Allison and Joe called at 12:30 last night to say labor had begun, and they wondered if I would be available to show up at the hospital as their doula, when they got there.  I agreed that they could have the nurse call me in, and around 2:30, I got a call and headed over.  They had arrived about an hour earlier, and she had been at 4cm. We got in the tub a little after 3:00, and she was already at 5cm, but a bit discouraged with the number, since she had been working hard all night.   I reminded her that the number really is arbitrary, things can go slow or speed up at any moment, unlike a car trip when you can measure distance divided by miles and average speed and figure out how long until arrival….  Between contractions, she was able to fall asleep, and so were Joe and I.  It seemed like a nice rhythm to awaken every five minutes or so to breathe with her.  She had a bath pillow to rest her head on and the room was quiet and dark.

      A couple of hours had passed, and Allison got out of the tub and spent a little time in the bed. Lying on her side seemed quite uncomfortable, but she was very tired and trying to rest.  Her sounds and face were quite tense at moments, and she was struggling with the idea of continuing this way.  She was at 5 or 6 cm when the nurse checked her. Around 6:30 or 7am, we took a walk in the courtyard to soak up the morning sun and fresh air. It was very rejuvenating, and she visibly relaxed a great deal. She got on top of her sound, relaxing into lower tones.  We walked around for a while taking moments to rest in the sun and squat or half squat or lean on the benches.  After half an hour or so,  she was ready to go back in and rest.

      The doctor was to arrive soon, and I prepared them for the likelihood that she would want to rupture Allison's membranes. I was guessing she might not yet be past 7 cm, and it would be a common suggestion from this particular doctor to "get things moving" by breaking her water. We talked about the possible pros and cons of this. Breaking her water could help engage the baby's head in her cervix, which would make the contractions feel more intense.  It is a possibility that contractions would also be more effective, as the baby's head would engage with the cervix more directly. It is also a possibility that labor would not speed up, but just feel more intense.  She wasn't sure what she would decide to do.

      When the doctor checked her around 8am, she was already at 8cm, and she never mentioned breaking her water.  I was pleasantly suprised, and there was an air of celebration in the room.  Allison was happy to hear that she had made good progress,  and soon she decided to head back to the birthing tub. After a couple of hours, she was starting to feel pushy, and by 10am she was almost complete with just a small cervical lip. She changed positions and squatted, circled her hips a little, slept between contractions, and when the doctor returned around 11, she was ready to push.

    She stayed about an hour longer in the tub, working hard to push her baby out. Her energy was getting pretty low, and although she had eaten some jello and crackers and was staying fairly hydrated, being in the water was not helping her to stay energized.  She got onto the bed and the nurse and I helped lift her legs, so that she was lying down with her knees up in a deep sqautting position.  Joe said something to her that brought a huge smile to her face and gave the strength to keep at it.  She was pushing for another hour before we saw the baby's head beginning to appear.  It was a gradual crowning and her tissues stretched around baby's head.  She was incredibly patient and strong through it all.  She was rewarded with a sweet baby girl at 1:30 that afternoon. 

 

 

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