Alana Grace's Birth Story

I have debated whether or not to share this story several times, and decided to share it. They say your third baby either falls out or stalls out and mine stalled! For weeks leading up to labor I had heard stories of moms delivering their third fast and expected since this was my third baby in three years that the same would go for me. Thursday September 15th I began having regular, timely contractions. At this point I had experienced prodromal labor in the middle of the night for a few hours here and there, nothing regular, or timely, but enough to keep me awake. This time was different, I called hubby at work letting him know that maybe he should wrap things up. We were also in the middle of a move so our house was half full of boxes and two antsy toddlers. About an hour after he got home they stopped completely and I went to lay down and rest. The next day began the same way, timely regular contractions 5 min apart for about 4 hrs. I worked as fast as I could to pack our stuff up because I knew that labor was going to pick up any minute. We called the midwife who concluded that I was in early labor and just to keep her posted. The weekend went on like that as we moved. The whirlwind of packing up all of our stuff again and getting ready for another member to join us is a lot to say the least!

Then Monday came, I woke up with big, strong, regular contractions. I called our midwife who said "you're going to meet your baby today, so spend your last few hours of pregnancy enjoying your family and relaxing." I so wished that was an option, but we still had a bit to finish packing and cleaning up at the old house. I called Mandy, my little sis up at college and told her today was going to be the day, she raced home to meet us at the old house. Nate and I went to the old house as I breathed through contractions, fully believing that I could pack, labor and that the timing would all work out. My sister, Nate, My dad and his lovely new wife Jenn all helped pack up the last of the stuff. Nate and Mandy were goofing off as usual (I seriously love what good friends they are) they made me laugh so hard I felt a gush and exclaimed "My water broke!" Contractions were getting closer together and we decided to head over to my aunts house where we were having the baby. Needless to say planning a home birth when you're between homes is a bit crazy, but my aunt was up for the challenge!! We thought for sure that our sweet baby would be coming any minute, but right about the time that we arrived at my Aunt Sue's labor came to a screeching halt. We spent the night there just in case, and I labored some during the night, but nothing regular or consistent.

The next day we decided to spend the day relaxing and enjoying time with the kids they had never spent a full day without us and I was desperately missing them, contractions were on and off the whole day. My midwives would come a few times during the day to check baby's heartbeat, and my vitals and to make sure there were no signs of distress or infection. One of the main reasons we choose to home birth is to avoid unnecessary interventions. In our particular case if we had gone to the hospital and had not started labor we would have been given pitocin, in the case that it didn't work to get things going or caused fetal distress a c-section would be our only option (based off of how my body didn't respond to induction we believe fully that baby wouldn't have responded well to pitocin). We were so thankful to not be in that position, but to allow my body to do what it needed to.

Wednesday early morning I woke up with contractions 3 minutes apart and strong for a few hours. We decided to keep things relaxed as could be (moving, living with in laws, and being in and out of labor is just stressful!). We went to starbucks and drank lattes while labor got going, we went over to my aunt's house where we took a few walks. With each walk we took on her property the contractions stopped, and every time I laid down they started up again. This was so frustrating! I labored like that all day on again off again. Cristi our midwife gave me a clary sage foot and belly massage that was heavenly and definitely relaxing, but not enough to kick up labor.We decided to try homeopathics to get labor going, when that didn't work we tried herbal remedies, and when that didn't work we pulled out the big guns and I drank caster oil (all of this was done with continual monitoring of me and baby and we had a hospital plan in case we needed to do that). Baby was doing great and so was I. The caster oil kicked in about an hour after taking it, the midwife team arrived and labor kicked up fast. Contractions were two minutes apart lasting about a minute. I could feel transition happening and Nate worked with me speaking affirmations over me, as the midwives filled the tub. But shortly after the tub was full contractions stopped completely. I was so tired at the point, I would fall into deep sleep between contractions, wake up to a contraction and back to sleep again. We were all getting a bit delirious. A big shout out to my Aunt Sue who fed everyone and made a huge pot of coffee to keep the team awake! We decided it was best for me to sleep some (it was about midnight at this point and I was tired). I slept for an hour and a half before strong hard transition picked up again. I did the ball, rocking, counter pressure for about 2 more hours, the team warmed the bath and we all got in ready position, and then my labor stopped again. This time it was almost 4 am and everyone was exhausted. The midwives decided after waiting about an hour to head home and that I should sleep. Nate and I slept in till 9am with no contractions at all! At this point I was exhausted, frustrated and feeling defeated!

 The next morning we decided to pull together our best birth plan for the hospital knowing that if labor wasn't going to get going that I needed to get some pitocin. I spent the morning preparing for that scenario and grieving the loss of the birth I wanted. I prayed, worshiped and released all of my fears. I decided that if I was going to the hospital in the end I wanted to at least give it my best shot beforehand- I decided to doula myself.  I began with another two oz of caster oil prescribed by my midwfe, and then I started the morning off with some awesome belly dancing (oxytocin inducing exercise without stopping contractions). I tried to get my sister and Aunt to join me, but they just watched and laughed with me as I tried to get things going. Nate and I went to breakfast,while chatting and laughing away ( he was amazing at trying to get me to relax and just hang out) I felt the baby move down and contractions picked up strong. Just about time the food came I knew we had to go! Side note, my poor hubby every time he tried to eat my contractions would pick up, he was so excited for this big huge breakfast... that we had to box up! Like I said he was amazingly patient! But by the time we arrived back at my Aunt's house.. yup you guessed it contractions stopped completely. My patience was thin, but I just decided to relax and spend the rest of the day worshiping, reading my bible and trusting that God had a plan. It was just before sunset when I decided to have Nate help me with some spinning babies moves to help stalled labor. I had been doing weekly chiropractic appointments and we knew baby was in optimal position, however, these exercises can help baby just a bit if they need it. We did the exercises (not expecting them to really work), we did it more like a practice round. He invited me to pray and take a sunset walk with him, "this isn't a labor walk he assured me several times, I just want to spend time with you."


We prayed over our decision to go to the hospital or not, to start antibiotics that night or not, and all of the scenarios in between. As he prayed something shifted in my body, and I knew the baby was coming. I told him that we didn't need to worry about the hospital plan, that I thought baby was coming, in that moment a contraction so strong came, that I was on all fours in an instant. Our midwife was on her way to discuss our options and do another fetal/ mommy check. She arrived as I had contractions all the way back to the house. As soon as she came we began discussing our options and I almost forgot how strong the contractions were (mind you I'd been laboring for days at this point so nothing out of the ordinary). I would stop her and close my eyes, breathing through contractions and then when it ended we'd pick up where we left off and begin discussing our options. We finalized our plan and it was time for her to check my vitals and then baby's. We weren't doing vaginal check at this point, I had only had one and had told her I didn't want any others since my membranes were broken I was at risk for infection. We both agreed that was the right choice, however, when she listened to baby (while I was having a contraction) she said "I need to check you." I sat on the birthing stool while she checked me, she looked up and said "do you feel like pushing?" "Um, no." "Jessie, you're at an 8 and your cervix is gone, I literally can't find it!" At this all of my birth knowledge went out the window, I knew something was going to go wrong I thought holding back tears, "where's my cervix?" I asked "No, no everything is fine, it's thinned out, you're going to have your baby tonight." She said calmly.

In what felt like a second, she and Nate went to work filling up the birth tub again and getting the midwife team over. I didn't really believe it because we'd already had one fire drill. The contractions kept coming, much like they had the previous 7 days, but I got my bathing suit on and thought well the warm water will feel good before I stall out again.  I got in the tub and within a few minutes contractions were hard, and I started feeling the urge to push. Baby girl began crowning and I knew we were going to have a baby.I remembered what I had told Nate on the walk, it was true!  I was so present and alert this birth, it was unlike any of my others. I ate toast just before she crowned, joked and laughed with everyone and had my worship music in the background with my candles going. As she crowned it was my first birth not saying "I can't." This time all I said was "This is really hard work." Two pushes later I caught her in the water and our baby was born!!!! In the instant that I caught her I heard a snap, her cord had snapped in the last push. The midwives checked her and me, she was fine, they gave me some pitocin to control bleeding as a precaution. Nate and I sat there snuggling our girl in disbelief that in less than two hours since midwife arrived we had a baby! Thursday September 22 at 9:28pm weighing 7lbs 5oz and 18.5 in long.  I moved to the bed and baby and I snuggled, nursed and just rested.

This labor and birth were so different than any of my others, and with each labor and delivery I learn more about myself, my husband and life. This time I learned that babies really do come when they are ready. Her short cord made it so that she needed to take her time each day to work on it. I learned that when life is out of our control it doesn't do any good to stress, but to rest in the father's hands waiting on his timing. And lastly, I learned that once again women's bodies are seriously badass- because after 7 days of labor I caught my baby in the water and replaced my "I can'ts." with "This is hard work."

If you made it all the way through this, you're a serious champ! If you're pregnant and reading this here are a few words I have for you...

1. This is just one variation of normal, this doesn't mean that your birth will go or not go this way. This is just my story. I almost hesitated sharing this because I know what it was like being pregnant and hearing hard, long labor stories and being scared out of my mind. But take heart, your birth and your story will be uniquely yours and you will be strong enough to do it!

2. Our story is a great example of how safe and comforting midwifery care can be, I hope that this story eases fear of homebirth, and gives a sense of empowerment!

3. Find support for your journey, whether that's a doula, a husband, both, an incredible midwife team, family- whatever it is, it can't just be one person and it has to be low stress people in your space! Birth is an incredible journey, allowing people to be part of it-- is special.


Lastly a huge shout out to my sister Mandy who took an entire week off school instead of one day like we thought, the sleepless hours of walking with me and listening to me complain about how long things were taking!

My Aunt Sue for opening her home to have a baby in, feeding all of us, making me meals and loving on my family!!! You are a gem, a treasure and I'm so thankful for you in my life!

My Dad and Jenn for finishing the packing for us and dealing with all of our junk! Also for bringing meals, and supporting us through this crazy week!

My in laws for watching the kids for a whole week and dealing with all of the uncertainty of the situation!

My amazing midwife Cristi and her birth team for enduring long nights, lots of driving back and forth, constant monitoring, letting me cry and be frustrated, and empowering me to labor and catch my own baby!!! Cristi you are not only my midwife you have become a dear friend/mentor and I am so thankful for you and your heart!!! Thank you for an incredible experience with midwifery care!

And lastly, my incredible husband, I can't believe we have three gorgeous kids now. There is no one else that would do this with me! Thank you for believing in me and supporting me, thank for you for all the skipped meals, and late nights of no sleep! I love you to the moon and back!! You're an incredible doula and midwife in training (but seriously you are!)

Connor's Birthday: A Home birth Story

The day before I went into labor was one of those magical days that you know you won't ever forget. Nate had a half day and so I spent the morning playing with Bree at the park and then we spent the afternoon at the beach. We played in the sand and waves, and as the sun was setting I decided it was the perfect time to do a prenatal yoga session. The beach has always been my favorite place to do yoga! As I ended my session, I prayed over our sweet baby and our home birth, a peace washed over me. I didn't think he was coming anytime soon, but I knew that when he did come God would be holding our family!

The next day was Friday, February 13th. It started out just as the weeks before, I was up at 3am with braxton hicks, I bounced on my birth ball and practiced labor techniques for the big day. Somewhere around 6am they stopped  and I fell asleep for an hour before everyone else got up- just like the many days before. Bree and I were eating breakfast and snuggling on the couch when I realized that I was leaking. I quickly changed clothes and knew that it could be my water, but didn't think so.I still had one more week till my due date and truly believed that baby T would arrive two weeks late! Two outfits later, I was on the phone calling hubby's work to let him know that my water had broken.The midwives told me to check in throughout the day, but that it could be a few days before labor really got going. One look at our house and I knew I had to get cracking! that's the thing about home births, you kind of have to have your house ready. I was sure that our little man was going to come late, and so I wasn't that motivated to clean. I messaged our Doula Jessica and  jumped into high gear to get the house clean. As I was cleaning contractions came and went, nothing regular or bothersome. Jessica arrived and graciously helped me clean up the pile of toys and dishes. I didn't want to be in labor for hours like I was with Bree, so we began all the natural remedies to get things moving! I made double strength red raspberry leaf tea, ate a big hearty meal, munched on dates and kept moving.  Around 2pm contractions were coming closer, stronger, and becoming regular!! My sister happened to be in town from college and so she came over to watch Bree. As weird as this sounds, my labor was joyous, and really fun. I was surrounded by people that loved and cared about me, and was getting to move freely in the comfort of my own home. I was having such a great time that I decided we should pop some popcorn and watch a funny movie. Well, we got the popcorn popped but no movie- by the time the popcorn was ready contractions were requiring more concentration. Still not sure what happened to that big bowl of popcorn, but I'm pretty sure Bree ate most of it!  I decided to labor in the shower for a bit while Jessica called the midwives to let them know contractions were 2 minutes apart.

The midwives arrived around 5pm (just 3hrs after contractions were regular). Although contractions were closer together my head was still clear, I was still laughing, and I knew that in order to birth this baby things had to get more serious. When they checked me I was only at a 4... this was disappointing, but about what I expected. I had to surrender and allow my body to get to work. They sent me for a walk to get things really going. One fun dynamic about living on camp is that your neighbors are your coworkers, community living at its finest!  Nate, Jessica and I went walking up our neighbors very steep driveway up and down, chatting with the neighbors, and walking some more! As we began walking around camp to keep things moving, most people were leaving work right about the time that I was out walking, and so I tried to carry on conversations and not let on that I was nearing transition phase. We had yet to tell most people on camp that we were having a home birth.  In between seeing people I would crouch down on the ground and breathe as Nate and Jessica did counter pressure and spoke birth affirmations over me. They worked seamlessly together! An hour of walking and I had to get back to the house. As I walked in we were all chatting and laughing, our midwife nearly sent me back out the door, as she said "You're still smiling" to which I responded "I need to go the bedroom."  I just wanted to stop smiling and talking- this was the point we had all waited for, things were getting real.

I went to our bathroom and sat on the toilet backwards, our little man was still posterior and so sitting on a toilet backwards can often help babies move into proper position during labor. I had just been studying how whales give birth, surrounded by many other whales, in a safe place. The laboring whale sings her baby out. I began to hum and sing low tone. Although it wasn't as pretty as a whale it did help keep my body calm and relaxed, while allowing me to get through each contraction. As Nate continued the counter pressure, Jessica spoke affirmations over me. "You're not alone." "Your body is strong and capable," I looked up at her and said" I think I'm in transition." She nodded in agreement and kept speaking birth affirmations over me. She said "Your not alone" more than once, this spoke deep to me, as labor became more intense, I knew I needed to let go- to rely on my birth team. The bathroom window was open and the most gentle breeze was blowing. The coolness of the air outside refreshed me with each wave of a contraction I grew stronger.

The hard work was about to begin. Birth time is such an odd thing, hours can pass that feel like minutes, and minutes can pass that feel like hours. I moved to the bed and the team let me lead the pushing. I didn't want to tear and so I began on all fours pushing slightly and breathing short staccato breaths. It was awesome! Not at all like Bree's birth, tied down and nurses and doctors counting for me to push. I was able to keep things at my pace. I had been pushing great for a bit, but was soon feeling stuck.Our midwife checked me and discovered that I had a cervical lip and that Connor had not one, but both his hands by his face. I felt like he was stuck, and he was! She allowed me to continue to try and push through it, but there wasn't any change in his position. She reached in and moved the cervical lip and pushed his hands down. While the pushing became easier, I was so tired at this point. What I thought was only a few minutes had been almost an hour and half of pushing. I flipped over on my back and looked my midwife in the eye. At this point I had decided that it was time to take a nap and just push Connor out after I had rested awhile. While I didn't say this out loud, I fully believed this was an option. Our midwife encouraged me to push, and all I said was "I'm so tired."  She told me that I had to push him out. I tried arguing with her, and when that didn't work I argued with Nate. "You have no idea what this feels like I said as I squeezed his hands." The midwife looked me in the eyes and said, "You need to push this baby out now." As I looked into her eyes, she gave me the courage I needed to give it all I had, one final push and he was out! It was amazing despite two nuchal hands and a cervical lip to push a baby out without an episiotomy, no tearing and no use of forceps or a vacuum.  8:30pm our Connor Reed arrived in the world!!! He was a gorgeous 7lb 5oz 19 in beauty! My son was here!

 That final push, brought quite the surprise, Connor's umbilical cord broke. The midwives jumped into action clamping his chord down. I began hemorrhaging heavily, and within seconds they gave me pitocin, and cytotec to manage the bleeding. I delivered the placenta and it was fully in tact and big!  His cord was a mere 12 inches long- incredibly short for an umbilical cord,and in most cases babies that have short cords can't be born vaginally.  Connor was safely in my arms minutes later and the two of us were resting. We knew that God had protected us and given us this birth. Six hours of  labor and a gorgeous, healthy baby boy!! Before the midwives left that night Connor had to nurse, and I had to eat a hearty meal. The two of us loved snuggling in bed eating and resting!

 I share the easy, and rough moments of our labor story to show that even Doula's need support, and that labor for every baby and every mom is unique. I am so thankful for the opportunity to birth Connor in the comfort of my own home, not tied down or strapped down by monitors. I loved that transition and pushing (while intense) were beautiful and special, and that labor wasn't as long or as intense as my 20 hour labor with Bree.  How grateful I am for the education that I have received, and for my incredible birth team! I am so thankful for our amazing midwives at Birth Roots and for my incredible Doula Jessica Tyak who knew exactly what I needed. My amazing sister who watched Bree and kept her occupied while we labored. And lastly to my amazing hubby who loved me and supported me fully throughout this pregnancy, labor and delivery. You are my best friend and life long partner and I am so thankful for the children that you have given me!!! Thank you for wanting to do a homebirth just as badly as I did, and encouraging us to look into it!  I couldn't have done it without this great birth team!

Our AMAZING Doula Jessica Tyak holding sweet baby Connor

He started these little smiles two days after birth and full on smiles 4 days after birth! 

The last four weeks have been a whirlwind of late night nursing sessions, learning the art of rest and adjusting to life with two kids! I can't write to more posts on postpartum care and continue updating you all on this next chapter!