I met Whitney when she found out she was pregnant with her third baby. She had had births with midwives before and wanted a home birth but didn’t feel “ready” until now. After our interview, Whitney felt confident that she was ready for a home birth. Her pregnancy progressed beautifully and she felt confident she would have her baby around 39 weeks. I trusted her gut and we were hopeful she would deliver before I had to leave for my trip to Ohio!
I received a call from Whitney around 10:30pm that she felt like she was in early labor. I decided to head her way slowly and arrived around 11:30pm to find Whitney in early labor. She was on her hands and knees and doing so well. I listened to baby who also sounded great and encouraged her to continue to labor how she was until she was ready to get in the pool and went downstairs to give her and her husband some space. Sometimes we midwives arrive during early labor and have to make sure we take a step back ourselves as to not interfere with the “process” or make mama feel like a watched pot. We always stay within earshot for when mama needs us but it gives her the space she needs to labor but the peace of mind she needs to know we are right there at her beckon call. My team arrived and we waited quietly for when Whitney was ready for us. She labored upstairs and I could tell her contractions were getting stronger as I listened. Her husband finally came out about an hour later to let us know she was ready to get in the pool. We headed upstairs and helped her get in. She was now in active labor and likely in transition as she was shaking. She finally let go with a good cry and we knew with her emotional state we were very close to having a baby! She relaxed into the pool after this good cry and by 1:30am, Whitney was feeling the urge to push. She began pushing aggressively at 1:45am and by 1:50am, she brought her sweet baby boy into the world! We all marveled at how quickly she transitioned once active labor came and calculated that active labor to birth was likely less than an hour! Little John came into the world weighing 8#0oz and I could not have been more blessed to have been there for this sweet family! Thank you!
