My All Natural, Birthing Center, En Caul, Water Birth

Today is my daughter's first birthday. I had every intention of filming a Youtube Video right after she was born to share my water birth experience but you know, mom-of-2-under-2-I'll-do-it-tomorrow got me. So instead, 1 year later, I'll write it in my first official blog post! Whoo Hoo!

Ronan Nova Olivia Colgan was born, half en caul (in the sac) on International Women's Day. I cannot think of a better thing to be doing on that very day than giving birth!

On Sunday, March 7th, 2021 I was 41 weeks pregnant. I was scheduled to meet with the Ob, (as opposed to my midwives) the following day to schedule an induction for the next week. Don't get me started on forced inductions and state laws... I had been having what I thought were Braxton-Hicks contractions for a week or so. With my son's labor I went from zero to active labor fast so I hadn't experienced them prior to this. His labor was so intense and painful that I was 100% positive these weren't the real thing. Ha! We live about 40 min away from the Birthing Center. Trying to figure out when to leave so I don't end up giving birth on the side of the road was one of my biggest worries. I'm pretty sure my body could sense my stress and stalled what I now know was early labor. My husband and I decided to just make the drive and stay at the hotel across the road from the Birthing Center that Sunday night. If it was real labor, great! We would be closer. If not, it would save me an early drive for my 9:00 appointment that Monday. Sunday afternoon we packed up our bags, loaded up my 23 month old and my mom and headed to the hotel. By this point I was stressing out about wasting money on a hotel when I was convinced I still had a week to go. My husband was awesome and just kept reminding me that it didn't matter and to just enjoy the night away, like a little mini vacation weekend.

My sister in law (and birth videographer) drove up later on that evening to stay with us just in case. I also felt extreme guilt about wasting her time on "not the real thing". By 11:30 pm I was still having semi-consistent contractions but nothing I couldn't walk or talk through. I had done a hypno-birthing course through Better Birth Stories. I cannot recommend it enough! It is definitely to blame for me not thinking I was in real labor. The coping techniques I learned through the program have followed me through every day life. Once everyone fell asleep I did my best to sleep and just labor alone while listening to the hypno-birthing tracks. I tend to just want to be mostly by myself while in labor. My mom popped in the bathroom to see if she could help. I just wanted the space to be alone. By the middle of the night I was pretty sure this was the real thing. I didn't call my doula or wake anyone up because I was still functional as a human at that point.

Around 6 am Monday morning I was starting to get pretty uncomfortable but not so much that I thought I was even going to have the baby that day. I called the on-call midwife to give her a heads up. She asked if I wanted to come in and see if I had progressed at all that night. I agreed and Jacob and I drove across the street to see what was up. Again, I could still talk and mostly walk through the contractions (which I couldn't do at all with my son). My hopes that I was actually in labor were slim. It was my brain's way of protecting itself I guess. She checked me and told me I was 4cm dialated. I literally did not believe her! By the time I was 4cm with my son I was asking my husband to just let me die, tell the baby nice things about his mom, teach him to love animals and dancing, sayonara, I was done. I was SO incredibly proud of myself for getting to that point without a warm tub, or nitros oxide. Just me, my body, and my little baby working together to make this thing happen. My wonderful midwife Amy sat down next to me and told me congratulations, go get something to eat, and today I was having a baby!

I should have been thrilled. Instead I burst into tears. Amy was with me for the labor of my first and she knew I was bawling because I was terrified, not excited. She knew just what I needed to hear. I will never forget her comforting tone and words of encouragement. "Every labor is different, this will be a different story." She was so right. Off we went to grab smoothie king. I was starting to get pretty nauseous by that point and figured I could keep the cool, electrolyte fills drink down. We pulled in the parking lot of smoothie king and I immediately threw open my door and vomited all over the ground, right within eyesight of the doors. Jacob (my husband) went in to order my smoothie and the guy behind the counter smirked and said, "rough night?" "Nope, my wife is in labor". The guy turned red then quickly went to making my smoothie.

We got back to the hotel and I snuggled with my little guy for a bit then continued to labor in and out of the shower. We called my doula, Shannon by that time to come by and help me. I labored in bed from that point because it was getting too hard to walk. My mom was keeping the family updated and asking them to pray. She called my brother, (an EMT), and told him my contractions were 5 min apart and we were still at the hotel and not the Birthing Center. He, to this day, still thinks I'm crazy. I still didn't think the baby was coming anytime soon because the coping techniques I had for pain had convinced me these were still the early stages. By now its around noon. After a pretty intense contraction I got up to throw up my smoothie. My doula was applying counter pressure and holding my hair out of the way. She gently said to me that whenever I was ready to go to the birthing center to let her know. She was wonderful at letting me be in charge of my body and my timing and was amazing at not making me feel pressured, while at the same time putting it in my head that we needed to go. Jacob and I drove across the street together, Shannon drove her car, and my sister-in-law, Aileeah drove my mom and my son in her car. The drive from the hotel to the birthing center with my son's birth was the longest, most excruciating 3 min drive I have ever had in my life! So this drive with my daughter, still had me thinking I was in early labor. I just wanted to go to the Center so I could enjoy a nice soak in the tub for a while. On the drive there my husband and I were cracking jokes and laughing so surely I wasn't about to give birth in the car. We pulled up to the center. I heard my doula talking to the midwife but I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. I was in my hypno-zone, preparing for the Hours long battle of labor I still had to go. My doula suggested I labor over the toilet (backwards using the top as a headrest for those of you who have never had that privilege haha). After 1 pretty intense contraction my midwife came over and said I wouldn't have time for penicillin and that she would give me some info for what to look out for. (I was gbs positive and opted to take the penicillin treatment which needs to be done 4 hours prior to delivery.) I remembered being so confused. There is no way I don't still have 12 hours left to go at Least! Someone suggested that I get into the tub. Sounded great to me! Why not spend the next few hours relaxing in the nice warm water. I remember talking to Jacob and seeing the nitrous oxide tank on the other side of the suite and telling him I didn't need it. What I meant was, I don't need it right now. Let's save it for the "real thing". He asked if I was sure, (I sucked through a full tank and ran out during my son's birth) and I said yes. I also heard the midwife say she definitely knew I could do it. Of course I could, for now, since I wasn't even close to transition yet. HAHAHA. (In hindsight I went through transition while I was throwing up a smoothie in the hotel bathroom, whoops.) I felt the urge to poop and was a little sad. I managed not to poop in the tub during my son's birth and I was really hoping to go 2 for 2. All of the sudden everything got really intense, really fast. I was begging my husband to pour cups of ice water onto my head and back. Apparently that's my main thing while I give birth as I made him do the same with my son haha. With just a couple pushes, my daughter was born, barreling into the world, with the sack completely in tact until she punctured it with her cute little arm. It all happened so fast that both my husband and I were in shock. My s-i-l Aileeah nearly missed filming it. She remembered the intensity of my first birth so she also thought there were hours to go. Within 40 min of arriving at the birthing center I did it. I had my cute little monster ball of a baby, 7lbs 13oz, 20 inches long, in the tub, on International Women's Day. I have never felt more proud of myself and more grateful for the team of people surrounding me, praying for me, and helping me. At that point, Aileeah ran our to the car to get my mom. My son had fallen asleep for his nap time on the way over so they were just hanging out outside in the car. Aileeah went to my mom and asked if she wanted to come in and meet her granddaughter. My mom couldn't believe it at first, then she started screaming of course. They brought Ryker in to meet his little sister and our little family was complete...for now ;)

If you've stuck around this long, thank you! I know this was extra word-y and filled with grammatical errors, but I'm writing this mostly for my own personal memories. I feel like there is already so much I've forgotten about this day and want to preserve as much as possible. Also, I'm cramming in what feels like a million words while the kids are napping and that time is short so give grace to me with the typos. Attached is the beautiful birth video my sister in law put together. (She is available for your birth too I'm sure if you ask nicely and pay her haha). You can also find it on my YouTube.

Feel free to share your birth story with me! I LOVE birth and babies so much!