Our Second Daughter’s Birth Story
Gianna came into this world on July 29th at 6:41pm, just 5 days after due date. Her labor was everything rolled into one. It was long, peaceful, calm, serene, and had a grand finale of intensity. It was a stark contrast to the labor and delivery experience that I had with my first. Although the majority of the day was so calm and peaceful, Gianna’s delivery stripped me down to a place where I truly thought I had nothing left. It brought me to my deepest edge, and then rebuilt me with a deep sense of capability and power. I say she “came” into this world, but in all reality, she was roared into this world.
As I replay the day in my mind, I can't help but think of the final moments before she was born. How I could not recognize myself, the sounds, and the energy that vibrated out of me. I was operating from a mode of instincts. My husband jokes that not only the entire hospital, but maybe the entire city we live in heard that Gianna was born. I felt entrenched in my edges. My insecurities so easily surfacing in the moments of intense sensation. I felt as if I was re-birthing a new version of myself. Such a beautiful gift that I think comes along for all of us in Motherhood.
To begin with the details, her due date of Sunday, 7/24 came and went. I expected this to happen as our first daughter, Mila, was born at 41 +1 weeks, so I was prepared to go past 40 weeks again, and actually postponed a lot of my to do list to closer to 40 weeks. I didn’t want to have a lot of idle of time just waiting for her like I had waiting for Mila.
That week, on Wednesday afternoon, I had an acupuncture treatment where I asked my acupuncturist to hit all the points for labor that would help my body understand that it would be okay now to energetically and physically release the baby. It was an awesome treatment and I figured if my body was getting ready in any capacity, this may help get things moving. Then, at around 11pm, I had some cramping and it was a bit uncomfortable, so I got in the bath tub to rest my body with some magnesium salts. I rested/slept in there until about 3:30 in the morning and at that point I felt good enough to get into bed where then I could actually sleep. During the day Thursday I felt some cramping on and off again, noticed bits and pieces of my mucous plug coming out and figured things just may be getting started. I also had some moments of intense fatigue and took a big two hour nap on Thursday, so this was reinforcement that my body was gearing up for labor. I did the miles circuit and a few other exercises on Thursday in hopes to help my body progress and to help maximize Gianna’s position for labor.
As Thursday night rolled around, I felt fine until I went to lay in bed and the cramping returned, but with a little more sensation, and I had some trouble falling asleep. I took to the bathtub again, lit some candles, and hang out in there a while with my birthing affirmations and music on. My contractions began around midnight and I stayed in the tub rolling through early labor until about 4am. At which point I was either so tired that my body finally allowed me to sleep a couple hours through them, only gently rousing with some contractions, but able to fall back asleep quickly. There were still spaced out between 8 and 14 or so minutes apart, so not quite regular yet.
Friday morning, I woke and texted our birth doula. She asked if she could come over to help move things along, and I happily agreed! She was here by 8am and we began to focus on how to best move the labor process along. She gently guided me through a number of positions to maximize the contractions and to keep things going more steadily. We took a walk, we took moments to eat and rest, and it honestly could not have been a more relaxing and beautiful early labor experience at home. As the morning moved into the afternoon, things started to level up a bit with contractions and they became 4 and 5 minutes apart pretty consistently, lasting for at least a minute or more. Although mentally and emotionally I still felt pretty calm and collected, my body started to shake, the actual contraction became a little more intense, and my doula decided I was moving into active labor at this point. This was around 1:30pm. I was expecting in my mind to be “in pain” or super uncomfortable at this point (because with Mila I felt like I was dying at 3cm dilated in early labor), but my doula assured me that second time labors can and will feel very different, so let’s just call the midwife.
At around 2:15, we called the midwife and once she heard my voice (now pausing through every contraction) and a little of the backdrop of the day, she asked us to come to the hospital, as she was sure too that I was in active labor.
I told Carlo, who had already suggested we leave for the hospital an hour prior (haha), that it was time to go and we packed up to go have the baby! When we arrived at the hospital I was so nervous that they would check me and I wouldn’t be that far along, but low and behold, they saw me and walked me right back to a room! The midwife came in and checked me stating that she was sure from the phone my body was getting ready to have this baby, and she found that I was about 8-9 cm dilated. I was so relieved because with Mila I felt like I had labored a while at home and then got to the hospital only to find myself at 3cm, so already, I was excited that it was go time and this gave me the little burst of energy I needed to keep going! At this point having not really slept the past two nights and laboring all day, I was tired.
My doula and I decided to go to the toilet with some pillows as this was where I had felt comfortable most of the day breathing through my contractions. This is also where I tended to dilate the quickest, and I now truly understand why so many birthing professionals call the toilet the dilation station😜. The midwife and Carlo were there to meet my needs and soon enough I was at 10 cm. However, I was not feeling the desire to push or bear down and I kept mentioning this to my birthing team.
The midwife then suggested some other positions that were similar to a supported squat to help move baby down and ultimately to help my water bag break. At one point we thought my bag of water broke, but then my contractions did not intensify per the midwives observations, so she decided to check my bag of water again.
She did another cervical check and sure enough my bag of water was still perfectly in tact, but I was 10 cm and babies head was trying to move down, but the water bag was slowing the process, blocking the head from further descending. She suggested that she break my bag of water, as after she did this, she was sure Gianna would drop and be born very shortly after.
Breaking was bag of waters at this point with contractions being 1-2 minutes apart and very intense was super uncomfortable because I had to lay on my back and she had to time it just right between contractions.
My doula and Carlo held my hands to keep me calm and the midwife did her thing perfectly timed. After this, Gianna's heart rate dropped a bit, but they were able to flip me onto my left side then hands and knees so I could find my breath and we could stabilize her heart beat.
The midwife was correct that as soon as my water bag broke, things happened fast! Contractions went from intense, but manageable, to intense and taking over my entire being. I began to question my ability to birth this baby. The sensations were so big and so powerful, I became quite unsure snd vocal about how I was feeling...but at this time, I had no choice but do it and Gianna was only minutes away from making her appearance. They put up the squat bar because being on all fours was very uncomfortable for me and I found myself in a lateral lunge/half yoga squat position that just seemed to work for me😂. I was roaring uncontrollably with every contraction, and my doula , Carlo, the nurse, and midwife all continued to guide me back to my breath and reassure me that with some continued effort, she would be here and these sensations would also subside!
I felt in control of my body and the process of bringing her down and pushing her out, but at the same time, I knew I only had one choice but to surrender to what at the moment was the most intense bodily sensations I have ever felt in my life. I had to trust my body and while working to push with contractions, I also had to let my body do its thing. I had to lean deeply into the discomfort and let it be as it was.
I honestly have no clue how long I spent pushing. Time was then furthest thing from my mind. I know it was not quick as the midwife made a comment that she was sorry, stating that usually with second labors, the whole process is a lot faster😂, but low and behold with one final big push, Gianna made her appearance and quickly let out a big cry! She was handed right to me and I took what felt like the best seat of my life as I brought her to my chest. I was in shock at the whole process of birthing her and so relived she was here safely...and just like that in a quick moment, all the intense sensations faded into ones of joy and softness. The placenta was delivered quickly after in just a couple brief pushes. It was neat to be present for that and to see the organ that nourished her life in the womb. Carlo cut her cord after it stopped pulsing and we continued to enjoy skin to skin as she latched on to feed!
Gianna’s birth taught me a lot of things. I am so grateful for her birth story, and I know everyone's stories can be so vastly different, so far both of mine have proven to be! Her birth showed me grace, strength, patience, and truly the miracle and power of woman's bodies.