I first met Courtney on the phone, we talked about all she and Jason had been through building their family.  She shared her favorite detail of Kyson’s birth, when a tiny seed of hope was planted by an encouraging nurse.  This nurse told Courtney “you are a birther!” Courtney carried those words and that moment in her heart for years.  She ultimately knew it was true but the fact that things escalated quickly and chaotically she lost sight of the big picture.  Jason never wavered in his support. He told Courtney all along-they didn’t need a doula, they did it by themselves last time and he was certain she could do it again.  His confidence and optimism carried her through her pregnancy with Keaton (and ultimately her birth!).

Keaton was getting perfect reports at each appointment and scan.  Courtney was holding her in and keeping it all together while Jason’s travel schedule had him away from home, too close to her due date.  Once the 7th came and went, Courtney went to war.  She had never been pregnant past her due date before and this played tricks on her mind.  She floated between DIY induction techniques and resting in/wrestling with 😉 God’s timing. July 11th around 3 a.m she finally was ready to call the sensations “real contractions”.  She notified us around 5:54 a.m that there was no pattern and they were anywhere from 15-40 mins apart but she was also having loose stool & bloody show.  She took turns doing light housework and resting in the early morning hours. By 6:35 they were “frequent and intense”, still not lasting long though.  When she sat down to eat before preparing to lay down around 7:13 contractions were well established, happening every 6 minutes.  We made final preparations for our families and were eager to hear how rest changed her patterning.  Courtney recognized the surges were slowing down by 7:41 but was smart in taking the chance to intentionally rest while she still could.  Following up around 9:13 they were still spaced out at 10 minutes but by 9:19 she’s trying her best to breathe through the waves, but she notices her toes curling and that she’s starting to groan a little. Her focus is set on trying to relax “better”.  We see this as our invitation for more support and to help her find better coping strategies.  So, we say goodbye to our families and start working our way out the door when she follows up at 9:38 with reports of more bloody show and intense contractions that are closer together when she gets upright.  By 9:43 we were in our car and headed her way!

When we show up at their house we find Courtney walking around, slow and deliberate in between contractions.  During the waves she dropped to her hands and knees to work things through. We followed her around the house a bit, then settled in her living room, trying to find alternative supporting positions.  Leaning over different surfaces and furniture wasn’t what her body needed though, she ultimately liked being on her hands and knees during contractions.  Once she accepted that she was zoned in.  Courtney was chatty and smiley between contractions, wanting to make sure things were progressing and she was doing all the best things for her body and baby.  She mentioned a few times when she went to the bathroom the waves were almost too intense to bear.  She really wanted to avoid that level of discomfort but knew she needed to try to empty her bladder sooner than later.  She reluctantly worked her way towards the bathroom. Enough time passed that we wondered how she was doing and were eager to set our eyes on her.  Jason reports that she’s not feeling well so she’s in the bed now. We both look at each other and beeline it back to the bedroom.  Calm before the storm? Stall? Transition?  Could go either way! We find her lying on her side, curled up under the blankets, cold and shaky.  She’s so quiet as she rests with her eyes closed and breathes deep and slow.  We watch her work through a few contractions without much commotion or vocalization but the shivering is uncontrollable. As I rub warming salve on her hips and thighs I look curiously at Jason (transition is front and center in my mind) and ask if she did this with Kyson.  He casually says “yes, right before she started pushing.” Attempting not to be bossy, induce panic or rush an unmedicated-laboring-women in transition I suggest it’s time to head on in, calmly telling her I don’t think we’ll be there too early but would rather not be too late.  Jason is eager, Courtney is reluctant.  I can tell she does not want to move.  She knew movement was going to speed things up.  She had about 3 contractions between the bedroom and the car. Each time she’d drop down to her knees and then we’d have to coax her to stand and walk again. Standing in the garage, being supported by Jason and Katie, Courtney starts to grunt instinctually. We quickly decided to divide and conquer!

 I end up seated between car seats in their backseat while Katie follows us in our car.  Trying to assure Courtney we had time, she was not going to have the baby in the car and get her energy focused on hard breaths rather than the sensations in her bottom was nothing short of a miracle. Ultimately her instincts were too powerful to reason with, the need to push was so strong.  She grunted and yelled, squeezing her bottom, lifting it up off the car seat while riding shotgun, slapping the windows and dashboard rhythmically.  Right around the Dayton Mall things really picked up, but she did not give in to her urges.  Fighting against her body I asked her to reach down and see if she could feel the baby’s head but her focus could not be broken. Praise God, we finally made it to Southview, Jason pulling in hot on two wheels! I ran in to grab the nurses as Jason helped Courtney out of the car.  After we came back from parking the cars we waited in the hallway, trying to figure out which room they were taken to but there was no staff to be found.  We could sense the fury and the chaos down the hall and hear Courtney’s screams. Finally, we hear two ladies say to each other walking towards the nurses station “poor girl, I hope she gets her epidural soon”.  We see this as a connection point and introduce ourselves, asking if one of us could go back for extra support but they say no because she is in triage until a room opens up.  Next thing we hear is a baby cry, lullaby chimes over the loud speakers and then… silence. It’s 11:35 and Courtney’s relief and joy is palpable all the way to the waiting room.  

There was no time for an epidural, Karen and that ‘poor girl’ is a powerful force of faith and miracles, a walking testimony of God’s goodness, healing and provision. From chaos to perfect order.  Jason was right, you already had everything you needed for this birth.  The seed just needed some watering and sunny days to grow ❤