Randi’s Second Birth Story - Welcoming Harriet!

Hi! Thanks for your interest in my birth story, I’m excited to share it with you! But first here’s a little background about the month or so leading up to going into labor…

Around 36 weeks, I started having regular, timeable, but non-progressing contractions, especially at night. Even then, I had a hunch my labor would go quickly because my birth with Juniper was relatively quick for a first baby, and I only pushed for 45 minutes with her. Which doesn’t mean you’ll absolutely have a speedy second delivery, but I was prepared for that just in case.

So whenever my mild but timeable contractions would pick up, I would text Bri (my amazing doula and photographer and business partner and friend!) and my mom, who would be staying with Junie for us. Then inevitably I’d crawl into bed, things would slow down, and then I’d wake up feeling like the mom who cried wolf…

This pattern continued for a few weeks but halted when Juniper caught a stomach flu, followed by my husband Joel, and then right as I thought I was getting away with avoiding the virus, I caught the bug too. Eeek. I do not recommend catching a stomach flu while 40 weeks pregnant!! I was sick on Wednesday, May 28th, her due date was May 29th, and I went in for a membrane sweep on May 30th starting at -2 station, 2cm dilated, and 70% effaced. I was having contractions about 20 minutes apart through the afternoon. Still feeling a little under the weather, I spent the day resting and chasing my toddler, a tad discouraged that the membrane sweep didn’t do anything for me and that I’d still need to be induced on Sunday.

We went for a walk before dinner, then spent some time cleaning the house and getting it ready for my mom just in case things picked up at night… oh I’m so glad we did!!

We crawled into bed early that night to try to get extra rest, but I just couldn’t get comfortable and settle my mind. So while Joel slept I went out into the living room, turned on some low light, and did basically every birth position I could think of to help baby get into a more aligned position, just in case she wasn’t lined up right and that’s what was keeping things from progressing. I did inversions, cat/cow, ball circles, lunges, flying cowgirl, deep breathing, praying, and encouraging her to come whenever she was ready. After my midnight yoga session I crawled back into bed into an extended side lying position and crashed, convinced nothing had changed.

At 2:45 I woke up to a STRONG contraction, then another! I popped out of bed, surprised to find such a big change, and went to the bathroom to find bloody show! Hooray, lol!!

I woke up Joel, telling him that this was different, and started to time the surges. By 3:00am my mom was already on her way and Bri was running out of the door to meet us at the hospital! Things were getting intense fast!

We met Bri at the front door of Butterworth at 3:50am, and we moved into triage. My birth plan on my chart requested the natural birthing suite, so the nurses went straight to setting me up with a monitor since they require a 20 minute read on baby’s heart rate before allowing you to go to that room. I tried to labor still enough for them to get a good read but I just HAD to move during my contractions, so after what felt like forever, I told them I didn’t care which room we went to, I just wanted a tub ASAP!

They had to bring in the ultrasound to confirm she was head down, and then they checked my cervix to find I was 7-8cm already. They moved nice and fast after that, getting us upstairs and into our room!

Bri went straight to filling up the tub with nice hot water, and I just couldn’t wait for it to fill up. I stripped down and jumped in with just a few inches of it filled. From my birth with Junie, I knew the water was going to be my best bet for relief.

Side note, Bri took all of these images in a completely dark, tiny bathroom! It was like a cave, seriously, her skill is incredible!

Also this is definitely the face of transition!

Immediately after I felt the pop and release of my water breaking I had this instinctual need to get out of the tub and climbed out to hands and knees on the bathroom floor. Thankfully my team was steps ahead of me and already had pads and towels and blankets waiting!

Up until this point our midwife Kelly hadn’t been in to see us yet. I had just been quietly progressing on my own and had really only been in the birth room for a few minutes. But an hour and a half after arriving to the hospital, and just three hours after the first big contraction woke me up, I pushed sweet Harriet Viatrix earthside!

She’s here and absolutely perfect!

We spent a glorious 10+ minutes on that bathroom floor, catching our breath, taking her in. Marveling at how quickly she arrived after such a long wait. The relief and awe and joy was unlike anything I have ever experienced.

Joel cut the cord and Harriet was having some labored breathing, so they brought her to the warmer to help clear her lungs as there had been some meconium in the waters. I focused on the birth of the placenta which came easily and was huge!

A few minutes after the placenta was born I began to gush blood. I hemorrhaged with my first birth so it was on my radar and birth plan that it could possibly happen again. My midwife and nurses thankfully moved quickly to get me the proper meds and help control the bleeding. It was scary though watching my baby on the warmer across the room, with Joel standing by her, while Bri held my hand and reassured me that everyone was doing well despite the extra medical support needed.

All in all the interventions for my bleeding and her breathing were quick and fairly minimal, and we were reunited again!

They brought all 9lbs and 3oz of my squishy baby back to me, and we were back in baby bliss!

She latched right away and nursed for a solid hour! Wow, girl. I am so grateful for our ability to breastfeed so immediately.

Seeing these pictures brings me immediately back to the feeling I had after her birth of such joy and pride and relief.

Then we had the BEST surprise, our favorite pediatrician was on call this morning, and while doing her rounds she saw that we just delivered and came to do her baby exam, just an hour or so after she was born! We were so delighted to get to see Dr. Jayne!

Apparently there was a baby boom at the end of May, and we had to stay in our birth suite for a few extra hours because there was no space on the postpartum floor yet. We snuggled and oohed over Harriet until moving upstairs, while enjoying a visit from Joel’s folks and donuts from Robinette’s. It was truly one of the best days of my life and I will be forever grateful for Bri’s support and these images that we will get to treasure for the rest of our lives.

Later that afternoon Bri came back to do a Fresh 48 session when our two year old came with my mom to meet her new sister! I’m so excited to share that part of our story with you soon!