Theo Brooks entered the world on his due date: September 25 at 3:56am! His labor was unique compared to my first two for a few reasons: 1. I had false or prodromal labor for a few weeks leading up to actual labor, 2. he actually came on his due date, and 3. it was my quickest and most intense labor and delivery! Like with Jackson and Quinn I opted for a natural delivery with as minimal interventions as possible, and thankfully I was able to do that. Read on if you’re interested in Theo’s full birth story!
Saturday Sept 21 into Sunday Sept 22 I had contractions during the night that reached 5 min apart and lasted 40-45 seconds but they fizzled out by 3-4am. That Sunday we took a family trip to the zoo because I figured the walking could be good, plus fun family time would take my mind off of waiting for labor. Monday Sept 23 I had a midwife appointment and she confirmed my cervix was unfortunately the same as the previous week (2cm 50% effaced), but she tried sweeping my membranes anyways. From there I ate a spicy lunch, picked up Quinn from school, ate some pineapple, drank 6 tea bags worth of red raspberry leaf tea, took primrose oil capsules, got a chiropractic adjustment…basically did all the things to help labor along. By the evening I was feeling mild contractions but went to bed to try and get as much rest as possible. I felt some contractions through the night and woke up Tuesday Sept 24 with them continuing. I thought it could be different than the usual prodromal labor because I had never had them continue into the morning before.
All day my contractions continued steadily, and slowly got a little more painful and closer together. I lost my mucus plus and had the bloody show deal around mid morning, early afternoon. When my contractions were 4-5 min apart and 30-45 seconds long I called Joe and had him come home by 4pm and my sister in law had offered to take care of the kids.
By 5pm we called the midwife who said to come into triage at the hospital to get checked. My friend and doula, Mel Mahon, met us there. When my midwife came in and checked me I was discouraged to find that I was only 3cm and 80% effaced, and my contractions weren’t really strong enough to tell her that it was time. She said she thought that things could potentially pick up later in the night so rather than sweep my membranes again, she suggested I go home and get as much rest as possible so that if it happens on its own I am ready. We were back home by around 7pm, but by 9pm things were already picking up on their own. I did not get much rest at all, but went back and forth between laying on my side to squatting or leaning on an exercise ball. I did manage to eat a bagel and cream cheese, and tried to chill in our tub but I wasn’t comfortable. I knew things were shifting because I was starting to feel nauseous and sounded a little delirious when I spoke! It sounds ridiculous and I can’t explain it, but I remember feeling really similar with my labor with Jackson. I told Joe to call Mel and tell her to come over, and call the midwife back. The midwife could tell by my voice that things had become more real and the contractions sounded worse so she said to come back in. So, Joe, Mel and I headed back to the hospital.
Once we were settled in triage it was probably around 11pm. They had to monitor me and the baby for 20 min, and the midwife came in to check my cervix and told me I was still only 3cm but 100% effaced. I was so discouraged and had a wave of anxiety because I thought it would end up being like my labor with Jackson that took 12 hours and was intense physically and emotionally. Joe and Mel encouraged me that this is our third and things can pick up fast at any time. So, the midwife decided I should stay since things clearly did progress and I wasn’t sleeping anyways. She swept my membranes and gave me a dose of penicillin because I was GBS positive (group b strep), then she told me to go walk around for 2 hours and come back. It was around 12am at this point.
I had to walk for a looong time in labor with Jackson, and for a short time with Quinn, so we new exactly where to go: the rooftop healing garden a few floors up. I had so many thoughts going through my head: what if this isn’t really going to happen and it all just stops suddenly? What is my contractions just aren’t long enough? Are they long enough to get me to dilate faster? Am I going to be here laboring until 6,7,8am?!? Mel was a godsend and reminded me to not think about how dilated I am while I’m not having a contraction, just be here in the moment, and when I am having a contraction use all my breath to help bring the baby lower and visualize him dropping lower and lower and my body dilating. It truly helped me to breathe into every contraction and let my body do what it had to do. We lapped and lapped the healing garden mixing in light conversation in between contractions. I remember being annoyed if Joe tried to make jokes though. 🤣 I also asked Joe multiple times why he couldn’t do this part and said it wasn’t fair. By 2am the contractions made a shift yet again and they took focus, breath and vocalizing my pain to get through them. Random note: I had to pee so often during this point in labor! That was a first for me. Having contractions in the bathroom was not fun!
Around that 2am mark we headed back down to the Labor & Delivery floor. No one even checked me, a nurse just brought me right into a tub room because she new things had progressed by looking at me. The nurse wanted to monitor me for another 20 min and we had to wait for the midwife to come and check my cervix, and I remember just being so impatient and eager to get in the tub. Joe started my essential oil diffuser and started playing my worship playlist. The song “Defender” sung by Katie Torwalt came on and I remember leaning over the bed through contractions and getting emotional listening to her sing and feeling God’s presence with me. I looked at Joe and said “I just want to meet him now.” Finally the midwife arrived and checked me cervix which was at 6cm. I got into the tub around 2:20am and this is when things got really real.
With each contraction I couldn’t help but have to give a grunt or growly yell to get through it. I had Mel feeding me ice and reminding me to breathe, breathe, breathe full deep breaths. I was leaning over the tub grabbing Joe’s shirt and begging him to help me. After each contraction there was an intense shooting pain and pressure that would make me yell and take shallow breaths, and I had to work really hard to catch my breath and take a full deep one even though my team kept saying to breathe! There were some choice words and lots of “Jesus help me”, and “I can’t do it!”. I finally remember saying “The pressure!!! My butt!!!” If you know, you know. At that point it had been an hour in the tub and my midwife asked me for one more contraction then suggested I get out and she’d check my cervix. I got out and when she checked me I was 9cm, but my water broke and I immediately went to 10cm.
I started pushing around 3:30am and it was equally as intense as the contractions in the tub. I could not catch my breath between contractions and pushing. Theo’s heart rate was fluctuating and I remember Mel telling me to take a deep breath NOW for Theo. Finally the nurse ended up throwing an oxygen mask on me and telling me to take deep breaths and I had to push with the mask on. My midwife said, don’t push up away from the pain, but the baby is so close to crowing, if you just push into the pain you’ll push him right out. Mel told me to squeeze her hand as hard as I could, and I tried to channel all my strength into pushing into the pain with the next contraction. After that push they said “Feel your baby’s head!” I reached down and could feel his head and knew I had to give it everything I had left and told myself that this pain was temporary. The next contraction I just wanted to meet him and knew I was not going to stop pushing until he was out. Finally after 26 minutes of pushing on Wednesday September 25th his head and upper body were born and my midwife said “Grab your baby!” I reached down and pulled him up onto my chest and was overwhelmed with relief and joy. I couldn’t stop saying “My boy, my boy!” and then “It’s over, I did it.” 😂 He latched shortly after and laid on my chest nursing while the nurses and midwives cleaned up and got us ready to go to the recovery floor.
I was amazed that I went from 3cm to baby being born in just under 4hrs!! I think it was so intense because it was so fast. Even my midwife looked at my after it was over and said, “That was intense.” It was hard and blissful all in one. We are so happy that Theo is finally here, and he has already added so much sweetness to our family!
