It's always special to document a birth story at the Midwife Group and Birth Center since I welcomed both of my babies there! It was surprising since Samantha's first son was born before her due date so we all expected baby boy number two to arrive before as well. Her due date passed. She then passed 41 weeks! Second babies don't *always* come earlier than the first baby and Jude was definitely worth waiting for.
You can also check out Samantha's maternity session held at Wormsloe Plantation HERE.
Samantha has given me permission to share her birth story (below) with you.
Jude's Birth Story
written by his mother, Samantha
"I found out I was pregnant on April 4, 2017. At first I didn’t believe it because it happened so easily and I was still breastfeeding. Only having one cycle, this put my due date as December 4, 2017... or so I thought. About a week after that positive test, I started having severe nausea and vomiting that lasted much of my pregnancy. Since I was so very sick, we wanted to make sure I wasn’t having twins or any other complications and I had a first trimester ultrasound. There we caught the first glimpse of our happy little one and i was then given a “due date” of December 11th. I had Jagger almost a week early,so I thought for sure this little guy would be early. Starting right at 36 weeks, I began having consistent contractions for a few hours. This happened four or so times the last few weeks of my pregnancy,each time thinking “this is it!” And getting discouraged when it wasn’t. December 4th & December 11th came and went and I was still very pregnant and very ready to meet our sweet Jude. I had come to know him while he was growing inside of me and I knew he was going to be a happy, free spirited, old soul who marches to the beat of his own drum. I had a couple post date visits and thankfully, we were both doing great. Jude was just very comfortable and content, I was not. I was so ready to meet my baby. On the morning of December 21st, I went to my final midwife appointment at the Birth center. Rita had been seeing me the last couple of visits and on this day, we were going to try extra hard to get labor going. I was 10 days past my December 11th due date, 4cm dilated and 75% effaced, exhausted and hormonal, and ready to get the show on the road. That’s when we decided that I would try the castor oil regiment. I was nervous to try this considering the side effects, but I was willing to try just about anything besides a hospital induction. At noon I drank my castor oil mixture, took at hot shower,& had some red raspberry leaf tea. I went for a walk and tried to relax my mind while I was waiting for the castor oil to take effect. I repeated the castor oil, shower and tea two hours later and called Rita to check in. I wasn’t convinced that it was going to “work” and Rita reminded me to “keep my head in the game”. Not having any other choice, that’s what I did. I took a nap and went to my parents house for dinner. My dad made his homemade chicken cacciatore and I started having contractions. They felt very similar to the prodromal labor I had been experiencing for weeks so even though we were timing them, I still wasn’t convinced. I went home, took a bath and started to relax and the contractions stopped. I basically had prepared myself that the baby wasn’t coming that night and I may as well try and get some rest. We got Jagger to bed and I laid down around 10pm. I had slept for about an hour when I was awoken by some different feeling contractions. They felt deeper, lower, and stronger. I was starting to finally feel like this was “it”. The contractions were harder than they had been, but still not really consistent so I waited before waking Jared up. It was about 12:30am when I realized that this was likely “real” labor and I should probably get Jared up and call the midwife. We arranged for my sister in law, Pamela, to come over and stay with Jagger while we went to the birth center to have his baby brother. Pamela got there right away, we called my mom to meet us at the birth center after Rita told us to be there at 1:30am. When I got there, she monitored my contractions and the baby and I had dilated to about 5cm. She told me to walk for two hours and She would check me again. I got a little nervous that this may not be “it” but tried to shake the nerves, just focus on the baby, and walk. After having a very difficult 40 hour labor with Jagger just two years earlier, I was trying not to bring that fear and anxiety into this labor and birth. Jared and my mom walked and talked with me and gave support, as needed, then after about 45 minutes, the contractions started getting stronger and more consistent. I remember asking Rita what she thought and she said “This is it! You’re going to have your baby!” I was so encouraged and so ready. It wasn’t two hours of walking and she checked me again. I was close to 7 cm at that point. I was starting to get uncomfortable and Rita suggested a shower. Water is such a comfort for me and I happily labored in the shower. I got really tired and the contractions started slowing down and felt the need to rest. I napped for about an hour with very few contractions. This was such a welcomed break, followed by three very intense and close together contractions. Rita checked me and informed me that I was about 8cm but the baby wasn’t fully engaged and by breaking my water, that would likely do it. I felt a huge gush and instantly, contractions got a lot more intense. The tub was filling up as I was getting my water broken and I soon as I got in the water, contractions were hardly giving me a break. Jared was right behind me in the tub, rubbing my back and helping me to keep my shoulders relaxed. My mom sat at the edge of the tub and read my birth affirmations. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Jared turned on some music and my all time favorite song, “Somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world” by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole began to play. I walked down the aisle to this song at our wedding and also labored to it with Jagger; it’s been a part of all of the most precious moments of my life. I allowed the song to take my mind away and felt out of body at this point. The intensity kept increasing and Rita kept reassuring me that I would be meeting our baby soon. After about an hour in the tub, I felt like I needed to get out as the pressure was almost unbearable and I needed more space to move. It seemed like as soon as I got on the bed, I was feeling the urge to push. I felt like my body was beginning to push without me. After 9 minutes of pushing, Rita told me “reach down and grab your baby!” I pulled him onto my chest and instantly fell in love. It was so beautiful and everything I dreamed Jude’s birth would be. Looking at my husband’s and mom’s faces and seeing pure joy, made the experience that much more incredible. Our sweet boy, Jude Andrew Brown, was born in December 22nd, 2017 at 6:54am, one day before his big brother’s second birthday. He weighed 7lb.4oz. And was 20 in. long. He had the biggest, brightest eyes and was so familiar, like I’ve known him all of my life. His arms and legs were so long and petite, with the longest fingers. He latched right on and nursed like a little champ. My dad, grandma, and brother were there and came in after I got cleaned up. They all fell immediately in love with our precious Jude. Besides meeting Jude myself, what I was most looking forward to was Jagger meeting his baby brother for the first time. He was so excited and we had been talking about it for months. He constantly talked about baby Jude and kissed my belly saying “get out, get out!” I think he wanted him here as badly as I did! When Jagger arrived and saw his brother, my heart has never been more full or complete. Jagger had the sweetest smile and the most adoring look in his eyes and immediately wanted to hold his baby brother. Nothing in the world could’ve been more perfect than having my precious family of four snuggled in that birth center bed on that cool December morning. My heart will never be the same."
Birth location - The Midwife Group and Birth Center
Birth photographer - Dusti Smith Stoneman
Jared & Samantha - Bright Life Chiropractic
Коментарі