After a very easy and fun pregnancy, going to 41 weeks + 4 days had me feeling anxious for the first time. My midwife Aleks asked me “what are you being initiated into?” and I knew the answer was *patience*.
I’d had prodromal labor symptoms Monday night for 8 hours with no consistency of contractions and Tuesday night for another 7 hours where Hank massaged my back and encouraged me, wanting to have as much time just the two of us, before I called my doula Kristyn. She came over at 1am and gave me the best adjustment + massage of my life so I could finally relax.
Around 3am contractions sped up to 3 minutes apart, so we called my incredible midwives Aleks and Meaghan to come over. They made sure everything was set up, but by 6am we’d established that things were slowing down significantly — I was tired and just needed to rest.
I mentally prepared for the sun to come up, for contractions to stop. Hank went to bed and I got into the shower for the first time since labor started. I took a nap and felt so relaxed, like I could sleep there for hours. When the water turned cold, I thought I’d sit on the toilet one last time and then go to sleep. Much to my surprise when I reached down I felt a full head of hair and yelled “Hank her head is out, what do I do?” and his sleepy panicked response was “Try to hold her in”. He said he could see her hand in front of her face and she was smiling at him. In a few seconds Hank was able to get Aleks on FaceTime, she told me not to make any sound on my next exhale and out came Izzy — no crowning, no pushing, just two big exhales…
It was the shock of our lives that she was so awake, eyes wide open, not crying, just looking around, pink and healthy and happy.
I have never felt more in love or inspired by Hank delivering our baby with the level of calm and strength he brought to this experience.
Aleks and Kristyn came back to help clean me up, massage my legs, latch Izzy, guide Hank through cutting the cord, and confirmed we were all healthy and well. I couldn’t have done this pregnancy or birth without my amazing team.
This baby taught us to be patient — clear she’d be coming in her own timing, super slow and then at lightning speed!⚡️ And she shares a birthday with her great grandpa who turned 90 the same day, as it was meant to be. 🎉🎂🥳 We are still so high off of the adrenaline and oxytocin. I hope all women who want to experience this feel empowered to trust themselves and believe they can do it however you want.