Becoming a mother has undeniably been one of the most profound and cherished experiences of my life. Although I hadn't anticipated embracing motherhood so soon, I am beyond grateful for the unexpected journey that unfolded. At the time, my husband and I, having only been married for a little over a year, were grappling with various communication obstacles within our relationship. We had envisioned starting a family around our third anniversary, believing that it would provide us with ample time to prepare ourselves. However, God had different plans in store for us.
In April of 2021, an unforeseen missed menstrual cycle triggered a positive pregnancy test, throwing me headfirst into the world of impending motherhood. The notion of a natural birth had casually come up in conversation with CJ, my husband, prior to our marriage. During one of our casual phone talks, he randomly expressed his desire for his future wife to have a natural birth, involving a squatting position. Naturally, I playfully challenged his perspective, asserting that his wife would make her own choices regarding childbirth because it ultimately pertained to her body and her experience. Little did I know that I would soon become the very wife he was referring to. Life has a funny way of surprising us, doesn't it?

Feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about how to proceed, I wasted no time in seeking out an OB/GYN physician who could provide guidance. However, after a few visits, it became apparent that she might not be the best advocate for my pursuit of an unmedicated birth. Determined to find the support I craved, I embarked on a search for a midwife and that's when I encountered April Witzel. April not only cared for me with genuine compassion but also served as my coach, patiently addressing every question and concern I had. She truly became an irreplaceable element in my journey towards achieving my dream of a natural birth.

Now that you have the background, the following is an account of the labor and delivery of my beloved firstborn, Braelynn Saraiah Scott..

EARLY LABOR

On Thursday, December 30, 2021, I started experiencing contractions while at work. Around 1:00 p.m., I had 2-3 contractions within an hour and decided it was time to go home where I had our master bedroom prepared to use as a relaxing labor room. Using a contraction timer, I confirmed that the contractions occurred every 25-30 minutes. They felt like mild period cramps in my uterus. I informed CJ that early labor had begun and let my parents and doulas (my mother-in-law and sister-in-law) know so they could come over. That evening, I was overcome with emotion and felt helpless and hopeless. My dad took some time to pray with me, and I turned in early for the evening to get some rest.

On Friday morning, December 31, 2021, my contractions were 12-15 minutes apart. I managed through the day without any issues, interacting with everyone and even posting on Instagram. As evening approached, my contractions intensified. We worshiped, spoke in tongues, and tried different laboring positions. I went for walks outside with CJ and my doulas, finding comfort in holding onto CJ during contractions. Overall, my favorite position ended up being what I call "the frog." I would kneel on all fours with my chest supported on a pillow and my butt perched high in the air. The contractions grew stronger and closer together as the night progressed. Late into the night, they were as close as 2-3 minutes apart and very intense. During contractions, I preferred not to talk and instead focused on breathing or moaning. The birthing pool provided some relief; however, contractions sped up in the water but slowed down to 5-6 minutes when I got out, which is the opposite of what I was told would happen. I can't recall the exact time, but it was late at night when we called our midwife. She advised us to wait for the bloody show before heading to the hospital.

ACTIVE LABOR

Early Saturday morning, around 5:00 a.m., I finally had the bloody show. With contractions consistently close together, we called April again around 7:00 a.m. She reluctantly advised us to go to Piedmont Henry (although she may have preferred for me to stay home longer). She agreed to meet us at the hospital even though she was not on call and was enjoying her well-deserved paid time off.

During the car ride and after checking into the triage room, my contractions slowed down a bit. We arrived at around 8:30 a.m. When April checked me, I was 6 cm dilated and 90% effaced. Shortly after, we were able to check into a hospital room. I continued laboring on the bed in my frog position, occasionally walking around and using the bathroom. Contractions remained about 3-4 minutes apart. Despite not feeling like I was making much progress, at around 12:00 p.m., April checked me again and informed me that I was 9 cm dilated. I was surprised because everything felt the same. She mentioned that the baby was still at a negative 1 station and suggested being more active to help bring the baby down. I tried various positions, such as using the squat bar and the peanut ball. I also utilized my rebozo to squat. April asked if she could break my bag of waters to potentially speed up labor. I declined, and shortly after, my water broke while sitting on the peanut ball. April instructed me to lean over the bed and push a little with each contraction. This made the contractions feel better.

The medical staff kept asking about constant rectal pressure, but I couldn't confirm it. The midwife asked me to lie on my side and bring my knees up to my chest to push in this position. The discomfort in my belly made it challenging to bring my knees up properly. April informed me that she could feel the baby's head and noticed an anterior lip on my cervix. She suggested pushing to dissolve it and also offered to push on it to help it resolve.

TRANSITION PHASE

Suddenly, I pushed vigorously and let out a loud grunt, causing me to squirm. At this point, April called in the team, announcing that we were about to have a baby. She then allowed me to try pushing in my frog position. She tilted the hospital bed way up, making me look like a frog on a wall. I pushed with the contraction and felt the unmistakable rectal pressure and urge to bear down, similar to needing to poop. On the second push, I experienced the "ring of fire," where it felt like my vagina/butt was stretching beyond its capacity and that I could tear. This scared me and made it difficult to push as hard on the next two pushes. However, I knew the baby was descending, and her head was close to crowning. I was sweating profusely. During those pushes in the frog position, the pain was intense and seemed impossible. I yelled, but before I could finish saying "I CAN'T," the Holy Spirit spoke to me, reminding me to speak life and call upon Him. So, my next grunt was "JESUS!"

DELIVERY

She requested that only one other person be present in the room. Concerned about tearing, she asked me to turn over onto my back and grab my knees to my chest. I pushed with all my might, still experiencing intense pain and feeling overwhelmed. April guided me to reach down and feel Braelynn's head. Her head felt slimy, and I could feel her hair, giving me hope. Everyone in the room cheered me on and provided encouragement. With another contraction, I pushed again, exerting myself fully. It hurt! I felt her head pop out. Then, April firmly told me to stop pushing, causing both CJ and me to worry that something was wrong. She explained that she would take over from there. With the next contraction, I couldn't help but push, and the baby slid out. April held her up for me to see, assuring me that she was perfect. Braelynn cried immediately, and I held her in my arms, feeling her warmth. I asked my baby girl, "Was that hard!?" which seemed like a silly question at the time. She began sucking on her wrist, just like her dad did when he was born. I thanked God for her, prayed over her, and also prayed for everyone in the room.

RECOVERY

The medical staff pressed on my belly, causing blood and fluid to gush out. It was painful, but I continued holding onto my baby. They allowed her to do the breast crawl, but because of my nipple shape, she couldn't latch properly, so they provided a nipple shield. Due to excessive bleeding during the fundal massage, they gave me a shot of Pitocin in my thigh to help control it.

Once the fundal massage was complete, the nurse asked me to get up and urinate in the restroom. While sitting on the toilet, I began to feel lightheaded and tingling all over my body. I let her know that I felt like I was going to pass out, but she assured me I was going to be fine. The next thing I remember was waking up to my nurse calling out my name loudly and several people approaching the hospital room, which I later learned was the rapid response team. I had become unresponsive briefly while sitting on the toilet. I returned to bed and recovered my senses, and then I was transferred out to a postpartum recovery room.

We stayed at the hospital for just about 24 hours. Because of the COVID restrictions, we were not allowed to have any visitors. However, CJ and I enjoyed having our daughter to ourselves for her first day of life. I continued to attempt breastfeeding Braelynn using the nipple shields, which unfortunately caused my nipple to crack and bleed. There were no lactation consultants available because Braelynn was born on both a Saturday and a holiday. We were practically begging to leave the following day as we were tired of the uncomfortable hospital room and eager to get back to our comfortable home. Right before discharge, we took pictures with our midwife whom we were so grateful for as she was instrumental in us having our unmedicated birth experience in a hospital setting.

THE FOURTH TRIMESTER

When we returned home, we were met by my mom and dad, CJ's mom and sister (our doulas), my little sister, and my older sister and her then-boyfriend (now husband). Everyone took pictures with Braelynn, and I finally got to take a shower. I told my doulas about the trouble I had breastfeeding. That night, for the first time, Braelynn cried and screamed in frustration because she was not able to latch and nurse. Her crying brought me to tears. My doula immediately set up an appointment for a lactation consultant (Sterling from Loyal Lactation) to come to our home the very next day.

When Sterling came in, I was nervous and vulnerable but so desperate to get help. I had to get used to being bare-chested and having my breasts touched by so many people who weren't my husband! By the time our visit with Sterling ended, Braelynn was latching much better, and we established a system of supplementing her with breast milk after each feeding to keep her satisfied.

RESOLUTION

Our lives were changed forever by the birth of our daughter. A brand new mother and father were also born on January 1, 2022 and we wouldn't change it for the world. Her birth experience taught me that God is always with me and cares deeply about every detail of my life. His favor towards me is undeserved, and His provision will always be enough.