Sonya and David are one of the calmest, most centered labor teams I’ve ever seen. When Sonya began having strong, consistent contractions, she emailed the Get Babied doulas to let us know that labor had started, and she was doing fine and not needing any help yet. She said that David was an amazing labor coach and was giving her all of the help she needed. I got in touch with Sonya and David and told them to keep me updated and let me know when they needed me. Several hours passed, and David called to say, very calmly, that while contractions had picked up, Sonya was still doing fine but that she had had some bloody show so they were going to head into their doctor’s office and get checked out. Once they had visited with their doctor and she had determined that Sonya was 7 cm, 90%, -2 station, she decided to admit Sonya to the hospital. What a great place to be when you get to the hospital! David called me back, still calm, and I headed up to meet them.
I got there at about 3pm, and Sonya was lying in bed with her eyes closed breathing slowly and steadily as the nurses rushed around her with intake forms, hep lock set up, etc. Occasionally, she’d open her eyes and smile and then go back to her tranquil breathing. It was quite remarkable to see her so at peace when there was so much going on around her. David was equally cool. He greeted me warmly as he lugged their suitcases into the room. Once the nurses were finished with their tasks and Sonya and David were situated in the room, Sonya was able to take off of the monitors. She moved straight to the birth ball. She rocked back and forth on the ball for a long time, breathing deeply through each contraction. David held her hands while I rubbed her back and applied some counter pressure. Sonya’s mom, brother, and sister-in-law all arrived to cheer her on, and Sonya welcomed the distraction, talking to them while she sat on the birth ball. Eventually, though, she felt like she needed to concentrate and kindly told her family that she needed a little privacy.
Sonya was comfortable sitting on the birth ball for a while, and the nurses were happy to monitor her baby intermittently while Sonya rocked on the ball. Her doctor said that Sonya was doing great and to just let her know when she was feeling pressure. When a couple of hours had passed with no pressure and increasing back pain, I started to suspect that Sonya’s baby may be occiput posterior, with the back of his head pushing on Sonya’s tail bone. I suggested a hands and knees position on the bed, draped over the birth ball. Even though Sonya loved the position she was in, she was game for a change. She really liked the hands and knees position, too, and she felt her baby move almost right away. Hands and knees helped relieve some of the back pain and allowed David and me to really apply counter pressure to her lower back and hips, which Sonya also really liked. This position also made it easy to apply the heat pack to her back which helped with the pain as well.
At about 6:40 pm, Sonya had moved to a seated position on the edge of the bed, and she was starting to feel some pelvic pressure. Her doctor checked her at 7pm, and she was 100%, 9cm, 0 station. This was encouraging news. Not that Sonya was getting discouraged. She just kept on breathing and staying focused. She never once slipped out of her zone. David helped her concentrate by whispering in her ear, touching her hand, and holding her. It was really beautiful to see them work together as a team.
At 9 pm, Sonya started wondering if she was ever going to get to 10 cm. She asked the nurse if breaking her water might help. The nurse was all for this, but there was a snag. The doctor was in the process of delivering another baby, and she didn’t want to break Sonya’s water too soon in case that really caused her labor to speed up and the doctor would have two deliveries happening at the same time. So the nurse asked Sonya if she could wait. True to form, Sonya remained unphased. She patiently waited for another cervical check by the doctor at 9:50 pm. This time she was 9.5 cm. Almost there! At 10 pm, her water broke on its own. Her doctor was still helping someone else deliver, so the nurse asked Sonya to lie down so that she could labor down for a little while before pushing. Once again, Sonya happily agreed. She was the epitome of grace and patience even during the most intense part of labor! Finally, at about 10:30 pm, she was able to start pushing. It took a little while, but Collin David emerged at 12:38 am on December 15, all 8 pounds, 12 ounces, and 22 inches of him!
Sonya had an all-natural, medication-free birth, which is exactly what she wanted. Usually, dilating from 7 – 10 cm is the fastest part of labor, but for Sonya, that part seemed interminable. Even so, she never once lost focus or stopped to ask for pain medication. She was strong, patient, and focused and kept her eye on her goal. David’s steadfast support was also inspiring. He never lost faith in Sonya or panicked at all. They both knew she could do it; it was just a matter of time. Thank you, Sonya and David, for allowing me to be a part of such a lovely and peaceful birth! You guys truly rocked my world!
