Kim's Birth Story
"I am truly grateful to the staff at The Midwife Center for safely delivering my two children."
On September 20, 2023—my birthday and ten days after Boba was due—I was lying in bed after my birthday celebrations, binge-watching Grey's Anatomy, when I felt a pop that ached and felt like a strong kick. I noticed some liquid and called for George to bring me a towel—my water had broken! With my first child, my water didn’t break on its own, so this was my first experience of a “movie-style” labor with my water breaking organically. I was excited to call the midwives to see what they thought.
Theresa and Shannon were on duty. Theresa advised me to come in within an hour, which gave us time to finish packing and for George's Aunt Pat to come spend the night with Ellis. When we arrived at the Midwife Center, I, being the skeptic as always, hesitated to call in Ashley, our doula provided through Healthy Start, because I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time in case we had a long labor ahead. George fell asleep while I labored through contractions. I found that getting into the shower and standing up while swaying helped a lot.
Eventually, we decided to call Ashley, who arrived with her energy and bag of tricks. I needed a lot of counter-pressure since I was experiencing back labor again. I eventually moved to the party tub (complete with lights and music), where I hoped to deliver. I relaxed in the tub for a while and started using nitrous, but I found that having people read meditation scripts to me helped me through the contractions the most. I wasn’t sure if it was ever going to happen, but when Shannon checked me, she noticed—and I could feel—that my body was starting to involuntarily push. I guess I’m not one of those women who has that undeniable urge to push.
Shannon immediately called out “pushing” so that the midwife could come in, armed with large elbow-length gloves I had only seen in videos of veterinary procedures. I don't know why I've seen those videos. I thought it was amusing that those gloves and a fish tank scooper were part of their equipment.
At one point, I told George in between contractions to put on “Mother” by Danzig, which confused everyone since a laboring woman was whispering “Mother” repeatedly. Finally, he got the hint that it was my "push song." Trying to lift my legs in the tub was excruciating, so I tried squatting, which helped a bit, but that’s when Boba got stuck. I moved to the bed and tried hands and knees, but I genuinely felt like she was never coming out. They had me flip to my back to maneuver my legs, and finally, I felt a pop and immediate relief when Boba made her appearance.
George whispered, “It’s a girl,” but everyone was working frantically. I felt hugely relieved that the baby had made it out, but I sensed something wasn’t quite right. I could see that she wasn’t moving and her color was dark. The nurse and midwife worked with PPV (positive pressure ventilation) to help her breathe, and finally, at the last moment, she did! They mentioned they almost had to cut the cord and take her to the table for further assistance, but she perked up just in time.
I felt more present during this birth, likely because I had less nitrous and more rest in the days leading up to it. We enjoyed a full 12 hours at TMC, but I was mindful that Ellis and Aunt Pat were probably waiting for us at home. I ordered cinnamon buns for us and the staff, tried to rest, and began the process of picking a name.
Boba is perfect, and four days later, she became Isadora Virginia, aka Izzy. I am truly grateful to the staff at The Midwife Center for safely delivering my two children. Immediately after delivery, I knew Izzy needed some help, but I wasn’t worried because I completely trusted the midwife and nurse. I feel so lucky to have been a client of TMC for years and admire their skills and mission. An added bonus is that I was a Centering Pregnancy client - meaning group prenatal care. I chose this path because I understood that it would reduce disparities in outcomes for women of color, which is desperately needed. It was great to have that extended time (2 hour visits) to learn from each other and to focus on ourselves. Thank you TMC and Healthy Start for your incredibly important work.
