08/30/2026
This birth was unlike any other birth I have attended. 1. Because this first-time mom literally ROCKED it. She breathed through her contractions like a pro! And 2. The midwife missed the birth. I was the only provider in the birth space. Just Mom, Dad, Me, and eventually baby. I wanted to share her birth story from my perspective. đđť
During pregnancy, M was very go with the flow. She knew she wanted to have her baby at home, but she didnât have any preferences other than that. We walked daily leading up to her birth and had a big 4th of July celebration the day before. On July 5th, she texted me about 9pm that she was having consistent contractions, and they were definitely the real deal! I told her to try to get some rest and to let me know when she was ready for a little extra support! We chatted on and off until she needed me to come about 3:30AM. I arrived just before 4am so her husband could catch a little nap. We chatted about ways she had coped thus far. She was leaning over a yoga ball when I arrived, with a heat pack on her back. She was timing contractions and staying in touch with her midwife. We tried a few different positions and massages to see if anything brought more relief but leaning over the yoga ball on her knees was her sweet spot!
When her contractions got about 4 minutes apart consistently, we called her midwife, who was about 2 hours away. M talked to her on the phone and showed no indications that she was super close to having a baby. I told the midwife that she was still probably a few hours away. A few minutes later, Mâs water broke during a contraction. I told her we probably needed to tell the midwife to come now. M asked if I would call her, so I did and let her know she should come now. I think with talking to M just minutes before, she didnât feel the need to rush. đ
After her water broke, she spent some time in the bathroom. I gave her and her husband some space and privacy. I didnât hear her having any painful contractions (like I said, she was breathing through them like a total champ). Iâm not sure how long she was in there but it was while. Knowing that toilet sitting can progress labor quicker I was getting nervous how long she was in there (my beginning thoughts of âis the midwife going to miss this birth?!â)
I got the tub filled up, and she entered it after leaving the bathroom. She must have felt a lot of relief because her contractions spaced way out. The âcalm before the storm,â as the birth world would say. I texted the midwife that I was nervous she would miss it with the calm happening so shortly after I told her to head to us. But once she was in the water, her contractions spaced way out. I was so confused, as I hadnât seen a pattern like this before. Since she was never moaning or vocalizing her pain, I kinda thought we still may have a while and the water may have just brought her some much-needed rest and relaxation.
The midwife and I decided she should send her birth assistant (who was also a midwife in the area) to arrive just before she would. After the extended calm, Megan gave a little micro push, and I felt my stomach drop because the midwife was still over an hour away. Her contractions spaced out to be 5-10 minutes apart, and she got lots of good rest between them. I kept thinking maybe the midwife would make it.
I helped rub Mâs lower back, dump water on her, and get her cool rags as she was so warm from the birth pool. She was pushing sporadically. She asked what she was supposed to do. I said, âYou are doing amazing! If your body is telling you to push, then donât stop!â I told her she was doing so good listening to what her body wanted her to do.
She pushed for about an hour (but not like you would think in a hospital. She would push for a few seconds, wouldnât hold her breath, and wasnât bearing down. She also wasnât doing it every contraction and wasnât doing it for the whole contraction). Once her babyâs head was low and his hair was visible, she instinctively got into a squat position. She gave a really strong push, and his head was born. She waited a few seconds and gave another really strong push, and there was his body. He shot right out into the pool. She was shocked!
I told her to grab her baby, as his arms were wide open, ready to be grabbed, and his eyes were wide open, looking at his new world! She brought her own baby up out of the water! We talked to him, rubbed his back, and he let out a cry at 7:45am to let us all know everything was okay!
About 5 minutes later, the midwife assistant arrived and helped M birth the placenta. Whew! It was exhilarating, and I was so blessed to be on this mamaâs birth team. She rocked the whole thing. Never yelled out and controlled every contraction like she owned it!
Her midwife and mom arrived shortly after everything calmed down. It was a whirlwind for sure, but what a blessing to be a part of this kind of work. I wouldnât want to do anything else!
