June 3, 2009
4:13pm
7 pounds, 14 ounces
From the day Stephanie and I met, I felt we had a great connection. She and I chatted for over an hour and a half about everything from her pregnancy to my doula background to her boyfriends’ life in the US Army. It was a great conversation and when she told me that she wanted me to be her doula, I was excited. We met a few more times over the next three months. Her biggest concern about the birth was that was she very nervous about the pain. I assured her that things would be okay, and that she would never have to be alone during her labor. I promised her emotional support along with some secret doula pain relief strategies.
So when she called me the night she went into labor, I was happy to hear she was at home, contracting steadily and ready for me to come over. When I arrived, Stephanie seemed to be handling the contractions very well. She was calm, relaxed and quiet. During contractions she took deep breaths and I tried to remind her of what her body was doing. She asked me if we should go to the hospital yet or not and I told her that it was ultimately up to her but that we could try to stay at home a little longer as I had just gotten there. We broke up the time into 30 minute intervals. I kept saying, okay, lets just see if we can stay for another 30. That only lasted about 90 minutes. Stephanie said “Okay, I think I’m ready to go.” Since her contractions were every 2 minutes, I knew she was really getting there, making progress.
When Stephanie, her mother, grandmother, and I arrived at the hospital, Stephanie went right into triage. Her mother, grandmother and I waited in the waiting area for over an hour before we found out what was going on back there! They allowed me into triage after the doctor announced that Stephanie was already dilated 7cm. We were all very happy but when I saw Stephanie, she seemed to be in different kind of pain than before. This is when I had to tell her after each contraction that she was almost there and that she was doing beautifully! She didn’t believe me and just asked for some relief. I gave her some ice and tried to relax her with a light massage during contractions. When we finally got into the L&D room 6, she asked for an epidural. When the anesthesiologist came, Stephanie looked relieved. By this time it was 11am and although she was 8 centimeters and was nearing the end of her labor, she felt an epidural would allow her to relax so she could rest before the pushing. It took a while for the anesthesiologist to place the epidural correctly and Stephanie was a real trooper through the whole thing. I was able to stay in the room while this was going on, my first time seeing an epidural placed, and I was so impressed by how calm she was, even during contractions!
By 2:30, she was ready to start pushing. The birthing team, or I guess I should say the birthing fans were geared up and ready to cheer Stephanie on. Between me, the female resident, Stephanie’s mom and grandma, we made a rather strong sound during the final stages of Stephanie’s pushing. Perhaps it was because we felt such energy and excitement from watching a miracle happen before our eyes, or
maybe it was the way we instinctively felt Stephanie needed to be supported. Whatever it was, it felt like a true womanhood moment. The two male doctors in the room kept looking at one another like as if to say “yikes”, but managed to keep smiling. When it got a a little too loud the head doctor to give us a “shh.” At 4:13pm on June 3, 2009, Stephanie gave birth to her beautiful baby boy, Sean. He was absolutely stunning. Mom looked shocked and in awe when she laid eyes on her son. To witness the birth of a 4th generation was an amazing thing. Stephanie did a fabulous job and seemed to be feeling good a couple of hours after delivery. I gave them all hugs and well wishes and was on my way.
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