But, my interest was still sparked, so my husband and I started looking into it more.  Obsessive online research was done along with quite a few documentaries watched.  I began to have more and more questions for my obgyn.

When I was about 19 weeks along, we found out that I was having a girl and decided to confront my doctor with the list of questions I had made.  Yes, they still used forceps.  Yes, they still used vacume extraction.  Yes, if my labor went for too long, he would do a c section.  Yes, if I went more than one week past my due date, they would induce.  Yes, if my baby got too big they would do a c section (also note that during my visits, I had constantly been told that I wasnt gaining enough weight and that I needed to eat more carbs), Yes, episiotimies are pretty standard.  No, there was no need to breastfeed immediately after birth.  No, there was no need to wait for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing before cutting.

Upon leaving the office that day, I was more than a little upset and still filled with questions that my doctor had failed to answer.  Everything always seemed rushed, impersonal, cold, and questions answered shortly.  I felt very much that I was just a medical record number and not a scared, expectant, first time mom.  We decided there in the doctor’s office parking lot that we wanted to schedule an interview with Sarah at Gentle Beginnings.

Within the next week, we were sitting in a room with Sarah and learning more in that hour long visit than I had my entire four months previously with my doctor.  Every question we had was answered beyond thoroughly and she answered questions we had forgotten, or hadnt even thought of before.  I loved that she had a very preventative treatment approach, instead of the “oh, its just normal in pregnancy, deal with it” response I had gotten from my doctor.  I wasnt even her client yet and I already felt more like a person and actually listened to, instead of my previous position as just a number.  We werent even out the door before I had pretty much decided that this was it.  Birthing center with Sarah was the way to go.

Throughout the remainder of my pregnancy, I continued seeing Sarah and noticing very quickly that within just a couple weeks at most, I already felt healthier, more energetic, and more excited about my baby.  Keeping food journals for her helped me see exactly what I was eating, what I needed to improve on, and easier to see the results I felt from it.  Natural nutritional supplements like catalyn and betafood helped me feel better as well, instead of the continuous nauseated feeling the harsh prenatal vitamins gave me.   Even towards the end of my term when my iron dropped, the solutions she gave me still didnt make me sick.

Throughout the last couple months of my pregnancy, I had joked with her that I was done.  No more being pregnant in the middle of a Texas summer, I was ready to have my baby NOW!  Nevermind that I was her last one due for a couple months, and a first time mom.  But, low and behold, a week before my due date, I woke up in the middle of the night to contractions.  I got up and walked around for a little bit, took a warm bath and benadryl and tried to lay back down.  About a half hour after this, I realized that these contractions werent stopping or fading, and infact seemed to be in a pretty steady pattern.  My husband, Stephen, was woken up by a nervous (and probably too excited) mom in labor at that point, being told that he needed to start timing conractions.  Which he did.  With his ipad.  Why, yes.  There IS an app for that.

A text was sent to Sarah as a heads up at around 3:30 before she was called an hour later as the contractions continued to get a little worse.  Something else I loved about this experience is that even after that initial phone call, I was still allowed to labor at home, in the comfort of my own familiar surroundings.  We were instructed to get me into another warm bath, practice my breathing and relaxation tecniques and to let her know when my contractions lasted a minute or more and were a bit closer together.

Finally at around 7, Sarah was called again as I could only count and breathe through the contractions and we were told to meet her at the center.  Never has a car ride felt that long.

When Sarah examined me, I was told I was at a five and instant joy mixed with fear.  This was it!  No turning back now for sure!  I was put into the birthing pool to help manage the pain and instantly began to feel more relaxed and more sure of my decision as Sarah and her assistants Gina and Jamie helped me work through my pain with essential oils, breathing, prayer, and encouragement.  Even the chiropractor I had been seeing was called in and helped turn my baby’s head a little so she would be in perfect position for birth.  Stephen was never told to leave my side, and I wasnt made to just lay in bed with an iv.  I was able to move around, and encouraged to eat and drink to keep my energy up.

I finally felt the urge to push a little while later and discovered that I was pretty much ready, just a little bit of cervix left which Sarah helped push away and ease the baby’s head over.  It was finally time to meet my baby after a little more work.

After an hour or so of pushing, my little girl came into this world at 1:16 pm and was put right on my chest.  I have never loved anyone or anything so completely and instantly in my life.  She was perfect.  Sticky, but perfect.  And he will deny it til the day he dies, but I heard Stephen choke up when he saw her and touched her for the first time as I leaned back against him, still in position for pushing.

Im sure more things happened during and after labor than I remember, but I had my goal in my arms, and she was gorgeous.  After Alice and I were checked out just to make sure everyone was breathing well with a good heartbeat, we were treated to a healing, herbal bath.  I’ve never been a part of anything so beautiful in my life.  Holding my new child in a calm, quiet room and warm bath with my husband at our side is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.  Definitely an experience you will never get in a sterile hospital.

The rest of the day seemed to happen in a sleepy blur, I remember seeing family and Alice’s newborn exam (8 pounds, 9 ounces!!) and the center ordering in ihop for us new parents, but more than anything I remember the real compassion from all those who attended my labor and from the post partum team that stayed with us for a few hours until we were ready to go home.

The whole experience of pregnancy and birth that I had with Sarah is something I wouldnt change for anything.  I learned more than I ever thought I would and found more strength in myself than I ever thought I had.  I have more faith in myself as a mother and as a woman, and I know for certain that no one other than Sarah will be chosen to be my midwife for any future children.

Grace Jessica
November 1, 2010
4:31 am
9lbs, 20 3/4 inches

I started having sporadic contractions around 2:30 pm on Halloween afternoon.  This was nothing new.  I started having sporadic contractions every afternoon.  Often they would become regular and close together as the evening went on.  They would always pitter out and go away when I went to sleep.

By 4pm they were about 5 minutes apart.  I was uncomfortable, but that was also nothing new.  We had dinner, I cleaned up the kitchen, got the kids ready and we went out to Trick or Treat.  The whole time we were Trick or Treating they were between 5-10 minutes, and were a little stronger than normal, but I had no faith that they would keep up.

We were out walking around for about two hours.  When we got home I was very tired, crampy and uncomfortable.  I put the kids to bed, took a bath and went to bed.  I was sure that the contractions would stop again, but figured if they didn’t and I was in the beginning of real labor, that they would wake me up.  I was very hesitant, but just in case I sent my midwife, Sarah, a text message giving her a heads up that something might finally be happening.  I told her I wasn’t really optimistic, but maybe I would be lucky.

I fell asleep for about 3-4 hours and woke up a couple of times during a contraction, but they definitely weren’t regular.  At 1:45 am I woke up, realized it had been a long time since I had had a contraction and was a bit peeved.  Once again, the contractions stopped.  When was this going to end?

I got up to use the bathroom and before I got back to bed I had a pretty painful contraction.  I thought, okay…maybe.  After I laid down I started timing them and they weren’t all painful, but they were pretty close for about 15 minutes.  At 2 am I had a contraction that literally made me curl my toes in pain.  I got up again, to use the bathroom, and finally had bloody show.  I knew then this was it.  Finally!  Labor stopped while I slept, but I think it was because my body knew I needed a little rest and it officially started again at 1:45 am.

I went into another room to call Sarah since she was 35-45 minutes away.  I figured after I got a hold of her, I would wake up James.  I knew we would both be done sleeping for the day at that point.  She called the photographer, Keri, for me.  I had been worried the entire pregnancy that Keri, who was further away than Sarah, wouldn’t make it on time to get those immediate bonding pictures I wanted.  I woke up James so he could get ready.

Sarah got to my house it was about 3 am and I was having contractions every minute and a half or so with only about 30 seconds in between to recover.  I told her I was in transition.  She checked me and I was 8cm, definitely in transition.  We agreed to wait to break my water till the photographer got there.  We knew it would go fast.  I was very calm about the whole thing, talking to Grace, telling her it was okay, she could come now, we were waiting for her and that mommy loved her.

About 3:30 am the photographer got to the house.  At 3:40 am, I asked Sarah to break my water in the tub.  Figured less mess the better right?  Well Grace was so low it didn’t really matter as there was very little water that came out.  I got out of the tub, James rinsed it out and we started filling it up.  The contractions immediately got more painful, but I was able to talk and laugh in between them still.  I didn’t wait for the tub to fill before I got in it.  The warm water helped with the first contraction, but quickly I decided that I didn’t want to be in the tub.  I was feeling the need to push , but I just couldn’t get comfortable.  I wanted a water birth, but I always knew that when it came time I might NOT want a water birth.  Because I had realized this fact before hand, I was able to accept it and be okay with the slight change of plans.  And it was MY decision which was the best part.

I ended up getting on the bed for delivery.  I do not know what time this was.  Probably about 4 am.  By this time I wasn’t doing much laughing anymore and I was ready to get it over.  I kept telling myself that I could do it, and asking God for strength to help me get through it.  I knew I had done a natural birth before and I could definitely do it again, but in that situation and pain, you have to just keep reminding yourself of it.  However, I wasn’t comfortable in bed either, and briefly considered giving birth standing up.  Sarah suggested I get on my hands and knees.

They say the hands and knees position is more comfortable and an easier position to give birth in.  I completely agree at this point.  James propped a bunch of pillows up by my head and I was able to actually rest a few seconds between contractions.  Once I got into this position it went really fast.  After pushing through a couple of contractions I could feel Grace coming through the pelvis.  I told myself that the next contraction would be it.  She was right there.  I rested and got ready.  The next contraction I pushed.  The only pain I felt at this point was her, not the contraction itself.  I pushed, Sarah said she was crowning.  I pushed again and her head was out, I pushed again and Sarah said, “Daddy, come catch your baby.” It was 4:31 am, 2 hours and 45 minutes after my first contraction that morning.  Then they told me to lay down and meet her.

In that moment I was the proudest of myself that I have ever been in my life.  I did it.  I accomplished my perfect birth.  I had this perfect little baby, a gorgeous baby girl.  She had tons of hair and was crying immediately, but not too loud and not too long.  Looked pink and healthy from the beginning and was just perfect.  I was immediately in love with the little angel in my arms.

Because I lost a lot of blood during delivery the midwife ended up hooking me up to an IV with fluids which was fine.  After a couple of hours I got up to go to the bathroom and insisted on showering off.  Finally Sarah relented because she knew I would just do it after she left.  I got back in bed, was given food and fluids, and told not to get up.  Gracie was weighed and measured, pee’d on the scale and then bathed next to me on the bed in her baby tub.  She was content, happy, alert and learned to nurse like a champ with my help very quickly.

Many times during pregnancy I had stated that if the baby didn’t come at least a week before Halloween, that I wanted her to wait till afterwards so that I could enjoy Trick or Treating with the kids.  I had also stated that I would prefer her to be born at night, when the other kids were asleep, which would take out the issue of who would be watching them, and that early in the week would be better instead of on a Friday or weekend because then the kids would be in school all week and I would have time to just rest and recover.  Gracie was born the day after Halloween, early on a Monday morning, and not a single kid woke up during the whole ordeal, when they did it was off to school and lots of time to rest for me.  God gave me my perfect birth and it went exactly as I had hoped and envisioned it would for the last nine months.  He gave me a beautiful baby girl, when realistically I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant in the first place.  God answered all my prayers and even my unspoken wishes and dreams.  God is great.

~KS

After it was all said and done I felt empowered, in the midst of labor there were very painful moments, but I look back and smile and know that I made the right decision and atribute a speedy recovery, healthy baby, and fond memories to my decision for a natural childbirth and using Sarah as my midwife. I will use Sarah as my midwife for my next child.

Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication to us. You have made my transition into motherhood an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. Your words of encouragement and support during my labor are greatly appreciated. I couldn’t have done it without you! Zachary and I are blessed with a beautiful baby boy and we are so thankful you had the patience to guide us through it all. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.