It was 7:30am on Friday morning. I woke up to a call from my sister doula, Holly, that our client's (Daphney) water had broken. She said, "Rise and Shine, It's baby time!" I quickly got out of bed and put on my doula uniform that consists of leggings and a comfy doula shirt. I packed up the last of my things and waited to hear updates about what our next move was. Daphney's provider told her she should probably come into the hospital to get checked.
We met up at the hospital around 10am. Daphney was dressed in a beautiful blue gown, looking radiant as ever. She definitely didn't look like she would be giving birth anytime soon. We were taken back to a room to get examined and to go over some paperwork. The nurse checked her and she was 3cm. Most of that morning and afternoon was spent laughing, eating Panera Bread, dancing for watermelon, and walking the halls trying to get labor going. Daphney's friends arrived and were a huge help in keeping the atmosphere light and fun.
Around 3pm the nurse came in and did a second check. Daphney was 3cm but 50% effaced. We started introducing the birthing and peanut balls to help bring baby down and in the best position. By this point not much had happened as far as contractions went. We turned on her preferred choice of music and also integrated the Miles Circuit, which is used when a birthing person's labor has stalled or is no longer progressing. We worked to keep her moving and she was in great spirits through it all. She even started to walk the halls and tell US she needed to do squats. It was great!
Holly and I truly worked to try and help things progress but nothing was seeming to work. By 10:15pm there had been no progress with her dilation and the doctors encouraged to start a low dose on Pitocin to see if that would kickstart labor, to help her cervix dilate, and to get a consistent contraction pattern. We let mama rest for a few hours before contractions decided to pick up.
12:30am May 11th, 2019 5cm- Contractions were coming on stronger. We kept mama moving on the ball and she was getting through them like a champ! We were all there supporting her and telling her how great she was doing, and just to get through the next one. She decided to get something to take the edge off to help her stay focused. 2:30am At this point the nurses were starting to notice that with each contraction babies heart rate was lowering slightly but would come back up after the contraction. Not long after that they decided to do an amnioinfusion which added fluid to the sac around baby. The nurses were trying to see if that would make baby a little happier. We spent quite some time moving her into different positions to see what baby liked the best. High thrown became a great position for Daphney. Baby seemed happy and mama was still working through contractions.
Around 4am Daphney had already been having strong contractions for 6 hours and she was exhausted. She felt it was time for the epidural and we supported her with that decision. Holly stayed in the room with mama as the epidural was administered and they did a check while they were back there. The nurse came out and told me she was 7cm but still very high in the birth canal. Her doctor came in to talk to us and let us know that she felt there could be an issue with the babies umbilical cord and that her heart rate shouldn't be fluctuating as much as it was.
That was very disheartening to hear for mama as she had come so far and was so close to the end. We assured her that this was the best decision for her and her baby and that she would be in her arms very shortly! Holly and I decided it was best for Holly to go into the O.R. with mama. Holly had been in that situation before and I knew she would be able to walk mama through it and help her to stay calm. The nurses moved very quickly preparing Daphney for surgery and they wheeled her off at 4:55.
Myself and Daphney's friend rested in the waiting area to hear the news. I received a text at 5:37 saying that there was a beautiful baby girl born at 5:09. Holly had told me that baby girl had a true knot in her umbilical cord and that was why her heartrate kept fluctuating. I was happy to hear that both mama and baby were safe!
I went back into recovery with Daphney while Holly was in the NICU with baby girl for some warming. I will never forget the look on mama's face when I saw her. I was so proud of her but knew she was worried that her baby wasn't with her. Holly was so sweet to keep sending me pictures to show her, and we also Facetimed so mama could see her sweet baby girl.
Shortly after, Daphney and baby girl were reunited! Holly and I were in awe and at a loss for words as to what just happened. All the emotions filled the room as mama and baby were together again.
Daphney,
Thank you so much for welcoming us into your life and trusting us to be there with you at the birth of your beautiful baby girl. With each birth we attend we create a special bond with the mothers that can't be broken. We are so excited to see who this little girl becomes in the coming years and hope to stay in touch as much as possible! We love you!
Love your Doulas,
Holly and Kailee
A special thanks to Holly Bellner for these beautiful photos!