby measured small based on her calculated due date. After some follow-up scans and talking to her doctor, Alyssa's due date was changed to reflect a more accurate due date, making baby girl measure in a normal percentile. Though this caused some anxiety at times, Alyssa was confident she knew her baby's due date was accurate and she was growing strong.
Leading up to Alyssa's due date, she had frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. We kept waiting for the day they would turn into real labor. Alyssa was patient with her body, keeping her body prepared for labor whenever it was ready to start. The day before her due date, Alyssa texted me that she was having some intense, regular contractions. She had a feeling this was the beginning of actual labor, so she decided to head to bed early, hoping to get some rest.
At midnight Alyssa woke up to more intense contractions that she couldn’t sleep through. She continued to try to rest and relax in the bathtub throughout the rest of the night. In the morning, Alyssa texted me that it was baby day…on her due date! That morning, throughout early labor, Alyssa hung around the house with Chad, went for a walk, and did some stretching.
Around 10 am, Alyssa texted me she was ready for me to head her way to help support her. She was relaxed and calm as I walked in; she was still able to talk between contractions, but needed to stop to breathe through contractions as they came. Throughout the morning, Alyssa kept moving with various position changes as her contractions were coming closer together and growing in intensity. After a couple hours, Alyssa decided to get in the tub for some relief. After about 30 minutes, she wasn’t finding a comfortable position so she decided to try the shower instead. While in the shower, contractions picked up significantly. Alyssa began to need to moan through contractions that were coming every 2-3 minutes. After a long hot shower, Alyssa wanted to try to lie down and rest. She got settled in bed with the peanut ball and turned on her Christian Hypnobirthing app. Contractions slowed a little from how fast and intense they were in the shower, but they were still coming on strong and regular.
After about 45 minutes of resting, Alyssa decided to get back in the shower. Once again, her contractions started coming on quickly with a lot of strength. Alyssa started to feel quite a bit of lower pressure with contractions as her baby was moving down. We moved the birth ball into the shower so Alyssa could sit and rock on the birth ball through contractions with the warm water on her back. Alyssa was feeling like things were getting close but she also knew how long labor could take, so she didn’t want to get her hopes up too high. After another long shower, Alyssa got on her hands and knees in the bed as Chad and I offered back rubs and words of affirmation. Alyssa started to hit her breaking point. Labor was hard work and a good cry was needed.
Crying can be such a helpful release in labor, allowing all those emotions to come out. This seemed to help because labor went up another notch and the intensity of Alyssa's contractions continued to grow. Shortly after, Alyssa was feeling ready to head to the hospital so she could use the big whirlpool tub for some relief.
Around 4:15 pm, Alyssa got checked into the hospital. The nurses listened to the baby's heart rate and did a cervical exam, Alyssa was 7-8cm dilated! She was able to get into the tub, hoping to take some of the edge off of her growing contractions. Chad hopped right in the tub with her so that he could spray her back with warm water. In the tub, Alyssa was very clearly transitioning, as she had to breathe deep and moan through her contractions. Changing positions felt impossible but with some coaxing, she alternated between side-lying and hands and knees. After about an hour in the tub, Alyssa’s water broke and we all knew that now she was getting so close. Her doctor came in a few minutes later to see where things were at. He checked Alyssa's cervix while in the tub and she was 9.5cm dilated. The end was in sight!
With just a few more contractions, Alyssa began to have the overwhelming urge to push. We all helped her out of the tub and onto the bed. At 6:10 pm, Alyssa was completely dilated and it was time to push. She gravitated to side-lying as it felt the most natural for pushing. Chad held her hands and I helped her stay in control of her breathing through the intensity of pushing. She gave each contraction everything she had and after 24 minutes, baby girl was here!
Halle Wren
June 6, 2024, at 6:34 pm
7lbs 4oz
The pure joy and relief in the room was palpable. Alyssa's determination and preparation paid off. Halle's birth was nothing short of beautiful. What an honor to call Chad and Alyssa dear friends and to watch Halle grow up. I will forever hold this birth close to my heart!
Ellen Kay
June 6, 2024
Welcome to the world, sweet Ellen!
I was honored to be their doula for their daughter Tessa, so walking alongside Sterling and Tyler again is so much fun!
Sterling and I met for our prenatal meetings, and we spent more time laughing and catching up than going through the education! With baby number 4 on the way, she was a pro! Throughout pregnancy, Sterling worked hard to prepare her body for labor by eating dates (sometimes) and drinking red raspberry leaf tea. She also regularly saw a chiropractor and was in the pig barns at 39 weeks pregnant!
Sterling’s due date came and went, so she and Tyler made the decision for induction. She had been contracting off and on for several days, so we were not surprised when she checked in for her induction that she was already 5cm dilated. Pitocin was started around 8:30 a.m., and I made my way over to the hospital to support her.
When I arrived at the hospital, she was still pleasant and chatting but stopping to pause during contractions. We did flying cowgirl to help encourage the baby to come down, as well as some hands and knees positions. We also walked the halls to kill time and get more regular contractions.
At noon, Sterling's doctor came in to check her cervix, she was 6 cm dilated, and the baby had come down to the mid pelvis. Sterling opted to have her water broken as this had been successful in progressing her labors in the past. After her water was broken, she lay in bed for 15 minutes to allow for the baby to be monitored. When those 15 minutes were up, Sterling was ready to move, as her contractions were increasing in intensity. We did several different positions over the next hour, and Sterling was more than willing to do whatever I asked her to! While in the tub, she went from lunging to hands and knees positioning. At around 12:45 pm, it was obvious that Sterling was beginning to bear down with contractions. Tyler and I helped her out of the tub, and we made our way back to the bed slowly, stopping and squatting through a few contractions. Sterling leaned on Tyler, kneeling in bed as we waited for the doctor to come in. They are such an awesome team, and Tyler knows how exactly to help Sterling through labor!
The doctor came in around 1:00 p.m. Sterling was obviously completely dilated, so the doctor quickly got gowned up. She started pushing with the next contraction, and a few minutes later, the baby was here! She was placed right on Sterling's chest and let out a loud cry. Tyler looked down and said, “It's another girl!!”
Ellen Kay
born June 6, 2024 at 1:11 p.m.
8lbs 3 oz
It was such an honor and joy to get to support Sterling and Tyler during birth yet again! Sterling and Tyler worked wonderfully together, and witnessing Tyler’s joy in announcing another girl was so neat! Sterling was so strong during labor and worked hard in preparing her body and mind! Being a doula and building relationships with your clients is truly special! Thank you, Tyler and Sterling!
Lainey Joy
May 9, 2024
Meredith was in the first half of her pregnancy when she inquired regarding doula services. Her and Noah were looking for some extra guidance and education throughout their first pregnancy. Her goal was to welcome her baby girl safely in an environment that is empowering and deepened her bond with her husband.
Meredith prepared her body for labor by eating dates, drinking RRLT, and stayed active throughout her pregnancy. She had a fairly uncomplicated pregnancy, besides the usual discomforts nearing her due date.
In the weeks leading up to her due date, Meredith questioned if her body was going into labor, but each time her contractions would fizzle out. I reminded her to stay positive as this was her body doing all the right things preparing to go into labor.
On Wednesday, May 8 at 5:57 a.m., Meredith texted me that she had been woken up at 3:00 a.m. with contractions that were about 7-9 minutes apart and lasting for 40-50 seconds. She wasn’t able to rest with them, so she had gotten up to do some stretches and different positions. The intensity of each contraction was increasing and they were starting to take her breath away. I gave some position and relaxation suggestions she could do at home and we’d stay in touch throughout the morning.
Meredith had a regular OB check-up appointment scheduled at 9:00 a.m. that morning. We discussed if she would still need to go to this appointment and overall she decided she still wanted to go to get reassured by her provider this was truly labor. Her provider performed a cervical exam and found she was 1cm dilated. She was going to go home to labor there for a while. Again, we went over more positions and circuits she could perform at home. Meredith continued to cope very well with each contraction.
At noon, the intensity had continued to increase and the contractions were coming every 5-8 minutes now. She still felt as if she was tolerating and coping well throughout early labor.
At 3:47, Meredith texted me they were going to start heading into the hospital. Contractions were about 2 minutes apart and she was beginning to moan through each one. We continued to stay in touch and she would let me know when more assistance was needed.
Her contractions continued to come regularly and become even more intense. Shortly before 7, she requested I would start making my way as she was needing more assistance. I got all of my things ready and began to head her way. In the meantime, she got in the tub.
I arrived at 7:20 p.m. to find Meredith was on her hands and knees in the tub and Noah was giving her a nice massage. Contractions were overwhelmingly strong, but she stayed in control of her body and breathing through each one. I quickly worked to set up the room with lights, got some music going, and essential oils diffusing.
Shortly before 8:00 p.m, she decided to get out of the tub and empty her bladder and then it was time for the monitors to be put back on for a while. Her provider came to the bedside to check her cervix again and she was 3cm dilated, 80% effaced, and -1 station. Slowly, but surely she was making some great change. Meredith leaned into Noah and swayed back and forth as I applied some pressure to her hips.
At 9:05 p.m., Meredith requested some IV pain medication to help take the edge off. She was becoming so tired as she had been up since 3 a.m. and working so hard throughout the day. She wanted to lay down in bed for a little bit so we decided to utilize the peanut ball and put her in an exaggerated runner’s position to encourage the baby to come through the midpelvis.
The IV pain medication helped for a short while, but Meredith then decided her body was needing some rest and requested an epidural. Her provider came to the bedside and requested to perform a cervical exam in the meantime. She was 5-6cm dilated, 100% effaced, and 0 station! What amazing progress she had made in just a couple of hours.
Shortly before 11:00 p.m, Meredith got up to once again empty her bladder. Once in the bathroom her contractions became VERY intense, became shaky, and she had a sudden urge to push. Just as the CRNA was walking through the door, her nurse checked her cervix to find she was now 7cm dilated! Meredith was making cervical change quickly. The CRNA got to work to place her epidural.
It didn’t take long and she was comfortable with her epidural in place. Her provider then came to the bedside to discuss breaking Meredith’s water at this time. She consented and at 11:40, she had her provider break her bag of water to continue the labor process. Her provider was going to come back to the bedside in a couple of hours to re-check her cervix. In the meantime, we all decided to get some rest.
At 1:10 a.m., her provider returned to the bedside and once again performed a cervical exam to find she had just an anterior rim of cervix left and baby had come down into a +1 station! Meredith got more comfortable again with a peanut ball in between her ankles and we allowed her to rest some more.
At 2:50 a.m., her provider returned to the bedside and she was completely dilated! It was finally time to start pushing. At 3:00 a.m., Meredith began to push. She was most comfortable pushing on her back and was making great progress with each push. I was in awe of the strength she had!
At 5:12 a.m. after just over a couple hours of pushing, their sweet baby girl was finally here! It was such a sweet moment to be a part of.
Lainey Joy
May 9, 2024
5:12 a.m.
7lbs 5oz
Meredith and Noah worked flawlessly together to bring their sweet baby girl into the world. Meredith showed so much strength, determination, and control throughout her long and exhausting labor. It was such an honor to be a part of this birth!
Thatcher William
April 28, 2024
Welcome, NWIBN 100th baby! And even more special it was Ashtyn’s nephew!
Tabi texted me a picture of a positive pregnancy test on the morning of August 28th and said, “Shhh.” She knew that because I was booked out for doula clients so far, she had to let me know right away when she was pregnant, and I was ecstatic!
Tabi had had a previous c-section in 2022 because Hayes had been breech and was excited to have a VBAC this time! She knew that if a VBAC was what she really wanted, she needed to choose her care team purposefully. This led her to a midwife group in Des Moines, and she instantly felt at peace with them. As Tabi entered her third trimester, her midwife felt that this baby was breech. This was so disheartening as it was around the same time they had discovered Hayes to be breech as well. I sent her many things to encourage the baby to turn, and she scheduled an ultrasound in a few weeks to confirm positioning. She mentally worked through all her previous birth trauma and continued to do all she could to help him turn. On the day of her ultrasound, I got a text:” HE’S HEAD DOWN!” I almost cried!
She began to work preparing her body for birth by doing stretches, drinking red raspberry leaf tea, and eating dates. At 34 weeks, she found out her original birthplace she was supposed to birth was no longer an option, and she had to choose to transfer care over to a hospital facility and a completely different provider or stay with her midwife group and have a home birth. After talking through all the pros and cons, Tabi and Demry ultimately decided they felt completely safe with their midwives and opted for a home birth!
At 38 weeks and 1 day pregnant, tabi was having some irregular contractions or strong Braxton hicks that would come and go but never stay consistent or grow in intensity. This continued over a period of 24 hours, with still no change in frequency or intensity. This was around the same time several tornadoes were going through her area, and we felt maybe her uterus was irritable due to the weather. On Saturday, tabi again still had no change in contractions/Braxton hicks and went to Des Moines all day and ran errands and got a pedicure.
She texted me at 7 pm that evening that nothing had changed, and she was still fine. I encouraged her to try rest; she may have this go on for a while. I told her to bathe, relax, and then rest in a flying cowgirl position before bed. She had been resting in Flying Cowgirl for about 15 minutes and decided she was ready to go to bed. She got up to use the bathroom before falling asleep and felt a gush! She went over to the toilet and was still unsure if it was her water that had broken or not, but a few minutes later, I got a text at 9:41 that said, “I’m 99% sure my water broke.”
A few minutes later, she texted me again, “I feel like I’m going to throw up; this contraction are so intense.” Hindsight 20/20: this is when I should have left to support her in labor; little did we know what was about to come.
We talked back and forth over the next 45 minutes, and she felt she was doing okay. I gave her a few positions to try and see what her contractions continued to do. At 10:30 pm, I was going to try to sleep for a little bit and encouraged her to do the same thing, as typically, first time actual labors tend to take a while. Boy was I wrong!
I got a call from Demry at 11:15 pm (45 minutes later) and said, “Hey, you should probably head this way, I called the midwives, and I don’t think you will make it in time.” I jumped up and ran out the door with my stuff as I had a 3-hour drive. About 20 minutes into my drive, I called Tabi on Facetime to help her through different positions until I could get there. When she picked up the phone, she was laboring on the toilet, and I encouraged this was a great position! After several minutes on the phone, it was obvious I was not going to make it to her birth! I continued to encourage her to breathe through contractions and allow her body to relax in between. She was breathing so well and so controlled! She wasn’t panicking and was trusting her body. It was amazing!
Soon, she said, “I can feel his head.” And soon, it became obvious that this baby was coming soon! Without me and without the midwife she had a small drive as well! At 12:25 a.m., Tabi was obviously bearing down, and the midwife came running into her tiny bathroom! She said calmly, “Okay, let’s go down on hands and knees.” And the baby’s head came out! The midwife waited seconds until the next contraction, and the rest of his body was born!
Thatcher William
April 28, 2024
12:26 a. m.
7lbs 7oz
Thatcher was born after a labor of 2 hours and 46 minutes, on the bathroom floor, into the comfort of his mother’s arms, almost completely unassisted! What a whirlwind of a birth! Tabi, I am so proud of all you overcame in getting to a space mentally to prepare for VBAC. You trusted your body and your baby and ROCKED it! I made it to Des Moines 1.5 hours after Thatcher was born and was able to help Tabi get settled postpartum after staying on Facetime throughout the drive. The first thing Tabi said was, “I can’t believe that just happened!” I am so honored to be a part of Thatcher's birth, even if it was over Facetime! What a redemptive birth story!
Della Renee
April 21, 2024
Jared and Brianna decided on a doula for the birth of their third child, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to work with them! Jared and I work together on our local town ambulance, so it was an honor to be hired by them!
With her previous two births of Lily and Walker, Brianna had chosen to get an epidural. After several negative side effects after her last epidural, I was really hoping she would be able to go completely unmedicated this time!
In the weeks leading up to her birth, she read through several books and worked on her mindset regarding how to handle contractions. She also prepared her body by eating dates, doing stretches, and drinking red raspberry leaf tea. Jared and Brianna soaked up all the information throughout all our education sessions and continued to do research of their own.
When Brianna was 40 weeks and 4 days pregnant, she and Jared decided that she was going to try the midwife's brew to see if it would be just the push to send her into labor. She had had an appointment a few days prior and was 3-4cm dilated in the clinic. So, they planned that she would take it Sunday morning so they could spend the day with their family.
Brianna texted me Sunday morning that she had finished drinking the tea around 8:00 a.m. They then spent the morning hanging out with their kids and enjoying time together.
I checked in around noon to see how things were going, and Brianna said she had been having some of the GI side effects, but overall was feeling well! They had gone on a walk, and while on the walk she noticed a few larger contractions, so we kept our fingers crossed that it was a sign labor was going to kick in.
At 2:00 p.m., she texted and called me and informed me that her contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart and lasting 30-40 seconds. She and Jared decided they would head to the hospital since it was a bit of a drive. Brianna was coping well, and everyone was so excited!
I got all my stuff ready and decided to leave my house at 3:00, to give them time to settle.
When I arrived around 3:30 p.m., Brianna had just gotten a cervical check and was 6cm dilated and contracting approximately every 3 minutes. The nursing staff soon started antibiotics as she was GBS positive. Brianna would have to stop and breathe through contractions during this time but was laughing and joking in between. I set up the room with lights, and galaxy lights were already going. Brianna had sent me some songs for a praise and worship playlist for the birth as “Praise and Worship music was her jam!” After this was all setup, I assisted Brianna into a standing position where she could sway with Jared with her leg propped up on a chair to encourage the baby through the mid pelvis. In this position, we were able to utilize gravity, and I was able to do counter pressure while she got to talk and laugh with Jared. It was such a beautiful worship-filled environment! After doing this on each side, I encouraged Brianna to use the toilet to empty her bladder and sit, straddling it to encourage further dilation. Jared and I helped her to get comfortable and then stepped out to give them privacy.
Brianna was able to stay this way through several contractions, but it was obvious that the contractions were getting more intense. While they were in the bathroom, I got the tub filled up, and Brianna was ready to get in.
Once Brianna was in the tub, she was able to relax and continued to be in complete control of her breathing. I suggested she move into a lunging position and complete it on both sides to keep opening the mid-pelvis. Soon, Jared and I noticed Brianna had slipped into “labor land.” She was so comfortable in the tub so we stayed there as long as she possibly could! I set up a fan, and the nurse got a cold washcloth to keep her cool. Throughout this time, we continued to have Brianna eat and drink to keep her energy up.
After being in the tub for approximately an hour, Brianna began to make noise that made us think she was getting close to delivery! During the hour in the tub, the doctor also came in and was just in and out quietly in the room. We all encouraged Brianna that it was time to get out of the tub and move to the bed, and Brianna agreed. With Jared’s assistance, she was able to stand while I helped her dry off and walk to bed. The doctor offered a cervical check, and at 5:36 p.m. Brianna was 9.5 cm dilated! After this check, I had her go onto hands and knees lunge while leaning over the bed. She was able to squeeze Jared’s hands, and I was able to do counter pressure in this position. 20 minutes later, she began to feel an overwhelming urge to push and was involuntarily bearing down with contractions. She was doing so well, continuing to breathe the baby down while the doctor was setting everything up.
Around roughly 6:20, Brianna started to channel her efforts while pushing. She had been breathing baby down and working with her body, but she did not seem to have been moving her. The doctor told me, “I think this is going to be a bigger baby,” we suggested Brianna hold her breath and push. Once Brianna began using this method, the baby really started moving! The doctor and I encouraged Brianna to change positions after approximately every 5 contractions, and soon, we began to see the baby’s dark hair! Then, Brianna gave one more slow, controlled push while pushing on her side, and the baby’s head was out! Immediately, we noticed that she was looking straight up or “star gazing” as the doctor had said! Brianna gave one more final push, and she was here! The doctor said, “Hey Brianna, grab your baby!” and had Brianna grab her baby, bring her up to her, and be skin to skin. She did it!
Della Renee
April 21, 2024
7:07 p.m.
10lbs!
Jared and Brianna worked so well together in bringing Della to this side of creation! Della was named after Brianna’s grandmother, Mardella, and Renee after her aunt, Marlys Renee. How special! Now, all their children had names of close family! Della was born in a straight OP or “sunny side up” position and weighed in at 10lbs even! Brianna could go completely unmedicated, and she did it so well! She controlled her breathing and worked through one contraction at a time! A few minutes after birth, Brianna said “Oh my goodness, I did it! I did it completely unmedicated!”
Jared and Brianna, thank you for inviting me into the birth space and for allowing me to witness Brianna’s incredible strength! God is so good!
Billings Allan
April 8, 2024
Shanae was in the first half of her pregnancy when she inquired regarding doula services. She was looking for some extra guidance and education throughout her first pregnancy. Her goal was to deliver her baby in an empowering way - building confidence in her body’s abilities while trusting & praising God for the gift of birth and the little human he entrusted them with.
Shanae prepared her body by eating dates, drinking RRLT, stayed active, and consistently saw a chiropractor.
Shanae had a fairly uncomplicated pregnancy, until she was nearing the last few weeks when her blood pressure started becoming elevated. This called for extra appointments, lab draws, non-stress tests, ultrasounds, and blood pressure checks. Due to her higher blood pressure, her provider recommended an induction.
The evening of Sunday, April 7, Shanae got all checked in for her induction. She was 1.5 cm dilated, 60% effaced, and -2 station. She took a dose of oral Cytotec at 8:00 p.m. We discussed what the induction process may look like and when I would be the most helpful throughout her labor. I gave Shanae some ideas for different positions as well as a labor warm up circuit, but also encouraged her to rest if she was able to.
I touched based with Shanae right away in the morning. She said she had a pretty uneventful evening - she was able to get some intermittent sleep. They gave her more doses of oral Cytotec at midnight and 4:00 a.m. She was having mild cramping, but it was starting to pick up a little more since the last dose. Her provider came around 8:45 to check her cervix and make a game plan for the day. She was 1.5 cm dilated, 75% effaced, and -2 station. The plan was to start Pitocin and hopefully break her water later in the day.
Pitocin was started at 9:30 a.m. Shanae stayed very active throughout the morning doing many different positions, stretches, and using the birthing ball. At 1:10, her provider returned to the bedside to break her bag of water. It didn’t take long for things to become intense after this!
I got a text from Shanae at 2:49 p.m., “My nurse says it may be a good time to come now. Contractions are becoming very intense!” I immediately got ready to head out the door as I had an hour drive to the hospital yet. Shanae got in the tub to help provide some relief. She was doing such an amazing job coping and breathing through Pitocin contractions!
After being in the tub for a while, Shanae wanted to try nitrous oxide to see if that would help take the edge off the pain. She tried it through a couple contractions, but didn’t like it so she requested the epidural at this time.
I arrived to the hospital at 4:30 p.m. Shanae had just gotten comfortable from her epidural. Her nurse checked her and she was now 6 cm dilated, 100% effaced, and +1 station! Shanae’s nurse was amazing and helped me get her into different positions. We had her do a side-lying release on each side. She started feeling more pressure, so she agreed to another cervical exam at 5:00 p.m. where she was now 8 cm dilated. We were all getting so excited that she was progressing so quickly! Shanae continued to move into several different positions to continue encouraging the baby to come down further into her pelvis.
Shanae really started to feel more of a constant pressure and baby’s heart rate was dipping with contractions so we figured it had to be close. At 6:10 p.m., it was confirmed she was completely dilated!
She started pushing shortly after the nurse was able to notify her provider and have everything ready to go. Shanae was such an amazing and strong pusher. We could start to see the baby’s head with the first set of pushes! Shanae was willing to try pushing in several different positions - on her back, knees together, and tug of war. After less than an hour of pushing, their sweet baby boy was finally here!
Billings Allen
born April 8, 2024 at 6:59 p.m.
7lbs 12oz
Reese and Shanae worked together throughout the entire induction process to bring Billings into the world. Shanae, I am so proud of the strength and determination you had throughout your pregnancy and labor. It was such an honor to support sweet friends as they welcomed their sweet boy!
Olivia Jude
April 6, 2024
Taylor and Erin were early in their pregnancy when they told me they were expecting. Right away I knew this birth would be beyond special to me as they are my brother and sister-in-law, so I was honored and excited they welcomed me into their birth space. I couldn’t wait to be an auntie again!
Erin prepared her body for labor by eating dates, drinking RRLT, and stayed active throughout her pregnancy with her busy job and going for many walks. She had a fairly uncomplicated pregnancy, besides the usual discomforts nearing her due date.
A little over a week before her due date, Erin had an appointment where she had her provider check her cervix and attempt to strip her membranes. She was 1cm dilated, 30% effaced, and -2 station. Throughout the rest of the weekend, she started to have some bloody show and started to lose her mucous plug - all amazing signs that her body was preparing for labor!
Erin continued throughout her week without any other signs that labor was near. She had another appointment on Thursday, April 4, where she was 39 weeks and 5 days gestation. She opted for another cervical exam to see if any progress had been made and another membrane sweep if possible to try and bump her into labor. To our surprise, she was now 3cm dilated, 70% effaced, and 0 station! We were so amazed by the progress she had made and were hoping labor would be right around the corner. Erin went home and did ALL the things - stretching, walking, the miles circuit, birthing ball exercises, and pumping.
The next day we stayed in touch quite frequently throughout the day about how she was doing. Erin was a trooper finishing her last full day at work before starting maternity leave. She was having quite a bit of low back pain and a lot of pelvic pressure - which all made sense with how low the baby was already!
Around 8:30 p.m. that Friday, Erin texted me asking if the intermittent back pain she was having could be early labor! I told her that easily could be the case and to start timing them to see if there were any patterns. The first hour of tracking them, the contractions were coming anywhere from 4-30 minutes apart and lasting 30-45 seconds. She continued to try resting through them, but it didn’t take much longer until her contractions were becoming more intense and she wasn’t able to get comfortable. At this point, Taylor and Erin made the decision to come into the hospital.
They arrived at the hospital and got all checked in around 11:30. Her nurse checked her shortly after getting there to find she was 4cm dilated, 90% effaced, and 0 station! Erin was doing absolutely amazing coping and breathing with each of her contractions. She continued to have back labor, so she requested to have sacral pressure and/or a hip squeeze to get through each contraction. I was actually working this evening, but I was able to pop in quite frequently to see how things were going and I knew the nurses were taking the absolute best care of her.
Her provider came to the bedside around 1:30 a.m. and she requested another cervical exam - she was 5cm dilated, 100% effaced, and 0 station. Erin requested an epidural at this time as her back labor was becoming so intense. She was ready for some rest and relief as she hadn’t gotten any sleep yet. While waiting for the anesthesiologist to come and place the epidural, she received a dose of IV Fentanyl to take away the breakthrough pain and she was able to rest in between her contractions.
Erin continued to work very well through her contractions as Taylor applied pressure to her hips and sacrum. They truly made the best team through Erin’s labor, which was no surprise to me.
Finally around 3:00 a.m., Erin had her epidural placed and was getting much better relief through her contractions. Erin, Taylor, and I decided we’d all try to get some rest at this time as it had been a long, sleepless night so far. Since I lived in town, I was going to quickly run home to shower and sleep for an hour or so.
At 5:50 a.m., I texted Erin to check in with her and see how things were going. She was able to get some rest and just requested the nurse to check her again as she was feeling increased pressure. She also let me know that her water broke spontaneously at 5:30 a.m., so I figured we had to be super close. At 6:00 a.m., it was confirmed that she was completely dilated and the baby was at a +1 station! I got ready to head back to the hospital as quickly as I could.
At 6:54 a.m., Erin began pushing. She continued to have good epidural coverage. Right away, I knew she was going to be such a strong pusher. She was most comfortable and pushing effectively on her back, so that’s what she did the whole time!
After a little over an hour of amazing pushing, their sweet baby girl was finally here…right on her due date! Tears instantly filled all of our eyes. It was truly the most exciting, beautiful, and an overwhelmingly happy moment.
Olivia Jude
born April 6, 2024 at 8:10 a.m.
6lbs 11oz
Erin worked so hard throughout her pregnancy and labor which helped her have such a smooth labor and delivery. It was such an empowering, joy-filled journey to be a part of that ended in supporting my brother and sister-in-law and meeting my sweet niece. There’s nothing like witnessing your siblings become parents for the first time - such a beautiful moment to watch. It was truly an experience that I will forever be thankful to be a part of!
Miles David
April 6, 2024
Leta and Marcus set up a meeting to meet with me when she was approximately 10 weeks pregnant. They shared their difficult infertility journey with me and how they were thrilled to have their baby!
Throughout pregnancy, Leta actively did her stretches and eating dates, although she hated them. As Leta entered the last few weeks of pregnancy, she decided to have an induction date on the schedule as her doctor wouldn’t allow her to go past 41 weeks pregnant. She felt good having a date set but was hoping to go into labor on her own!
On Friday, April 5th, at 39 weeks 6 days gestation, Leta decided to go into the hospital to be evaluated as she seemed to be leaking fluid possibly. Once she got there, they hooked her up to the monitors and did a test to see if her water had broken, and sure enough, it had! It turns out that Leta had been leaking fluid for over 24 hours. Because of this, it increased her risk for infection, so throughout labor, her vitals were always frequently monitored.
At 1:00 on Friday, she texted me to let me know all of this and that she wouldn't be leaving the hospital until she had this baby! Her doctor had come in and checked her cervix, and she was still closed and was not having contractions. Due to her water being broken, she was not able to have many of the "usual" induction medications and opted to try oral Cytotec. I sent her some stretches to try and things to do to try to encourage labor.
Throughout the day, we stayed in touch, and Leta started having some contractions but was coping well.
At a little after 10 p.m., the nurse working with Leta called me and informed me that her contractions were picking up in intensity, and she was ready for me to come to support her for a bit. She had checked her cervix, and she was 2cm dilated, but the nurse felt it would be beneficial to try some positioning before she got her epidural.
Upon arrival at the hospital, Leta was in the tub, breathing through contractions. We did some positions to keep helping the baby try to descend into the pelvis. Marcus and she were an incredible team, and she was so controlled!
At approximately midnight, the nurse and doctor came in and checked her cervix, which was 4cm dilated. This was encouraging, and we continued to work hard and utilize all different positions to help the baby engage.
Around 2 a.m., the doctor came in again and checked Leta, and she was 6cm dilated and 90% effaced. Leta was doing great, and we continued working through contractions; we went from the toilet to the bed to standing to squat.
Leta decided around 4 a.m. that she was ready to be rechecked as she started feeling more pressure. The nurse checked her cervix and thought that she was 8cm dilated, and everyone was feeling good! Leta and Marcus were ready to rest briefly, as she had been up all night. I helped her into a side-lying runner's lunge, and she could sleep, and Marcus could lay down for a bit.
After resting, she decided to get up and try more moving positions. She labored on the toilet some more and felt like she was ready for another cervical check and possibly an epidural. At around 6 a.m., the nurse checked her and thought she was roughly 8-9 cm dilated, but she wasn't completely confident in her exam. So because of this, she updated the doctor, and he decided to come in and check Leta's cervix herself.
When he came in and checked her, he disappointedly informed everyone that she was still only dilated at a six and had not made any cervical change from his previous check. This was very disheartening as she had been working so hard all night but re-affirmed her decision for an epidural.
Around 6:30 a.m., the anesthesiologist came in and started her getting prepped for the epidural. Leta, Marcus, and I decided that I would go home for a while, and everyone would try to sleep as it had been a long night. The nurse was going to start Pitocin as soon as she was comfortable, and then the doctor would come back around 10 a.m. and recheck her cervix. I said, "See you later," and left my lights and speaker all set up with plans to return after everyone had rested and things started to pick up again.
With Marcus Leta's permission, the nurse texted me and let me know she was comfortable with the epidural after a difficult process around 7:30 a.m.
At 10 a.m., the doctor came back to check on Leta after she had been on Pitocin for a few hours and was comfortable with her epidural. When he checked her cervix, he felt it had not changed from 6cm. He offered to come back in 2 hours again and see how she was doing but also gave them the option for a c-section. After a discussion between the doctor and Marcus and Leta, I received a text that said, "Still no change from 6cm at 2 a.m. Baby still looks great, but call a c-section."
Miles David
born April 6th, 2024 at 11:27 a.m.
7lbs 3oz and 18 inches long
Miles was trying to come out with his cheek first, which made it so tricky for Leta to keep dilating! Although her birth ended in a C-section, she and Marcus gave it their all. She was more than willing to do any position I had suggested and do it without complaints! Marcus stayed by her, said the ENTIRE night, and waited on every need, and it was such a sweet testament to their love story. I am so proud of Leta and Marcu’s perseverance throughout infertility, staying up all night, and working to bring baby Miles into the world! Thank you for inviting me to walk alongside you throughout the process!
Hazel Noelle
March 28, 2024
My bestie had a baby! 27 years of friendship; from growing up together in California, to being a part of her birth here in Iowa. Life is wild!
Cassandra told me she was pregnant when she was just 6 weeks along, and I was ecstatic to be a part of her birth. 4 years ago, Cassandra had a primary c-section after a labor induction. She then had a repeat c-section with her second child. Since then, Cassandra really started diving into birth education and she wanted to give her body another chance to have a vaginal delivery with their 3rd baby. Cassandra found VBAC midwives to help guide her in this journey. Throughout pregnancy, Cassandra prepped her body with plenty of movement and stretching, seeing the chiropractor, and chasing around her two active boys.
Cassandra’s due date came and went with a few bouts of prodromal labor that never ended up amounting to much. At 40 weeks 2 days pregnant, Cassandra had an appointment with her hospital based midwife; she opted for a cervical check and membrane sweep in hopes to avoid an induction. She was already 3.5 cm dilated and very thinned out. While in Sioux Falls, Cassandra started to have some mild contractions, so she decided to stay there for a while just in case labor was starting. After a couple of hours shopping and doing some walking around, not much was changing with her contractions so she headed home. Throughout the night and next day, her contractions completely stopped. The following day, at 40 weeks and 4 days pregnant, Cassandra had an appointment with her local midwife who offered a second membrane sweep. Cassandra was now 4 cm dilated with a bulging bag of water. We knew it was just a short matter of time now!
At 10:30 pm that evening, I got a text from Cassandra saying she thought her water broke. It was baby time! She was having mild contractions when she left for the hospital and I planned on heading up when they started becoming more regular and intense. And on their drive up, contractions became just that. Cassandra was having contractions every 3 minutes that were getting quite uncomfortable in the car. I got my stuff together and headed up to Sioux Falls. Cassandra got checked in and was admitted to the floor. She was 5 cm at this point, but once she got checked in her contractions stopped. She couldn’t believe they would halt after being so intense on the drive to the hospital.
It was around 1 am when I arrived, and Cassandra was getting all settled in. When she laid on the bed, her contractions stopped. However, if she was up and moving she would continue having them. We started off by doing some stretches to loosen her ligaments and help the baby find a better position, hoping this would start more contractions. We then decided to sleep since labor wasn’t intense yet. Cassandra and Logan both got a couple hours of light sleep before morning came.
At 6:15 am, the midwife came in to check how things were going and asked to check if any progress was made through the night. Cassandra was still a 5 and not really contracting much. Her midwife suggested Pitocin to get contractions started again & was hoping to start pitocin before the next shift change came in the morning. She wanted to give Cassandra her chance at a vaginal delivery. With some hesitation, Cassandra decided it was at least worth a try. At 6:45 am, the pitocin was going and within 30 minutes, contractions were picking up again.
I had a hunch that the baby was hung up on the right side and that was why contractions weren’t picking up on their own, so I told Cassandra we were gonna get to work getting this baby in the optimal position. Cassandra went along with all my crazy ideas knowing how important her baby’s position would be to her having her VBAC.
With only a couple units of pitocin going, Cassandra’s contractions were picking up with high intensity! By 9 am, Cassandra was moaning through her contractions that were coming every 2-3 minutes. We focused on lots of hands and knees and leaning forward positions to help rotate the baby forward.
At 10:45 am, Cassandra was deep into active labor, nearly transitioning when her midwife offered a cervical check. Cassandra decided she wanted to know where things were at, so she consented to the check. She was now 8 cm and the baby had moved down significantly!
I filled up the tub hoping that would help her relax. Soon after, Cassandra got into the tub onto her hands and knees. Within a few minutes, her legs went numb and since the tub was so small, she got back out and instead squatted on the floor, lying her head at the foot of the bed. I offered counter pressure while Logan stayed by Cassandra's head, supporting her.
Cassandra moved back to the bed and worked through contractions on her side, hoping that the end was near. At 12:05 pm, her midwife checked her and she was 9.5cm. She felt that Cassandra could push past the last little bit of cervix. After a few pushes, she was complete. Cassandra rocked side-lying pushing and moved her baby down with every push. We then tried the hands and knees position but it wasn’t as effective so she opted for side-lying on the opposite side. Cassandra got to reach down and feel her baby’s hair while crowning! With just an hour of pushing, Cassandra delivered her baby! An unmedicated VBA2C! Cassandra held her baby to her chest and exclaimed, “I can’t believe I did it!”. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Logan then got to call out to all of us that, “IT’S A GIRL!”.
Hazel Noelle
Born March 28 at 1:13pm
6lbs 8oz
Cassandra reclaimed her power and authority in childbirth. She trusted her body and baby throughout the entire process. Birth truly can be redemptive! I couldn’t be more proud to call you my lifelong friend and was honored to support you through this amazing experience!
Evelyn Ann
March 20, 2024
Kaitlin reached out when she got a positive pregnancy test in July for doula services in March. She is a nurse at a local hospital and is familiar with the labor and delivery world, so it was fun getting to hear her perspectives on things.
In the weeks leading up to birth, Kaitlin stayed active in working her job and keeping up with her other 3 children. She started having quite a bit of inconsistent contractions that started around 36 weeks. These would come and go, and some were even quite intense over the next few weeks. When Kaitlin was approaching 39 weeks, she decided she was ready to be induced as she felt her body needed an extra little push to go into labor as she was quite uncomfortable. She also had some higher blood pressure, and at her OB appointment also that morning. She and her doctor decided on a cytotec induction starting at 8 pm on Tuesday, March 19, and when she arrived for her induction was found to have protien in her urine which further confirmed that it was time for her to have her baby. She had cytotec placed with her other inductions and her body has responded well to it in the past, so she was optimistic this would be all her body needed.
When she checked in to the hospital, she was checked and she was 4cm dilated and a dose of cytotec was placed around 9 pm. I encouraged Kaitlin to get up and move around when she was able as the baby was still very high. She went through some labor circuits and positioning while she was awake but also tried to sleep for a bit. She updated me via text at 1:00 am that she was having regular contractions, but she was still able to cope and the doctor would be in in the morning to check her.
In the morning the doctor checked her and at 6:00 am she was 6cm dilated. She and the doctor discussed whether to further intervention or not, and she decided that she was ready for an epidural and then wanted the doctor to come back later and break her water. The epidural was probably the most intense part of Kaitlin's labor as she was having a very difficult time getting placement. During the process of getting an epidural, Kaitlin began to get shaky and decided to get checked to see if she was in transition. She was noted to be 7cm dilated, and she decided to continue the process of the epidural. Finally, after being completely miserable during the process, the epidural began to work. Once she was comfortable, the doctor came in and checked her and she was still 7cm dilated and he broke her water at 8:55 a.m. After this, we helped Kaitlin into several positions to encourage her to rest while still working on the baby coming down. She was able to rest for a couple of hours, but soon contractions were becoming more intense. Her epidural was light enough that she was able to hold herself up, so we continued to work on positions. These involved things such as hands and knees while leaning over the edge of the bed, semi-squatting, high thrones, and many more. She was such a good sport in working to move into any position I suggested!
Around noon the doctor came back to check her and she was 8cm dilated and the baby had moved into the mid pelvis. After finding this out, Kaitlin opted to start some Pitocin to see if that would help give her more adequate contractions as she was getting tired. Pitocin was started around 1:00 pm and soon her contractions became much more regular and more intense. We continued to work hard on encouraging the baby through the mid-pelvis. During this time Kaitlin's epidural also really wore off, and she was able to feel pretty much everything. She stayed in control though and did a great job breathing and coping with contractions!
Around 3:00 p.m. she began to feel an overwhelming urge to push. She had pushed for several hours with her last baby, so the initial plan was for her to labor down in hopes of decreasing pushing time. But now with minimal epidural coverage, the urge was overwhelming and she asked for the doctor to come back to check her to see if she could start pushing. She was checked and found to have a small anterior lip on her left cervix. We decided to work through some more positions to try to get rid of the cervix as well as allow the baby to descend into the birth canal a little further. Within an hour, she had an even more overwhelming urge and began to involuntarily push with contractions. The doctor came back again and checked her cervix and she was 10cm dilated at 4:14 pm. He got everything set up and soon Kaitlin was ready to actively start pushing! She was nervous about this stage due to the hours she spent pushing during her son's birth 2 years earlier. Once Kaitlin began pushing at 4:26 pm, it was obvious that she was pushing very well and that it wouldn't be hours this time! Chris and she did not know the gender of this baby, so when Chris began to see the baby's head, he was ready to announce the gender. Then, with one more strong push, Kaitlin delivered their baby earthside and Chris announced to the room, "IT'S A GIRL!" Everyone was shocked, as Kaitlin swore it would be a boy!
Evelyn Ann
March 20th, 2023 4:46 p.m.
7lbs 9oz
Kaitlin and Chris chose to name their daughter after Kaitlin's great-grandmother Evelyn. Her great-grandmother was a wonderful woman who will forever hold a special place in her heart. Kaitlin worked so hard throughout her induction, and Chris was there supporting her along the way with whatever she needed. Evelyn's birth was longer than Kaitlin had anticipated, but she continued to navigate each hour with perseverance. The look of shock Kaitlin had when Chris announced their baby was a girl, is something that I will never forget! Thanks, Chris and Kaitlin for allowing me to support you through Evelyn's birth!
Jubilee Grace
March 3, 2024
Joselyn and Joe reached out in the early third trimester of her pregnancy when her original planned homebirth was changed to a hospital due to her midwife moving into a hospital setting. They were now excited about the idea of a doula to add to her care team in the hospital. I had an unexpected opening during the weeks around Joselyn's due date and was so excited to work with them!
Joselyn got right to work in preparing her body for labor but staying active by doing stretches, drinking RRLT, and eating dates. And most importantly she was patient and was trusting of her body to go into labor when it was ready.
Joselyn texted me Thursday night the day of her due date that she was having some tightenings but they weren’t painful or uncomfortable. She tried some stretches and then decided to try and get some rest as we weren’t sure what the evening would bring!
When Joselyn woke up Friday morning she was still having some off-and-on tightenings, but they had not changed. She decided to go about her day and see what would happen. I also encouraged her to go through the miles circuit to help ensure the baby was in a good position. Things didn't seem to change much throughout the day and we thought she maybe was just having regular Braxton hicks contractions. She also stayed in contact with her midwife throughout this time.
Saturday mid-morning Joselyn texted me that she thought her water may have broken but she was not having much more than just tightening yet. She let her midwife know and she was encouraged to eat, rest, and see if her body would start having contractions.
By 6 pm, Joselyn had not started having contractions, so she was encouraged to go into the hospital to check on the baby and verify if her water did or did not break and to be evaluated by her midwife.
Once she arrived at the hospital, the midwife did confirm that her water had broken. She also had her cervix checked and she was about 1cm dilated with a posterior cervix and 50% effaced. In discussion with her midwife, they were going to see how the evening went and see if her body would start to labor on its own. I encouraged her to call me during the night if things started progressing!
She was able to sleep during the night, but in the morning things started progressing and contractions were starting! She felt encouraged by this and felt her contractions were manageable. We continued to stay in touch and I sent her a few different positions to try to help encourage labor. At 11:00 a.m., contractions had increased slightly but not greatly. The midwife came to check her cervix and she was now 2cm dilated at 80% effaced. Joselyn and Joe decided with the midwife that it was time to start Pitocin to help encourage more adequate contractions.
The Pitocin was started at around 1:45 p.m. and Joselyn and Joe felt ready for me to come support them in labor.
I arrived at the hospital at around 3:20 p.m. and Joselyn was having to breathe through contractions but was still talking and laughing in between. She had been resting in bed so we decided to get up and move through contractions to help encourage the baby to settle further down in the pelvis. The midwife was at her bedside and informed me that the baby was at -1 station so that informed us to utilize position to help the baby navigate the mid pelvis. Joselyn and Joe were such an awesome team and were willing to work through any positions I suggested!
Joselyn's Pitocin had been turned up to 4 units right before I arrived and it was all she needed to help her body kick into labor! Soon Joselyn began to slip into "labor land" and was not able to talk to us much in between contractions anymore. We had the rope lights, diffuser, and beautiful Christian music playing in the background while she was laboring. It was such a calm and peaceful environment that several nurses and a doctor snuck in to watch and observe how Joselyn was laboring. She was breathing wonderfully through contractions and continued to me moving into several different positions.
After a couple of hours, Joselyn began to bear down at the end of contractions. The midwife offered a cervical check and at 4:30 p.m. she was 8cm dilated with a bulging bag of water. Joselyn continued to labor for another hour and at 5:30, she was still 8cm dilated so she consented to her bag of water being broken to help encourage the rest of her cervix to dilate. After this was broken, she dilated right to a 9.5. We decided to labor some on the toilet and have Joselyn empty her bladder. She labored through several different positions, and soon she was completely dilated and began to feel an overwhelming urge to push.
Joselyn began pushing at 6:30 p.m. and was so strong! The midwife and I helped encourage her to push in several different positions from hands and knees to standing, to squatting, her side, and her back. She was working hard and the baby was moving down great! Joe was right next to the midwife, and with one final strong push, he and the midwife caught their baby! She cried immediately and was placed up on Joselyn's chest! It was such a beautiful moment to be able to witness as Joe and Joselyn entered into parenthood.
March 3rd, 2024, 8:34 p.m.
Jubilee Grace
8lbs 5oz
Joselyn and Joe worked together the entire labor to bring Jubilee into the world. Joe was right by Joselyn’s side and was speaking encouraging words to her, holding her up, and believing in her. As Joselyn said, “Jesus is our Jubilee, and our daughter's name is a beautiful reminder of that joyful reality!" Thank you Joselyn and Joe for inviting me into your birth space, you were such a blessing to work with!
Crue Andy
February 7, 2024
Courtney inquired about doula services when she was in the first half of her pregnancy. This was her second pregnancy and she was looking for some guidance and support to have a different experience than her first birth.
Courtney prepared her body for labor by eating dates, drinking RRLT, stayed active with her little boy and work, and saw a chiropractor towards the end of her pregnancy. Courtney didn’t do many position changes and had a prolonged amount of time pushing with a vacuum with her first baby. She was hoping to avoid each of these things this time around.
Courtney texted me they had set an induction date as she was hoping to avoid going beyond her due date. A couple of days prior to her set induction date, she texted me saying she’d been having contractions for a few hours - they were lasting about one minute long and coming every couple of minutes. We discussed that this could be the start of early labor, but we would have to give it some time and see how the rest of the night went. I encouraged her to stay active if she was able, but to also prioritize rest if she felt she was able. Unfortunately, the contractions subsided in the middle of the night. It was most definitely a sign her body was getting ready and preparing for labor which was super encouraging!
The morning of her induction came. We discussed what this induction process may look like and when I would be the most helpful throughout labor. When Courtney started her induction, her cervix was about 3cm dilated and 60% effaced. The plan was to start with Cytotec and then just see how things go. Courtney spent the morning staying quite active - on the birthing ball, walking, and many other labor warm up stretches.
Around noon, her provider came back to check on her. She was still 3cm dilated, but her cervix had thinned out some more. Her provider then gave her another dose of Cytotec to continue with cervical ripening. Courtney continued to be very active throughout the afternoon and even got to go outside for a walk.
Shortly before 5 p.m. Courtney texted me the contractions were picking up in intensity and she was really having to breathe through them. Her provider came back shortly after to perform another cervical exam to find out she was 4cm dilated. Courtney gave her provider the okay to break her water at this point. Things got really intense after this!
Courtney tried to go in the tub for a little while hoping this would help her relax some more, but the heat was too much to handle. At this point, she requested I start to make my way over to her. In the meantime, they gave her a dose of IV Fentanyl to help take the edge off for the time being.
At 6:35 p.m. I arrived at the hospital. Courtney had requested an epidural so they were preparing everything for that as I was walking in. After about an hour of receiving the epidural, she was finally able to get adequate pain relief. She was exhausted and was hoping to get some rest at this time.
Baby still had quite a way to come down into the pelvis, so we did several different positions to help do that. Around 9:30 p.m. her provider came back to the bedside to perform another cervical exam. She was 9cm dilated, 100% effaced, but still a -2 station. Our goal was to get the baby much lower into the pelvis before even thinking about starting to push.
Within the next hour, Courtney started feeling nauseous and had a lot more pressure in her bottom. At 10:30 p.m. her provider came back to the bedside to check her again to find out she was complete and the baby had come down into the pelvis!
After laboring down, Courtney decided she was ready to begin pushing. Shortly after beginning pushing, it was obvious we needed to turn her epidural down so she would have a better idea of where to push.
Courtney was a trooper and was willing to try ANY pushing position that I suggested. She pushed while using the tug of war method, side-lying, hands and knees, closed knee pushing, modified squatting, etc. Unfortunately little progress was being made after close to two hours of pushing. This was beginning to get quite discouraging for Courtney, but she persevered and continued to push as hard as she could over the next hour.
Her provider asked another OB provider to assess if she’d be able to apply the vacuum on the baby's head, but they both agreed this wasn’t going to be the safest option at this point and time. At this time, Courtney was opting for a c-section as she was completely exhausted, feeling like she had nothing else to give and she wanted what was safest for the baby. Her provider discussed more of what a cesarean section would look like and Courtney agreed to this. At 2:05 a.m. Courtney and her medical team decided to go for a c-section.
Crue Andy
February 7, 2024
2:51 a.m.
7lbs 11oz
This sweet little stinker was in a face up position and had his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck which explains why he was making us work so hard to get him engaged into the pelvis. We praise God that this sweet boy is here and healthy as can be!
Courtney’s birth is another true testament that even though it may not have gone the way she wanted despite all efforts, God is still SO good! His plan will forever be better than we could ever want and Courtney showed true surrender to this. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your birth space!
Ashtyn Jaymes
February 9, 2024
When Marissa texted me in July and said, "Good morning! What does your upcoming schedule look like? Grace will be a big sister, and I'm due on Valentine's Day!" I was so excited because I got to support Josh and Marissa through Grace's labor several months prior!
Throughout the weeks leading up to birth, Marissa actively chased around a toddler and kept up with her older kids' activities. Her main hope for this birth was that she could go into labor on her own as she had been induced with Grace.
When Marissa was 39 weeks and one day pregnant, she went in for her appointment. She was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced and decided to have the doctor strip her membranes in hopes that may help jump-start her labor. After her appointment, Marissa went for a walk, drank some tea, and went through some stretches, hoping it would bring on labor.
Throughout the afternoon and evening, Marissa and I stayed in touch, and in the evening, around 8:30, she noticed some slight cramping. She was tired, so I encouraged her to go to bed and see how the evening would go. At 10:18, she texted me and said that the cramping had turned more into contractions and was lasting about 35-50 seconds in length. We talked back and forth about some things to try, and Marissa decided to have her mom start coming over as her mom lived 45 minutes away. At 10:35, she felt like the contractions were starting to get intense enough that she was ready for me to head to her house in hopes of laboring at home for a while.
I arrived at her house around 11:15, and Marissa was having to breathe through contractions but was coping wonderfully! They were still inconsistent, ranging from 1 to 7 minutes apart. We did some inversions and had her lean over the birth ball in hopes of getting the baby in a better position to encourage a better labor pattern. She was such a trooper and was doing whatever position I suggested! After Marissa's mom arrived, we all hung out in the living room and talked and laughed while she continued working through the contractions. Marissa decided to try pumping while doing pelvic tilts on the birth ball to see if that would help bring on any stronger contractions. We then decided to move the toilet, aka "dilation station," so she could rest and continue to labor. At 12:45, we moved to the toilet, and while Marissa rested, she could sleep and her contractions spaced out. We debated whether I should go home for a while, and everyone tried to sleep as the intensity had not really increased, and now they seemed to be spacing out. Let's say it was a good thing I didn't!
After discussing this plan, at 1:05 a.m.Marissa got one massive, super intense contraction on the toilet that was much different than the contractions over the last several hours. We decided to see how the next one went, and it was again super intense! She climbed into her bathtub, and I had her lean over the peanut ball and place a leg on the side. We did this for two intense contractions, then she moved to the other side. After moving to the other side, Marissa had another big contraction at 1:15 a.m. and told me, "I feel a lot of pressure in my butt." I encouraged her to reach inside and see if she was able to feel the baby's head, and if not, it was probably time to head to the hospital!
She couldn't feel the head, so I helped her out of the tub to dry off, and she decided she wanted to ride with me to the hospital because I was able to put my back seats flat so that she was able to go on hands and knees and her husband would follow.
We got loaded up in the car, and Marissa continued to have intense contractions. I called the hospital and informed them we were on our way in! Throughout the ride, Marissa told me the pressure was getting more intense, and she was also beginning to yell out through contractions. When we were a few miles from the hospital, she yelled, "Oh my gosh, I just felt it drop like 3 inches inside me!" I started to speed up a little as Marissa had had a reasonably quick delivery with her first baby!
We made it to the hospital and were met by the nurse by the sliding doors, who helped Marissa walk back to her labor room. The nurse was so calm and prepared for Marissa by getting the tub to fill up and turning the lights down. Once inside the room, Marissa consented to have a cervical check from the nurse as her doctor lived a ways away.
The nurse checked her at 1:37 a.m., and she was 7-8 cm dilated with a bulging bag of water, and the baby's head was low! Marissa was ready to get in the tub now, while the nurse called her doctor and the on-call doctor as she wasn't sure her primary doctor would be able to get there in time.
While in the tub, Marissa could relax between contractions while she squeezed a comb in her hands. She asked me to climb behind her and do counter pressure so her husband could be by her face. After a couple of contractions in the tub, it was apparent Marissa was bearing down. The hospital that she was at policies don’t allow for water birth, but Marissa was adamant she was not going to get out of the tub at this point as she was having so much pressure. No doctor had arrived yet, so the nurse calmly put on gloves and prepared to catch her baby as I climbed out of the tub. One super strong contraction came, and Marissa flipped to her back. We saw the baby's head coming out, so the nurse just reached down in the water and encouraged Marissa to keep breathing. Seconds later, the doctor came running in and took over, guiding the baby out from the nurse. I encouraged her to give one big, strong push, and with that push, at 2:02 a.m., the baby was here!
Marissa reached down and grabbed her baby and brought her to her chest, but while bringing the baby to her chest, the baby’s cord snapped. The doctor acted quickly, took the baby to the warmer, clamped the cord, and began to stimulate the baby to breathe with the facemask. The nurse and I promptly helped Marissa out of the tub to the bed, and she clamped off the other end of the chord hooked to the placenta. Soon, everything was settled, and Marissa got her baby on her chest for skin-to-skin. It was then that Marissa announced to the room.
“Meet Ashtyn Jaymes”
born February 9th, 2024 at 2:02 a.m.
weighing 7lbs 10oz
Marissa described her birth to me as “empowering to be able to give birth to her baby in a physiological process, where she felt her body was doing exactly what it was made to do!" Which is precisely what she set out for in the beginning! Though the birth was intense, her care team worked great together in caring for her and her baby. Supporting Marissa through another delivery and witnessing her incredible strength again is a blessing. Thank you, Josh and Marissa, for welcoming me into the birth space, and I'm so proud of your control and strength!
Lincoln Christopher
January 28, 2024
Another Koehlmoos baby boy has arrived! Lincoln Christopher came almost as fast as his brother did a year a half ago.
I had the honor of being a part of Ashton’s third pregnancy and delivery with their son Mason in the spring of 2022. It was a wild story worth the read if you want to scroll down to find it! Ashton reached out asking me to be their doula again for baby number 4. As you already know, I love my repeat families! Ashton stayed very active throughout pregnancy using her training program through her company Resilient Mama Fitness. She incorporated movements to strengthen her core and pelvic floor for labor, and she did many things to prepare herself physically and mentally. As Ashton and I processed her last labor and planned for this one, we focused on a few goals: making it to the hospital sooner (read her previous birth story to understand), avoiding the need for episiotomy, focusing on controlled breathing, and optimal positioning for Ashton and baby.
Around 38 weeks, Ashton started having irregular mild cramping and contractions. We patiently waited for labor to kick in. In the meantime, I encouraged Ashton to support her body so that it was ready for labor but not to push it into something it wasnt ready for yet. The week before her guess date, Ashton’s kids came down with RSV. Soon after, it came for Ashton as well. She was frustrated and worried about laboring when sick, but she gave her body lots of rest, hoping labor would wait until she was feeling better.
On Sunday morning, at 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant, Ashton texted me while I was on my way home from another birth in Sioux Falls that she was losing more of her mucus plug along with some bloody show. These were definitely some signs of early labor starting, but we still didn't know if labor was just hours away or days. Of course, that afternoon was one of my few shifts of the month scheduled at the hospital. I crossed my fingers Ashton wouldn't go into labor during those 8 hours. 1 hour into my shift, Ashton texted me that she thought labor may be starting with mild contractions coming every 5 minutes and lasting 30 seconds. I texted my Ashtyn and had her on standby if I couldn't make it. Thanks to some awesome coworkers, I was able to leave early and meet up with Ashton when she needed me. After a couple hours of these contractions, Ashton decided she wanted to head to the hospital just to be safe. After such a quick labor last time, she wanted to arrive with more time to spare this time around.
Once in town, Ashton felt her contractions slowed a bit so she walked around Walmart while I ran home to eat dinner and see my family. After a bit of walking around Walmart, Ashton was ready to check into the hospital. I gave Ashton some stretching ideas and told her to text me once things were intensifying. 30 minutes later, Andrew texted me it was time for me to head over.
I arrived at the hospital 10 minutes later and had just missed Ashton’s doctor coming in to perform a cervical exam. Ashton was 6cm dilated, 100% effaced and -2 station. When I walked into the room, I knew right away it was labor time. Ashton was on the floor in a split lunge, her head lying on the foot of the bed while Andrew was rubbing her back. I quickly checked in with them and debriefed their birth plan with the nurse. I then started setting up the room with the “Kyla experience” as we like to call it. The twinkle lights, music, and diffuser were going and I started filling up the tub because I knew if she didn’t use it now, she wouldn’t be able to at all.
Andrew and I helped Ashton into the tub and she got into a kneeling position, leaning over the edge. While in the tub, contractions were picking up quickly. They were coming back to back with little break in between and clearly intensifying. Andrew rubbed her shoulders and neck, encouraging her while I poured water over her back and helped her control her breathing. Within 10 minutes of being in the tub, Ashton started saying “no, no, no, no, no” as her contraction would build and looked at me saying, “I can't do it”. I knew this meant she WAS doing it and her baby boy was going to be here soon. I quickly ran out to grab the nurse and have her call the doctor. Andrew and I helped Ashton out of the tub and another contraction hit. Ashton squatted and turned her feet in while Andrew and I were holding her up. For a moment, I thought we may have a baby on the bathroom floor! Ashton found a way to move onto the bed and onto her hands and knees. She ended up in a mild hands and knees inversion with her head lower than her bottom. I let Ashton regain her breathing in this position then asked her to move farther up on the bed to get more into a kneeling hands and knees position. Ashton’s urge to push was now uncontrollable and within two contractions, a sweet baby was crowning! Her doctor placed a warm compress on her bottom and I helped Ashton control her breathing to help stretch and make room for this baby to come earthside. With the next contraction, a sweet baby was born! Ashton’s doctor guided the baby through Ashton's legs and placed him on her chest!
Lincoln Christopher
Born at 9:09pm
Weighing 8lbs 10oz
After two previous births with lots of pushing and episiotomies, Ashton truly rocked this birth! Lincoln was even her biggest baby yet! All her preparation paid off!
Ashton and Andrew, thank you for welcoming me back into your birth space and letting me walk alongside you during the pregnancy and birth journey. I am so proud of you for taking charge of your birth, and preparing yourself both mentally and physically. Building relationships with families like yours is just one of the many reasons I love being a doula!
Bennett Duane
January 28, 2024
Bennett’s birth could be described in many different ways. Challenging, confusing, difficult, beautiful, and relieving, but my favorite word to describe his birth would be “faithfulness”. The Lord’s hand of faithfulness was evident throughout the unknowns and questions of Megan’s pregnancy and delivery.
During Megan’s fourth labor in 2021, I had the honor of meeting her and Steve. During this delivery, they were introduced to the doula style. They decided if a 5th was ever in their future that they would hire a doula. 2 years later, SURPRISE! Baby number 5 was on the way. Of course I was ecstatic to work with Megan and Steve and dream up their desires for this delivery.
10 weeks into Megan’s pregnancy, she developed heart palpitations from an irregular heart rhythm that ultimately wound her up in the ER and being airlifted to Sioux Falls. From there on out, there were many questions on how this pregnancy and delivery was going to go. After a short stay in the hospital, Megan was released and her heart rate was doing well on medication. Throughout the first and second trimester, there were plenty of appointments and lots of back and forth on how and where this baby would be born. Ultimately, the decision was made that Megan would need to deliver in Sioux Falls for increased monitoring. Initially, she was told she would still be able to deliver with the Midwives at Sandford, which would have been a perfect fit for Megan's desire to have her 5th unmedicated birth. However, in the end, she was told she was unable to deliver with the midwives due to needing increased heart monitoring on telemetry while in labor. So instead, she needed to work with an OB or high risk specialist for her labor and delivery. Delivering in Sioux Falls with doctors she didn't know was far from Megan’s initial dreams for this birth, but at the end of the day Megan and Steve trusted in the Lord's plan.
As Megan’s due date approached, her MFM (maternal fetal medicine) specialist felt that a 39 week induction was the safest option based on Megan’s heart. Thankfully, throughout the second half of her pregnancy, there had not been any more heart rate episodes. The MFM specialist still felt this was the best route to prevent any issues from arising in the future.
Megan's induction was scheduled for Friday evening, January 26. Thursday, the night before her induction, Megan started to have some contractions and bloody show throughout the night and into her induction day. We were crossing our fingers that labor was starting on its own and this induction wasn't even going to be needed after all. However, Megan's contractions never got to a steady intense pattern by Friday night, so up to Sioux Falls they went. Though the questions of needing an induction still lingered, they trusted this was a part of the Lord's plan for this baby’s birth.
Megan got settled in and the OB placed a foley balloon to start her induction. I decided I would drive up to Sioux Falls once the foley balloon was out, so we all tried to get a little sleep. At 3 am on Saturday morning, Megan texted me that the Foley balloon had come out, so I got ready to head to Sioux Falls. I arrived around 5:30 am and Megan was feeling some regular contractions at this point. We started working with her body to help make room and move the baby down. We did inversions, shake the apples, flying cowgirl, the jiggle, sidelying release, squats, and lunges to hopefully help this baby find their way. But after a couple hours Megan's contractions slowed down. She looked at Steve and me and said, “It doesn't feel like it usually does at this point”.
At 10:40 am, the on-call OB came in to check how Megan was doing. Megan asked for a cervical exam and decided that if she was less than 6cm, she was going to have her water broken to keep labor going. The OB performed a cervical check and Megan was around 4cm dilated, so she consented to having her waters broken. After her waters were broken, we all questioned if they had actually broken because there was barely a small trickle of fluid, no big gush like usual. Later in the day, we got more confirmation that her water indeed had been broken with lots of random gushes of fluid. We continued with lots of walks, used the shower, did position changes, and pumped to try to help Megan's labor kick in. Even while hooked up to all the cords, Megan was still able to have lots of freedom to move and even use the tub/shower throughout her labor.
Evening rolled around, and Megan felt ready for another cervical check to see what progress was made throughout the day. The OB checked and said Megan was now a solid 5cm. The team tried to stay positive but there was definitely some disappointment in the room. It had already been a long night and day, so we all decided we needed a bit of a reset. The plan was now to start some pitocin in a few hours, so we all decided to rest while we could. Megan and Steve tried to take a nap and I quickly headed home to see my family for a bit.
Around 10:00 pm, they started the Pitocin. I told Megan to call me when the contractions started to intensify and come closer together regularly. After a quick nap, I woke up at 2 am to check in on Megan, and it was time for me to head back to Sioux Falls.
The mood was different when I came in this time. Megan was focused and tuned into her body through the contractions she was having. It was the mood of being in active labor…YAY! Megan gravitated towards being on the ball, rocking back and forth between contractions. She alternated between sitting on the ball, standing lunges, and slow dancing with Steve for the first couple hours while I offered lots of hip squeezes. I then asked Megan to try the dilatation station (aka the toilet) to see if sitting on there through a couple contractions would help relax the pelvic floor to help the baby drop down. Things were getting intense at this point and we knew we were getting close. Megan was needing to moan through contractions to stay in control.
In between contractions, Megan’s nurse came in. She asked if Megan would like the midwife on call to come in to deliver her baby instead of the OB. We all looked at her a little confused since we were told the midwives wouldn’t do Megan's delivery. The charge nurse had spoken to the Midwife for Megan and asked if she was comfortable doing Megan’s delivery, and she was! This was just a small way God was showing His presence in their birth. Abby, the Midwife, was the perfect presence needed in the room. Megan was beginning to have more intense surges and was starting to feel “pushy” so she moved onto her side on the bed to start pushing. She pushed for a few contractions on one side, and then we switched to the other side to push for a few more. During the contractions, the baby’s heart rate was starting to drop but was recovering to normal between contractions. Abby asked if she could check Megan to see if she was close to complete. We were all shocked to hear that Megan was 7cm, but the baby had moved down significantly and that was probably why Megan was already starting to feel “pushy". Abby stayed optimistic that Megan could deliver this baby soon and that the baby could tolerate these heart rate dips for a short period of time.
It was now 7:00 am on Sunday morning and the new midwife, RoseMarie, was coming on. Both midwives discussed the plan of care and stayed calm throughout the entire process. The baby’s heart rate was continuing to drop significantly during contractions, so RoseMarie had the nurses turn off the pitocin and had Megan switch positions. She asked to check Megan again at 7:11 am, and she was now 8-9cm. She was getting so close! Turning off the pitocin helped make the heart rate drops not be quite so significant, but Megan's contractions began to space out without the pitocin. RoseMarie and the nurses helped Megan switch positions every couple contractions to find ones that kept the baby's heart rate up the best. Megan gave everything she had while pushing, but without the pitocin helping her contractions, the process was much slower than her other deliveries. Usually Megan had the overwhelming feeling of needing to push during delivery but this time that feeling never seemed to come. After an hour of turning and pushing, Megan was feeling frustrated! It felt like her body wasn't doing what she was asking it to do.Confused and desperate to meet her baby, she asked to go onto her back and try pushing with her legs back. RoseMarie checked Megan again and said she felt that there may still be part of a bag of water that wasn’t broken yet, so Megan had her water broken for a second time. After the midwife broke her water, the baby's heart rate dropped significantly again. RoseMarie looked at Megan and said “You NEED to have this baby.” Megan dug deep and found every last ounce of energy she could find and like a rocket, a sweet baby was born!
The relief and joy in the room was palpable as Megan’s baby was placed on her chest. Steve called out, “It’s a BOY!”.
Bennett Duane
Born January 28 at 8:28 am
Weighing 6lbs 9oz
We all cried with joy that this sweet boy was finally here, safe and sound. Throughout labor, Megan wore her dad’s flannel. Bennet would be their first baby since he passed away in April of 2023, so having a surprise baby boy was an extra special gift. When Bennett was placed on Megan's chest, he was wrapped in his grandpa Duane's flannel. Bennett will always carry a piece of Grandpa in heaven with him.
After Bennett’s delivery, we have all been doing a lot of reflecting. Though this story was far from the birth Megan and Steve had initially envisioned, we could see God’s hand in this story throughout it all. Finding ways to show us He was there the entire time, holding them fast. Megan and Steve, I cannot thank you enough for letting me be a small part of Bennett’s story. I am so blessed by the work I do and the people I get to meet along the way.
Rhyer Wayne
January 21, 2024
Welcome to this side of creation, baby Bonnema!
Alexa and Derek reached out for doula support again with the birth of their second baby! With the birth of their first son, Alexa, and Derek, labored over 36 hours, which ultimately ended in a C-section. As a doula getting to witness the absolute surrender to God’s plan during their first birth, I was honored to get to support them again as Alexa and Derek pursued a VBAC!
In the weeks leading up to birth, Alexa stayed active with her job. She continued to eat her dates and drink red raspberry leaf tea. She also frequently saw a Webster-certified chiropractor and switched to using a birth ball instead of her chair in her office.
She had a few instances of times when she thought she might be in labor, as her uterus was quite irritable! This is a good sign because it can show that your body is "training" for birth. With these few regular contractions, she also made cervical changes and effacement. The midwife group she was seeing in Sioux Falls was feeling very encouraged about the early progress Alexa had been making, even if she wasn't in actual labor yet! Alexa shared with me that throughout her care with this midwife group, she felt respected and heard the entire time!
On the morning of January 21st, I heard a text come in, and it is always one of my favorites to receive. “Good morning! My water broke at 6 a.m.”
Alexa had some mild contractions that came about every 2-5 minutes. They were going to get her son ready for her in-laws to come, and I encouraged a few positions to see if it would help engage the baby in the pelvis more. She had had mild contractions through the night but had been able to sleep through them until she woke up to her water breaking!
At 8:47, she texted me and let me know that her contractions were getting stronger, and I encouraged her to time them. They were consistently coming about every 3 minutes and lasting 1 minute long. Alexa, Derek, and I all decided it would be best for them to start heading to Sioux Falls!
Once she arrived in Sioux Falls, Alexa was checked in triage, and she called me to tell me that she was 4.5cm dilated and 100% effaced! This was great news, and I headed to support her!
When I arrived in Sioux Falls, Alexa was in the tub and working hard through contractions while Derek could hold her hands. We started working through different positions to encourage the baby to keep moving down. Soon, she began to vocalize that she was ready to give up and started getting shakey from the intensity of her contractions. The midwife came, and Alexa wanted to be checked again, and at 1:00 p.m., she was 5.5 cm dilated. She decided at this point she was ready for her epidural as she needed more help relaxing. While waiting for the pre-epidural fluids to be infused, we kept working through contractions. It was apparent her contractions were becoming even more intense, and Alexa asked for frequent cervical checks. At 1:23 p.m., she was 6cm dilated; shortly after, at 1:48 p.m., she was 7.5 cm dilated. She was making cervical change, and fast! Which added to the intensity of her contractions! Soon, it was just about time for Alexa to get her epidural, and she opted to be rechecked as we were noticing more bleeding. At 2:10 p.m., she was 8 cm dilated, but the baby had not moved down as much. Her epidural was quickly placed around 2:30 p.m. With an extra bolus and a higher start dose of the epidural medicine, she was able to get comfortable.
The nurse, Derek, and I assisted Alexa in a comfortable position to help the baby through the
mid pelvis. She could rest and doze off between contractions while Derek and I relaxed as well. We continued to move positions to keep encouraging the baby to descend, as Alexa was still able to move reasonably well with her epidural! Again, we noticed more bleeding when she was in a hands and knees position, and the midwife came back to check on her. Alexa was dilated entirely on one part of her cervix but still had some left on the left side. With position and working with Alexa's body, the rest of her cervix soon had dilated! Now, at 4:10 p.m., she was 10cm dilated! She became emotional, as her body had never made it this far before, and a successful VBAC was in sight!
She did a few practice pushes with the midwife and nurse while working to breathe her baby down. Alexa wasn’t moving the baby a whole lot with pushing, so she decided to rest and labor down for an hour.
Her midwife returned approximately an hour later and worked through a few practice pushes again with Alexa. She was working on breathing her baby down with her diaphragm while trying different positions. After doing this for an hour, she had only made a small amount of progress. This was when we discussed that this was a larger baby and that she was going to have to PUSH. And that’s when everything changed! Over the next hour, Alexa pushed SO hard! With every pushing effort, you could see all of Alexa's muscles and her strength! After all her incredible work, she could soon reach down and feel the top of the baby's head, and shortly, we all began to see the baby's jet-black hair!
Then, with one final really strong push, the midwife exclaimed, "Reach down and grab your baby, Alexa!"
Alexa could guide her baby out and place the baby directly on her chest. She immediately looked down and cried, “My baby! Hi honey, oh my baby!…. It’s a boy!!!”
Rhyer Wayne
January 21st, 2024 at 7:51 p.m.
9 whopping pounds, 21.5 inches long
The birth of Rhyer Wayne was a testimony to God's true goodness and graciousness. His middle name, Wayne, was after Alexa's deceased Grandpa, whose birthday was one day prior. After Alexa had placed her son on her chest, she began to sob, “I did it! I can’t believe I did it!” The Blessing, by Kari Jobe, played in the background while Alexa and Derek praised God for a redemptive birth and healthy son! I am so honored to have been able to be a part of a tough, traumatic C-section of their first son and then get to witness the beauty of this remarkable birth of Rhyer! Alexa worked through all her anxieties and cast her worries upon the Lord in surrendering to whatever this birth would bring, and it was amazing to bear witness to it! Thank you for allowing me to walk alongside you both!
Hadley Jo
January 9, 2024
Welcome to Hadley Jo, the first NWIBN baby of 2024!
Katie and Kevin reached out in early pregnancy with their second baby! I was excited to get Katie's text as I was a doula for their first baby Navy in 2022. It is always such a joy to be welcomed into the birth space for a second time!
Katie stayed active chasing around a toddler and preparing her body by drinking red raspberry leaf tea, eating dates, and doing stretches. She waited patiently for labor to start as her due date came and went with no signs of labor. As Katie approached 40 weeks 5 days pregnant, the first blizzard of the winter came through. We both felt that this blizzard might send her into labor and of course, it did!
Katie texted me on the evening of January 8th that she was having some back pain, but nothing consistent. She was going to go through the miles circuit and try to take a shower and see how she was feeling. I decided to go to bed early, and Katie and Kevin decided to try to get some sleep as well, as we suspected she would be in early labor. And sure enough, at 1:55 a.m. I received a call from Katie saying her contractions were coming about every 2-3 minutes and lasting a minute long, and she and Kevin were going to head to the hospital. They also had a little bit of a drive, and with the blizzard conditions they wanted to be sure they had enough time to get there! I packed up my stuff and decided to try the roads, with no promises that I could make it.
Katie arrived at the hospital around 2:45 a.m., and she texted me to let me know she was 5cm dilated at 80% effaced. I arrived at the hospital at 4:15 a.m. and went to find Katie and Kevin in their room. Katie was resting on her side with the peanut ball between her legs. She was able to talk in between contractions but had to stop and breathe through them. I set up the room with oils, lights, and Katie's Christian music playlist. She had used the same playlist from Navy's birth, and it was so special!
After watching Katie in labor, we noticed she had "coupling" contractions. Katie also said that the midwife thought her baby was OP (sunny side up) when she checked her cervix. So soon, we got to work helping the baby turn! Katie and Kevin were such an incredible team, and Katie was up for whatever crazy positions I suggested! She went from hanging over the birth ball to straddling the toilet to standing in a "flamingo" position. She continued with each contraction to breathe beautifully and keep in control! After a little while, her contraction pattern became more "normal," and they had intensified. During contraction after contraction, Kevin was so good at providing counterpressure on Katie's sacral bone. This was helpful for Katie in distracting her from some of the intensity of contractions. The next few hours were spent switching positions as Katie worked through contractions. Her contractions continued to grow in intensity, and throughout the few hours, the midwives stopped in to observe Katie. They had a shift change at 7 a.m., and the new midwife came in to introduce herself and honor and encourage Katie. Throughout the times they popped in, they respected the birth space and allowed Katie to dictate her care.
At around 8:40 a.m. Katie began to bear down with the end of contractions and vocalized through them. She decided to have her cervix checked at 8:50 a.m. She was 10cm dilated, and the baby was at +2 station! The midwife asked Katie how she wanted to push, and Katie decided on her side as her knees were getting sore from being on her hands and knees. Katie's body started pushing, and she worked with her body and continued to breathe her baby down. And soon, we were able to see their baby’s dark hair! The baby’s head came out with the amniotic sac around it, and we thought we were about to have an en-caul baby! But then, with one last push, her water sac broke, and their baby was here! The midwife untwisted the baby's cord around the baby's neck twice and then turned the baby on the bed to Kevin so he could announce…. "It's a girl!! We have another girl!"
Hadley Jo
born January 9th, 2024 at 9:16 a.m.
weighing 7 lbs 1o z and 20.5 inches long
Hadley was placed on Katie's chest, and she immediately started crying! Katie and Kevin were overjoyed with this new life they had created, and it was such a beautiful moment. Witnessing Kevin's excitement in announcing the gender of their new child has been such a special moment to have seen twice now! Katie, you were calm and in control as you breathed through labor. Thank you for taking me along on your pregnancy and delivery journey for a second time!
Ledger Jay
December 12, 2023
The best feeling is being welcomed back into a birth space for the second time with a family you love! I was so excited to hear that Kelsey was pregnant again and to have the honor of being her doula for a second time! Kelsey and I talked frequently throughout pregnancy about ways to stay active and healthy, avoid an induction, and avoid developing preeclampsia this time around. She worked hard staying active with workouts, walks, and chasing her 2-year-old son around. Things were looking great throughout Kelsey’s pregnancy until her 37-week appointment when her blood pressure was elevated. She had some blood work done that showed elevated liver enzymes. The elevated liver enzymes and high blood pressure were signs of preeclampsia, so her doctor and the maternal-fetal medicine specialist recommended an induction be started that afternoon. This was not the ideal situation but we also knew this was now the safest option for both Kelsey and the baby.
That afternoon, December 11, at 4:30 pm, Kelsey was all checked in for her induction. She was 2cm dilated and her doctor placed a dose of Cytotec. I gave Kelsey ideas of what to do while in the hospital, and I planned to come when active labor was kicking in. Kelsey did lots of stretches and movements on the birth ball until her doctor came back around 10 pm. She was now 3cm and contracting frequently but she wasn’t feeling them. Her doctor decided not to place another dose of Cytotec due to the consistent contractions and decided to reevaluate in the morning. Kelsey tried to sleep as best she could and waited for the morning.
The next morning, Kelsey had her labs rechecked which showed that her liver enzymes had increased through the night. The levels were now considered to be severely high and the maternal-fetal medicine specialist recommended a magnesium infusion throughout labor to avoid preeclampsia seizures. We had all been praying that this wasn’t going to be needed but we also knew this was what was now the safest option based on her lab results. Kelsey also had a cervical exam that morning and was now 4cm dilated. Her doctor planned to break her water at this time, however, Kelsey had it written in her birth plan she preferred to delay the breaking of water if possible. Her nurse reminded her doctor of this and together they decided to start Pitocin to get the contractions going again. The Pitocin and magnesium were started and a couple hours later, at 10:15 am, her doctor came to check her again. Her dilation had not changed, so they decided now would be a good time to break her water to help progress labor. Contractions started hitting strong soon after Kelsey's water was broken. We continued with lots of upright positions to keep the baby moving down and putting pressure on the cervix.
After a night of very little sleep and being on magnesium (which makes you very groggy), Kelsey was open to an epidural to help her rest. After about an hour of having her water broken, Kelsey felt she needed the relief and rest that an epidural could offer. Her nurse started getting things ready for the epidural and Kelsey got in the tub in the meantime to help with her increasing contractions.
After an hour in the tub, the anesthesiologist was there to place the epidural. Kelsey was ready for some rest! The epidural process went great until a couple of minutes after it was all set up, Kelsey’s blood pressure started dropping quickly and she started feeling very nauseous and light-headed. Thankfully both the anesthesiologist and nurse were still right there and gave her some medication to bring her blood pressure back up quickly. After that bit of excitement, it was finally time for her to try to get some rest!
After about an hour of resting, Kelsey’s doctor was back to check on how things were progressing. Kelsey was now 6cm dilated! We continued with different positions in the bed using the peanut ball to help keep things moving over the next few hours. Kelsey was still able to move her legs freely and get into various positions with help from both myself and the nurses, which worked in her favor. At 2:45 pm, Kelsey was checked again and was now 8cm dilated! Soon after this check, Kelsey started feeling more intense pressure with contractions despite the epidural. We decided to move to hands and knees, leaning over the back of the bed to help with the intensity that was building. At this point, Kelsey felt like her epidural had completely worn off but she stayed so strong through the intense surges, breathing with so much control. Less than 30 minutes after her last check, Kelsey started feeling a strong urge to push. Her doctor came in to check and sure enough, she was completely dilated and the baby’s head was right there. Kelsey opted to push in the tug-of-war position, her favorite pushing position from her first delivery. And with only a few strong, controlled pushes, at 3:23 pm, Ledger was earth-side! There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as we all marveled at the wonderful gift of life! We were also all shocked when her doctor showed us the true knot in Ledger’s umbilical cord.
Ledger Jay
Born December 12, 2023, at 3:23 pm
7lbs 3oz
I am truly in awe of Kelsey’s strength through her induced labor on magnesium. Although this wasn’t the birth plan she was hoping for, we praise God that both Kelsey and Ledger remained safe and healthy given the circumstances. Kelsey is the best mama to her sweet boys, working so hard to bring them safely into this world. I am so blessed to have gotten to know her and Taylor through both of their son’s deliveries. Deegan family, you hold such a special place in this doula's heart!
Madden Noel
December 8, 2023
A year and a half ago, I got the honor of being Bekah’s nurse during the delivery of her first baby, Brynlee Jo! It was a beautiful, fun, empowering delivery! About a year later, during a Tan Taxi spray tan, Bekah told me she was pregnant with her second and asked me to be her doula for this delivery. Of course, I was thrilled to be welcomed into their birth space again, this time as their doula!
Bekah desired to try for unmedicated labor this time around and hoped to go into labor on her own before the induction date like she did the first time. Bekah is a type one diabetic, so we already knew an induction would be on the table at some point. Bekah worked hard to maintain her blood sugar levels, stay active with her toddler, and prepare her body for labor. At 35 weeks 5 days, Bekah started to have some mild contractions that persisted through the evening. We thought this was maybe the day, but through the night contractions stopped. We all stayed on high alert that week, hoping labor was coming soon! At Bekah’s 36-week appointment, her baby was measuring quite large so she and her doctor decided to move the induction date to 37 weeks. We crossed our fingers that labor would start over the next week, but before we knew it, her induction date rolled around.
On the afternoon of December 7th, Bekah checked in for her induction and got her first dose of Cytotec around 4 pm. She was 1cm dilated at this point. Bekah walked the halls and bounced on the birth ball throughout the afternoon. I stopped by later that evening to check in and make a game plan for the night / next day. I also had the job of making sure Bekah’s lashes were done for labor. I’m a doula that wears many hats, I guess! I got Bekah’s lashes on, did some stretches with her, and then headed home. Her doctor returned to place another dose of Cytotec at 9 pm. She was still 1cm dilated, but contractions were starting to pick up! I encouraged Bekah to sleep while she still could, as I was expecting a middle-of-the-night call.
A middle-of-the-night call is what I got! Bekah’s husband, Joe, called me at 12:30 am that Bekah’s water had broken at midnight. She was 5 cm dilated, and she was starting to get pretty uncomfortable. I got to the hospital around 1 am and found Bekah on hands and knees in the tub. It was clear Bekah was slipping into labor land, blocking out all other sensations. She was focusing on breathing through her contractions that were coming every 2-3 minutes with very short breaks in between. Joe and I sat with her in the bathroom. I offered affirmations and gentle touch to help her relax as much as possible through contractions. Bekah breathed her baby down beautifully with low, relaxed tones. After about an hour in the tub, I encouraged Bekah to stand up for just a few contractions to see how that felt. I had a feeling Bekah was getting close, and working with gravity would be the key to getting us there. Bekah stood and hung over Joe through two very intense contractions. She knew it was time to move to the bed because the overwhelming urge to push was there. It was baby time! I called the nurses in, and they called the doctor while Joe helped Bekah out of the tub.
We raised the head of the bed and Bekah kneeled with her head over the top of the bed to push. At this point, Bekah was unable to stop her body from doing it all on its own, as her body was pushing her baby out. Her doctor arrived quickly and confirmed that Bekah was completely dilated and encouraged Bekah to push with all she had! About 20 minutes later, a sweet chubby head was delivered. Bekah gave a few more pushes for the rest of the body but there wasn’t any movement. Baby girl's shoulders were stuck. Her doctor asked her to flip from kneeling onto her back instead. She quickly moved onto her back, as the nurses pulled her legs back to try to dislodge the stuck shoulder. Her doctor helped the baby get unstuck by pulling one of her arms out. After that, their baby girl arrived!
Madden Noel
born December 8th at 2:26 am
Weighing 10lbs 12oz
Madden went right to Bekah’s chest. She was a little stunned from all the extra activity, but thankfully after a few minutes with her mom, she came around, pinking up and breathing well. There was so much relief in the room hearing those sweet baby cries.
Madden's delivery was intense, but Bekah was the definition of strength and calm throughout her unmedicated labor with shoulder dystocia.
Bekah, you were an absolute rockstar and it was an honor to be welcomed into Madden's birth! I am so proud of you and Joe. You are the perfect parents for this sweet, strong girl!
Sophia Mae
December 1, 2023
Jena reached out at about 30 weeks pregnant about doula services for December, and luckily I had an opening!
Jena was planning a homebirth through Promise Community Health Center, and worked hard to start preparing her body for labor. She did her stretches, ate dates, and drank red raspberry leaf tea.
On the morning of November 27th, Jena texted me that she woke up with some cramping that was inconsistent but enough to wake her up. We talked back and forth all day and tried suggesting positions to try and stretches, etc. This continued throughout the day with just a slight increase in intensity. She decided to sleep and we would touch base in the morning. On Tuesday, Jena’s cramping started coming more regularly. By the evening, she felt that she was ready for some more support, so Kari and I headed to support her in labor. Her contractions at this time were about every 4 minutes and she was needing to breathe through some of them. I arrived first and Kari soon after, and Jena was going to go for a walk in her hallways. After observing Kari for awhile and monitoring baby, Jena opted for a cervical check. She was 1cm dilated with a fairly thick cervix. The plan was then to tuck Jena and Colten in and see if she could sleep as it seemed it could be a long labor.
The next day, we continued to stay in touch and try different things to do. Her contractions seemed to pick up some, but nothing super intense. That evening, she was again ready for labor support as contractions were about every 2-3 minutes lasting a minuted long that she had to breathe through. When I arrived, Jena was on the ball and when a contraction came, had to stop and breathe through them. Kari arrived soon after again, and did her assessment and vitals. She also listened to baby, who sounded wonderful! Jena opted for another cervical exam as it had been 24 hours and this time was also found Jenas blood pressure was a bit high. Kari checked her cervix and she was still 1cm dilated, but the cervix had thinned out some and baby had come down. This was discouraging, and after discussion with Kari, they decided they should transfer in to the hospital. Kari was able to talk to Dr. Keith at Spencer hospital, and they came up with the plan to have Jena transfer in, give her some medication in hopes that she could sleep as well as monitor her blood pressure overnight and do some pre-eclamptic labs. If this all came back normal and Jena was able to sleep, possible discharge in the morning, but if it didn’t look good, then augment labor. I went with Jena and Colten to the hospital and helped them get settled and tucked them in for the night in hopes of sleep.
Jena texted me around 4:30 a.m. that all of her labs looked normal and she was able to sleep a bit. She also had made no cervical change the entire hospital stay, so she was being discharged to home. Once she was home on Thursday, she was able to sleep most of the day! She also was feeling groggy and nauseous assumed from the medications. I encouraged her to lay low, and rest! She was still continuing to contract but nothing major.
Friday morning, Jena woke up again to contractions that were growing but she was also not feeling good. She had a headache and she was able to take her blood pressure at home and this was also elevated. After talking to Kari, she decided to head in to be evaluated by Dr. Keith at the hospital.
At 12:28 p.m. on Friday December 1st, Dr. Keith texted Kari and I and said “BP is 140/100. Discussed induction. She’s 2cm dilated and 50 percent. I broke her water. We are going to have a baby. I will keep you guys in the loop.”
I talked to Jena and sent her some exercises to try and informed her I would be there when she was in active labor. The nurse Jena had was wonderful and was able to help her through several position changes as well!
At 5:37 p.m. Dr. Keith called me and said that Jena was 5cm dilated and 100% effaced contracting regularly and that he felt she was ready for doula support. He knew I had a little bit of a drive to Spencer, so he was taking that into consideration as he knew Jena was getting to the point where she needed more assistance. He was going to talk to Jena and try buy me some time until I was able to get there.
I quickly got ready and headed to Spencer Hospital and arrived at 6:35 p.m. I set up the lights and galaxy lights and got the diffuser going. Coltin had put some yoga music on the tv, but switched it over to my Bluetooth speaker. Jena was coping wonderfully through contractions! With discussion with the nurse, she felt baby was in the mid pelvis, so the next while we focused on positions to help baby through that. Jena was so willing to do everything I suggested and Coltin was so helpful in encouraging her! We labored on the toilet for some contractions, and then went to a “flamingo”position on the bed. Soon Jena’s legs were getting tired, so we had her rest in exaggerated runners on both sides. After awhile, we noticed more bloody show, and contractions seemed to be getting more intense! After resting for a bit, I had Jena go back to the toilet and labor in the “dilation station”. When she was in this position, she was feel more pressure and feeling a little pushy.
We moved back to the bed, and let the nurse know how Jena was feeling. The nurse came to check her cervix and at 7:40 p.m. she was a stretchy 6 cm, 100% effaced and baby was low and still in the mid pelvis. We had Jena rest in exaggerated runners again for a bit on both sides, and then encouraged her to get into a hands and knees with one leg in a lunge and leaning over the edge of the top of the bed. She was able to hold Coltin’s hands and while I was providing sacral pressure. She leaned into each contraction and soon, she began to bear down at the end of contractions! We labored for a bit while longer and the nurse came in to check her again.
At 8:38 p.m. she was a anterior rim or 9.5 c.m. And we decided to get out the squat bar and have her squat forward and see if we were able to get rid of the rest of her cervix. During this time the nurse also called the doctor to come back for delivery. Dr. Keith arrived at the bedside around 8:52 p.m. and rubbed Jena’s legs well she breathed flawlessly through contractions. Within a matter of minutes, we were able to see baby’s head! The doctor quickly put on his gloves and gown and Jena pushed through just two contractions, and quickly their baby was here!
Sophia Mae
born December 1st, 2023 at 8:59 p.m.
6lbs 7oz
Jena and Coltin worked so perfectly together to help her through the long week. During labor Jena was so strong and so controlled! She had prepared for a homebirth, but was thankful to be able to receive such great care when her birth desires decided to take a different route. As Coltin said, it was Seredipity that Sophia’s birth played out the way it did! Thank you Coltin and Jena for taking me along on the journey of becoming parents!
Judah James
November 14, 2023
I was thrilled when Seth and Ann reached out for doula services with their second pregnancy! Being a doula for the first birth of their son Shepherd, it was such an honor to be asked to attend their family's birth again!
Seth and Anna currently live in Iowa City, where Seth is in medical school, but they hoped to have a similar God-filled experience to the one they initially had with Shephard. Because of this desire, they decided to have their care at a local hospital with the same physician who had previously delivered them. This meant much back-and-forth traveling with a temporary move-in with Seth's parents when Anna was 38 weeks pregnant.
Her doctor suggested induction at 39 weeks since Anna had gestational diabetes, though it was well-controlled. Seth and Anna prayed about this option and decided on an induction beginning at 4 p.m. on November 13th. Anna had also previously been induced, and it had gone pretty quickly!
In the weeks leading up to her induction, Anna worked hard in preparing her body for labor. She regularly ate dates, drank red raspberry leaf tea, stayed active through walks, and cared for an active toddler.
When the day of Anna's induction arrived, they checked in, and she had a cervical check. Her cervix was closed but was soft. The doctor prescribed a dose of Cytotec at 4:50 p.m. This caused some irregular contractions but nothing uncomfortable. Anna went through the Bundle Birth Circuit and went for a walk.
I decided to head to the hospital and set my lights and oils up around 8:30 p.m., check in with Seth and Anna, and devise a plan for the evening. At 9:30 p.m., her doctor came back. Anna was 1.5cm dilated, and the doctor placed another cytotec dose. We tucked Anna and Seth in for the night, and I headed home. I had placed the peanut ball between her knees in flying cowgirl and urged them to call me whenever they felt things were picking up.
At 3:01 a.m., Seth texted me, "Anna is awake and breathing through contractions every 2-3 minutes. They are lasting 45 seconds to 1 minute long. They aren't super intense, but she can't sleep through them anymore."
I replied that I would start getting my stuff and self-ready and heading to support them soon. Just as I hit send, Seth called and said Anna was ready for me to come as she had had two pretty intense contractions.
I arrived at the hospital around 3:45 a.m., and Anna was getting ready to get into the tub as she was having to work through contractions. She could talk in between, but she had to stop and breathe when a contraction came.
She labored in the tub for about 30 minutes before she started to get too warm. We decided to get out of the tub and utilize some more positions. Anna was able to empty her bladder and do a few contractions on the toilet before a super intense contraction, and Anna jumped out of the bathroom to a hands and knees position on the floor. We kept moving and trying different positions, but Anna soon settled on the pull-out couch on hands and knees in a modified forward-leaning inversion. We stayed this way through several contractions as Anna felt that was the only way she could tolerate contractions. She would bite down on a blanket Seth had wrapped around his arm to prevent her from biting his arm, which she had done earlier. She continued to cope with contractions with complete control while breathing and working with her body!
I suggested Anna use gravity to help move the baby down, and we moved to hands and knees on the bed. She quickly jumped out of this position and dropped hands and knees forward to the floor, leaning inversion again. Seth and I encouraged her to try another position to encourage the baby to descend in the pelvis. Soon, Anna returned to the pull-out couch, where we placed a peanut ball under her. I had her put one leg down and lunge with her contractions. She was able to do this for a bit before moving again. Seth and I worked together to have Anna at least use a birth ball to place her in a more vertical position. This allowed her to sit back more and try to help utilize gravity.
Anna was so in control and quiet compared to her last birth! At 5:43 a.m. When Anna was in this position, I noticed her bag of water hanging out! I told Seth and quickly pushed the staff assistant to alert the nurses.
Seth and I helped Anna back to the bed while I used a towel to keep Anna's bag of water from rupturing. Once back in bed, Anna was on her hands and knees, and her bag of water was hanging so low and partially separated that we could see the baby's hair! The next few minutes were a mixture of chaos and beauty. Seth was planning on assisting in delivering their baby, as he previously had. But at this moment, he realized he might be doing it by himself since the doctor wasn't there yet! Thankfully, Anna had no considerable urge to push, so she could breathe through the following couple of contractions until the doctor arrived. The nurses were busy trying to get the warmer and things set up while I assisted Seth in putting on a gown. Right then, the nurses tried to take heart tones on the baby, and it seemed they were low. Also, at this time, the doctor came in and attempted to check Anna's cervix to ensure she was fully dilated. He couldn't thoroughly check, but due to lower heart tones, he encouraged Anna to push. Then, with one strong push, Anna delivered the head, and the body followed 1 second later.
Seth was able to catch his son with the assistance of the doctor. The baby was passed between Anna's knees, and she cried, "Hi baby, Hi baby!" It was such a beautiful, God-filled moment! He was wide awake but wasn't crying. The nurses and doctor attempted to stimulate him to cry but without success. Seth cut the chord and was taken to the warmer, where he immediately started to cry!
Judah James
November 14th, 2023
5:52 a.m.
7lbs 1oz
Judah's entrance into the world was filled with thankfulness and the goodness of God. During labor, in between contractions, Seth and Anna leaned into each other, and after a contraction, Anna said, "Guys, God is SO good to us!". Judah means "Praise," and Jesus is the Lion of Judah. It was such an honor to witness Judah's birth and walk alongside Seth and Anna again throughout pregnancy!
Brooklyn Michelle
November 2, 2023
KT reached out in early pregnancy after discussing her third pregnancy. She had two previous C-sections and was deciding that she wanted to try VBAC for this pregnancy.
She saw a midwife throughout her pregnancy and worked hard to prepare her body. She ate dates, drank her red raspberry leaf tea, and actively did stretches. She saw a chiropractor regularly and worked hard to assist the baby into a good position.
Soon, KT's due date came and went, and after a discussion with the midwives, they decided to wait until her next appointment to determine a care plan. If she were dilated, they would attempt an induction, and if she weren't, they would schedule a repeat C-section.
The week leading up to the appointment, KT was doing everything she could to send herself into labor. She even decided to drink the midwives' brew once and but twice! This caused some cramping but nothing else. We stayed in touch almost daily, and KT did a great job keeping me updated and asking questions!
KT went to her appointment on Wednesday, November 1st. She was nervous about this appointment and had spent so much time praying about it. We talked back and forth as I said a prayer for peace for her and her family, whatever the outcome may be.
After her appointment, KT texted me and told me that she was still not dilated at all. Between the team and KT, decided a C-section was the best option. She now had to decide whether to do a C-section closer to home or come to Sioux Falls. If she went to Sioux Falls, the midwives offered to check her cervix before her C-section in a day or two and see if she was dilated at that point.
After much prayer and discussion, KT opted to do her C-section closer to home. Throughout that day, KT explained the excellent communication between the hospital, her midwife, and the OB department. She felt they all were working together to provide her with the best care she could have! And soon, through that coordination, KT had her C-section scheduled for the next morning!
On the morning of KT's c-section, I was not present due to the limited amount of people able to be in the OR. But that morning, KT told me she felt at peace. She reiterated that God's love and kindness is sufficient beyond words. "He instrumented ask these God-fearing and loving people to love, support, and care for our every need just when we needed it. What a blessing we have experienced to be walking with Him along the way. It may not have gone on our timeline or how we thought it should despite all efforts, but we trust in His love, grace, and everlasting life He has promised us."
Brooklyn Michelle
November 2nd, 2023
7:45 a.m.
9lbs, 20.5in
Brooklyn's birth journey was filled with trust and surrender to God's ultimate plan. It proves true that though our hearts may want one outcome, his plan may be different. KT and Beau showed a beautiful testament to experiencing His love and kindness through the birth of their daughter. He provides today, tomorrow, and forevermore. KT feels that even though she didn’t get to have a successful VBAC, she would “in a heartbeat experience the team of individuals who supported, cared, and educated them along the way.” Thank you for taking me along on Brooklyn's pregnancy journey!
Adalyn Rae
November 2, 2023
Welcome to the world's newest addition to Northwest Iowa Birth Nurse! Brenna had an incredibly redemptive birth after two previous C-sections, and I was so honored to be a part of it!
When Brenna found out she was pregnant with her third baby, she began to work through all of her previous birth trauma. With her first birth, she had been induced at 39 weeks, which led to a 36-hour labor and 3.5 hours of pushing and ultimately led to a C-section. Her second delivery, she had decided to do a repeat C-section since her daughter, Braylen, was breech. Now, for this third birth, Brenna decided she was going to VBAC.
She worked SO hard throughout pregnancy in preparing her body for labor. Three separate times this baby was breech, so Brenna spent lots of time upside down and using her birth ball in hopes of turning her baby. When she was 35 weeks, her baby was finally confirmed to be head down!
In the weeks leading up to birth, Brenna religiously was on her birth ball, eating dates, drinking red raspberry leaf tea, doing acupuncture and seeing a Webster Certified Chiropractor. Soon, Brenna's due date approached, and this was the longest she had ever been pregnant! She decided that on her due date, October 29th, she would try taking Midwives Brew. She finished this around 8:30 am and soon began having some intense contractions afterward. Brenna and Dalton hung out at home for a while and then decided to head to Sioux Falls around 5 pm as contractions were coming steadily. We chose to stay in touch and see how things went. She continued to labor all night and felt ready for me to come up to Sioux Falls around 5 am on Monday, October 30th. She had progressed from 1cm to 3 cm overnight and was ready for more support. Once I arrived in Sioux Falls, we could do different positions, but it soon became apparent that her contractions were spacing out. They went from consistently every 2-3 minutes to 8-16 minutes apart, and the midwife decided to come and recheck Brenna's cervix. At 9:30 am, she was still 3cm dilated and unchanged from her last check that was done around 3 am. The midwife offered options of breaking her water, starting Pitocin, or having a C-section. Brenna was exhausted at this point after laboring all night long. After a discussion, Brenna and Dalton decided to go to their sister's house and sleep to see if labor would pick back up. After a few hours, labor did not pick up, so Brenna and Dalton decided to head home and wait for labor to begin.
The following two days, Brenna rested and hung out with her family. She had an OB follow-up appointment on Wednesday 11/1 and scheduled an induction date for Monday, 11/6. On her way to her appt on Wednesday morning, she texted me that she had been having period-like cramping that started before bed and had woken her up a few times during the night.
At her appointment, she was 3cm dilated at 80% effaced and had the midwife strip her membranes to see if that would encourage things along. Her appointment was at 8 am, so she decided to head back home and see how things went. Once home, she went through the miles circuit, ate, and stayed hydrated.
At 10:55 am, she was doing figure 8’s on her birth ball and pumping when she felt a POP! She called Dalton to come into the house and texted me, "I think my water just broke." I was so excited! I encouraged her to work through the miles circuit again to ensure the baby was in a good position.
After a few hours, Brenna started having more consistent contractions, and they decided to head up to Sioux Falls around 1 pm on Wednesday, November 1st.
Once she got to Sioux Falls, she was checked in triage around 3:30 pm and was 3cm dilated, 80% effaced, and the baby was at -1 station. She was still coping with contractions well, so we decided to continue to stay in touch before I headed to Sioux Falls.
Brenna worked through a birth warm-up as well as continued to walk the hallways, to continue to encourage contractions. She declined a cervical check until she felt that the contractions were continuing to grow in frequency and intensity. Around 8 pm she decided she wanted to be checked and thought she was getting ready for me to head up to support her.
She was was 4cm dilated, 90% effaced, and the baby had moved down. The midwife offered to start Pitocin, and Brenna was in complete agreement. She was ready to get in the tub as contractions were growing.
I quickly showered and started to head to Sioux Falls as now things were getting intense fast with 2 units of Pitocin going. Her contractions were becoming very strong, closer together and she had to concentrate on them. Brenna felt she was getting ready to start the process for an epidural.
On my drive to Sioux Falls, I called Brenna, and she put me on speakerphone so I could walk her through some positions to try. After thinking about her labor and where Brenna was feeling pain, I suggested a position that allowed her belly to hang and allow for her baby to move her head off Brenna's pubic bone. She felt almost instant relief through about 15 minutes of contractions when she was in this position. But soon, contractions started to get intense again as Brenna could feel the baby moving down. I was about 15 minutes out from Sioux Falls, so Brenna decided to start getting her epidural prepped.
When I arrived at the hospital, I went to Brenna's room, and she was leaning over the edge of the tub, squeezing Dalton's hands. She had requested a cervical exam before getting her epidural to see where she was. The midwife came in shortly after I got to Brenna's side. The midwife offered to check Brenna in the tub, and at 10:00pm, she was 4.5 cm dilated, 100% effaced, and the baby was at 0 station. This was exciting as Brenna had thinned and effaced but re-affirmed her decision for an epidural.
While Brenna waited for her epidural, we utilized gravity the best we could. I had her switch positions into a deep lunge, and this got very intense as Brenna yelled, "She's moving down!" However, she continued to work with her body and continued to encourage the baby to move through the mid-pelvis while waiting for an epidural. During this time, Brenna requested the Pitocin to be turned down/off until she got her epidural. The nurse respected Brenna's request and turned the Pitocin down to 1 unit. When it was just about time for the epidural, Dalton and I helped Brenna out of the tub and dried off. We also had her use the bathroom and do a few contractions on the toilet.
For 2 contractions, we had Brenna use the peanut ball in a "flamingo" position utilizing the bed while waiting for the anesthesiologist to release orders. In between contractions, the nurse helped Brenna get in the correct position, and the anesthesiologist quickly slipped the epidural in at 10:45 pm.
The epidural began to affect her immediately, and soon, Brenna's contractions became much more doable. We assisted her into an exaggerated runner position, and she could close her eyes and rest. Dalton and I got settled as we were all planning on attempting to sleep for a few hours as we were unsure what the night would hold.
We were all dozing off at midnight and able to rest for about 30 minutes when the nurse and midwife came in. They were having a hard time tracing Brenna's contractions on the monitor since she was lying on her side. They needed contractions to be picked up as she was still on only 2 units of Pitocin, and they needed to decide whether to increase it or not. So, after a discussion with Brenna, they agreed that the midwife would check Brenna's cervix to see where things were and if she was going to need to place an internal catheter for measuring contractions.
At 12:35 am, the nurse midwife told us that Brenna had only a tiny rim of cervix left (9.5 cm dilated!)! Brenna and my jaw just about hit the floor! Brenna said, "WHAT?!?" And the nurse reiterated that she only had a small amount of cervix on the right side! Brenna yelled at Dalton to wake up as we were all thrilled and now running on adrenaline!
We positioned Brenna in a few different positions to help the last bit of the cervix melt away. Brenna had wanted to labor down for as long as possible, so she was happy when the midwife had to go finish another delivery. Brenna began to get very shaky during this time and even vomited, which were all good signs that she was going through transition!
When the midwife came back at 2:30 am to check Brenna, she was 10cm dilated, and the baby was very far down! At this moment, Brenna began to tear up as she couldn't believe her dream of a VBAC after 2 C-sections were so close. But she was also most nervous about pushing as she had pushed for 3.5 hours with her first baby and ended in a C-section.
At 2:37 am, the midwife had Brenna do a set of practice pushes. The midwife asked Brenna how Brenna wanted to push as the midwife stated she "doesn't believe in stirrups." Brenna opted to stay on her right side while I held her leg and Dalton held her hands. With the first set of pushes, it was apparent Brenna was pushing well!
Brenna couldn't feel her contractions, so the nurse instructed her to push again when the next contraction came. With this contraction, Brenna pushed hard, and we quickly saw some of the baby's head coming out! We were so excited, and I encouraged Brenna to reach down and feel her baby's head. When she did, Brenna immediately let out sobs of absolute happiness! She explained to the midwife and nurse that she had worked through some intense birth trauma to even try a VBAC, and now the end was TRULY insight!
This realization brought tears to the midwife, nurse, and my eyes! It was such a beautiful, vulnerable moment of surrender to be a part of.
The midwife encouraged her to labor down through the next contraction while she brought in a delivery table as well as the NICU team since there had been meconium when Brenna’s water broke.
Once everyone was ready and settled, the nurse informed Brenna to push as she had another contraction. Brenna was shaking with a flood of emotions, and with that last one final strong push (after only 2 other sets of pushes), their baby girl was here!!
The baby cried immediately and was put straight on Brenna’s chest while Brenna sobbed tears of raw emotion and said, "I did it, she's here, I DID IT!!" It was a moment of pure redemption and pure, unfiltered JOY! She could go straight to mom's chest for uninterrupted skin-to-skin, which was incredibly special for Brenna as she had never experienced immediate skin-to-skin contact before with her other births.
Adalyn Rae
2:45 am.
November 2nd, 2023
8lbs 4 oz
Brenna worked SO hard to not only prepare her body for labor but her mind as well. She was able to release her anxieties about her previous birth trauma in preparation for a VBAC. Adalyn’sbirth was so full of surrender and trust in women’s ability to give birth! Brenna was so strong and only pushed through 3 sets of pushes! Witnessing the rawness of emotions that were felt during Adalyn’s birth was such a remarkable journey to be a part of. Brenna, I am SO proud of you, and being a small part of Adalyn’s birth story will forever be held close to my heart!
Owen Evan
October 27, 2023
Briana reached out in her second trimester in search of doula services and guidance through her pregnancy. I was so excited to work with her as we used to be CNAs together at the hospital, so I was very honored she asked me to be her doula.
Her goal was to trust the Lord through her birthing process, no matter what it ends up looking like and ultimately praying for a healthy mom and baby at the end of the birth. Briana worked so hard throughout her pregnancy to prepare her body for labor. She stayed busy with their toddler, being a farm wife, walking, stretching, and drinking RRLT.
Throughout her pregnancy, Briana’s provider kept a close eye on her blood pressures as they seemed to rise with each appointment. High blood pressure can be very serious in pregnancy and must be assessed closely. On Wednesday, October 25, Briana went into the hospital as she was having headaches, shortness of breath, and increased blood pressures at home. She was able to get some IV fluids, nausea meds, and was able to return home that evening. They wanted her to come in the following day to get some more labs drawn and have a non-stress test to keep a close eye on baby.
On Thursday, October 26, Briana returned to the hospital and little did she know that she wouldn’t be going home without a baby! Her increased blood pressures and lab results were showing she had preeclampsia, which meant she was going to need an induction that day. This was a surprise as she was only 36 weeks and 6 days gestation, but ultimately knew this was going to be safest for her and baby.
We discussed what this induction process may look like and when I would be the most helpful throughout her labor. When Briana started her induction around 11:00 a.m., her cervix was closed. The plan was to start with Cytotec and eventually put a foley bulb in when her cervix opened up. I sent Briana some positions and a labor warm up circuit she would be able to start doing.
At 3:46 p.m., Briana texted me her provider had just put a foley bulb in to help mechanically dilate her cervix. Throughout the rest of the afternoon, she stayed active by walking in the halls and using the birthing ball. She was beginning to feel each one of the contractions but stayed in control and used effective breathing techniques.
Just over 2 hours of having the foley bulb in, it fell out! This was encouraging that her body was beginning to make change, but her body would have to “catch up” as this was a mechanical dilation. Her cervix was about 3-4cm dilated after this came out. Her contractions were not very regular, so they were going to start a low dose of Pitocin.
At 7:39 p.m., she had another cervical exam where she was 5cm dilated and -3 station. Contractions were becoming much more consistent and they were starting to become more intense. She was in the tub which was providing her some relief – she was doing such an amazing job coping and breathing through tough Pitocin contractions!
I figured I would be needed sometime in the middle of the night, so I decided to try and get some rest. Briana was going to keep me updated and let me know if would be needed any sooner.
At 1:00 a.m., I texted Briana to see how things were going. She replied saying they had just performed another cervical exam where she was 7cm dilated and 0 station! Baby had come down into the pelvis so much which was so exciting. I decided it was time that I start heading into the hospital.
I arrived at the hospital at 1:55 a.m. Briana was on the birthing ball and was handling each contraction so well. She wanted to continue staying as active as possible throughout her labor. Briana leaned into Josiah and put one foot on a step stool to help baby move through the mid-pelvis. She continued to have controlled breathing techniques and I applied counter pressure to her lower back.
Just after 3:00, her provider came back to the bedside to break her bag of water. She was 7cm dilated, 100% effaced, and 0 station. Shortly after this, her contractions became even more intense and closer together. She wanted to try and rest in between contractions as she was beginning to get worn out. Around 4:00, I encouraged her to empty her bladder as it had been a while. While sitting on the toilet, she became very uncomfortable and pushy with contractions.
At 4:20 a.m., she opted for another cervical exam and she was 9cm dilated, 100% effaced, and 0 station! She decided to get in the tub again as this helped give her the most relief.
Briana continued to show amazing strength and determination through each contraction. She was willing to do any position I would suggest trying to move baby through the mid-pelvis. Around 6:00 a.m., Briana requested pain medications as she was getting completely exhausted as she had been laboring hard and had been awake for almost 24 hours. At this point, her cervix remained unchanged from her last cervical exam. While waiting for her epidural, we tried some “reset” positions as baby was more than likely asynclitic.
At 7:30 a.m., her epidural was in place and we were all able to get some much-needed rest. Her provider came back and found her to be 9.5cm/100%/0. We continued to try many different positions to encourage baby to rotate and descend. Even with an epidural, we were able to get her into a hands and knees/lunging position while leaning into a birthing ball. She was able to tolerate this position for quite a while which was hopefully going to get rid of the small rim of cervix left.
Her provider returned to the bedside at 11:00 a.m. and performed a cervical exam where she was found to be completely dilated! This was SO encouraging and I was so beyond proud of all the hard work Briana had done to get to this point.
Briana tried many different positions while pushing – squatting, tug of war, hands/knees, lateral, etc. You name it, she did it. Unfortunately, baby was not descending even with all of her amazing pushing efforts. After 3 hours of hard pushing, Briana was completely exhausted and felt as if she had done everything she could. Briana, Josiah, and their medical team decided a cesarean section would be the best option for her and her baby.
Owen Evan
October 27, 2023
2:52 p.m.
6lbs 9oz
Briana worked long and hard throughout her unexpected induction. Although this was not the birth experience they had dreamed of, I was so amazed by the perseverance shown throughout Owen’s birth. Briana and Josiah fully surrendered to God’s plan for them and their sweet baby boy. They ultimately trusted that God’s plans were better than their own. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of Owen’s birth!
Joyner Lee
October 27, 2023
Jackie and Jordan’s birth story starts out when Jackie reached out in early pregnancy in search of doula services as well as lactation. Brenna and I were thrilled to work with them!
Throughout pregnancy, Jackie worked hard in preparing her body for birth. She did daily stretches and stayed very active being a 1st grade teacher. She ate dates, and drank red raspberry leaf tea consistently.
Around 36 weeks Jackie went in for a routine prenatal visit and a third trimester ultrasound. This ultrasound showed that Jackie was pregnant with a big baby and her doctor began to discuss the recommendation for induction on her due date. Jackie felt that she did not want to be induced, but wanted to do what was best for her baby.
In the weeks leading up to induction she worked very hard preparing her body in hopes of going in to labor on her own. But her due date approached and Jackie went in for her scheduled induction on October 26th.
Jackie and I had talked in depth about what the induction process may look like as well as the time I would be there to assist her in birth. With a first time mom induction, doula support is most effective once she has reached active labor and is contracting regularly, usually around 5-6cm dilated.
When Jackie started her induction at 7:00 am, her cervix was closed. So the doctor inserted a dose of cytotec in hopes of starting dilation. Throughout the day we talked about different stretches to try and things to help get labor going. The doctor came back around noon that day and checked Jackie’s cervix and she was still closed, so he placed a second dose of cytotec. She decided to try and take a nap as she may be in for a long night.
At 4:30 pm, the doctor came to check her again and decided she was ALMOST 1 cm dilated. Jackie was having some decently strong contractions, so they decided to wait a couple hours and evaluate again before starting Pitocin.
Jackie texted me at 7:15 and she was 1 cm dilated, so they decided it was time to start some Pitocin. I informed her that the Pitocin contractions may make her current contractions more intense, and we discussed again all the options for pain relief.
At 12:24 a.m. Jacki texted me and said her water broke “Everywhre and it scared the crap out of her!” When her water broke, the nurse checked her cervix again and she was still only 1 cm dilated.
Jackie got in the tub at 1:30 a.m. she decided to get in the tub because now without her bag of water intact her contractions were becoming very intense. The nurse checked Jackie at 4:20 am and she was almost 2cm dilated now. We texted back and forth and discussed different pain management options as Jackie was becoming exhausted and she decided she was ready for an epidural.
She got her epidural placed around 6:45 a.m. on Friday October 27th, and was ready to take a much deserved nap. I stopped over at the hospital around 8:30 am and set up the room with lights and essential oils to help with a calm environment. The doctor had also just checked her cervix around 8 am and she was 3cm dilated now! I left for awhile while Jackie rested as it looked like it may still be awhile until she was in active labor.
Around noon Jackies epidural wore off and she began to be getting very miserable as she was on a high dose of Pitocin. After attempting a bolus and trying to get her pain under control, the decision was made to replace the epidural catheter.
When debriefing with Jackie after her birth, she felt like this was probably the most intense part of her labor. It took almost one hour to get her epidural placed and took many many pokes (she counted 10+ poke holes on her back later) when finally she able to get some relief! Once the epidural was in, it worked wonderfully and allowed for some more rest for her! Her epidural still allowed for her to use her legs, which was nice for her to still be able to move well in bed.
At 4:00 the doctor checked Jackie again and she was still 4cm dilated but 100% effaced and baby was at 0 station. This was encouraging and I sent her again some positions to try while she rested. Around 5:30 Jackie woke up and said that she was starting to feel more pressure and I decided it was probably time to start heading over after supper.
Once I arrived at the hospital, we did many different position in working with attempts to get baby through the mid pelvis. She had just been checked and was 5cm dilated. Jackie was even able to move to the toilet to straddle in in the “dilation station” position. She worked so hard! She was so willing to every position I suggested in hoping to get baby to move.
The doctor came in a few more times over the next couple hours to check on Jackie and check her cervix. He began to discuss the possible need for a c-section as it seemed she wasn’t progressing any further. Nobody obviously wanted that to happen including the doctor as Jackie was really hoping for a vaginal birth. He said we had little bit more time, but at 10:00, Jackie had still not made any more cervical change, so the decision to go to c-secition was made.
While Jackie was waiting in the labor room to go back to c-section, we listened to praise music and Jackie and Jordan surrendered to God’s plan for this baby’s birth story. Before Jackie was wheeled back to the O.R., we all prayed together and prayed for God’s hand in protecting Jackie through surgery and for a quick recovery.
Joyner Lee Wolhert
October 27th, 2023
10:45 p.m.
8lbs 13oz and head FULL of dark hair!
Jackie and Jordan are such a special couple and are incredible parents! Although Joyner’s birth did not turn out to go the way they had hoped, they both kept a positive attitude throughout the process! They continued to laugh and crack jokes that kept the environment light. They trusted God throughout the ENTIRE process, from pregnancy to delivery, they knew He was in control of their baby’s story. Thank you for being such a testament to God’s perfect plans, and allowing me to come alongside in Joyner’s birth story!
Zeke Douglas
October 24, 2023
Brooke had a fairly uncomplicated pregnancy, besides the usual discomforts of pregnancy. She prepared her body by staying active with her two kiddos, spent a lot of time in a tractor this fall, saw a chiropractor regularly, stretching, and drinking RRLT.
Brooke has a history of having fast labors and lives about 45 minutes away from the hospital, so at one of her last appointments they put an induction date on the calendar just in case and to give her some peace of mind.
Brooke was 38 weeks, 3 days when had an appointment on Tuesday, October 24. I asked her to keep me updated with how that went. She texted me following that appointment at 9:18 a.m., “Probably plan on a baby in the next 24 hours!” She was already 4 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and had her provider perform a membrane sweep. She was feeling quite crampy, but no real contractions yet. Her plan was to head home to get everything ready to go and we would stay in touch. She joked that bouncing around in a tractor should really get things going, but I am so glad she didn’t end up actually going into the field!
She texted me at 1:53 p.m. that her belly was getting hard every 8 minutes or so, so they were going to start heading to the hospital and she would text me when they are all settled in.
At 3:10 p.m., she texted me she was 6cm dilated and 80% effaced. Her provider said he would break her bag of water at any time to augment her labor. I figured things would progress rather quickly, so I decided to leave work and start heading her way.
I arrived at the hospital at 3:50 p.m. and the provider had just ruptured her bag of water 8 minutes prior to me getting there. Shortly after I arrived, her contractions were already starting to get stronger and Brooke asked to have the tub filled.
At 4:00 p.m., she got in the tub. I suggested she go in a hands/knees position and alternate putting her leg up to help facilitate baby through the mid-pelvis. Within 15 minutes, contractions had gotten much more intense. Brooke had so much control over her body and was working hard to breathe through each of her contractions.
After a half hour of being in tub, she was having increased pressure with contractions and had a feeling that things were really getting close. She got out of the tub and opted for a cervical exam; she was 8cm dilated, 100% effaced, and 0 station. She decided to stand and sway through next few contractions. Brooke was working very hard through all of the pain each contraction brought. Just 5 minutes after her last cervical exam, she began feeling an increased amount of pressure and the urge to push. The nurses called the doctor back to the bedside to be ready for delivery.
At 4:45 p.m., Brooke was found to be complete and could begin pushing. After just a few pushes, at 4:50 p.m., Brooke delivered a sweet baby and her husband was able to announce, “It’s a boy!” to everyone in the room. It was such a sweet, emotional moment to be a part of.
Zeke Douglas
October 24, 2023
4:50 p.m.
8lbs 14 oz
Brooke showed so much trust in her body’s ability to labor and birth her baby. Everyone in the room was amazed by the control she had over her body which brought such a calming presence into the room. Brooke, I am so proud of the strength shown throughout your fast, unmedicated labor. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of Zeke’s birth story!
Thea Sue
October 21, 2023
Dallas was in the first half of her pregnancy when she inquired regarding doula services. This was her second pregnancy and was looking for a different experience than her first birth. Her goal was to be able to welcome her baby girl joyfully and for the Spirit of God to be evident and praised through each moment/contraction, knowing He has caused, equipped, and prepared them for this time. I was over-joyed to be invited into this God-filled birth space.
Dallas prepared her body for labor by eating dates, drinking RRLT, stayed very active chasing their toddler around, and consistently saw a chiropractor. Dallas was induced with her first daughter at 40 weeks’ gestation and was hoping to have a natural, unmedicated labor and delivery this time.
Dallas had an appointment on Tuesday, October 17 where she found out she was 1.5 cm dilated, 60% effaced, and she had her provider strip her membranes in hopes this would bump her into labor. She stayed busy the next few days doing ALL the things – stretching, walking, the miles circuit, birthing ball exercises, and pumping.
A couple days after her guess date, Dallas texted me at 6:40 a.m. on Saturday, October 21 that she had woke up at 3:45 a.m. to use the bathroom and started experiencing light contractions. Around 4:30, she started to have more noticeable ones for about a minute to a minute & 15 seconds coming about every 12-16 minutes. She was able to doze off and rest in between them but was breathing through them when they were coming. I encouraged her to rest if she could, but if she was unable, I gave her a labor warm up circuit she could start making her way through.
Around 8:20 a.m., Dallas texted me they were anywhere from 4-13 minutes apart and they were growing in intensity, but she was able to continue breathing through each of them. Her plan was to shower and make her way through the miles circuit.
A couple hours later she let me know that contractions continued to become closer together and she had started to have some bloody show the last few times she went to the bathroom. She had gone for a walk outside and was going to try and eat a little something.
At 11:08 a.m., Dallas texted me that they were going to head into the hospital soon for some peace of mind. Her contractions were starting to get much more intense, but she still felt very much in control of her body. Shortly after arriving to the hospital and getting settled, Dallas requested me to come to the hospital.
I arrived at the hospital at 12:20 p.m. Dallas was swaying to each contraction and doing such an amazing job breathing through each one. At 12:35 p.m., Dallas opted for her first cervical exam to see where she was at. To her surprise, she was 6cm dilated, 80% effaced, and 0 station!
In the background, there was a playlist of worship music she had created and listened to throughout her entire pregnancy called “Embraced”. Through each contraction, she would hold her belly as if she was giving hugs to her sweet baby girl who she would have in her arms so soon.
Dallas wanted to stay as active as possible throughout her labor. She leaned into Eric and put one foot on a stool to help baby move through the mid-pelvis. I applied some counter pressure simultaneously as she was having some back pain. Shortly after 1:00 p.m., she asked if we could start getting the tub ready since it was going to take at least 15 minutes for it to fill up. At this point, her contractions had become very powerful and she was beginning to moan with each contraction.
Through the next hour, her contractions really started to become closer and much more intense. Dallas was so strong and continued to work with her body through each contraction. She utilized the birthing ball where I was able to massage her back and continue to give counter pressure through each contraction.
At 2:20 p.m., Dallas decided it was time to get into the tub. She was laboring so beautifully and resting in between each contraction. The only position that was tolerable in the tub was hands/knees. I climbed into the corner of the tub to give counter pressure with each contraction to help ease some of the pain. It was evident she was beginning to hit transition as her contractions were coming fast and furious.
At 2:55 p.m., she decided to get out of the tub as her feet were becoming really numb from sitting on them. She went to the bathroom and emptied her bladder as well as labor on the toilet for a few contractions. After a few contractions, she wanted to get out of the bathroom to cool off for a little bit. She continued to amaze me with how control of her body she truly was.
A short while later, she wanted to sit back on the toilet again. She was questioning if her water broke as she was leaking a very small amount of amniotic fluid. While sitting on the toilet, she started to have an overwhelming urge to push. She decided it was time to head back to the bed as delivery was getting so close! She was leaning on the edge of the bed with one leg elevated. Dallas requested a cervical exam at this time, and she was 9.5cm dilated, 100% effaced, and +2 station. Her bag of water was still intact, but her provider asked if he could rupture it and she consented to this.
At 3:30 p.m., it seemed she was complete as Dallas started involuntarily pushing while still leaning on the edge of the bed. Just 7 minutes after she started pushing, she delivered her sweet baby girl.
Thea Sue
born October 21, 2023 at 3:37 p.m.
weighing 7lbs 4oz
Dallas worked so hard throughout her pregnancy and labor which helped her achieve her goal of a natural, unmedicated birth. She trusted her body’s ability to give birth. It was such an empowering, joy filled birth surround by the Holy Spirit. Dallas, I am so proud of your strength and determination you had throughout your labor. It was an absolute honor to be a part of Thea’s incredible birth story and will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Emmie Jean
October 7, 2023
When Caitlin reached out for doula services at 12 weeks pregnant, I was so excited because she is my cousin by marriage. This was her second baby and was looking for a different experience than her first birth.
Caitlin had a fairly easy pregnancy other than the usual discomforts of pregnancy. She was able to stay active in keeping up with her business demands as well as keeping up with their toddler Alea. She choked down dates and sat on her birth ball frequently. She was also able to incorporate the Miles Circuit into her busy days often.
Caitlin had been induced with her first daughter at a little over 39 weeks' gestation, and was really hoping to go into labor naturally this time. Caitlin texted me on the morning of Friday October 6th, 2 days before her due date, that if she made it to her appointment on Monday, she was going to get induced as soon as she could. Little did she know what the next 24 hours would bring!
The next morning, Caitlin texted me at 3:15 am letting me know that she was having some cramping coming about every 20 minutes. She was going to call me if things started getting more intense. At 6:15 a.m. her contractions were getting closer at 10-15 minutes apart. She was GBS positive and wanted to make sure she had enough time to receive her antibiotics prior to delivery. We talked about some things to try to help get them a little bit closer together before heading to the hospital. During this time, I encouraged her to go through the Miles Circuit and be sure to eat a good breakfast and wait and see how it goes!
At 8:30 her contractions were 8 minutes apart, so Mitchell and Caitlin decided they were ready to head to the hospital. We made the plan that she would get checked in and get her cervix checked and then decide when I would come.
Once she got to the hospital, her usual doctor was gone, so the on-call doctor decided he wanted to come in and see her. She was checked at 10:06 am and she was 4cm dilated, and 80% effaced and baby was -2 station.
She was still coping well through labor and didn’t feel like she needed me to come yet. So, we discussed some different positions to try and see if it would help bring baby down. She walked the halls and did some birth ball exercises. While she was doing “flying cowgirl” she felt pretty uncomfortable through contractions. She felt like she was starting to get ready for me to head to the hospital.
At 11:17, the doctor came back and checked her again and now she was 5cm dilated and 90% effaced. She was ready to get in the tub to labor while I was starting to head in to support her and Mitchell at the hospital.
Once I arrived at the hospital, Caitlin had just gotten out of the tub as it was not feeling comfortable for her anymore. She decided she wanted to try resting on the bed since she had been awake for a while and was hoping to take a small nap. I assisted her to an exaggerated runner's position with the peanut ball. Mitchell was able to hold her hands by the top of the bed while I provided sacral pressure. Caitlin was having horrible back labor throughout her entire labor, but not due to malposition. So sacral pressure and massage was helping her cope through the intense back contractions.
In this position she was able to rest somewhat between contractions. We we did the peanut ball on one side and then the other. Soon Caitlin was really having to work through contractions, and they were getting much more intense! We decided to get the bathtub starting filled back up to see if that would help her with some relief.
The doctor came back to check her at 1:15 p.m. and found that Caitlin only had a small rim on the right side of her cervix left! This was so exciting and decided we probably not going to get to be able to use the tub now!
Mitchell and I helped Caitlin to a hands and knees leaning over the back of the bed position in hopes of using gravity and pressure to get rid of the last little bit of cervix. She labored this way while squeezing Mitchell's hand with every contraction for another 30 minutes when the doctor came back.
He came back at 1:45 and Caitlin still had the same small rim. Her water was not broken, so the doctor and Caitlin decided that breaking her water would help the rest of her cervix dilate. After her water was broke, we had her lay down on her right side to put more gravity on the cervix because she had some cervix on the right side. She was only able to tolerate this for a few contractions when she soon felt that she needed to push. We went back on to hands and knees over the bed while waiting for the doctor. While in this position, Caitlin began to feel an overwhelming urge to push. We encouraged her to listen to her body!
The doctor arrived shortly after, and Caitlin was 10 cm dilated at 1:54 pm! The doctor got set up to push and Caitlin started pushing right after this. Pushing was an intense experience this time as she had an epidural with her last birth and had been very numb. She worked very hard and worked through all the pain, she was so strong! And with one final strong push, she brought her baby earth side!
Emmie Jean
October 7th, 2023
2:24 p.m.
8lbs 8oz
Caitlin worked so hard to prepare her body to go in to labor on its own and for her to deliver naturally! It may have been one of the most intense experiences she has ever gone through, but she showed absolutely incredible control! The nurses and I were in awe of her ability to control her breathing when she was completely dilated! She proved to show how strong the mind of a laboring woman can be. Unmedicated labor is not purely physical, but mentally difficult as well! Caitlin and Mitchell thanking for taking me along on the journey of miss Emmie Jean’s birth, and can’t wait to continue to watch her grow up!
Walker Thomas
September 27, 2023
Becky was in the first trimester of her pregnancy when she inquired regarding doula services. Our initial consult was over the phone, but it didn’t take her and her husband long to decide they wanted to move forward with doula services. Her goal was to have a labor & delivery that increases her trust and confidence in her body’s abilities and deepen the bond with her husband as they welcome their first baby!
Becky went above and beyond when it went to preparing her body for labor. She ate dates, drank RRLT, stayed very active, and educated herself with evidence-based research.
Everything was going smoothly – soon Becky’s due date came and went. Becky and Trevor were patiently awaiting the arrival of their first baby whenever he or she was ready. Becky spent a lot of time doing the miles circuit, a labor warm up circuit, birthing ball exercises, pumping, and going on walks. At 40 weeks and 6 days gestation, Becky had a doctor’s appointment and decided she wanted to get her membranes swept to see if this would bump her into labor. She found out she was 3cm dilated and 80% effaced, which was so relieving to hear that her hard work prepping was paying off. Becky had a discussion with her provider and decided that in the membrane sweep didn’t do anything throughout the rest of the day or overnight, she was going to take the Midwives brew to attempt to induce labor.
There was little to no change in how she was feeling throughout the rest of the day and into the morning. On Wednesday, September 27, at 9:00a.m., Becky took the Midwives Brew. I told her to just stay in touch with me throughout the morning and let me know if anything changes. At 11:45a.m. Becky texted me that things were definitely clearing, and she was feeling crampier, but wasn’t quite sure if they were contractions yet. She continued to work through the miles circuits. After her walk, she planned to relax & pump and see if she would be able to time any contractions.
At 1:18p.m. she texted me that things were definitely changing, and she thought she was starting to have contractions. She was having intense cramping in her back, more lower belly tightness than with any braxton hicks contractions she had, and bloody show each time she went to the bathroom. I encouraged her to try resting if she was able and start practicing her breathing techniques in order to stay in control of her body.
At 1:41p.m. Becky texted that her contractions were close to every 3-5 minutes. At this point she was still able to talk through the contractions, but not without focusing on talking. At 2:11p.m., Becky and Trevor decided it was time for them to head into the hospital – especially since they had an hour drive. At this point, I had told her to update me how things were going throughout the car ride and when they got to the hospital.
At 2:54p.m. she texted me saying the contractions were becoming more painful with a lot of back cramping.
At 3:12p.m. Becky told me the contractions were beginning to get closer and coming every 2.5-3.5 minutes.
At 3:16p.m. she asked me what it would feel like if her water broke. She wasn’t sure if this happened, but we later found out it was her bag of water breaking! I was just getting home from work, but I immediately starting to get all of my things ready as I figured I was going to head her way shortly.
At 3:39p.m. she texted me saying, “We’re at the hospital. 8cm dilated.” I immediately sprinted out the door and took off as I had an hour drive to the hospital.
At 4:08p.m Trevor texted me saying she was taking some nitrous oxide to help take the edge off, but overall was doing absolutely amazing coping through each contraction.
At 4:41p.m. Trevor told me she had just started pushing on hands & knees and making progress. At this point, I was less than 5 minutes away. I was praying the entire car ride that I wasn’t going to miss her birth.
At 4:45p.m. I arrived at the hospital and she was pushing on her side. The nurse was holding her leg up and I could see that she was crowning with each push. Becky was an absolute rock star at pushing and continued to make great progress. We were all in awe of her strength and control as baby’s head stayed crowning. Finally, her sweet baby was finally here! Trevor was to announce, “IT’S A BOY!” to everyone in the room and it was so clear they were both so smitten by him immediately.
Walker Thomas
Born September 27, 2023 at 4:57p.m.
8lb 3oz
Becky and Trevor worked flawlessly together through Becky’s fast labor. Trevor was by her side through it all and was constantly encouraging her. Becky worked SO hard to prepare her body for labor and it all paid off. After Walker was born, she told me, “When it was really intense, I just kept telling myself that just as my body knew how to make this baby that my body knows how to birth this baby”. I had sent that reminder to her the day before he was born as she was patiently waiting for her sweet boy to make his arrival. Becky, I admire your patience and strength as you brought Walker into this world. What an honor it was to be there through your fast and empowering birth experience. Thank you for welcoming me into your birth space.
Rose Opal
September 19, 2023
Tamara was in the first half of her pregnancy when she reached out about doula services for some guidance through their first pregnancy. Her goal was to have a relaxing and empowering environment centered around Drew and herself as their daughter was brought into this world.
Tamara’s pregnancy was anything but simple. I was so proud of how she handled everything thrown at her with grace – proving to me how strong of a mama she was going to be. Around 25-weeks gestation, Tamara found out she was a gestational diabetic which resulted in extra appointments for growth scans and non-stress tests. In the weeks leading up to delivery, she was staying active, eating her dates, and drinking RRLT.
Her provider had suggested an induction around 38 weeks for her gestational diabetes, but baby wasn’t going to wait for that day to come! On September 18, at 37 weeks and 2 days, Tamara texted me around 10:30 a.m. wondering what early labor contractions would be like and any positions to help her relax. The contractions had started earlier in the morning when she had woken up and continued to intensify in strength throughout the morning. Throughout the next few hours, she began focusing on her breathing, did lots of stretching, utilized the birthing ball, and took a warm bath. Her husband, Drew, provided such amazing support and encouragement to her.
At 1:30 p.m., Tamara and Drew decided it was time to head into the hospital. Her provider checked her cervix and she was 2cm dilated, 40% effaced, -3 station. Baby was looking great and contractions were now coming every 3-4 minutes. The plan was for her provider to return in 2-3 hours to recheck her cervix to see if any change was made. I sent them a list of different positions to encourage baby to descend into the pelvis and hopefully encourage some continued progress.
The provider returned around 4 p.m., to recheck her cervix and found there was no cervical change. The plan was to get some IV fluids and recheck cervix in a few hours. Tamara remained active trying many different positions and utilizing the tub to help her relax some more.
At 9 p.m., her provider returned and found her to be 3cm dilated and 60% effaced. Her contractions were continuing to come every 2-3 minutes and baby was moving down into the pelvis. This was encouraging news to hear that she was making change. Drew and Tamara were making an amazing team to bring their sweet girl into this world! I encouraged her to stay active if she could, but also to allow her body to rest if she could. We continued to stay in touch throughout the night.
At 1:30 a.m., Tamara requested to get an epidural – her body had worked hard ALL day long, so some much-deserved relief and rest was due. I was so proud of the strength and grit Tamara showed while working through each contraction. I encouraged her to get some solid rest now, but to switch positions every 30-45 minutes.
At 7 a.m., I arrived at the hospital to be there in time for the provider to perform morning rounds. I was able to get the room all set up – dim lights, essential oils diffusing, and music already playing. Her provider arrived at 8 a.m. and performed a cervical exam and break her water – she was 4 cm dilated, 70%, -3 station.
Throughout the morning, we continued to do many positions to open the inlet of the pelvis to get baby engaged. Tamara was willing to do just about anything to keep things moving. We stayed busy throughout the morning doing the flying cowgirl, side-lying release, high thrones, hands/kneed with massage, and side-lying positions. She even was able to get another nap in between all of our position changes!
At 12:10 p.m., her provider returned to the bedside to perform a cervical exam. She was 5cm dilated, 80%, and -1 station. Slow, but steady change and baby was becoming more engaged. Since Tamara was having good coverage with her epidural, I decided to go work for the afternoon and return in the evening. I went over many positions to continue doing and encouraged rest when she was able.
Around 1:30 p.m., Tamara texted me that the baby’s heart rate had dropped on a couple different occasions in a short time span. They performed a position change, a fluid bolus, and put Tamara on oxygen to help stabilize the baby’s heart rate. Baby was able to recover for a short amount of time.
At 2:00 p.m., I got a call from Drew that the baby’s heart rate had dropped low again and was taking a much longer amount of time to recover. Her provider was at the bedside and discussed with Drew and Tamara that a c-section was highly recommended at this time. They both consented to this as they both agreed this was the safest option for Tamara and her baby.
Rose Opal
6lb 13oz
Born September 19 at 2:39 p.m.
Tamara worked SO hard throughout her labor. Although this is not the birth experience Drew and Tamara had dreamed of, I was so amazed by the strength and perseverance shown throughout Rose’s birth. Birth is truly unpredictable and unfortunately sometimes it doesn’t always end in a vaginal birth. Drew and Tamara showed so much grace throughout her pregnancy and birth, fully surrendering to God’s plan for them. Tamara, I want you to know how beyond proud I am of you. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of Rose’s birth.
Weston Gary
September 21, 2023
Ashley reached out in early pregnancy for doula services as she was hoping for as natural of a birth as possible.
Ashley had a fairly smooth pregnancy but started developing some higher blood pressures towards the end of pregnancy. She decreased her work hours and began monitoring her blood pressures at home. This helped keep her blood pressures in a normal range.
The morning of Wednesday September 20th, at 39 weeks and 1 day, Ashley went in for her routine prenatal visit. At this visit she was found to have a higher blood pressure in the clinic. She was then sent over for Non-Stress Test and some blood work. Ashleys doctor felt the blood work was concerning enough that she should be induced that afternoon. She felt very upset about this news, but after discussion with her husband she agreed to be induced.
Ashley arrived at the hospital around 2:00 that afternoon to get checked it. Her cervix was checked, and she was closed so her doctor decided to place Cytotec. Her doctor came back and forth throughout the afternoon as Ashley walked the halls. At 5:00 p.m. the doctor placed the Foley bulb to help her manually dilate. This fell out around 9:00 p.m. and Ashley was 4 cm dilated.
At this point her contractions were becoming more intense and regular. Ashley and I had talked earlier and discussed that since this was an induction and her first baby, the induction process may take a little while. We both decided we were going to try sleep for a bit. At midnight Ashley was ready for an epidural as she felt like she wasn’t able to rest anymore.
She texted me at 2:30 that she was 7cm dilated, 75% effaced and baby was at -3. After we texted back and forth for a bit, I decided to head into the hospital. When getting to the hospital we were able to place Ashley in flying cowgirl to encourage for baby to come down. She was able to sleep, and I woke her up every 15-30 minutes to change positions. After one of the positions changes the nurse went to drain Ashleys bladder when she noticed lots of fluid soaked in the pad. Her water had broken around 4:30 a.m. and clear fluid was noted.
Her doctor came back and checked her again at 5:45 am and she was 8cm dilated, 90% effaced and baby had now moved to -1 station. Her doctor also confirmed that her water had also indeed broken. We continued to do positions to help baby continue to descend but allowing for Ashley to rest.
She was checked at 7:30 a.m. again and now she was 9cm dilated, 100% effaced, and baby was at 0 station. Ashley was awake for the day now and we were able to get her into some hands and knees potions with the birth ball. She was tired but did so good moving into the positions I was suggesting!
Her doctor came back at 9:30 and Ashleys cervix was unchanged from the previous check and had discussion with her of starting Pitocin. Ashley started getting contractions every 2-3 minutes, so she opted for trying to utilize position changes first. We continued to keep changing positions every 15 minutes to keep encouraging baby to move further down.
After a while, Ashleys contractions began to space out. The doctor came and checked her again at 11:30 a.m. and her cervix was still 9cm dilated, 100% effaced, and baby was at 0 station still. Ashley agreed to Pitocin at this time. Ashleys epidural was only working on one side, and she was feeling lots of pain in her right hip.
The anesthesiologist came and was able to bolus Ashleys epidural and get her more comfortable prior to starting Pitocin. Pitocin was started at approximately at 12:30 pm. Now that Ashley was more comfortable, she wanted to try and rest and save energy for pushing.
At 1:30 p.m. the doctor came back, and Ashley only had an anterior cervical rim and baby was at +1 station. We assisted Ashley in a position leaning over the birth ball utilizing the squat bar. She was able to rest this way and close her eyes. While she was resting, the nurse, her husband, and I were busy talking all things pigs.
While Ashley was pregnant, she struggled with bad acid reflux. This transferred to many episodes of vomiting during labor. This was very miserable for Ashley as her throat was raw and it was difficult for her to talk.
At 2:45 p.m. her doctor came back and checked her and she was 10 cm dilated! The doctor and nurses got all their supplies set up. Seth was able to be right by Ashleys head and hold on to her hand. Ashley started pushing at 2:48 p.m. and soon she got the hang of it! Pushing as a first-time mom with an epidural, can sometimes take a little bit to get the feel of how to push adequately. Ashley quickly figured it out and started moving baby. Initially she was on her back and Seth was able to help support her neck and back while pushing. After doing this for roughly 20 minutes, Ashley was assisted into a hanging squat from the squat bar. This helped utilize gravity to help baby move down. Seth and the nurse and I were able to assist her in moving back and forth from laying down to the squat bar.
Ashley arms were getting tired hanging from the bar, she wanted to push on her back again. She had made so much progress squatting that after only a few more pushes, baby was here! The first thing everyone noticed was his head FULL of dark hair!
Weston Gary
September 21st, 2023
3:25 p.m.
7lbs 2oz
Ashley worked so hard throughout her whole pregnancy and labor! She was active in preparing her body for labor and saw a Webster certified chiropractor regularly. Her horrible heartburn was gone almost immediately after birth and proved the old wife's tale to be true for Weston with all his hair! Ashley and Seth were such a fun couple work with! Thank you for inviting me along on the journey of pregnancy and the birth of Weston!
Lillian Beth
September 16, 2023
Baby Byl is here!
When Kyla informed me that she was pregnant on January 3rd, she gave me a necklace of with the chemical make up of Oxytocin on it. This turned out to be so special as baby Byl’s birth was FULL of oxytocin and worship!
Kyla and Nic’s goal for their labor was a birth that was as physiological as possible. Kyla and I share the mutual belief in woman’s God given ability to birth. Because Kyla believes this whole heartedly, she decided she wanted to welcome their first child earthside in the comfort of the their own home.
At 5:30 a.m. on Saturday September 16th, at 40 weeks 2 days gestation, Kyla was awoken to the feeling of intense period cramping that was coming somewhat inconsistently. She texted me around 6:00 just to give me a heads up. Soon 7:00 came around, she was unable to rest through the cramping anymore and decided to get up and move around. She was able to enjoy the morning with Nic, eating home made muffins and relaxing. We continued to stay in touch throughout the morning and Kyla felt like she was doing well. The cramping was growing, but was still somewhat irregular and she was getting breaks in between.
2:00 p.m. came around and Kyla felt her contractions were starting to get more intense and decided to try to relax her bath tub. This helped ease the intensity but now contractions were starting to come very regular and predicable. She was still coping decently, but was ready for me to start getting ready to head over. While I was getting ready to go, I got a text from Kyla at 3:47 p.m. that said : “I feel like I need to puke.” we were getting close now!
When I arrived to Nic and Kyla’s house at 4:30 p.m., the midwife Kari was pulling in the driveway at the exact same time. Upon going inside, Kyla was leaning over her counter and swaying back and forth. Kari talked to Kyla about how she was feeling while I provided some counter pressure. After being present with her through a few contractions, it was obvious she is in active labor!
Nic got the birth pool started filling up in the dining room while Kari was able to get her supplies all situated and towels ready. The whole vibe of the room was so calm and peaceful! Kyla had placed soft lights hanging from the curtains and beautiful Christian music playing in the background. She had beautiful fresh picked fall flowers on display and easy access to food and drinks.
When the tub was warm enough, she was able to climb in and relax. This allowed her to close her eyes while the warm water helped relive some of the intensity of contractions. Nic was able to be right by her side and hold her hands with every contraction. Soon Kyla began to feel an overwhelming feeling of helplessness, and was ready for baby to be here. Nic read Kyla her birth affirmations, one of which stated “ I rest in God’s peace which surpasses all understanding.”
At this point Kyla chose to have a cervical exam.
At 6:00 p.m. Kyla had a cervical exam in the birth pool and was 9 cm dilated and baby was very low! This was extremely encouraging! The nurse, Kris and I urged Kyla that now would be a good time to try use the bathroom to empty her bladder and along with doing a few contractions on the toilet. She was not thrilled about the idea of getting out of the water and moving to the toilet, but with some encouragement we made it over to the bathroom. She was able to straddle the toilet and rest while I provided counter pressure. Nic was able to quick grab something to small to eat as it was now around 6:10 p.m.. Kyla labored on the toilet for a few contractions and soon she began to bear down with at the end of the contractions. She could feel that baby was moving down!
She was really hoping for a water birth, so after an intense contraction ended, we were able to help Kyla walk back the the birth pool. She got in and felt some relief from the contractions and pelvic pressure she was feeling. She was able to lean over the edge of the and hold on to Nic’s hands. She was closing her eyes and resting between every contraction. After 2 contractions this way, she decided she was ready for a cervical exam to make sure she wasn’t pushing against her cervix. When Kari checked her at approximately 6:40 she had a small anterior rim and her water had broken previously!
Kyla felt she could no longer breathe through contractions, so choose to have Kari hold the cervical lip out of the way with her fingers while she pushed past it. Kari attempted to hold it through 2 different contractions and with the second one, Kyla was able push past it and allow for the cervix to completely dilate! Now baby really started moving!
She was leaning over the tub holding on to Nic, and she was able to reach down and feel baby’s head as she was getting so close to crowning! With the next big contraction, Kyla worked with her body and bore down as she delivered her baby’s head! She felt so much relief! From standing behind Kyla I could see this baby had chubby cheeks and a super cute nose! While Kyla waited for the next contraction, she was able to reach down and feel baby’s ears, nose, and short hair. It was so sweet! A few minutes later when Kyla got another contraction, baby’s head rotated and she reached down and was able to catch her own baby with just a small guidance from Kari!
Kyla gave a scream of relief has she brought baby out of the water to her chest! She sobbed, “Hi my baby!! Hi my baby! Hi my baby!” Kyla looked down at her baby and screamed, “IT’S A GIRL! WE HAVE A GIRL!” She looked at Nic with sheer absolute joy! There was not a dry eye in the room and it was such a pure moment to witness Nic and Kyla's breakthrough in to parenthood.
Lillian Beth
September 16th, 2023
6:51 p.m.
7lbs 4 oz
Moments after Lillian was born while being held on Kyla’s chest, the song "Goodness of God" started playing. Kyla held Nic’s hand as Lillian snuggled in to her mama. We turned the volume up and sang our praise to Jesus for this precious new life! It was a time filled with the Holy Spirit as Lillian was brought earthside surrounded by love and support.
Kyla showed incredible strength and perseverance when she felt she couldn’t continue. She leaned into God and in to Nic and trusted her body’s ability to give birth. I am so humbled to get to witness such a testament of God’s goodness to us!
“All my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so, so good.
With every breathe that I am able,
I will sing, of the Goodness of God.”
Mabel Rose
September 7, 2023
Kisara was in her first trimester when she reached out regarding doula and lactation services. She was looking for some extra guidance and education through her first pregnancy. Her goal was to stay strong and in tune with her body, stay focused, and breathe through each contraction knowing it was one step closer to meeting her baby. Kisara worked hard to prepare her body for labor. She saw a chiropractor consistently, got massages, stayed active, ate dates, and drank red raspberry leaf tea.
Kisara’s due date was a week away when her and her doctor had set an induction due to the baby potentially being large for gestational age; her providers did not want her going past her due date. In the last week leading up to her due date, we had a few instances where we thought she was maybe going into labor. At her last OB appointment, she was already 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced! Her provider stripped her membranes in hopes this could bump her into labor. Throughout the entire weekend, she continued to do many natural induction methods. She was very crampy, had bloody show, and even lost her mucous plug. However, it all fizzled out and nothing came of it.
On Wednesday, her due date, Kisara headed into the hospital for her induction. She requested a cervical exam prior to beginning her induction and she was 4-5 cm and 80% effaced. It was so amazing her body had already done so much work preparing for labor. Around 8:00 a.m., IV Pitocin was started. I encouraged her to be active in this early stage and gave her some labor warm up stretches to do.
After a couple hours of being on Pitocin, her provider returned to the bedside to break her water at 10:30. She really started to feel her contractions after this was done and was having to breathe through them.
When I arrived around 11:30, she was leaning & swaying over the side of the bed and Lane was applying sacral pressure. In between contractions, she would sit on the birthing ball. She was coping and working effectively with her contractions.
At 12:15, she decided it was time to try and tub to see if that could relieve the intense contractions that were coming on top of each other. After about 45 minutes, she decided to get out of the tub as there wasn’t much room to change positions in it.
She was getting quite exhausted as she wasn’t able to sleep much the night before and she was having intense back labor. Kisara started feeling intense pressure after getting out of the tub and opted for a cervical exam. She was 6 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and -1 station. Baby was moving down and starting to get engaged into the pelvis.
At 1:10, she decided she wanted to try some nitrous oxide to take the edge off of contractions that she was feeling in her back. As she was lying in bed, we did side-lying release in order to create more room in her pelvic floor. She was able to rest in between contractions which was much needed.
After an hour or so, she decided something else was needed to take the edge off of the excruciating back labor she was having. She opted to receive a dose of an IV medication which helped tremendously. At 3:00, I had her get up to the bathroom as it had been a while since she had emptied her bladder and sitting on the toilet would be a great position for her. Kisara was beginning to feel a lot more pressure and began involuntarily pushing in this position. She was getting quite uncomfortable sitting on the toilet. She decided to get back in bed where she went into a modified lunging position with a peanut ball and was able to rock back and forth while I applied sacral pressure.
At 3:25, she requested a cervical exam to find she was 7.5cm dilated, 80%, and -1 station. Immediately after the cervical exam, she had a lot of bloody show which was promising there was more cervical change happening! The nurses performed another cervical exam as she was feeling a lot of pressure and an intense urge to push. She remained the same, except baby had moved down into the pelvis more and was at 0 station! Kisara was doing such an amazing job coping with her contractions as they continued to be super intense. She asked for another dose of IV medication since that helped manage her pain the best. She then went into a hands/knees position leaning over the head of the bed with one leg up. Her legs tired quickly and she quickly wanted to lay back down into an exaggerated runner’s position in bed to encourage more descent into the pelvis.
At 6:00, her back labor was more intense that it had ever been. Another cervical exam was performed to find that her cervix was now becoming swollen from the involuntary pushing she was doing with each contraction. The nurses and I began to have a conversation with her about receiving an epidural to which she agreed.
Shortly before 7:00, the epidural was in place and she was getting great relief. Every 30-45 minutes, the nurse was able to help me move Kisara into a different position to encourage continued progress. She was actually able to get some much-needed rest at this time.
At 9:00, the doctors made rounds and requested to perform a cervical exam. She was 8 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and 0 station. Her provider wanted to put an intrauterine pressure catheter in to monitor the strength of her contractions to ensure they were strong enough to make cervical change. She would come back in a couple of hours to see if any progress was being made. In the meantime, we continued to perform asymmetrical positions and encouraged Kisara to get some more rest.
11:00 rolled around and her provider returned to perform another cervical exam. She was now 8.5cm dilated, but otherwise unchanged. She was slowly, but surely making progress!
Shortly after midnight, Kisara unfortunately started developing a fever and became tachycardic. The nurse began giving her a bolus of fluids and her provider ordered some labs to be drawn. They had diagnosed her with a uterine infection that was making her feel so poorly. This also began affecting baby’s heart rate as it got tachycardic as well. The discussion of a c-section was had, but her provider still wanted to give her a little more time to see if any cervical change would happen.
At 1:00 a.m., her temperature kept rising, she wasn’t feeling well, and she had no cervical change. With the last cervical exam, the provider noted there was now some meconium which meant baby was becoming stressed out. It was decided that a c-section was going to be the safest option for Kisara and her baby. Around 1:30, Kisara was wheeled off to c-section.
Mabel Rose
Born September 7 at 1:51 a.m.
9lbs 6oz
This birth story wasn’t the dream Kisara had for her birth, but it showed just how strong she is. I fully believe that you did everything you could for your baby throughout the whole labor and delivery process. You did all the education, research, and prep-work to best prepare your body. There are times when everything is done “correctly” but things still don’t go as planned. Kisara, I hope you know I am so proud of you and I was so honored to be there for sweet Mabel’s birth.
Myka Marie
August 28, 2023
At our first meeting, Connor and Maddie decided to sign their contract right then. I was so excited to get to work with them. Throughout our prenatal meeting’s, Connor and Maddie soaked up all the information I had to offer as well as doing lots of research of their own.
Maddie had gone in to labor with their first daughter on their own around 39 weeks and was hoping for the same this time. But soon 39 weeks came and went, and Maddie decided to book an induction for 3 days past her due date to help her mentally know their was “an end in sight.” She was still really hoping to go in to labor before her induction date as she was hoping for an unmedicated birth.
In the weeks leading up to labor, Maddie had had one appointment around 36 weeks where she had a more elevated blood pressure and was sent over for a Non Stress Test as well as some lab work. This all came back normal, but Maddie was going to be followed more closely for possible pre-eclampsia and the talk of an early induction was had. As the weeks went on, Maddie took time off work and was able to control her blood pressure well and the doctor actually said “You look better as the weeks go on!”
Maddie was hoping for a unmedicated birth, so she was doing amazing prep work to prepare her body! She was eating dates every day as well as staying as active as she could in the heat! She did forward leaning inversions daily and drank red raspberry leaf tea. She went to a chiropractor very regularly to help make sure her pelvis was in alignment. Leading up to her due date, she had a few instances where we thought she may possibly going in to labor as she had bouts of regular consistent contractions. But these episodes all fizzled out after a few hours. Maddie felt discouraged each time that her contractions stopped, but I reassured her this was all good things and her body was starting to do some of the work ahead of time before she actually started labor. When she went to her 39 week appointment, the doctor did a cervical sweep as Maddie was already 4cm dilated and 75%. This resulted in Maddie feeling crampy and having some contractions, but nothing continued from it.
On Monday morning, the day before Maddie’s induction at 40weeks 1 day pregnant, she was having some contractions. She felt these contractions were nothing different that what she had felt with all her previous false labor instances. So she continued throughout her day and we stayed in touch. She decided to try go for a walk and try some pumping to see if that would help things become more regular.
At 4:02 pm Maddie texted me that she had felt a shift in her contractions and that these were becoming much more intense. They were irregular yet, so she was going to try and take a shower and then possibly head to the hospital. I told her that sounded like a great idea and to keep me in the loop! I started getting all my bags packed as well. She texted me back at 4:04 p.m. and said they were starting to come in her lower back and wrap into her abdomen instead of just being tight in her belly and that they were definitely more painful. I reassured her this was awesome news and if she wanted to try take a shower yet, before she left for the hospital that that might help with her pain. She texted me back at 4:08 p.m. that she was maybe going to take a quick shower but she wanted to give me a heads up that her contractions were now 3-4 minutes a part and they were thinking about heading to the hospital sooner then they initially thought as she was GBS+ and wanted to make sure she got her antibiotics in.
At 4:14 She asked me to meet her at the hospital as her contractions were coming fast and close together now! I quick gathered all my stuff in my vehicle and was getting ready to head out soon as I had a 25 minute drive to the hospital. Maddie texted me at 4:23 they were on the way to the hospital, and I decided to give her a call so we could quick touch base and I could hear how she was doing. When talking I asked how she was coping right now, and Maddie had a contraction and had to stop and breathe through it. And Connor chimed in “She’s definitely having to stop and breathe through them!” I didn’t need more convincing then that that it was definitely time for everyone to head to the hospital!
Maddie and Connor arrived at the hospital at around 4:35 p.m. and the nurse checked her cervix and she was 4-5 cm dilated! When I arrived at 5:00 p.m. , Maddie was sitting up in the bed and the nurse was finishing her monitoring strip while the tub was filling up. She was contracting every 2-3 minutes and was able to talk in between, but stopping and closing her eyes during them. The nurse started her antibiotics while I set up the room with calm lights and peppermint diffusing. We played soft spa music in the background and turned down all of the lights.
Connor and I helped Maddie into the bathroom where I had her quick empty her bladder before getting in to the tub. She sat straddling the toilet facing backwards and I encouraged her to do 3 contractions this way if she could before getting in the tub. She was able to empty her bladder and contractions started to get visibly more intense in this position called the “dilation station.”
Connor helped Maddie into the tub where she leaned over the edge of the tub in a side lunge position. When she got a contraction I encouraged her to move with it and to lean in to the lunge to encourage baby through the mid pelvis. She did this on one side and then the other. She switched sides approximately every 3 contractions while Connor leaned over the tub and provided counter pressure. He also was making sure Maddie was taking sips of water after every couple contractions and keeping a cool wash cloth on her neck. Soon Maddie began to make much lower and deeper noises and we knew things were changing! The doctor had a ways to drive to get to the hospital, so the nurse offered to check Maddie again in the tub. She consented, and at approximately 5:25 p.m. she was 5-6 cm dilated.
She switched to a hands and knees position in the tub while she rocked back and forth and Connor provided counter pressure. Again after a few contractions in this position Maddie began to make much deeper more intense noises and began to slip more in to a “labor land”. The nurse offered to check her again and at 5:37 p.m. she was 6-7cm dilated and baby had come down quite a bit. Connor and I glanced at each other and smiled and were so excited! The nurses were bustling around outside the bathroom trying to get everything ready for delivery as Maddie was making quick progress. While in the bathroom, we had galaxy lights on, spa music playing and peppermint diffusing. This allowed us block out most of the bustle going on outside of the bathroom. Connor later described the next half hour as “controlled chaos”.
Maddie had 2 more contractions and she asked for another cervical check and at 5:40 was 7-8cm dilated! After this check, I had Maddie grab on to the grab bar on the wall and hold herself in a deep squat and sway back and forth while the majority of her body was still in the tub. She had a bulging bag of water so we tried to use gravity to aid in helping bring baby down and help her keep moving down. She continued to use low deep noises and stayed in complete control of her breathing!
After 2 more contractions Maddie started to bear down with contractions and was starting to feel pushy in the tub. At this point, I looked at the nurse and said “who is the ER doctor? And maybe we should have them head this way.” The nurse quick checked her again to figure out the plan since her primary doctor wasn’t here yet. At approximately 5:44 p.m., Maddie was 8-9 cm dilated! Everyone decided it was time to get out of the tub and head to the bed. Just as her last contraction finished in the tub, Maddie primary doctor slipped in to the bathroom, said hello, and decided to start getting ready to deliver the baby!
Connor and the nurse helped her out of the tub and walk to the bed. She did one contraction standing leaning on the edge of the bed and was definitely bearing down! We put head of the bed straight up so we helped her in to hands and knees leaning over top of the bed, in hopes of using gravity to help dilate the rest of the way.
The doctor checked Maddie at 5:48 and she was 10cm dilated and baby was +2 station. Her water had also broken at some point in the tub! With the next contraction, Maddie pushed and soon we saw baby’s head! She was able to breathe while crowning and wait until the next contraction. Everyone is in awe of her strength and complete control while the baby’s head stayed crowning! Then when the next contraction came, she gave one big push and the head was delivered with the body shortly after!
Maddie let out a scream of relief and Connor said “You did it Mad!! You did it!!”
Myka Marie
born August 28, 2023 at 5:52 p.m.
8lbs 14oz
Maddie and Connor were an incredible team together throughout her quick unmedicated birth experience! Connor was so helpful in making sure Maddie was comfortable as possible as well as encouraging her she could do this! Maddie worked SO hard preparing for labor, and it showed! She stayed in complete control of her breathing the entire time, never asked for an epidural, and did not need any stitches even with an almost 9lb baby! Thank you Connor and Maddie for inviting me to be a part of Myka’s powerful birth story! I am continually in awe of the miracle of childbirth!
Scottie Allen
August 9, 2023
Keely inquired about birth doula services after attending our BBBB class (Body, birth, baby, breastfeeding). She was hoping to have some more guidance through their first pregnancy. Her goal was to have an empowering and positive birth experience.
Keely’s due date was a few weeks away when her provider had started discussing an induction due to gestational hypertension and the baby potentially being large for gestational age. She started to have weekly appointments where her blood pressures were monitored closely, and her provider ordered non-stress tests to make sure that baby was still doing okay. The goal was for Keely to try and make it closer to 38 or 39 weeks before being induced, but she had a really elevated blood pressure at her doctor’s appointment when she was 37 weeks and 2 days. Keely’s provider decided she needed to go directly to the hospital to be induced that night.
Keely went straight to the hospital from her doctor’s appointment. On August 7, at 5:00 p.m., Keely and Eric arrived at the hospital. After the nurses were done doing her admission and all the paperwork, I came to the hospital to discuss the game plan and do some labor warm up stretches. Keely had a cervical exam in the clinic – her cervix was closed, super thick, and baby was not engaged into the pelvis. We geared up for what would most likely be a very long induction. At 6:15 p.m., Keely took her first dose of Cytotec orally in order to ripen & soften her cervix. We started with getting up and moving, side-lying release, lunging, hands/knee with a jiggle, and different birthing ball exercises. I left different positions for Keely to do, but really encouraged her to sleep as much as she could to let her body rest.
Keely was able to rest in between fetal monitoring throughout the night. Her provider checked her cervix and she was 0.5cm dilated, 40% effaced, and -3 station. She had also lost her mucous plug in the middle of the night. We were all encouraged there was some changed, even though it wasn’t much change at all.
Late morning, I arrived to the hospital to do more labor warm up positions. At 1:00 p.m., her cervix was unchanged from her previous cervical exam and she received another dose of vaginal Cytotec to continue ripening her cervix. She was able to take a nap and rest but stay active while she was awake.
Keely’s provider wanted to perform another cervical exam around 5:00 p.m. to see if she would be able to insert a Foley bulb to help her cervix dilate and start IV Pitocin, but unfortunately, she was unable to reach her cervix, so she gave her another dose of vaginal Cytotec. Her provider would then come back in between 9-10 p.m. to see if she would be able to place the Foley bulb.
Eric texted me around 9:00 p.m. that she was starting to feel her contractions more. Keely was doing an amazing job staying focused and breathing through them even though they were coming quite frequently. They planned continue on and to re-assess around 3:00 a.m.
At 2:30 a.m., Eric texted me Keely was wanting me to come in. She was really becoming more uncomfortable and overall not feeling well. Right when I got there, the nurse was performing a cervical exam where she was 1cm dilated, 40% effaced, and -3 station. She continued to be uncomfortable and unable to relax in bed, so I suggested she try to go in the tub for a while. After being in the tub for 25 minutes, she decided she was ready to proceed with the Foley bulb and IV Pitocin.
At 4:10 a.m., her provider returned to the bedside to check her cervix and insert the Foley bulb. She was 2cm dilated, 70% effaced, and -2 station. This was such great cervical change since her last cervical exam just over an hour ago. After this was placed, she wanted to get up and move so she got on the birthing ball for quite a while. Then her nurse came in as it was time to monitor her again and pull down on the Foley bulb to put some pressure on the cervix. To our surprise, the nurse went to pull down on it and it came out just an hour after being put in! We then figured she would be about 3-4cm dilated but knew her body had some work to do since that was mechanical dilation.
After the Foley bulb came out, things started to get intense rather quickly. Keely’s mom, Tammy, came at this time to be another support person for her. Keely was having some back pain, so we did side-lying release again and started to give counter pressure with contractions. I suggested we try flying cowgirl as she wanted to lie down in bed. At about 6:45 a.m., Keely got in the tub again. She was becoming really focused on her contractions and doing such an amazing job breathing through them. Soon after getting in the tub, she requested to get an epidural.
At 8:00 a.m., her epidural was in place and she was beginning to get comfortable so she would be able to rest. Once she was all settled, she opted for another cervical exam to see the progress she had made. She was then 4cm dilated, 70% effaced, and -2 station. She then went to lay on her right side to try and get a nap, but unfortunately, her epidural quit working and she had to get a new one placed. Eric never left her side and was constantly giving her words of encouragement and telling her she could do it!
Finally, at 10:05 a.m., she had a new epidural in place and got immediate relief from the intense contractions. Her provider then came to the bedside to check her cervix and break her water. At this time, she was 5cm dilated, 80% effaced, and -2 station.
At 1:15 p.m., Keely began feeling more pressure with her contractions. She sat up in a high thrones position to encourage further descent. Her provider returned to the bedside to check her and she was 6-7cm dilated, 90% effaced, and 0 station! However, her epidural was not being effective again and she was able to feel everything. Keely truly had a sense of giving up in this moment, but she was so strong and continued to work through the intense contractions. Eric held her hand and was constantly letting her know she was doing an amazing job. I let her know not only could she do it, she WAS doing it. She was so strong. We all believed in her. She then received a dose of IV Fentanyl to see if that could take the edge off and moved positions to hands/knees to see if that would help. Nothing was helping, so the CRNA was called back to the bedside where he gave her a bolus of medication which gave her instant relief.
After getting relief for the second time, she was feeling pushy and requested a cervical exam. Her provider returned to the bedside to perform a cervical exam to find she was 8cm dilated, 100% effaced, and 0 station! All of her hard work was paying off and she continued to make amazing progress. She preferred to lay on her left side with a pillow in between her legs and was ready to take a nap. After a much-needed nap, she woke up and was complete.
At 5:43 p.m., Keely started pushing! She had excellent epidural coverage but was still able to feel increased pressure when a contraction was starting. She preferred to push on her back while holding onto the grab bars attached to the bed. Her mom was able to help support a leg and Eric helped support her neck while continuing to give her sweet words of encouragement. With each push, we could see she was making progress and could see that baby did have a lot of hair! Once baby was beginning to crown, her provider started using a warm compress in hopes to help prevent tearing.
After less than an hour of pushing, their sweet baby boy was here! Keely immediately started tearing up and saying, “my baby is here! Mama loves you!” He was born while the song “Never Grow Up” by Taylor Swift was playing, so there truly wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Scottie Allen Salazar
6lbs 15oz
Born August 9, 2023 at 6:37 p.m.
Keely and Eric, what a joy it was to be a part of Scottie’s birth. Your story is a true testimony of being patient and trusting your body was able to do it. This will truly always hold a special place in my heart, and I was honored to be a part of such a sacred time. I will never forget memories such as sweet as these!
Haven Dey
July 13, 2023
Jamie texted me that baby Prescott #2 was on the way, back in December. I think I literally jumped for joy! There really is no greater compliment than being asked into a birth space not only once, but twice. Almost exactly 2 years ago, Jamie and Cole welcomed me into their birth space for the delivery of their first child, Judah. And now, I was going to have the opportunity to also be a part of this baby’s birth!
Jamie already knew many of the tips and tricks to prepare her body for labor. She was doing frequent walks, stretching, and eating her dates in the third trimester. Jamie rocked an unmedicated induction with her first baby, and the plan was to do the same this time around, with hope of going into labor naturally. Jamie’s body was showing lots of signs of readiness for labor. A couple weeks before her due date, Jamie’s baby dropped, she lost her mucus plug, and she was having frequent Braxton Hicks contractions.
At 39 weeks and 5 days, Jamie opted for a membrane sweep to see if that would be the push to get her into labor. If it didn’t work, Jamie decided she was okay with an induction later that week, especially since her last induction went so smoothly. We had our fingers crossed the membrane sweep would work. After the sweep, Jamie had some hormone surges which resulted in some nausea, more Braxton Hicks, and lower pelvic pressure, but still no true labor. So a couple days later, at 40 weeks and 1 day, Jamie went in to be induced.
Jamie arrived to the hospital at 7am for her induction, and baby girl was looking great on the monitors. We chatted about her birth plan to the nurses while she did some lunges. Her doctor then came in to start the induction. Jamie was 1cm dilated and 30% effaced. The doctor placed one dose of vaginal Cytotec to start ripening the cervix. I set the room up with twinkly lights and made sure to have my peppermint ready since Jamie clung for dear life to her peppermint cotton ball during her last labor. I gave Jamie and Cole some ideas of things to do until labor really kicked in, and I headed out for awhile until Jamie needed me.
Over the next couple hours, Jamie walked the halls, bounced on the birth ball, and did lunges. Around 11am, Jamie’s doctor came back to check her progress. Jamie was now 3cm and 50% effaced. She was having regular contractions, about every 3 minutes, but she was overall pretty comfortable. Her doctor placed another dose of vaginal Cytotec at this time.
With Jamie’s last induction, her contractions didn’t get uncomfortable right away, but after a few hours they became very strong, and her labor progressed very quickly. So I was ready to get back to the hospital at a moment’s notice of her labor starting to pick up. I decided to try to eat some lunch and then head back to the hospital before things picked up too much. At 1pm, I was back at the hospital with Jamie and Cole. Jamie was starting to feel more intensity with her contractions, but still she said they were quite bearable. I suggested to Jamie we could do some stretches to open things up and help the baby descend. I helped Jamie with a side-lying release into flying cowgirl to start out. While doing these stretches, contractions started to pick up in intensity. Jamie was starting to really breathe through her contractions at this point. Once we completed these birthing positions on one side, Jamie’s doctor was back to see how she was doing. He asked to check Jamie, and she consented. She was now 5cm and 70% effaced. We rolled to the other side and did side-lying release into flying cowgirl on this side as well. As we did this, we had the tub filling up because Jamie’s labor was definitely now progressing at full force.
It was 1:50pm when Jamie got into the tub. She squatted on her knees, leaning over the edge of the tub while holding Cole’s hand through her intensifying contractions. Jamie also held a comb to help distract her pain receptors during contractions, as well as keeping the peppermint cotton ball close by to help keep her nausea at bay.
After just a couple minutes in the tub, Jamie started moaning through contractions, so the nurses stayed in the room to make sure everything was ready for delivery. After no more than a few minutes in the tub, Jamie was feeling intense pressure and knew she needed to get to the bed for delivery. Cole and I quickly helped Jamie out of the tub and into the bed. She moved to her side preparing to start pushing. Jamie was having the uncontrollable urge to push with her contractions. During the first contraction on the bed, Jamie’s water broke. The nurses quickly called her doctor to the room for delivery. The nurses were trying to get an accurate reading on the baby’s heart rate, and were getting a low heart rate — even lower than Jamie’s. Jamie was pushing with all her might to try to get this baby out as fast as she could, knowing that the heart rate was low. Her doctor could see the head easily even between contractions, so he placed a vacuum to help with the final part of delivery. With the littlest bit of help from her doctor and the vacuum, Haven was earth side.
Haven Dey
born July 13 at 2:19pm
weighing 7lbs 7oz
Haven was delivered with a double nuchal cord and a true knot in her cord. Initially at delivery, Haven needed some assistance from the nurses and respiratory therapist with her breathing. After a few minutes of assistance, Haven was breathing on her own and transitioning well. Haven was then able to snuggle up with her mama and start breastfeeding.
Pregnancy and birth really bring us to our most vulnerable moments. Jamie and Cole, thank you for welcoming me into your birth once again. It was an honor to encourage and support you through the process. Your family holds a special place in this doula’s heart!
Ayda James
July 7, 2023
Maddie was in the third trimester of her pregnancy when she reached out about doula & lactation services for some guidance and education throughout their first pregnancy. Her goal was to have a calm and low stress delivery as possible. After our initial consult, it didn’t take long for them to decide they wanted to go forward with having a doula.
Even though she had reached out later in her pregnancy, Maddie had already been working hard to prepare her body for labor. She stayed active by going on many walks, stretching, and seeing a chiropractor regularly to help support her body.
Maddie’s due date was a couple weeks away when her and her doctor had started discussing an induction due to the baby potentially being large for gestational age. Maddie continued to try all the natural methods to go into labor while waiting for her induction date to come around. On Thursday morning, she had an appointment scheduled where she wanted to get her membranes swept in hopes this would help her body go into labor naturally and then if not, then she would get induced. However, while she was at this appointment, they were having a hard time deciphering the baby’s heart rate versus her own heart rate apart. Her doctor had her stay for a non-stress test to make sure everything was okay. After this little episode, they decided it would be best to be induced that afternoon. Maddie called me following her appointment to let me know her decision. I encouraged her to go home and rest as it was probably going to be a long night/following day.
Late afternoon on July 6, Maddie arrived at the hospital for her induction. I arrived shortly before 5 p.m. that evening to come up with a plan for the evening. Her provider came around 5:15 p.m. to check her cervix – she was 1cm dilated, 70% effaced, and baby was at -3 station. At this time, he administered Cytotec vaginally to help ripen and prepare her cervix. Soon after this was given, we started to do some labor warm up positions. We started with side-lying release, hands/knees with a jiggle, forward leaning inversion, and different birthing ball exercises. Maddie loves to go on walks, so she got the okay from her provider to go outside to walk and do some curb walking. She walked outside for 20-30 minutes, until she had to head back inside and get hooked back up to the monitors. She sat in a high thrones position with her knees out to open the pelvis and encourage that sweet babe to come down into the pelvis.
At 7:40 p.m., Maddie was feeling tired and wanted to try resting while she could. At this point she was having contractions on the monitor every 4-5 minutes but wasn’t really able to feel them. I decided to go home for the night and try to get some rest myself. I gave her several positions to do throughout the night if she was able to or feeling up to it. I told her to call me if any questions come up or if her labor becomes more intense & she needs more support.
At 10:30 p.m., the doctor checked in again since it had been over 4 hours since her first dose of Cytotec. Her cervical exam remained the same, but the provider stated her cervix was much softer. Maddie was then able to get some rest until about 3:00 a.m. When she woke up, she wanted to try and relax in the tub for a while. She was having contractions frequently, but not really feeling them. She was feeling quite nauseous, but this resolved with some peppermint oil and nausea medication.
Around 5 a.m., I got an update that baby’s heart rate was starting to drop after each of the contractions. She had been in the tub for a while, so we were thinking she maybe just got a little too warm from being in the tub. Thankfully, this was able to resolve with a position change and an IV fluid bolus.
Shortly before 7 a.m., her provider came back to check her cervix again and decide the next step. He checked her and at this point, her cervix was 2cm dilated, 80% effaced, and baby was still at -3 station. Maddie and her provider decided they would try to place a Foley bulb to facilitate more dilation. As her provider was placing this, her water broke! She continued to perform different position changes. After her water broke, things picked up rather quickly. An hour after the Foley bulb was placed, her nurse went to pull on it and it came out! Maddie’s contractions intensified greatly after this. She did an amazing job of breathing through each contraction. Austin was such a great support to her in this time. At 9:00 a.m., she opted for another cervical exam and she was 5cm dilated, 80% effaced, and 0 station! Baby had come down into her pelvis SO much.
I arrived at 9:10 a.m. and she had just requested an epidural. She was lying on her side when I walked in – she was inwardly focused and coping so well with each intense contraction she was having. The room was set up with dim lights, soft Christian music playing and lavender diffusing. It was taking some time for the CRNA to come give her the epidural, so she decided to get up and go to the bathroom. Maddie was standing and swaying in the bathroom while Austin and I took turns giving her sacral counter pressure. She was so strong working through intense labor contractions. At 10:15 a.m., she was finally able to get her epidural and get relief. It only took her about 5 minutes after getting the epidural for her to fall asleep which just proves how hard she had been working.
Maddie continued to do many different position changes in bed with a peanut ball to encourage baby to descend into the pelvis more. About an hour after she got the epidural, she was feeling more pressure. Her provider had come back to see how she was doing and checked her cervix again. To our surprise, she was 8cm dilated, 100% effaced, and +1 station! Everyone was so relieved to hear that Maddie’s body had continued to progress without any more interventions. She liked laying on her side, so she went into a side-lying position with the peanut ball in between her ankles to open the outlet of her pelvis. After being in this position for a while, baby’s heart rate started to drop abruptly with each contraction. Her provider was called to bedside to perform a cervical exam. At noon, she was 9cm dilated, 100% effaced, and +1 station.
She then went into a hands/knees position in the bed with her knees together. The pressure really became intense here and she was started to feel pushy! Around 12:30, she requested another cervical exam where she was 9.5cm dilated, 100% effaced, and +2 station. Baby was really starting to come down even farther into her pelvis causing all of that pressure.
Maddie continued to move into several different positions; she gravitated towards hands/knees but would tire quickly and have to rest after doing that for so long. After laboring down some more, the provider came back at 2:15 p.m. to check her and she was complete! A short amount of time later, she began pushing. She started off in a tug of war position, which she loved. I could tell right from the beginning Maddie was going to be amazing at pushing. However, she had excellent epidural coverage, so together we decided that it would be best if we turned down her epidural a little bit, so she was able to have a better sensation of where to push. She went back and forth between side-lying positions with the peanut ball to hands/knees several times while pushing.
She then wanted to try a high thrones/squatting position while pushing. She enjoyed being able to lean into all the pressure she was feeling. After a little over two hours of pushing, their sweet baby was finally here! After a little bit of time, Maddie looked over to Austin and asked if the baby was a boy or a girl. Austin was able to announce, “It’s a girl!” where Maddie replied, “I know!” with such a relieved look on her face.
Ayda James
7lbs 6 oz
Born July 7, 2023, at 4:29 p.m.
Maddie and Austin, it was such an honor being a part of Ayda’s incredible birth story. This will forever hold a special place in my heart. It was such a blessing to get to know you both in a short amount of time and be there for such a life-changing moment. Your love for each other was so evident throughout pregnancy and birth. Maddie, I am so proud of you of how you brought sweet Ayda into this world. I will cherish these sweet memories forever!
Braylin Harper
July 2, 2023
When Kenli reached out in early in her second pregnancy for doula services I was so excited! Kenli is my sister and law and the birth of her daughter in July of 2021 was my first ever doula baby!
Kenli had an unmedicated physiological birth with her first daughter, and was hoping for the same thing with this birth. She had a few appointments with a family practice provider and began to feel a tug in her heart for an undisturbed homebirth, and decided to meet with the midwives at Promise Community Health Center. After her first consult, Kenli and Dalton decided that this was the birth God was calling them too!
The weeks leading up to their daughter’s birth Kenli was staying active chasing her daughter Whitlee as well as regular chiropractic care, eating dates, and daily walks. Everything was going smoothly and soon Kenli’s due date came and went. Kenli and Dalton waited patiently for their baby girl to make her arrival whenever she was ready.
On Sunday morning, July 2, Kenli woke up around 2:30-3:00 with some mild cramps and her stomach was feeling a bit off. She tried resting, but around 3:30 felt that she wasn’t able to lay down and decided to get up and move around. She was having low back pains that were rounding around to the front and causing some mild cramping. These continued to go on irregularly and Kenli was somewhat uncomfortable. She texted me around 4:50 am to let me know that she was cramping and wondering if there was anything else she could try. I didn’t hear her text, and so she decided to call me at 5:00 a.m. She said she was having some back cramps leading around to the front and were wondering if she should try anything to keep them coming. We discussed taking a shower and then maybe trying to rest if possible. She hung up and we were texting back and forth. She decided that she didn’t feel like resting and decided to try walk on the treadmill. Kenli’s plan was to walk on the treadmill for 10 minutes and then try taking a shower. After walking for a minute or two on the treadmill Kenli texted me at 5:16 that she was going to get off because it brought on a pretty intense contraction. At this point Kenli still didn’t really feel as if she was in labor and was feeling good working through the cramping pains.
At 5:25 a.m. Kenli texted me that her pains that she was feeling where getting much more intense. They were still starting in her back but wrapping around very low. She was feeling pretty weak after a few and decided to try eat and drink something small to give her energy.
At 5:30 a.m. she texted me that she had a contraction that definitely lasted 1 minute long. I encouraged her to start getting the tub filled up. She said her contractions were feeling so low down. Kenli says that this is the point where she actually felt like this might be real labor. Kenli started to feel a bit weak and shaky and texted me at 5:40 that she was ready for me to come over and that she was going to call the midwife. I had already gotten up and was getting ready because I felt that her labor was definitely progressing from her texts!
I arrived to Kenli and Dalton’s house at 5:55 a.m. and found Kenli on hands and knees sitting on the floor of their living room. Dalton was working hard to get the tub set up and filling it with warm water. I quickly set up my lights and soft Christian music, and turned down their living room lights. Kenli had a few contractions in the living room on hands and knees and while I provided sacral pressure. After those few contractions, Kenli started to bear down at the end of the contractions. At this point, I looked at Dalton and said, “Ummm, where are the towels just in case?”
At 6:10 a.m. We moved to the bedroom in case the midwife wasn’t going to be able to make it for the delivery. Kenli continued standing/squatting and leaning over the edge of the bed while squeezing Dalton’s hand during contractions. I placed chucks pads and towels underneath Kenli as we noticed some more blood and fluid leaking. At the end of every contraction, Kenli bore down. She wasn’t fully pushing, but just working with and listening to what her body was telling her to do.
Kari, the midwife, arrived at 6:20 a.m. and came in to the bedroom calmly and quietly. She watched Kenli through 1 contraction and listened to baby with the Doppler. Baby was sounding great! At this point, the tub was 3/4 filled up, and Kari encouraged Kenli that if she wanted a water birth, now was the time to move to the tub. A water birth was something Kenli was really desiring! So after her contraction passed, we all helped guide Kenli into the tub. She got in the tub at 6:26 a.m. and was able to lean over the edge of the tub and relax her body in between contractions. She felt that the water helped take the edge off of the pressure she was feeling. When a contraction came, she squeezed both of Dalton’s and bore down, listening to her body. After her 2nd contraction in the tub, she asked the midwife to check her. Kari giggled and said “I don’t need to check you hun, you are going to have this baby soon!”
Kenli’s mom arrived to pick up their daughter Whitlee at approximately 6:30 a.m. and quietly sat down on the couch observing. She says that she was amazed “how calm and peaceful everything was!” Kenli was still leaning over the edge of the pool holding on to Dalton’s hands in a side lunge, and gave one big push and the baby’s head appeared! She took a second to breathe and waited for her body to have another contraction. Kenli’s mom and I stood beside the tub and rubbed her back while we both had tears in our eyes! A few moments later, with her next contraction Kenli roared her baby earth side! Kari helped gently guide the baby out mostly out, but immediately said-
“Now reach down and grab your baby!”
Kenli reached into the water and brought her own baby to her chest and leaned back with relief and repeated “My baby, thank you Jesus! Oh my baby!”
Braylin Harper
born July 2nd, 2023 at 6:40 a.m.
8lbs 8 oz and 22 inches long
Minutes later, the Promise nurse came in quietly and said, “Good morning! Congratulations! Looks like I missed it!”
Braylin was born in the water, in the intimate space of her own home, surrounded by love and support. She came quickly and in her own unique way. Kenli listened to her God given instincts and chose not to fear birth, but embrace it. Minutes after Braylin was born, Whitlee got to meet her baby sister. She may not understand the power of that moment right now, but will someday see the amazing example her mom has set for her. Birth is so sacred and intimate, and even more special when it be shared with the ones you love. Kenli, I am so proud of you for believing in yourself and your ability to give birth! I am always in awe of how powerful laboring mothers are! Thank you for inviting me in to Braylin’s birth space and it will always hold a special space in my heart!
Lyncoln Anne
May 29, 2023
Lyncoln made a fast and furious entrance into the world, but Nathan and Jackie made an amazing team!
For the birth of their third child, Nathan and Jackie felt home-birth was the best choice for their birth. They met with the midwives at Promise and immediately felt confident in their decision! Jackie started preparing her body for birth in the third trimester and worked hard to get Lyncoln in a good position! At Jackie’s 38-week appointment, the midwife felt that baby girl was very low and lined up perfectly. She had gone into labor around 39ish weeks with their 2nd child, so they decided to get the tub set up and the basement ready to go for the birth just in case baby girl decided to make an early appearance! Jackie stayed active throughout the last few weeks of pregnancy and continued to feel great! She never slowed down and was staying super active, along with going for a walk nearly every day. Soon week 40 rolled around and Jackie was still feeling great! She updated me that she was busy doing all the activities at the Tulip festival and wasn’t having any contractions. On Saturday after a busy day of parades and rides, Jackie made a pedicure appointment. She hoped that this would send her into labor as it had with her son. We stayed in touch throughout the evening and it seemed as if nothing was happening.
Another week went on, now Jackie was 41 weeks! She was continuing to stay active and curb walking daily. She was seeing her chiropractor twice weekly along with doing acupressure. She was chugging red raspberry leaf tea and getting prenatal massages. We texted frequently throughout this week as everyone patiently waited for baby girl to make her arrival. Jackie had seen her midwife at a little over 41 weeks and discussed stripping her membranes to see if that would kick start labor. They did a fetal nonstress test and everything turned out great, so Jackie decided against the membrane sweep for the time being. On Saturday, May 27th, Jackie’s parents came into town to stay for a few days. They had a busy Saturday and spent a good day together as a family. Jackie had discussion with the midwife and decided that if she still didn’t have the baby by Sunday, she was going to take the Midwives Brew to attempt to induce labor.
On Sunday May 28th, Nathan and Jackie ate a big breakfast and got to spend the day with family. She texted me and told me she was planning on taking the Midwives Brew between 3-4pm. They sent the kids overnight with her parents and were able to spend the evening hanging out! Jackie took the Midwives Brew around 6:30 p.m.. Nathan decided he was going to take it, too! Which if you know Nathan, this was not surprising... ;-) Jackie went for a walk and took a nice long bath to help relax. She also had Nathan give her a good foot massage to try to massage the oxytocin pressure points. I texted Jackie around 9 p.m. to see how things were going, and she told me not much had changed and she was still feeling great! I decided to head to bed and told her to call me during the night if things changed!