I got a call at close to 1:30 pm. Tarece was giving me a heads up that she was contracting every 10-6 minutes. But she recognized this as early labor still because they were manageable and a bit unpredictable and were short, only lasting about 30 seconds. So I told her to try to live as normal as possible until they demanded her attention. I encouraged her to call me if she needed me. 

I did not hear from her again until 9:11 pm when she called and immediately had a contraction that was demanding her attention. Gerald told me that the contractions were five minutes apart and lasting 50 seconds or so. But she had three contractions within a brief phone call. Her plan was to take a shower.

They had spent the day together very meditative and relaxed. I asked Gerald to time the contractions for the next 20 minutes. They had been five minutes apart but now they were much closer I suspected. I told him my suspicions and suggested if after the 20 minutes I was correct that the contractions that seemed really strong were really more like 3-4 minutes apart and lasting over a minute, to call the midwife and then call me back. I told him I thought it may be time to consider heading over to North Fulton.

He called Emile after confirming that the contractions had definitely sped up and she said to head to the hospital. And then they called me to meet them there. I got in touch with Pam who met us there.  I arrived shortly after them at 10:30 pm.

She had been ushered into room 3 since room 6 with the birthing tub had just been taken by one of my other doula’s clients! Augh! Once I arrived I requested that she be moved to room 1 since it had a nice tub. They had to restock it, but then agreed to do so. She had been checked when she first arrived by the nurse and she was 4 centimeters and effaced 100%. I reminded her that all of the work she had done earlier in the day had done the work of effacement. And the baby had moved down to 0 station.

Tarece walked and rocked and sipped labor tea and swayed with each contraction as Gerald attended her. Pam and I held the space, snapping a photo but mostly just supporting quietly. It was a very spiritual labor to watch. At midnight she tried leaning over the birth ball on her hands and knees, then found lying on floor comforting.

Shaking, I knew she was moving along quickly so I filled the tub. I offered her the tub and she climbed in at 12:51 am. But soon she was out of the tub at 1:20 am. Shaking at 1:30 am, she kept moving and listening to her body.

I noticed that her demeanor changed and she seemed tentative in her ability to fully relax. I told her she needed to listen to her body- if she resisted, it would hurt more. She said she felt the baby move down. I asked her if she felt she needed to push or if she wanted to be checked. I had checked earlier to determine Emile’s availability since I knew the mom in room 6 had been pushing. They had told me 30 minutes earlier that they thought the mom would be done within twenty minutes- but she was still pushing. I suggested to Elaine, our nurse that perhaps she needed to check Tarece since the room had not even been set up yet.

Elaine came in to offer an exam. She said that Tarece had no bulging membranes- so perhaps her water had broken while she was in the tub earlier- or perhaps it was just snug against the baby’s head. But all Elaine could feel was a teeny bit of cervix on one side. I had added hot water to the tub and we offered for Tarece to enter the tub for the birth.

She moved out of the bed with Gerald holding her underneath her arms when she stood and she gave a deep push. She made another step mid contraction toward the tub. But as I stood in front of her I noticed that the last push had brought the baby to a full crown. I grabbed a towel from the adjacent table and lay it on the floor. I told Pam to get the nurse- the baby was coming. There was no time to do anything to stop this baby from coming. I told Gerald to change places with me so he could ready to receive his daughter into his hands rather than mine.

I stepped around and supported Tarece with my shins and grabbed my camera from Pam who had returned. Elaine had stepped toward the computer as if to not fully believe the news Pam had given her. But only a minute later when Elaine entered the room with Margaret by her side, the baby had already been born into her daddy’s hands.

The baby had been born within two minutes of the 2:23 am exam by Elaine. Three pushes and Hannah Georgia had been born at 2:25 am. Her mom sustained a 2nd degree tear but Hannah had APGARs of 8 and then 9. Hannah Georgia a gift from God, had come on Mothers’ day, 5/14. She was 6lbs. 12 ounces and 18 ½ inches long. Soon we had her in her mom’s arms nursing.

Wow- another almost catch circumvented by having the dad in just the right place at the right time! I love the miraculous and unpredictability of birth! I was happy to have been invited to this experience.

Teresa Howard, CLD, CLE, CPD (CAPPA), CD (DONA)
Owner, A Labor of Love
Labor Doula, Lactation Educator & Birthing in Awareness Educator
http://www.alaboroflove.org