Connor’s Birth Story

Prodromal labor: It happens in the third trimester of pregnancy and can feel a lot like real labor. Unlike real labor contractions, prodromal labor contractions never get stronger or closer together and don't lead to cervical dilation or effacement.

I spent about ten days on and off experiencing prodromal labor. I would think it was the beginning of real labor, start to plan for the boys and dog to get picked up, put things in motion, and then contractions wouldn’t get any closer and eventually they would stop. Sometimes they would happen in the middle of the night, and I’d go out to the couch, timing the contractions, thinking for sure this time it was real. Emotionally and mentally draining would be an understatement to describe this experience. January came and went and suddenly it was February.

My mom was helping me get the boys to school in the morning before I went to work and after dropping of the boys, we'd pop in somewhere for a coffee or quick breakfast . On this particular day, I picked breakfast at Speckled Hen because it’s one of my favorite breakfasts and it’s close to my chiropractor where I had an appointment mid-morning.

We got the boys to school, drove down to Speckled Hen, and enjoyed a Speckled Hen omelet and decaf rose latte. When I walked to put my dishes away, my contractions felt a little different than before. As I was walking back to the table, I got the sense that this really was it this time.
Mom and I slowly walked to the car and we made the decision we didn’t need to be walking around Target and going to the Chiropractor. I called Greg once we got into the car and told him he should probably wrap things up at work and head home. While driving, my contractions stopped. Daggum. Prodromal labor struck again (or so I thought). So I made a U-turn and off to the chiropractor we went. I went into my appointment to have Dr. Leah make sure everything felt aligned in my pelvis and hips. Mom walked over to Bird-in-Hand to pick up lunch for Greg. While walking back to the car, my contractions started again.

Once I got home, I made sure I was hydrated with lot of electrolytes and sat down for a little bit. When I would do this in the past, my contractions would often end up stopping (a sign of prodromal labor). The contractions remained, even though still about 15 minutes apart and lasting for 2 minutes each time. At about 3:00, I noticed them starting to get closer together and lasting shorter in length. That was our cue this was the real deal.

Greg dropped Boone and the boys’ overnight bags off at my parents and they planned to pick them up after school. I was in touch with my birth team to give them an update that I thought this was real labor. Being ‘the girl who cried labor’ for the past ten days, they had some suggestions and questions for me to help ensure this was the real deal.

By 4:00, the contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart, lasting for a little over a minute each time. Greg and I continued to get things ready around the house – hooking the hose up to the shower for the birth pool. Getting the homebirth box out and ready. Moving around kept the contractions coming closer.

My doula, Shanan, arrive around 5:00 and we immediately went outside for a walk. It was a beautiful day, which was incredibly lucky for February in Pennsylvania. Stopping for each contraction, it took us quite a while to make it to the end of the street and back. I laughed several times thinking of my neighbors looking out the window wondering what the heck we were doing. By the time we made it back to the house, labor was in full swing. Once inside, Shanan encourage sitting on the toilet, which I’ve come to learn is dubbed the “dilation station” by doulas. I rested for about 20 minutes there, swaying to the music that was playing through the house. Shanan and Greg prepped the bed with the extra sheets and would check in to make sure I was drinking water and feeling okay. Eventually, I made to the exercise ball to continue to encourage dilation and move my hips around. By this time it was 6:00 and my midwife, Jennifer, and her assistant, Kristi, got to the house.

As soon as Jennifer was set up, she used the doppler to find baby’s heartbeat. Identifying the heartbeat off to the right side of my belly, she said we need to get into a few different positions to encourage the baby to move more center. At this point, she put me in bed on my left side with the peanut ball between my legs. This was also the first position she had me in for Cameron and somehow I forgot how much this brings on the contractions! Phew! They were coming on fast and furious at this point. I was only in this position for about 20-ish minutes before she had me move to the living room to get into the open knee chest position. While in this position, she used a rebozo across my hips and shook each time I had a contraction. I have a few choice words for whoever invented this activity! But after only about 15-20 minutes again, Jenn checked the heartbeat and sure as anything, baby was perfectly center.

From here, I got into the pool for some pain management and I felt at home. There is nothing better than being in warm water during this part of labor. Just swaying to the beat of the music and enjoying the warmth of the water, I knew transition was imminent. Poor Greg because I think he spent more time filling the tub full of water than I spent in the tub, but it did an incredible job speeding along my progress.

Once Shanan and Greg helped me out of the pool, I chose to be on hands and knees to deliver the baby, just like I had with Cameron. It didn’t feel like I pushed very long – maybe 15-20 minutes. The environment was so special – dimly lit, my labor playlist playing, wonderful encouraging words from my birth team. The team helped me slow my breathing and pushing down to allow my body to stretch naturally. While what I felt was intense, the environment around me felt calm, peaceful, positive, nurturing. All the things I dreamed it would be.

Connor Andrew was born at 8:08 on Groundhog’s Day, not even waiting until he was fully earthside before letting out his first cries. He was born with a nuchal hand (one of his little hand was up at his cheek as he was born proving big babies & nuchal hands are NOT a reason for medical intervention). After catching him, Jennifer passed him immediately to me while we waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing. Joy, relief, pride souring through my veins, my experience couldn’t have gone any better.

Eventually I birthed the placenta (which is an important detail they conveniently leave out in movies) who’s size thoroughly impressed my birth team! They snapped pictures, using their foot for scale. We would eventually learn that Connor weighed 10 lbs 14 ounces, so he needed quite the placenta to keep him nourished! Greg cut the umbilical cord and we slowly made our way back to the bathroom to clean up and eventually the bed to relax. In the bedroom, Jenn and Kristi did the newborn exam, which included weighing our little groundhog. Our photographer, Madeline, did an incredible job capturing our reaction to the news of his size.

After the newborn exam was finished and determining I did not need any repairing (again proving when you have an incredibly knowledge birth team than can properly coach your body, your body naturally knows how to accommodate your baby), the birth team made sure we had snacks, drinks, were warm and tucked in before heading home a little after 10:00. No matter how many babies I have, I still spent the first night barely getting any sleep. Between adrenaline, making sure he was breathing and making sure he was eating regularly, I was excited to see the sun rise.

Between the afterbirth pains (which are singlehandedly my least favorite thing about post-birth) and catching up on sleep, we spent the whole next day tucked in bed. The boys came over mid-morning where we got to share the news that they had a new baby brother. They were the absolute sweetest and we got to snap a few pictures. We used these pictures to share the news with the rest of the family.

Six weeks later, as I reflect back on my homebirth experiences, there isn’t one thing I would change. The intimacy of the experience - just a handful of people that you choose, in your home where your body feels safe, where you control the lighting, sounds, food, drink, in whatever position and location that your body is calling - this is how we were made to bring our babies into the world.

I’m so grateful for my entire birth team:

Maternity Photos: Lauren Fisher Photography

Birth Photography: Madeline Isabella

Midwife: Jennifer Frye, True North Midwifery

Assistant: Kristi Reed, Your Birth Doulas

Labor Doula: Shanan Garber, 717barefootdoula

Postpartum Doula: Rachael Hollinger, NOURIS(her) Doula