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This is the birth story written by the student doula we had at Willow’s birth. My own story is coming soon.
Baby Willow’s Birth
I arrived at the hospital at 6:15 and Wm was getting her epidural. As she settled in, I was able to enter and see how she was feeling. Wm was mentally starting to calm down. Pam was her nurse and said she was contracting regularly at about every 2 minutes. Mark and Wm told me it had been a bit difficult getting to the point of getting the epidural. At the time I arrived, Wm was 3 cm at the last time they had checked her, 90% effaced and a -2 station.
At 7 p.m., Dr. G came in the room and checked Wm, she was dilated at 5 cm, 100% effaced and still at a -2 station. He said she was progressing very nicely and Pam said she would have a baby born before her shift was over. Wm was then able to have some juice and broth and Pam left a bag for Wm just in case she got nauseous. Wm read some from a magazine and relaxed a bit.
At 7:52 – Wm was 7.5-8 cm, 100% effaced, and -1 station and Dr. G entered and said that there was some concern for the baby – that the baby was showing some distress after every contraction and he wanted to perform a scalp stim test on the baby to make sure the baby was ok. In order to perform the test, Dr. G was going to have to break the water.
Dr. G broke the water and performed the test on the baby’s scalp and the test was positive – meaning the baby was ok. At that time, the amniotic fluid shot out and soaked Dr. G’s pants, leaving Wm sitting in a pool of amniotic fluid.
When Dr. G returned at 8:04 after changing his clothes, Wm was dilated to 8.5 cm, 100% effaced and -1 station. He informed Wm that since there was so much amniotic fluid he was able to tell that the fluid was clear that there was no concern of meconium. Wm told Dr. G that she was in a lot of pain. So he checked her again at 8:31 and she was 10 cm, 100% effaced and -1 station. He told her not to be concerned it was just pressure because the baby was dropping.
Dr. G told Wm he could give her a pudendal block to help take the edge off. Head nurse Carrie stepped in to help. Wm was in tremendous pain and Dr. G said probably the best thing to do was to start pushing. He said that he didn’t want her to push unless she either went to the restroom or had a catheter inserted. Wm said she felt she needed to go, so she asked Mark and I to leave while she got a bed pan to attempt to “go” on her own.
At 8:40 the pudendal block and catheter were inserted. Mark and I were able to enter the room again and the dropped the bed and got ready for Wm to start pushing. Wm asked for the straddle bar. Carrie went to search for it but was unable to get it as another patient was using it (we were told there were 3 women including Wm in labor at the same time).
I attempted to use the scarf to start a tug of war to simulate the straddle bar, but just as we got started, Carrie entered with the bar and you could see the relief spread all over Wm’s body. At 8:45, Wm started to push. Mark was up over Wm’s right shoulder and I was at Wm’s left side. After about 3 pushes, Pam removed the straddle bar and told Wm she had gone as far with the straddle bar as she could. They readjusted Wm.
As she was pushing, Wm was yelling at Pam to stop putting the monitor on her belly. Pam would tell her that she had to check the baby’s heartbeat and she needed it there to make sure everything was okay. The next contraction Wm yelled at her again to take the monitor away.
I rubbed Wm’s forehead with a wet washcloth and Mark supported her on her right shoulder. She pushed and at 9:08 the baby’s head was out and the shoulder and body followed immediately. A beautiful baby girl. Her 1 minute apgars were an 8/9 according to Carrie. She told me there was a bit of fluid in the lungs as the delivery was very fast.
Carrie had to leave and Lisa came in and worked with Willow and her lungs to suction and rub her to get the fluid out though her breathing was very good and in normal limits. Once her breathing cleared, Lisa weighed the baby and measured her. Baby Willow was 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 1/4” long.
At 9:15 the placenta was delivered and Dr. G was doing repair work on Wm who had 2nd degree tears. He told her that she did not have one big tear of a series of small tears.
While the repair work was being done, Mark handed me a camera and asked me to take lots of pictures while he took video. I was able to watch the nurse work on the baby and see Wm watch them from her bed. I felt very honored to be able to witness the love that was present in the room from the nurses working on the baby, the doctor working on his patient, the once again father with admiration of his wife and love for his new daughter, and the once again mother and her love as she viewed her newborn. I snapped as many pictures as I could.
At around 10 pm, Wm’s repair was complete and she and Mark were handed their beautiful baby girl. Everyone took a few minutes looking at this most amazing new person to enter the room, and she was able to latch and nurse from her mommy as soon as she could.
At around 10:45, Mark, Wm, and Willow seemed to be settling in with each other very nicely and I was no longer needed.
Wm and Mark are such an amazing couple. Wm was so strong and her courage was so empowering to witness as she faced her fear of pain and birth a beautiful baby girl with Mark by her side always – a strong support with devotion to her and her comfort, a constant source of humor and strength in both his actions and his words.
The loving support between the two of you will enable you to be caring and compassionate parents to your expanding family. I am honored to have been at your birth. Thank you for allowing me to be there.
Your doula
Baby Willow’s Birth
I arrived at the hospital at 6:15 and Wm was getting her epidural. As she settled in, I was able to enter and see how she was feeling. Wm was mentally starting to calm down. Pam was her nurse and said she was contracting regularly at about every 2 minutes. Mark and Wm told me it had been a bit difficult getting to the point of getting the epidural. At the time I arrived, Wm was 3 cm at the last time they had checked her, 90% effaced and a -2 station.
At 7 p.m., Dr. G came in the room and checked Wm, she was dilated at 5 cm, 100% effaced and still at a -2 station. He said she was progressing very nicely and Pam said she would have a baby born before her shift was over. Wm was then able to have some juice and broth and Pam left a bag for Wm just in case she got nauseous. Wm read some from a magazine and relaxed a bit.
At 7:52 – Wm was 7.5-8 cm, 100% effaced, and -1 station and Dr. G entered and said that there was some concern for the baby – that the baby was showing some distress after every contraction and he wanted to perform a scalp stim test on the baby to make sure the baby was ok. In order to perform the test, Dr. G was going to have to break the water.
Dr. G broke the water and performed the test on the baby’s scalp and the test was positive – meaning the baby was ok. At that time, the amniotic fluid shot out and soaked Dr. G’s pants, leaving Wm sitting in a pool of amniotic fluid.
When Dr. G returned at 8:04 after changing his clothes, Wm was dilated to 8.5 cm, 100% effaced and -1 station. He informed Wm that since there was so much amniotic fluid he was able to tell that the fluid was clear that there was no concern of meconium. Wm told Dr. G that she was in a lot of pain. So he checked her again at 8:31 and she was 10 cm, 100% effaced and -1 station. He told her not to be concerned it was just pressure because the baby was dropping.
Dr. G told Wm he could give her a pudendal block to help take the edge off. Head nurse Carrie stepped in to help. Wm was in tremendous pain and Dr. G said probably the best thing to do was to start pushing. He said that he didn’t want her to push unless she either went to the restroom or had a catheter inserted. Wm said she felt she needed to go, so she asked Mark and I to leave while she got a bed pan to attempt to “go” on her own.
At 8:40 the pudendal block and catheter were inserted. Mark and I were able to enter the room again and the dropped the bed and got ready for Wm to start pushing. Wm asked for the straddle bar. Carrie went to search for it but was unable to get it as another patient was using it (we were told there were 3 women including Wm in labor at the same time).
I attempted to use the scarf to start a tug of war to simulate the straddle bar, but just as we got started, Carrie entered with the bar and you could see the relief spread all over Wm’s body. At 8:45, Wm started to push. Mark was up over Wm’s right shoulder and I was at Wm’s left side. After about 3 pushes, Pam removed the straddle bar and told Wm she had gone as far with the straddle bar as she could. They readjusted Wm.
As she was pushing, Wm was yelling at Pam to stop putting the monitor on her belly. Pam would tell her that she had to check the baby’s heartbeat and she needed it there to make sure everything was okay. The next contraction Wm yelled at her again to take the monitor away.
I rubbed Wm’s forehead with a wet washcloth and Mark supported her on her right shoulder. She pushed and at 9:08 the baby’s head was out and the shoulder and body followed immediately. A beautiful baby girl. Her 1 minute apgars were an 8/9 according to Carrie. She told me there was a bit of fluid in the lungs as the delivery was very fast.
Carrie had to leave and Lisa came in and worked with Willow and her lungs to suction and rub her to get the fluid out though her breathing was very good and in normal limits. Once her breathing cleared, Lisa weighed the baby and measured her. Baby Willow was 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 1/4” long.
At 9:15 the placenta was delivered and Dr. G was doing repair work on Wm who had 2nd degree tears. He told her that she did not have one big tear of a series of small tears.
While the repair work was being done, Mark handed me a camera and asked me to take lots of pictures while he took video. I was able to watch the nurse work on the baby and see Wm watch them from her bed. I felt very honored to be able to witness the love that was present in the room from the nurses working on the baby, the doctor working on his patient, the once again father with admiration of his wife and love for his new daughter, and the once again mother and her love as she viewed her newborn. I snapped as many pictures as I could.
At around 10 pm, Wm’s repair was complete and she and Mark were handed their beautiful baby girl. Everyone took a few minutes looking at this most amazing new person to enter the room, and she was able to latch and nurse from her mommy as soon as she could.
At around 10:45, Mark, Wm, and Willow seemed to be settling in with each other very nicely and I was no longer needed.
Wm and Mark are such an amazing couple. Wm was so strong and her courage was so empowering to witness as she faced her fear of pain and birth a beautiful baby girl with Mark by her side always – a strong support with devotion to her and her comfort, a constant source of humor and strength in both his actions and his words.
The loving support between the two of you will enable you to be caring and compassionate parents to your expanding family. I am honored to have been at your birth. Thank you for allowing me to be there.
Your doula
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