Dr Lauren: How My Baby Came Into the World on Her Own Terms
I love all things natural, so I knew for years that I wanted to have a home birth. My pregnancy was great, except for headaches in the first half, but the second half was a breeze! I was just getting ready to order all the supplies when my baby decided it was time to make her grand entrance over a month early! I knew from the start that things might not go exactly as planned, since birth is always unpredictable, but I was definitely not prepared for what happened.
I went to bed around 10:45 p.m. on January 7th, 2020, with no signs of labor whatsoever after a totally normal, busy day at work. I was just dozing off, in that weird state between sleep and consciousness, when all of a sudden, at 11:45 p.m., I felt a gush—like a water balloon popping—and told my husband, George, to turn on the light because I thought I had peed the bed! I was soaked, and when I lifted the covers, I saw a huge puddle. I jumped up and ran to the bathroom, still thinking I had just peed.
I called my midwife, Samantha Brooke Crickmore with FIRST COAST Midwifery Services LLC, and asked her if there was somewhere I could go to test if my water had broken. I was thinking of using pH strips from a drugstore, but she laughed and told me the ER would be the place to do that. I didn’t think I was actually in labor, so I didn’t want to go to the hospital. I was just 15 minutes shy of being 36 weeks along, and it was too early (we were planning a home birth, but I had to be at least 37 weeks to deliver at home with a midwife). As the water kept gushing out, I finally admitted, “Yeah, I guess this might be my water.”
George was in shock and slightly freaking out, but I was still in denial, saying, “It’s fineeeeee. We have plenty of time. You can go 24 hours before the baby comes after your water breaks.” I called our doula, Danae Bunso with Jax Wellness & Birth Services, and she asked where I wanted to go since I couldn’t deliver at home yet. We decided on the hospital and started casually packing a bag, figuring we had plenty of time. We hadn’t packed anything because we hadn’t planned on going anywhere, so we just grabbed random things we could think of. George took a shower to wake himself up, and while he was in there, I had my first contraction around 12:15 a.m., just 30 minutes after my water broke. It was intense, and I started to get a little nervous since I had expected contractions to start slowly. By 12:45 a.m., I’d had three more strong contractions and had thrown up, so I told George we needed to leave soon!
I could tell things were progressing fast, so we threw a few things into a bag, grabbed a pillow, and tossed the not-yet-installed car seat into the trunk. George had left our “in case of emergency” birth plan at the office, so we stopped to pick it up on the way to the hospital. As we pulled out of the driveway, I said, “I’m downloading a contraction app because they’re too close.” As I timed them, I realized they were lasting 1.5 minutes and were only 3-4 minutes apart! I was definitely in labor. George was set on getting the birth plan because his biggest fear was delivering in a hospital without it, but in hindsight, we didn’t even need it! He got us to the hospital in less than 10 minutes.
We checked in at 1:15 a.m., just 1.5 hours after my water broke. I had three more contractions while trying to give my ID at the front desk. They realized I was really in labor and stopped the check-in process, rushing me to a triage room. My contractions were coming so close together that I couldn’t hold a conversation. My doula and George were talking me through them and told the nurse we needed to get to a room ASAP. I was leaning on George through the contractions, unable to sit down.
The OB on call came in around 1:45 a.m. and checked me between contractions, which were now two minutes apart. He said I was 5 cm dilated and the baby was still high (-2 station). In my head, I thought, “There’s no way I’m only 5 cm and it’s this intense. I can’t do this for another 5 cm!” I had planned a natural, medication-free birth, but the intensity was scaring me, and I was considering asking for an epidural when I got to my room.
Five minutes later, my room was ready. It was about 100 feet away, but it was too painful to sit in the wheelchair, so I walked. Halfway there, I had an intense contraction in the hallway, practically squatting on the floor. The nurses joked, “Don’t have a baby in the hallway!” We made it to the room, and I immediately leaned against the bed. I felt pressure “down there,” and knew the baby was coming soon.
This is when my birth photographer, Melissa Pickett with Beloved Bits, arrived to document our quick labor. I started making the typical “pushing” sounds with each contraction, so they called the OB back in. He checked me again while I was leaning over and said I was 10 cm dilated—this baby was coming! This was just 10 minutes after he said I was only 5 cm.
The OB wanted me in the bed, and at that point, I didn’t care where I delivered—I just wanted the baby out. I got into the bed and kneeled against the back of it. There was no way I was lying on my back! I had 2-3 more contractions and pushed through each one. The OB told me to reach down and feel the baby’s head. On the next contraction, I felt like the baby’s head wasn’t going to fit, and I said, “I can’t do this.” George told me to breathe the baby down, and my doula encouraged me to focus on pushing back toward her instead of tensing up. That gave me the energy and determination I needed. With one final push, the baby shot out all at once at 2:27 a.m., just 2 hours and 45 minutes after my water broke! It was an instant relief.
Constance Lou Cost, whom we call Coco, was born on January 8th, 2020, at 2:27 a.m., weighing 5.7 lbs and measuring 18.5 inches. George announced it was a girl, and the OB immediately handed her through my legs so I could hold her. We were officially parents.
She was absolutely perfect, and holding her against my chest was the most amazing feeling. She fit against me perfectly, covered in newborn sweetness and so tiny! George kept saying, “You did it!” and I kept saying, “Oh my God.” Watching George hold her for the first time was the most heart-exploding moment of my life. He was made to be a dad, and I saw love beaming from him when she snuggled up to his chest. She grunted and cooed at us for hours after she was born, breastfeeding and latching perfectly in between.
At just 2 hours old, I got to perform the most amazing adjustment of my life. I knew adjusting my own baby would be special, but in that moment, I felt so connected to her and knew we were going to share an incredible bond for the rest of our lives.
There wasn’t time for any interventions. No IV, no fluids; I wasn’t even officially admitted to the hospital. There was no paperwork, no vitals taken during labor, no lying on my back, and no directed pushing. Even though we didn’t get to deliver at home, everything was absolutely perfect, and I couldn’t be happier with Coco’s birth.
Coco is named after my Granny, who passed away six years ago. We had planned on using the same initials, but ultimately decided to go with her full name. When my mom called my Grandpa that morning to tell him, “It’s a girl, and her name is Constance Lou,” he didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he said, “That’s the best name I’ve ever heard.”