My labour with Sophie was an incredible experience. I think it was amazing for several reasons, but the biggest I believe was that I felt prepared and calm about it all. I was lucky enough to get a midwife near the end of my pregnancy and through discussions with her, as well as lots of resources from and discussions with Chelsea (my doula). I decided to get a doula this time because I wanted more control over my labour and the birth, and I knew that she could help me with this. I was able to create a clear birth plan that included everything that was very important to me. Both my midwife and doula were extremely respectful of my wishes, and that meant so much to my husband and I!
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We had Sophie at home, and it was an amazing experience, though it was not planned as such. We planned on me staying home as long as possible so that I could avoid any medication because I felt like I would give in if I were in the hospital (it’s like sending me to a candy store and trying to not to let me buy chocolate!). But I planned on delivering her at the hospital near our home.
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The whole time I was in labour I was not sure if it was true labour. My contractions were so inconsistent. I had already had a few bouts of false labour in the weeks before so I just assumed that that is what was happening, (nature’s cruel joke on me or something). So I called Nathanael (my husband) and told him that I thought I was having false labour pains and that he had to take me out for dinner to distract me (smooth hey?? J ). So we went to Chianti’s restaurant at 6pm and the contractions were getting more painful but were still all over the place. I was so annoyed and still thinking it was false. Finally we called the midwife to just come and check me out because we had no idea what was happening and just wanted to know what to expect. I was prepared to hear I was only  1 or 2cms dilated and when the midwife got there she checked me and announced that I was actually 9cms dilated and that I was going to be having the baby really soon! Since I had spent a great deal of time lying in the bath, our baby hadn’t descended enough, our midwife ask me to walk around a bit. I had made barely a half lap of the house when I felt ready to push. After nearly starting to give birth on our coffee table, I barely made it back to the tub before to my surprise I was ready to have this baby. I wouldn’t have even made it to the car let alone the hospital!
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The whole experience was amazing. I think it went so fast because I felt so comfortable and safe where I was. The midwife experience was incredible, everything was natural and they gave me credit for knowing my own body and letting my body do what it needed. I felt like I had more control and say in what happened this time around, which helped with the whole experience.
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I think I was only in active labour for maybe 4 hours this time. I was in labour for 16 hours with my first and four of those hours were spent pushing! I only pushed for 9 minutes with Sophie! I was also lucky enough to have a doula helping us out. It was nice because she would help with anything we needed and that made it so Nathanael could be with me the whole time through every contraction. She would help me breathe through each contraction , rub my lower back when I was standing and I remember that being just what I needed without having to ask her, and she had the most calming presence through it all (which is SO needed during what can be a very stressful time). She was respectful of Nathanael’s role as the father in the labour; she just worked around him and worked with him. I’m so grateful we had her there, and feel so lucky that we had a person who cared so much about our experience and our baby’s health!
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I would never change anything about my experience with delivering Sophie. Though it was still really painful throughout the labour, I proved to myself that I was strong enough to deliver her how I really wanted to. I am grateful for the support I received from my husband, midwife and doula. I don’t know if my experience would have been as special as it was without them, they all played a very important role in the gentle birth of Sophie. I will never forget this experience because of how personal and special it was to my husband and I.
