Hayden's Birth Story
APRIL 22, 2020
The Birth of Hayden
As told by Hayden’s Mom and The Birth Center client, Ali
Around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, I woke up to a pain that I instantly recognized and realized I was having contractions.
This was a big difference from my response to my first labor almost three years ago. Before my first baby, Colton, was born in June 2017, I had no idea what to expect, and I didn’t know what a contraction would feel like.
The day before my due date with Colton, my doctor checked my cervix. As the day went on, I was having what I thought were cramps from the cervical check. I had gone to breakfast with my parents, and we also went shopping. The entire time, I was having contractions, and they kept getting worse. I was sweating, swaying my hips, and leaning on baskets in the store.
During the childbirth education classes, I remembered learning about back pain during labor. Because I wasn’t having any back pain, I convinced myself I was not in labor. Hours later, I felt like I was going to throw up, so my mom called the nurse. We went to the hospital at about 3 p.m., and my husband, Mike, met us there. Colton was born about two hours later.
With my second birth, I was more confident. Even though I hadn’t had a single sign of real labor until the morning of April 22, I decided to keep track of how close together my contractions were, as well as their length and intensity. Right away, the intensity was too much to relax through, and they were coming about eight minutes apart.
I got out of bed around 5 a.m. and painted my nails. It might seem silly, but I always have clear pink polish on my nails. I remember not having them painted when I delivered Colton, and that bothered me.
Mike, dressed in his work clothes, came out to the living room at 5:30. He asked me what in the world I was doing having a party so early, so I smiled and told him it didn’t look like he would be going to work that day.
I texted Ruth and let her know labor had begun and asked her when she would like us to come in. We chatted on the phone and decided that when I got to the point that I could not talk through contractions, I should let her know.
Mike made a quick trip to work to make sure his team had what they needed for him to take some time off. Around 7:30, he came home, and things had progressed significantly. I had to close my eyes and work through the contractions. They had increased in frequency to every 4-5 minutes, while lasting 1:30-2 minutes long.
Mike put our bags in the car and walked our dog, Pen Pen, and Colton finally woke up. I’m so glad that he decided to sleep in that day, especially since it would be a long day ahead of him without a nap. I chatted with Ruth again and told her I felt it was time to head to The Birth Center. We left around 9:30 and arrived at about 10.
Receiving Encouragement from My Family and The Birth Center Team
After arriving at The Birth Center, Ruth did a cervical check and said my cervix was 5 centimeters dilated and very thin. She presumed that labor would progress quickly once my water broke. I chose to sit on the birthing ball and roll my hips in circles, as this helped break my water with Colton. The contractions continued to intensify. I had chills, yet felt sweaty during and after the contractions.
Mike did an amazing job of balancing the task of entertaining Colton, while also being right at my side and offering support and encouragement. I had ordered Colton a couple sets of LEGO Duplos that were saved exclusively for the day our new baby decided to join us, and these helped keep him very busy.
He also munched on plenty of snacks, his favorite being the lollipops from Trader Joe’s. Colton built LEGO towers and treehouses and asked me a few times “Whatchu doing, Mama?” to which I replied, “I’m having a baby, Colie Man!” He would sometimes ask me to look at the treehouse that he’d built, and then ask me to open my eyes, although I was working hard to get through a contraction.
The rest of the birth team arrived about that time and quickly worked around the room to prepare for our baby’s arrival. Janet, the nurse, and Ruth, the doula, both offered encouragement and helped to keep me focused.
When the birth tub was full, I climbed in and continued to labor in the warm water. I immediately felt some relief from the pressure, and the ability to move freely into whatever position my body was telling me to was amazing. I felt the most relief on my hands and knees and pushed my head into the side of the tub to try and counteract the pressure during each surge.
Colton watched and cheered me on by saying, “Yay, Mama! You is so strong, Mama.” I wasn’t sure how it would go, having him present during labor, but I think him being in the room helped me to focus and hold my crazy together, at least until transition.
Catching My Daughter in the Birth Tub
I knew my bag of waters was still intact, but I also could tell that our baby’s head was very, very low, and it was time to get her out. I didn’t have the intense instinct to push like I did with Colton, but I could sense how low she was. I felt extreme pain during the ring of fire, which was also a first for me in labor.
At that point, I knew I just had to push because I couldn’t bear the pain anymore. Part of me wanted to get up and run out of the pool and just say, “Never mind! I can’t do this anymore!” But I also knew that wasn’t a realistic option.
I continued to bear down and push with each contraction, and Ruth assured me that our baby’s head was right there and to keep pushing through the contraction. At 12:15 p.m., I got on my knees again. Feeling something emerge, I pulled out a perfectly hairy little head! I had my eyes on Mike holding Colton, and I’ll never forget Mike crying and Colton excitedly clapping and squealing, “Yay! Yay!”
I pushed the rest of her body out easily and pulled her up to my stomach. Mike asked, “It’s a girl, right?!” And I remember someone confirming that yes, our baby girl, Hayden, is here.
My bag of waters had broken right as she was emerging, so she was born with the sack around her head. Her cord was wrapped tightly around her neck, and it was a short cord at that. Ruth and Janet quickly untangled her cord, and we climbed out of the tub and onto the bed where I then delivered the placenta.
I was bleeding quite a bit, and my uterus wasn’t contracting. We tried nipple stimulation, and Ruth massaged my uterus, but that wasn’t helping. After she gave me a shot of Pitocin in my thigh and used a homeopathic medicine, the bleeding was under control. During that time, I felt super safe and comfortable. I’m grateful for the team’s years of experience at The Birth Center. They knew exactly what they were doing.
When Hayden’s cord had completely stopped pulsating, Ruth clamped it and Mike did the honors of cutting it. I pulled her onto my chest, and she latched perfectly right away. We nursed for about two hours between a couple of messy baby poops.
Enjoying Our First Moments as a Family of Four
Ruth came into the room to do Hayden’s assessment, and we discovered that she is our tiny little peanut, at 6 pounds, 4 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Her vitals were perfect, and she latched on once again following her assessment.
The four of us sat in the bed, and it just felt so beautiful and natural to be this new family of four. One of my favorite parts about The Birth Center was being able to bring Colton with us. Our closest family members are about five hours away, so it was nice not to have to worry about finding someone to help with Colton. This was especially true with the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on hospital policies that restrict children in the delivery room.
At about 4 p.m., we were cleared to head home. The ability to be back in our home so soon after giving birth was blissful and a huge relief for us. We arrived home, and Penny immediately showered baby Hayden with wet kisses and welcomed her to our wild, chaotic, and beautiful family.
Reflecting on My Experience at The Birth Center
Because of my husband’s work as a lineman, we travel and move a lot. When we moved to the Auburn area, about 30 minutes outside of Sacramento, I learned about The Birth Center. I contacted Ruth and chatted with her. As soon as I toured The Birth Center, I immediately knew it was where I wanted to give birth. I love how the birthing room looks like a bedroom.
I felt comfortable with Ruth during my prenatal care, and that’s continued during my postpartum appointments. I know I can ask her anything that comes to mind. She quickly responds to all of my questions. There’s something about her that’s informal yet familiar.
Ruth was the fifth provider I saw during my second pregnancy. I’m so grateful I found her in February; I just wish I would’ve been with her the whole time.
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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