Hana & Cole’s Birth Story
As a first time mom I knew I wanted to hire a doula, to have extra support and encouragement hoping for a natural unmedicated childbirth in a hospital setting (with midwives). Finding a Christian doula who could provide spiritual support was also important to me. It felt like a daunting task at first but I google searched “Christian doula” and I’ll forever be glad I did! I found Emily’s website and reached out, and Emily was very prompt in responding.
It was great to meet Emily in person ahead of time to “interview” her and ask questions. I knew right away I wanted her to attend the birth of our son and I was super lucky that she was available for my due date. Emily was very thorough with her getting to know me. Our 36 week meeting was extremely helpful with setting a birth plan (aka a birth “wishlist”) and helping me think on things I hadn’t given thought to yet. She also showed my husband and I some spinning babies moves we could do to prepare for birth.
When my water started leaking with no other signs of labor (40 weeks & 3 days) I called Emily first, and she gave me really good things to think about before calling the on call midwife. I decided to wait it out at home to see if labor started. Unfortunately by the next morning there were no signs of labor so we went into triage to get checked out and game plan. There I asked the midwife rupture my waters “all the way” since the slow leak wasn’t bringing on labor, rather than be medically induced. I kept Emily in the loop, and a few hours later I let her know I needed her to join us, as my labor progressed fast and furiously.
I didn’t really think about how painful it would be going through the whole process of labor with ruptured waters... So I didn’t realize when I was in transition and I decided I wanted an epidural. After working through contractions during the hour of getting IV fluids they checked me and I was complete (maybe 5 hours after rupture of waters). I was ecstatic to hear this and decided it was time to push, without the epidural. I pushed for 3 hours, and even though they could see his head, baby boy was not making his way out (come to find out, he was asynclitic). I ended up needing the epidural in order to labor down and rest before pushing again. During the 3 hours that I rested, I was admitting I was afraid to push again. Emily helped me relax, helped me stay warm during the rest, and helped me with doing side lying release, which I think ultimately helped baby turn his head to where he needed to be. Emily helped me hold one of my legs back during my second stage of pushing which after an hour and a half, baby boy was finally born!
Having Emily by my side during my birth was a blessing. Emily was a calming presence, and she was so supportive. I’ll never forget how she kept me hydrated and offering me water to drink between the contractions. She was a true encouragement to me as well as to my husband.
I would recommend Emily to anyone and would utilize her services again myself in the future!
-Hana & Cole
