Josie and Zola's Birth!

For several weeks leading up to the birth of Zola I had false labor. It was exhausting both emotionally and physically. Thankfully my partner and I had Whitney as a sweet, patient, and reassuring voice. She always made herself available to us for questions and offered excellent advice. I can’t even count how many times she reminded me to relax, rest, and hydrate leading up to the birth!

My labor with my first child, Micah, was close to 19 hours with nearly six of them spent stalled at 8cm. Going into Zola’s birth I had hoped things would move quicker than they had before. Apparently my body doesn’t move fast! On Saturday the 25th I lost my mucous plug and had sporadic contractions throughout the day. Around 7pm that evening they became stronger and developed a solid pattern. After so much false labor I was hesitant to call Whitney, but my partner called her and she came straight away. She stayed with us for about and hour and during that time my contractions started to space out and lessen in intensity. She recommended we try to get some rest and call her if we needed anything. We went to bed and around 3:30am I woke up with strong contractions yet again. This time I was pretty sure this babe was on her way and we called Whitney at 5:30am.

She came with us to the hospital where I was admitted at 4cm and 80-90% effaced. It was really beautiful to start the morning with a gorgeous sunrise and the knowledge that Zola would be with us soon.

Whitney was an amazing help to myself and my partner. She took the pressure off of him to be anything other than a loving partner to me. She was able to give him quiet suggestions of how he could best support me as well. I know this was invaluable to him and deeply appreciated. Her support of me was incredible. There is something very empowering about having another woman attend you during birth. She was able to be the sister and friend that could make me laugh between contractions. She was also able to be the mother who pulled my hair back for me and rub my back gently when I vomited during transition.

I was incredibly blessed to have an amazing midwife and L&D nurse with me as well. Because Whitney was such a knowledgeable and reliable presence, my midwife and nurse repeatedly mentioned how they hardly felt needed in the room during labor. I felt so at ease in the care of those three women!

Pushing has been the hardest and most rewarding part of both my births. It is intense and all encompassing. Just when I started to feel like Zola was never going to make her debut and I was feeling like my body might have hit a wall, I heard my midwife say something truly beautiful. There I was with my partner beside me and holding my hand, one leg resting on the nurse, the other on Whitney, and my midwife right in front of me, and the midwife said “now this is what it is to be attended by women.” Sitting there surrounded by powerful women and holding the hand of the person I love, we were joined by another little woman. Zola was born at 7:17 and was a big, healthy girl! My partner caught her and laid her onto my chest immediately. She nursed not long, maybe fifteen minutes, after birth and Whitney guided me on how to let Zola find my breasts on her own and initiate nursing on her own.

Whitney was there from start to finish. She had a way of knowing exactly what I needed without me ever having to say it. Having a hospital birth that truly felt like a home birth wouldn’t have been possible without her. She is an incredible woman and her ability to be an advocate, sister, friend, support, and a true professional is so very amazing. She is an incredible doula and I would strongly suggest her to anyone embarking on the journey of pregnancy and birth.