Indigo Naomi Hughes - Birth Story

I always enjoy reading birth stories, so it's a privilege when I get to share my own. Giving birth is intense, and it can really shape you as a woman. Unity's birth is a memory I treasure even though it had its hard parts. I learned so much. And I also came away with a plan to learn more before the next baby. I felt like I had prepared quite a bit for Unity, but nothing is a better teacher than experience. 2 things I came away from Unity's birth with, and that I brought into my birth with Indigo, were 1. I wanted to push less (I pushed for several hours with Unity), and 2. I wanted to feel more aware of what positions were working for me and with my body in labor.

So, the week leading up to Indigo's birth wasn't exactly what I pictured it would be. I imagined my mom and I would go for a walk every day, take Unity to the park or the beach, go out for coffee, etc. Lots of "going". Instead, we had a heat wave, and I got covid. Thankfully, the covid was mild and the heat wave could've been worse haha But it meant we did a lot less going and a lot more napping and isolating  We did manage to take a stroll in the evenings most days or go swimming when no one was at the pool.

Friday morning, July 12th, 8 days after the onset of covid symptoms, most of my symptoms were gone aside from some mild congestion. My OB wanted to do a Non Stress Test (NST) because I was 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant, but because I still had some congestion (aka, still "symptomatic"), they wanted me there before the office opens. So 7:30am I walked over to the clinic for my NST. Baby girl was totally asleep, as she usually is at that hour, so it took a while to pass. Part way through, I texted a friend who I suspected was up and possibly praying, and I asked her to pray for baby to wake up and pass her test. As she was being prayed for, she woke up and gave us the accelerations they wanted. Since it took a while though, they still did an ultrasound to check her amniotic fluid levels, which came back perfect. Everything looked good. I had been having Braxton Hicks the last few days, but no contractions. My OB said I was 3cm.

At 38 weeks pregnant, my OB had offered to do a membrane sweep, but I declined because I felt like it was earlier than necessary, and my cervix wasn't very favorable. I was 1.5 cm dilated at that time, and baby was high. But now, at 40wks +, and 3cm dilated, I felt this could be just the thing to get us going. So, membranes swept, and off I went. Walking home, the Braxton Hicks kicked in again, but slightly stronger than before. By mid-morning, they were pretty regular, a little crampy, and lasting almost a minute, but still 10+ minutes apart. There was a chance it could Peter out and just be nothing, but I was hopeful it would progress to real labor. Several people were trying to sniff out if I was in labor, but not being sure how things would go, we tried to hold our cards close. I don't prefer many people to know when I'm in labor because I want to be able to focus and not have to keep getting texts asking how things are going  

Things were relatively the same by mid-afternoon, but Samuel rightly identified that as long as I was chasing Unity around, it would be hard for me to really relax and focus. So, he called his mom and sister to come pick up Unity. I had debated keeping her with us for the labor and delivery, but that was the right call. As soon as she left, things began to pick up. It was a little emotional for me to think about her first night away from both mom and dad, but she did great thanks to such awesome, loving family 

Around 6:30pm -ish, we checked my progress, and I was around 5 cm and 100% effaced. I notified my birth team that they could probably make their way over, but not to rush. I was convinced we were gearing up for an all-nighter since the whole day had produced "only" 2cm of progress. By 7:30ish, everyone was present. Contractions were a lot more intense. Things continued to grow in intensity steadily. I'd pick a position to labor in and mentally commit to staying in that position no matter how uncomfortable for at least 3 or 4 contractions, and then move if I needed. I was so tired since the contractions had really never stopped once they started in the morning. But I was also surprised to find that I really felt way more in tune with my body this time. I could feel which positions were helping me progress and which ones were more or less just letting me rest. By 10pm, I felt we had made progress, but I was still convinced we'd be at this until 4am or so, so I told people to drink some coffee and take breaks if needed  My doula kept encouraging me not to focus on the time or the length of labor, just to be present in the moment, focus on my body and my baby, and surrender to the process and God's timing. I needed that and was able to refocus. 

Finally at 10:45 pm, we checked again and I was 10cm but still +1 station. I found a few positions that I didn't love, but I could tell they were really working to help baby descend. At 10:58pm, I finally had urges to push that I really couldn't fight. One big push and my water broke. I reached down and felt her head. I knew we were not going to be pushing for hours like last time. Big sigh of relief - Praise the Lord! A few more pushes and baby was delivered at 11:13pm. She was caught by her daddy and placed right onto my chest. 

She gave one obligatory cry and pinked up immediately, and then settled down, resting contentedly while we all celebrated. 

Throughout the labor, everyone was stellar. My mom was so calm. She would make a suggestion, and usually I'd say no  And then I'd think about it, mentally gear up, and then try it. She brings so much valuable experience. Sometimes Samuel would say the same thing mom had suggested, but for him I'd say yes haha He has a way with me:) Ginger, my doula, was always calm and gentle, helping me not get stuck in my head or distracted with other things like how long the night might be. Lisa gave me an amazing head massage, brought encouragement and positive energy, and took amazing photos (everyone helped to capture some great pictures that I appreciate!). And Samuel, my rock - he is the best partner I could ask for. He knows me and speaks my language with and without words. I feel so grateful to be building this life together  

So my 2 wishes to push less and to be more in tune with my body in labor were accomplished. I'm not ready to think about pushing out another baby yet  but I'm thankful for how things went. We don't always get the birth outcome we hope for, and our emotional integrity goes through a lot with every birth. No matter how it goes, I think it's important to acknowledge the journey and find the things we can thank God for, thank our bodies for, thank our families for. I treasure this beautiful event that welcomed our precious daughter into the world