I met Marissa before she even found out she was pregnant when she decided she wanted to learn more about home birth and assist me with deliveries. I was in the process of looking for RN’s to assist me and felt Marissa was a great fit and so we began training! I got a text from Marissa a few months later with a picture of a positive pregnancy test with the caption, “So this is happening!” I flipped with excitement for her and asked the obvious question, what was her plan for her birth? Of course, after all her home birth assists, she wanted a home birth and knew there was no better way for her and her little one! I was excited to be able to serve one of my own and could not wait to meet this new little one!
As 40 weeks rolled around, everyone’s excitement grew knowing soon, we would all meet little one. At 41 weeks, Marissa made the decision to try and encourage labor with a membrane stripping. We did so on Monday, then again on Wednesday, and again on Friday (usually the more often you do it with first time mama’s the more successful it is) but alas, 42 weeks came on Saturday and there was no sign of labor in sight (though she was cramping and contracting off and on for weeks)! We started some herbs and tinctures Saturday morning and by Sunday morning, Marissa attempted an age-old castor oil recipe I’ve only used once in the past for late mama’s, but Sunday came and went with the same crampy contractions. We knew baby would come when she felt like it as it seemed she had a little personality of her own from the very start. So everyone finally stopped guessing due dates and we just waited. Marissa woke up Monday morning feeling more contractions than she ever had. Could this really be it?! She had been doing this off and on for so long, she couldn’t help but be in denial. But as they increased in frequency and intensity, labor became more real. She brought her doula in mid-morning and I headed to my clinic for the day. Throughout the day Sarah Norris, her doula, kept me appraised of her labor and by 3pm, things seemed to be intensifying and Sarah wondered if I should be headed over soon. We chatted and decided I could finish my last 2 appointments and then I could head over. At 4:30pm, as I was headed home to change, I received a text from Sarah saying that Marissa told her she was going to have her baby without me, haha! I decided to skip going home since I had to drive to Pueblo and pick up my assistant on the way. We drove quickly to Pueblo and arrived around 5:40pm. Marissa was surrounded by loving friends and family and laboring oh so well. We decided to do a cervical exam and I found her to be around 8cm. Not bad all things considered! Marissa reported intense pressure with each contraction and I knew it was baby’s head descending into her pelvis; baby was going to be big so the pressure started very early! Marissa did such an amazing job moving around her home, up and down the stairs, lunging, squatting, hands and knees, in and out of the pool and everything in between. She was amazing and handled all our suggestions so well even though she was SO tired! This is what it would take to get this sweet chunk of a babe out! Marissa was getting tired so we decided to have her lay down in exaggerated Sims for an hour. She laid on the left side then the right and the urge to push finally started to set in! Around 8pm her water broke and she had intense urges to push. She pushed on the toilet for 30 minutes but baby’s head wasn’t moving down, we decided to do another cervical exam and I found a pesky anterior lip of the cervix left. I pushed it back as Marissa pushed and it finally slipped behind baby’s head. Now we were home free. Marissa pushed on the bed for a little while but was getting tired and ready to be done so I had her get in the pool to relax. This seemed to bring on even more of an urge to push and over the next 45 minutes, Marissa brought her baby closer and closer to this side of the world! We all watched in amazement as baby’s thick dark hair become more and more visible over the perineum and we called for Marissa to push with all her heart! Finally, with one big push, baby’s head and shoulder’s popped out and I brought dad other to help deliver baby. With one more push, the rest of little one delivered, I untangled her from her cord and dad pulled her out of the water! She had done it!! Marissa took a quick breather as baby girl took her first breath and cried. Everyone in the room was crying! Marissa turned over and brought little one to her chest! Baby Kinzley was born at 9:47pm on October 3rd weighing in at 9#15oz at 42 weeks and 2 days, what an amazing story and birth! Way to be patient mama!
