*This is the FULL story, down to every last detail I can remember, thus a long one. I love reading birth stories, so if you are like me I hope you can grab a good cup of tea and settle in for the journey. If you are here to just skim the good parts, I hope you enjoy as well! Either way, thank you for stopping by to read our story… it’s a sweet one, full of the Lord’s GOODNESS. We hope you feel it too.

LABOR:

This story begins a few weeks before delivery. My due date was January 25th and as we now know Andy came January 28th. But leading up to these days there were 3 things that I am convinced directly led to my body going into spontaneous labor (besides all the dates and red raspberry leaf tea I was eating and drinking):

At home blood pressure readings: At my 39 and 40 week appointments at the Atlanta Birth Center my blood pressure was a little high. Higher than they would have liked. Which combined with other symptoms (none of which I had) can be a precursor to preeclampsia. Luckily they did not jump straight to bloodwork- that would have been… traumatic for me. I had already celebrated not having to do any further blood work once my glucose test was over and did not want to “go back there” mentally. After my 40-week appointment the head midwife came to check in and while not overly concerned with my blood pressure, she also did not want it to go unchecked for another week. She asked me to get an at-home cuff to check it in the comfort of my home if I hadn’t had the baby by the weekend. She (and I) had the suspicion that my high blood pressure readings may have been a bit of White Coat Syndrome. I really appreciated her willingness to keep tabs on my health and ensure it wasn’t anything serious while still giving me some space and ease to do so without it becoming even more invasive. I picked up a BP cuff on my way home and when I took my blood pressure relaxed at home later that same day it was in the “perfect” range- where it had been my entire pregnancy up until 2 weeks ago. I cannot tell you what a relief this was! Because if I DID have preeclampsia the solution is to birth the baby- which would have been totally fine for my “fully cooked” baby but that would have meant a hospital birth with a cascade of interventions I very desperately wanted to avoid. I checked my blood pressure once a day which brought me a lot of peace and reassurance that I was in fact healthy and could be patient and trust my body to go into labor when the baby was ready.
A final chiro adjustment: The next day I scheduled a chiropractor appointment with Dr. Pam at Active Life Chiropractic. I had a weekly standing appointment the last few months of pregnancy, but thinking I would for SURE have a baby before or around my due date I did not schedule one for that Wednesday the 27th. But I was having some back/hip discomfort and still no baby! So I figured one last adjustment before labor could really help! And boy did it! Cindy the intern gave me an incredible massage targeted to my low back before the adjustment which made the adjustment all that much more effective. I think Dr. Pam spent a little extra time with me since I was now a few days past my due date. I left feeling like a million bucks and completely in alignment and ready to meet baby.
Most importantly: prayer for surrender. That evening I was in the shower and just decided to lay it all out to God. He knows and hears the desires of our hearts, big and small. And I had just read something about how He is DELIGHTED to grant even the smallest of these. So I started praying and asking Him for every last detail: Lord please allow me to go into noticeable, spontaneous labor. No tearing. Aimee as my midwife. The “Fire Room” at the birth center. Birth AT the birth center with no interventions and no hospital transfer. Natural, vaginal birth. No hemorrhaging. A shorter pushing stage than my birth with David. Manageable pain. A healthy baby. And then at the end of that laundry list of hopes, I surrendered it all over to Him. I asked that above ALL, let my birth bring HIM Glory. That He would draw near and I would FEEL his tangible presence. Give me the strength I need for whatever lay ahead and that HIS name would shine from this birth, not me. Let thy will be done.

On top of all these requests, Michael and I had joked (when I had gone past my due date) that Thursday would be a GREAT day to have a baby! David was also born on a Thursday. The forecast was sunny. It was the 28th which means we all have 8’s in our birthday days, it’s a palindrome (1-2-8-2-1) and Michael would have the whole weekend off from school to soak him in and help out before having to head back to class. (He is allowed 3 weeks paternity leave from the Air Force but you can’t exactly take it when your job is a PhD student… those assignments still have to get done!) I think God must have just been chuckling to himself when we had this conversation about the perfect day to have a baby… *wink*

Wednesday night the 27th I got ready for bed just like any other night, after a little Netflix I hit the sack while Michael was still burning the midnight oil. But my heart felt lighter and more filled with peace and joy than I had my entire pregnancy. And now I know why…

3:00am - I awoke with one strong contraction (that I assumed was a Braxton Hicks- I had them consistently for half of my pregnancy.) I got up to pee and when I did I felt a gush. I remember them telling us “if you think you water has broken put in a pad, if it soaks through in an hour or so you know you aren’t just peeing yourself.” So I put in the pad, but feeling pretty confident I came to the bed and sat on a towel to tell Michael and soon realize I need to be back in the bathroom- it was gushing! I went through a few maxi pads and pairs of underwear. Not any contractions yet though. I was SO surprised! I knew only about 15% of women’s labors START with spontaneous membrane rupture. Mine with David broke as I was pushing. So not only was I completely NOT expecting my labor to begin with water breaking, I was also a little nervous now. I knew that once your water breaks you are essentially on a 24-hour timer to have the baby so they are not without fluid for too long. But I wasn’t having any more contractions and started to panic a little that again, this would lead to a hospital transfer, pitocin, induction etc.

3:18am - I called the midwife on call at and she talked me through what to look for and when to call back. She said if there was no pick up in contractions by noon or so to call back so I can head in for a “soft induction” at the birth center to avoid hospital transfer. Hearing this was a HUGE relief. I loved that they had a plan in place to help labor along without going to the hospital for drugs. I was advised to go back to bed and relax (HA!) and wait for contractions to pick up.

After a few quick texts to my mom, doula and some close girlfriends I laid down and tried to rest, but felt too jittery and excited. One way or another, we were going to meet our baby SO SOON! I got up with urge to pee- SO much! And poop- felt SO good. (TMI? It’s a birth story- hope you are along for the ride!) Such a feeling of relief. Lots more amniotic fluid gushing out and mucus plug coming. Back to bed to try to rest. Contractions start getting a LOT stronger. I couldn’t lay down through them anymore- I had to get up and moving. More using the restroom- such a relief. I felt light! I decided to stay in bathroom to stand up and sway between contractions because it felt so good to be able to move and breath through them. (Just like my labor with David! Gazing out the window at the still and quiet night- albeit a much different view than our bathroom window in Germany) I decide to straighten my hair between contractions because why not? It felt good to do a little something normal and just for me. I took the time to finalize my bag and get my toiletries packed up. I kept thinking of all the things we still needed to gather: car seat, snacks, David’s bag. Luckily Michael packed his bag as soon as my water broke. He offered to stay with me while I labored but I told him to go back to sleep. I wasn’t sure what labor would look like this time around but I wanted him as well rested as possible and honestly liked being in the calm, quiet of the bathroom by myself for the time being.

5:40am - I finally woke him up and told him we needed to call the midwife. Things were picking up- contractions were coming every 2-4 minutes and getting stronger. We called the midwife on call again and tell her the update, spoke to Anjli this time and she said (in the most calm and patient voice you can imagine) that because my water broke and this is my second baby to go ahead and head on in. It’s about 5:45am, she says she will have the midwife on call, Aimee (my favorite and who I prayed for!!!) meet us there at 7am. We started gathering things, Michael running back and forth like a man on a mission. We call mom back to let her know to come on over! Call James to please come get David! Call our doula/photographer, Sarah, to let her know when to meet us! We are having this baby!

I tried to gather things but contractions were coming so frequently and strong I had to pause so often I was of little use. We manage to pack our cooler of snacks, Michael goes up to wake David and pack a little bag for him (hoping we might be back home that night but of course you never know!) He comes down so sweet and calm, Michael had to wake him up even though he is commonly up by 6:30am. I am standing in the kitchen when Michael’s dad gets there, loudly exclaiming “it’s time to have a baby!!!!” Which was sweet but entirely too loud. I asked him to please be a little quieter, surprising myself because I didn’t realize I needed it quiet until he burst through the door. I picked up David to give him a hug and told him we were going to go have the baby! I thought I would be emotional but at that point I was pretty uncomfortable and ready to get on to the birth center. The “sadness” of leaving behind our first born to go have his younger sibling was not setting in. James took David and just as he left my mom pulled up, helped us load the car and we were off!

Just a little rush hour traffic but not too bad; there was a wreck showing red on the GPS on 75 South but we flew right by it- thank you Lord! I was SO uncomfortable in the car and started getting back labor pain bc of how I was positioned. I just wanted to stand, sway and lean forward. It was a long 30 minutes. But one sweet moment: Michael says “Marissa look at the sky- the sunrise is beautiful” and I open my eyes for the first time to see these orange and purple clouds peeking through the deep blue sky just above the horizon. It was stunning. The day breaking on the day we would meet our baby. A glimpse of peace and joy in between the pain.

7:15am - We arrived at the Birth Center and Michael pulls right up to the side door. I wait through another contraction before I open my door and get a glorious burst of cold winter air, the wind blowing through my hair as I circle the car and walk towards the door. I imagined this moment of arrival so many times and I did not expect it to have so much charged energy- the early morning drive through rush hour and icy winter temps gave it a lively, but peaceful feel. Then Aimee opened the door and I stepped back into peace and serenity. I walked directly to a table where I could pause and lean forward through another contraction. The hallway was quiet and dimly lit, I was thankful. She walked me to the triage room where she connected my belly to the machine for checking on baby during contractions which wasn’t my favorite part, but I was SO thankful I got to stay standing. (They had me lay in the bed with David, which I hated. I was also thankful this time around to NOT have to sign paperwork and answer a million questions. I just walked in and proceeded to labor and have a baby thank you very much.)

As I walked in I noticed ALL THREE ROOMS were open and available! After a CRAZY week in which they delivered 16 babies I now had the place to myself (just like at David’s birth!) I was uncomfortable with the monitors on me but again thankful to be able to lean forward on the bed and work through contractions. I remember getting warm and taking off my sweatshirt and then asking if I could please take off my shoes. (Which was funny, of course I could, but for some reason I felt like I needed to ask. In the hospital there were so many rules… not here!) Michael was such a wonderful support, cueing up my worship labor playlist and asking right away for the “Fire” room that I wanted since we had our pick. Thank you again Jesus for seeing to the smallest desires of my heart!

7:35am - Finally, I was able to take off the monitors and move into the room. I had told my Doula at our last meeting I would want some suggestions on positions to move through. I had needed a lot of different ones with David and never had any intuition as to how I might like to move or be positioned so I anticipated needing help again. This time my body knew exactly what it needed. I walked right over to the rocker and put a pillow on the floor to kneel on so I could lean over on the rocker stool. It was a little low so I started looking around for a ball, my mom asked what I was looking for and I told her... moments later a ball appeared! (Praise you nurses or midwife or whoever kept manifesting things I needed at the exact moment I needed them!) I put a pillow on top so I could relax over it while I knelt and rocked my hips through contractions. They were building and getting quite strong. I asked if I could get in the tub yet. I was told I could, but it wasn’t yet full. I decided to wait.

I have read so many birth stories where the mom had the intense desire (and sometimes great relief) to push. I never experienced this with David and I sometimes wonder if that is why I pushed for son LONG. All of a sudden while working through a contraction I had it- the “I gotta push right now! oh wait my body is already doing it, is this okay?!?” moment. I remember saying as I was already pushing “I think I need to push!” And my midwife replied something along the lines of “okay great do whatever feels good!” I was so surprised because I hadn’t been checked for dilation or anything. They simple allowed me to do whatever I felt like, or needed to do. (I later asked my midwife why she never checked my dilation and she said she could just tell things were progressing well and I was in tune with my body so she just trusted it! WOW!) With David’s birth I have no idea whether or not I had a choice to be checked for dilation. I needed help and suggestion (or so I thought.) This time, I just KNEW.

My midwife helped me get my bottoms off and I heard someone say something like “you have the baby wherever you want we will come to you” and that was incredibly comforting and encouraging. All of a sudden puppy pads appeared around me- they really were bringing the “birthing spot” to wherever I was! After a few pushes they said the tub was ready- hallelujah!! I stood up, fumbled and splashed my way into the deep WARM tub and walked to the back where there was a little inflatable bench I wanted to kneel on. Michael got comfy just on the other side of the tub sitting between me and the wall. Everyone else was behind and around me- their presence felt but not intrusive in any way. Every nurse that came in quietly came over to introduce themselves before getting back to work. This was very kind and again, unintrusive.

I labored here pushing with almost every contraction feeling weightless in the water. I do remember a few that didn’t feel “push worthy” so I just worked through them and waited for the next one. I was amazed at how I could feel Andy moving. I think the kneeling position and being in the water made all the difference in that regard. I held Michael’s hand so tightly during each contraction, this brought me so much comfort and strength. I let the worship music just wash over me. Occasionally praying for strength. But this time there was so much more joy and peace in my body, in the room, that the worship music just continued to lift me up. It was so encouraging to hear those words wash over me between the hard work on contractions. Michael, my mom and doula, Sarah, brought me water between contractions. I remember when I first got in the tub Michael asked if I wanted anything to eat and (repulsed at the thought of eating) I laughed and shook my head no. Even the coconut water had a bit too much flavor to it. I mostly just wanted water and a lot of it.

At one point between contractions I was thinking about how quickly this was all going and said “I hope I can have this baby before Chick fil A breakfast ends!” To which the room erupted in laughter. The midwife said “I think that is the most ATLANTA thing I have ever heard anyone say in labor!” And then they assured me since it was only 7 something in the morning and he was well on his way- the odds were good!

I continued to push and the pressure built. I remember saying “I feel so much pressure!” And Aimee, wanting to gracefully manage my expectations, said “that pressure will continue to build now and probably get more intense” which felt like an odd thing for her to say in the moment (I was expecting more of a “it will all be over soon” or “it’s okay you can do it”) but to be honest I really appreciated that. It allowed me to get mentally prepared and geared up for what was coming.

There came a point where I could really feel him moving down. I all of a sudden realized I might be able to feel his head! So I reached down and wow! I sure could! It was SO squishy!! I laughed at the touch of it knowing I was mere moments away from meeting this sweet boy or girl! One more push and I heard one of the nurses, Taylor, say “I think we are going to meet your baby on the next contraction.”