Hazel Mae
Born at 10:34 am on May 24, 2021 8 pounds 6 ounces
The Birth Story of Hazel Mae
Hazel Mae’s home water birth was one of the most beautiful and powerful experiences of my life. It began with Braxton Hicks (practice) contractions happening constantly throughout the weeks leading up to her due date, making me more and more antsy and impatient for actual impending labor. After her due date came and went, I knew I had to keep myself busy in order to not go crazy waiting for labor to actually start. Paul, Elliott and I spent a wonderful day (Saturday) together playing outside in the little pool and sprinkler, getting ice cream and taking lots of pictures of our little family of 3. It was such a beautiful and memorable day and all the while contractions were happening on and off throughout the day.
Saturday night (May 22nd) I noticed the BH contractions change and get more crampy. Paul and I timed a few, and they were about 10-15 minutes apart. I texted my doula (Brenda Baar) and just let her know that my cursed Braxton Hicks were turning more contractiony. I got as much sleep as I could while having contractions on and off through the night into Sunday morning (May 23rd). Sunday morning contractions continued and we decided to have Elliott get picked up to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Saying goodbye to Elliott for the last time as my only baby was bittersweet, but I was just excited for him to return to a sweet little sibling! It was very obvious that he could sense something was about to change, too, by the way he was acting. After we said goodbye, Paul and I took advantage of a peaceful house to just relax. We enjoyed iced tea, a beautifully prepared charcuterie board that Paul made, sitting on our porch, Oreos in bed and plenty of episodes of Schitts Creek. It was so nice to just relax, finally be DONE nesting and preparing and to just spend time with Paul. (If you know me, you know I’ve been nesting and cleaning and organizing and purging for months!) Relaxing with my hubby all day Sunday (with contractions 10 minutes apart all day) must have been just what I needed because by evening contractions were getting more intense. I let my midwife, Jen know that I was having contractions, but it wasn’t anything active yet and I also continued texting with Brenda about how far apart, how many, how intense, how I was coping, etc. I took a bath, watched more Schitts Creek and slept a bit here and there. By early Monday morning (May 24th) I was definitely in labor. My contractions started coming every 5-7 minutes apart and getting more intense. Brenda headed over at 5AM. When she got to our house I was working through a contraction laying on my side in bed. The second it got done, Brenda and I started chatting and laughing and she began taking me through different movements and positions to try to get things really going. We went all over the house doing stair lunges, frontward inversions, using the wall and birthing ball and having some strong contractions on the toilet! (If you know, you know! ) My consistent coping strategies were focusing on relaxing my shoulders and body, breathing through each contraction and swaying.
At around this time (7:30/ 7:45 AM), my midwives, Anna and Jen Holshoe showed up, said hi, checked my vitals and encouraged me. They stayed in a room nearby in order to be close, but to let me progress as I needed without being too intrusive. This was amazing after having Elliott in the hospital where everyone was up in my business the second I got there. Jen and Anna were such a reassuring presence. They spoke sweetly and calmly and made me feel safe. They will FOREVER be one of my favorite and definitely redeeming parts of this birth story, as well as having Brenda as my doula for a second time. This time she was able to focus all her energy on supporting me, encouraging and just being with me, instead of any form of defending me against anything or anyone.
Everyone on this amazing birth team was on the same page and it was such a natural process and calm environment.
One of the amazing and bizarre things about this labor was that I would get a very intense and strong contraction and breathe and sway through it in whatever position felt best to my body and then the second it was gone I would jump right back into conversation and laughing with Brenda! It was almost as if I wasn’t in labor at all and then a contraction would hit and I ABSOLUTELY was in labor based on the intensity of those surges bringing me closer to my baby. It was incredible to be in my own cozy space with the freedom of movement, eating what I wanted, and just listening to what my body needed to push through the journey of labor. I was able to be comfortable and he myself the entire time. This definitely contributed to the way I was handling labor- in the Laura-est way possible- like a social butterfly.
I was in active labor for about 5 hours and during that time we had filled the birth pool a bit too early. In order to make sure it was at a nice, relaxing temperature for the birth, my amazing birth team, hubs included, started bailing water out with buckets and pouring it into the tub, while boiling and adding hot water to the pool. It was humorous to say the least, but they did what they had to in order to make sure I was relaxed and comfortable.
(Shoutout to West Michigan Midwifery, the Jens, Anna, my doula, Brenda Baar and my loving husband, Paul. My birth team was the most calm, reassuring, uplifting support during this beautiful day bringing Hazel into the world. I am forever grateful for them. )
My contractions started getting lower and shifted the way they were feeling. This is called transition and it is the damn hardest, most painful, but “you are so close to meeting your baby” part of labor. Well, that is actually pushing, but transition is like the last step in the long seemingly endless journey that labor is, before pushing. During transition I did a few contractions standing with my back against the wall and tipping my belly towards myself. Brenda recommended this position to help support and encourage baby girl to start moving her way down. At this point, around 8:25AM, the pool was getting warmer so I got in. It was instant relief and calmed me. Even up until this point, I was still laughing and chatting with Brenda and Paul between and even sometimes during contractions. Until… suddenly it was ALL very different. I could not talk through contractions and I had to muster up all of my courage, energy and strength to get through each of them. My go-to was breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth while vocalizing and making a low “whooooo or hoooooo” sound. At this point I could feel each surge in my uterus, my hips, my lower back and then the intensity would radiate down my legs. It honestly was the hardest work to get through each contraction and believing I had enough strength to do so. Keeping strength during each one was incredibly difficult and a chatty, giggly Laura became a very serious, intense and emotional Laura. This was about the time my contractions began to feel “pushy”, around 9:55AM. I became incredibly focused and introverted. I was internally talking myself through each contraction and also working with Hazel during each one. I was talking to her with each contraction telling her it was almost time to meet each other. It was very helpful to visualize this and focus on the moment I would get to finally hold her in order to get through the pushing contractions. I waited until a contraction came and I felt the natural urge to push and I worked with the contraction to push. With one of these pushes around 10:15AM, my water broke dramatically in the pool easing some pressure and bringing me closer to baby. This stage is wild because it’s two steps forward, one step back. Baby inches downward and a little bit back each with each one. It takes so much strength and convincing to put all of your energy into each of those pushes, but oh the incredible relief that washed over me when I reached down in the tub and felt her head! I was SO CLOSE. With one more contraction/push Hazel Mae was out and born at 10:34 AM on Monday, May 24, 2021!
I reached down, caught my sweet girl and pulled her out of the water onto my chest! I CAUGHT MY OWN BABY!
The joy and relief and adrenaline were all enough to fly. I held my sweet baby as she gave her first fierce and powerful cries. The midwives realized her cord has snapped when I pushed her out, which is crazy and they said they had only seen that happen one other time! I got out, birthed the placenta and was FINALLY able to lay in bed with my hubby and our new precious sunflower. Being able to relax in my OWN bed was BEYOND amazing! I had my twinkly lights lighting the room, diffuser diffusing lavender into the air, candles burning slowly and THE MOST OXYTOCIN AND LOVE filling the room. Paul and I were on cloud 9 with our sweet baby girl.
