05 Apr Welcoming baby D!

It was such a beautiful morning and so special to get to be there to be part of this family growing from 3 to 4!  So much love and peace filled the house. Thank you to this patient and strong TCM mama for sharing her story with us!

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With this pregnancy, our second baby, we were so happy to return to Twin Cities Midwifery for the exceptional care they provide. 

With my first pregnancy, I ended up having to have an induction at 35 weeks due to a premature rupture of membrane. I was scared. My baby had to remain in the NICU for 10 days due to feeding difficulties. While I am so happy to now have a healthy and happy 2 year old, it was not the birthing experience I had in mind. 

Kate and Sam were attentive and informative throughout my pregnancy, listening to my fears about another premature labor, and working with me to provide the information necessary to lessen my fears and be proactive about different techniques that could reduce the risk of premature labor. 

Once I made it to 37 weeks, I was fully prepared for my baby to arrive. I had never made it this far, so I was expecting another early arrival due to my first delivery. However, this baby was comfy and cozy on the inside right up until his due date! 

Those last few weeks were rough, waiting for what felt like forever! But Kate continually assured us that our baby would arrive whenever he was ready! The week leading up to my due date, I made sure to stay active to help the baby get into position. On the eve of my due date, the baby was moving so much inside of me, I imagined him trying to kick his way out! We went to bed and when I woke up to pee around midnight, I felt my water break, and a gush of water followed. I was so happy! We called Kate to let her know, and she told us to call back once my contractions became more regular and I began needing to concentrate through each one. I decided to take a bath to relax a bit. After the bath, the contractions became more regular, and about an hour later, we called Kate again to let her know that I was beginning to vocalize and concentrate through contractions. She took more information about my status and requested that we call her again once we were ready for her to come over. Throughout labor, I experienced a lot of the sensation of the contractions in my back, and so leaning forward was my most comfortable position; leaning over the bed, on my hands and knees, leaning over an exercise ball, and eventually standing while leaning on my husband for support. 

With this being my second labor, I was definitely able to have a better idea of where I was in the stages of labor from my experience with my first. Only this time, everything was happening a lot faster! Just a couple of hours later, I could tell that I was beginning to enter the transition phase, and we called Kate once more to ask that she come over to prepare for the birth. At this point, I was thinking that it might be several more hours until the baby was born, and I was wondering if it was too early to ask Kate to come over since my first delivery lasted 21 hours. I knew that second babies typically came more quickly, but I was prepared for several more hours of labor. 

Kate and Sam arrived around 6:30am and began preparing, filling, the tub, and checking up on the baby and me. She encouraged us that everything was looking great and that we were doing a great job, working to bring our baby earthside. My older son (almost 2 years old), was peacefully sleeping down the hall.

Around 7:30, I began to feel the intensity that came along with nearing the pushing phase, so I made my way to the tub. Our son woke up and my mom was able to care for him, re-reading the books about the day the baby would come with him to prepare him for the birth. He was quiet and observant the whole time! It was incredible!

I got in the tub, and after only a few contractions, I could feel his head moving quickly downward. The intensity was so great, I did doubt myself for a few minutes that I could do it. My husband, mother, and midwives continued to encourage me and cheer me on, reminding me that we were so close to meeting our baby. 

After just a handful of full pushes, the baby’s head came out. We waited for the next contraction to come, and after another push, our baby still did not come out. Kate was quick to act and told us we needed to get out of the water before the next contraction. They assisted me out of the tub and onto my hands and knees on the floor. With a quick adjustment to the position of my legs, the next contraction came and our baby finally came out! 

It is such an incomparable feeling when you hold your baby for the first time. I was feeling so relieved… to finally have him in my arms, to be done with labor, and to no longer be pregnant! Kate and Sam helped him clear his lungs as he began to make noises and look around. We were able to get back in the tub to deliver the placenta and enjoy meeting our baby, finding out he was a boy, and getting kisses from our older son. 

Over the next several hours, we continued to bond as a new family of four, with Kate and Sam checking in on us as needed. We learned that our new baby boy was 8 ½ pounds! What a chunk! Kate and Sam made sure we had everything we needed including food, drink, comfort measures, and tucked us all right into bed before leaving, just a few hours after his birth!

This birth experience was especially meaningful to us after our more challenging experience with our first child. We also treasure the uniqueness of his birth story, but it was so wonderful to finally have the home birth we envisioned… peaceful, intimate, and cozy right in our own living room. Thank you Twin Cities Midwifery!