A doula in training's perspective...

A Birth Story
A Doula In Training's Perspective

I found that the most important thing you can do for any client is meet frequently with them. And that was most evident when it came time for Carolyn to deliver. I meet with Carolyn and Doug twice before Lisa took me on as my Mentor, and then the rest of the meetings were together. And I learned so much just from a few one to two hour meetings. First of all, was Carolyn needed a birth plan. This was obvious to me at my first meeting with her. She was scared of our hospital and the possible of the procedures that could be done to her. So I focused on this each meeting.
So with birth plan in hand, and Carolyn with high blood pressure and just not going into labor as we so much had tried and hoped. She was off to the hospital to be induced. And not too sure what to expect. I meet Doug and Carolyn in assessment at 4:30 already hooked up to fetal monitors and not too surprised to see that Carolyn was contracting irregularly while on the monitor, and baby was happy and sleeping. Dr. Getz came in at 5:00pm and checked Carolyn and she was 2 cm, baby's head was still high and still 25% effaced. When Dr. Getz felt that the baby's head was still high her whole body language changed and I could feel the tension fill the room. Her arms crossed, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she started to bite her lower lip and mumble as if she were talking to herself and to Carolyn if she should even do it (break the water). With the nurse standing beside her, listening to Dr. Getz ramble and watching her very uncomfortable body language she asked her if she should put her in the high risk wing on labor and delivery. I could see Carolyn start to fidget. Doug got quiet and I just sat and watched to see if she would actually break her water or do the cervidil (sp?). I guess the problem I had with this whole thing is that Dr. Getz discussed out loud weather she should or should not break Carolyn water in a semi sitting up position or just do the cercidil and get her going that way. Either way with Carolyn's blood pressure she would have to stay in the hospital during the whole induction.
148/86, baby was a sleep for ½ hr on fetal monitor and so with a little encouragement from some juice started to get some good movements. Dr. Getz after about 10 mins decided to try and break Carolyn in a semi sitting position while a nurse pushed down on baby. So at 5:36 Carolyn's water was broke while the nurse pushed on the top of the fundus. Doug and I tag teamed for a ½ hr after that so the nurse could go and do rounds, to keep pressure and baby in place. Dr. Getz kept her hand in Carolyn to make sure there was no cord coming down and she was comfortable to let Carolyn walk around and get baby to come down some more. Contractions were 3 mins apart and were lasting about 1 min. by the time we took the monitor off to go walking.
We went walking for about ½ hr and during that time I ran down stains to update Lisa as to what was happening with the induction, as Lisa was in a seminar. And was a great time to grab that much needed coffee. Yeah coffee!
At 7:00 Dr. Getz checked Carolyn and she was now 3-4 cms and 50-75% effaced, contractions were every 2 mins apart and lasting 1 min still. Her blood pressure was 155/88. Carolyn could tell her contractions are were getting stronger. Baby's h/rate was 150. We ran into Lisa and she suggested doing stairs, to help open and dilate the cervix. So that is what we did.
At 7:20 Dr. Getz checked Carolyn and she was still 3-4 and 50-75% effaced, much to Carolyn's disappointment. She really felt that she was much further along. H/rate was between 147-160. Contractions were getting stronger, Carolyn can feel them peaking and lasting longer (every 2 mins). 142/91 blood pressure.
7:30, Carolyn and Doug went for some tub time. Her contractions were really starting to get uncomfortable and opted for the tub. While I showed Doug where the tub was and he got it running Carolyn sat on the toilet as a make shift ball, saying it felt good and it helped. Was getting shaky. Labor and Delivery wanted to move her over but Dr. Getz and I told her that Carolyn just got into the tub and to give her a ½ hr or so.
7:45, Nurse Michelle from L/D checked h/r in tub. Carolyn was very happy in the tub. Wanted to stay in tub till about 8:00 then move over to L/D. Doug was doing awesome keeping Carolyn comfortable and it was great alone time for them.
8:00, Dr. Getz checked Carolyn. 5Cms dilated. And we moved Carolyn over to L/D. Heart rate was 140 @ L/D. We got the birth ball, but it wasn't Carolyn's thing. So far walking and the tub are her thing. So get rid of the ball and start walking. Keep things moving...and that's what we did. Blood pressure 140/84, baby's heart rate was 147. Once we got all the that done we went walking and did stairs again. When the stairs got too hard to handle and Carolyn did awesome walking through all her contractions, we stuck to level ground. She breathed really well through all her contractions and was able to talk through them and Doug was such a great support to Carolyn the whole time.
8:25, Dr. Getz checked Carolyn again..Carolyn was sure she was getting close and wanted to get checked. Contractions were every 2 mins and lasting 1 min. Very strong and hard to walk through. Baby was posterior, 75% effaced, 5 cm still and baby's h/rate was 145-150. This discouraged Carolyn quite a bit. I just kept encouraging her that she was doing awesome. Each contraction she had, I just told her she was doing awesome, and that is what she needed to hear....at least that is what she kept telling me. I felt like a broken record.
At 8:30, Carolyn went to the tub on the labor floor. And this is where she stayed for the majority of her labor. I suggest to any doula or doula in training that you should bring an extra pair of pants...b/c you may soak your in a shower accident, as I did. Soon after we got into the tub Carolyn broke down and started to cry. She remembered how hard it was and is. I told her she was doing awesome and that she was breathing and in control and that she was on top of each contraction. I told her how proud I was of her and Doug told her how proud he was of her. At this point I had to pop out to go to the bathroom and the nurse stayed in and I ran into Lisa in the hall and gave her the run down of what had just happened.
I came back and Lisa was talking to Carolyn and telling her how good it was to cry. Which at first I thought how odd it was then it made sense, getting all those emotions out, everything all at the surface. Man that Lisa is smart.
As each contraction got harder to handle Carolyn didn't have back labor she felt all her contractions right under belly and that is where she wanted the shower head to be aimed, either Doug, herself or me would aim the water and that worked through the contraction along with the deep breathing techniques. Lisa also helped me to remember something I had forgotten from my birthrythm class, and that was the slack jaw open mouth, low tone “ooo” sound while you breath out. That open...breath in and “oooopen”. As soon as I was reminded of that, it was a light bulb moment in my head and from then on I really needed little prompting from Lisa as what to do. I was in a groove and knew what Carolyn and also what Doug needed. Because I needed to keep Doug involved.
I felt so confident with them as a couple and us as a team, that I knew that we could pull off her birth plan of no drug what so ever. In the past she had had oxygen near the end and I did not want that for her...that was her goal. And I knew she could do it. When she would start to panic and her voice would raise, and I could hear Lisa start saying something, I knew what I had to do. And it never took more than one sentence from Lisa to prompt me.
By 10:30 and still in the tub Dr. Getz came and checked Carolyn and she was 8 cms, her b/p was 120/65...the most normal it had been in over a two week period. But I found them turning the lights on really took Carolyn off guard and her contractions came and Carolyn wasn't ready for them. Before, with the lights off and in a quiet place she was in a peaceful place and was ready for them, but after a disturbance like that it took her a good two contractions to get back into a good rhythm and not panicking. We soon moved Carolyn over to L & D room, and she walked there, while pushing her wheelchair.
We got to the room and got her right into the shower and stayed there until 11:10 when Shiloh Hope made her arrival, weighing in at 7pds 5 oz. It was funny because, Carolyn kept saying she was cold in the shower, and then she was going to be sick. And I turned to Lisa and said “She's going to have the baby soon right?” and Lisa just nodded. Then Carolyn's contractions got further apart. And it was so fun watching Doug take over my job and helping Carolyn breathe, and then right when Carolyn felt like she had to push and the head was coming out. Lisa and I breathed out loud with Carolyn her last three contractions in the shower until she felt that she knew the head was about the come. We got her onto the bed and Dr. Getz barely had time to put gloves on, the nurse tried to take the bed apart...even though we wanted Carolyn to push side lying and Shiloh was making her grand debut.
She did awesome. She was controlled, she breathed perfectly and the thing that I thought was awesome was that Lisa put her two fingers up to her mouth to blow on right when her shoulders where coming out. I was more worried that Doug couldn't see. I didn't want dad to miss it, since I was holding Carolyn's leg and well honestly I had the best seat in the house.
At midnight Carolyn nursed Shiloh and she fed well, which doesn't surprise me since she was sucking her thumb minutes after she was born. Carolyn ate some toast. Her blood pressure but 138/78.
Carolyn was moved up to anti part um at 12:35 after passing a rather large clot and her last b/p was 158/89. I stayed with Carolyn and Doug until she was in her room and went home at around 1:00am. And even though it was late and I'm pretty sure my coffee had worn off by then, but my adrenaline hadn't.
All my friends had said that this was going to be my make it or break it birth. Either your going to love it or hate it. And well, lets just say I didn't faint (thank God for that...man that would have sucked) and I loved every minute of it and would do it again tomorrow. This has been one of the best experiences of my life and I want to do this over and over again. I am so blessed to have Carolyn and Doug let me share this amazing experience with them. I am even more blessed to have had Lisa mentor me through this and learn from such an amazing woman.

Christine Lawson