Cameron's Birth Story
JUNE 4, 2020
The Birth of Cameron
By Cameron’s Mom and The Birth Center Client, Carly and her partner, Jeff
Carly
On June 3, 2020, I was a few days past my due date with my third baby. Around 11 p.m. that night, I began having contractions.
Leading up to that night, I had been experiencing some Braxton Hicks contractions, but they had never turned into anything. The contractions started pretty far apart, and because it was the one night when I did not have childcare planned for my older two children, I was in denial that I was in labor. I spent about two hours in the kitchen and the living room, saying to myself, “This can’t be it.” As I timed the contractions, though, I started to see a pattern.
Jeff
I was wondering why Carly was not in bed. I found her on the couch in labor, trying to downplay it. We figured out a game plan, woke up the boys, and got them ready to go.
Carly
At about 1:30 a.m., I called Ruth and told her I was having contractions. I had delivered my previous son at The Birth Center after a very fast labor. I wanted a water birth with my second baby, but he came faster than the tub could be filled. Ruth and I had talked about what our communication needed to be like for the third baby and when was the right time to go to The Birth Center. I didn’t want to wait too long.
When I first talked to Ruth, I didn’t feel like it was time yet. But she told me if anything changed or I felt something different, I needed to call her back. We hung up, but only a couple contractions later, I felt a twinge and something told me I needed to call her back.
I had also called one of my friends, who agreed to take care of the kids. After the boys were picked up, we went to The Birth Center. Ruth checked me and said I was eight centimeters with bulging waters. She had me lie down and asked if I wanted the tub filled. I definitely wanted to try it, especially because the contractions were getting more intense and painful. When the tub was filled, I got in and felt immediate relief. It was my favorite part of labor, helping me to manage my pain and breathe my way through contractions. The buoyancy of the water took away a lot of the pressure.
Jeff sat next to the tub, offering me water between each contraction to keep me hydrated. He rubbed my arms and shoulders, and applied counter pressure to my back with each contraction. I felt very supported during my entire labor.
I labored in the tub for a couple hours, closing my eyes for most of it. During one of the few times I opened my eyes, I saw Jeff sitting there right next to me and Ruth in a rocking chair calmly watching me. It was quiet in a beautiful way. The doula and nurse were there, and it was peaceful for the amount of bodies in the room.
One of my favorite moments, though, was when Ruth was opening a window. Ruth pointed out that the sun was starting to rise, and the birds were chirping. She said that meant a baby would be arriving soon, too. My eyes were closed, and I could hear the birds chirping. It was really meaningful to me because, throughout pregnancy, I would often wake up from a dancing baby around 4 a.m. and hear the same tune of the birds chirping. I remember feeling really at ease with everything.
Because the baby was posterior, I tried different positions in the tub, even as I felt the urge to push. However, I couldn’t get much resistance in the water, and I told Ruth I didn’t feel the gravity and force I needed to push effectively. I actually said, “I’m done with my water birth experience now.” The water was a really wonderful place to labor, but I was ready to have the baby.
I got on the bed for the pushing phase. The baby still had some turning to do, so Ruth asked me to be on my side, then had me switch to the other side. Jeff was next to me, and my head was curled into him. Ruth coached me through the contractions, doing an incredible job as she always does. I’m not sure how long I pushed, but the baby did turn. As the baby was crowning, the urge to push was overwhelming, and it felt like my body was taking over. Ruth continued to guide me to slow down and override some of the overbearing instincts, letting the baby and my body rest between contractions. I put all of my energy into listening to Ruth in that moment because I felt really out of control.
At 6:25 a.m., our baby girl, Cameron, was born. It was an incredible experience, and I felt a huge amount of relief immediately. It was amazing to get through that last hard part and to have Ruth place Cameron on my chest. At first, I couldn’t see her face — only her head — and I kept asking, “What does she look like?”
I leaned into Jeff and kissed him. I remember saying, “We did it!” I felt such gratitude to have a healthy baby and safe delivery. We knew we were having a girl, and we had two names picked out. As soon as we saw her, we knew Cameron was it.
Jeff
Cameron immediately started crying, and that’s when it really hit me. I started chuckling and tearing up. That’s an incredibly powerful moment when you hear your baby cry for the first time. Carly and I hugged and kissed, and sat there in awe.
Carly
Ruth let Cameron’s cord stop pulsing, and Jeff was able to cut the cord. Ruth helped me get Cameron to latch. After the three of us were settled, Ruth, the doula, and the nurse let us have some time to bond. Jeff got to hold Cameron skin to skin. It was a really magical moment, with the three of us sitting in the bed together.
I had my oldest in a hospital, and that moment at The Birth Center was really the opposite of a hospital. There is room in the bed for Dad, and it’s symbolic of the whole experience that Ruth provides. It’s important for dads to experience birth and those couple hours of recovery, too. I felt relief and joy, appreciating that moment for us to be together and knowing that Jeff is a dad for the first time.
Everything went really smoothly, and I felt cared for in the way I needed. The Birth Center team was there to answer questions, but they did not overstep in any way. After a while, Ruth came back in and did Cameron’s newborn exam. It was fun to watch, unlike the hospital where I didn’t get to be involved. She weighed 9 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 21 inches long.
We left The Birth Center a few hours after Cameron’s birth. Her older brothers, who are 6 and 9, love her, and it’s been cute watching their bond grow.
Jeff
I noticed that labor and birth were well managed all the way through. I felt like we were able to experience labor on our own. When we needed assistance, the team was there to help, not to intrude. It made the overall experience really nice.
A lot of depictions of birth in TV shows or movies seem hectic and frantic, with a stressful rush to get to the hospital. That couldn’t be more opposite of what we experienced. The Birth Center provided a fluid, relaxed atmosphere. We were able to get there in plenty of time and get settled. Nobody was stressed out.
Carly
I’m very grateful to have had Ruth as my midwife. Ruth has a really calm demeanor, and there’s something about that during birth. She’s very effective and direct about communicating what she needs to without being forceful.
It was empowering, being able to trust my body. Ruth said my body was doing what it was supposed to, and things were going how they were supposed to. She’s so supportive and knows when to step in and when not to. We felt respected because they allowed us to labor the way we wanted to — just the two of us.
For more information about our prenatal care and birth services at The Birth Center, visit https://www.sactobirth.com/prenatal andhttps://www.sactobirth.com/birth-services
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