The longest birth

Stock photo. NOT my clients!!

I'm coming off my longest birth yet. I'll let my client tell her own birth story, but I wanted to say a few things while it's still fresh.

1. Birth is unpredictable.
Always. This sweet couple took my Bradley Method® classes in my home in Lewisville, Texas and hired me as their doula. They had a birth plan, made informed choices and even switched from an OB (obstetrician) at Baylor Grapevine to a midwife at the lovely Grapevine Birthing Center. My client got the birth she was looking for, just in a different location than she had planned, and that's OK!

2. Healthy mom and a healthy baby go hand in hand.
My client had a long labor. I provided in-person doula support for exactly 24 hours! But no one rushed her. My client was healthy, her baby was healthy, so we waited. We are all grateful for the midwife's and OB's patience. My client and her husband were treated with the utmost respect and gentleness at Baylor Grapevine and Grapevine Birthing Center.

3. I got over myself.
I have avoided going inside that hospital due to my own issues, as I had my first son via cesarean there. Even four years after the fact, I'm still healing and processing the choices we made back then because I was so ill-prepared at the time. I took a bathroom break shortly after we arrived to the hospital and texted my husband: "It is really really hard for me to be here. I'm trying really hard to get over myself. But if I even for a second think about it I tear up". To which he wisely and lovingly replied: "You can do it! Channel your pain into helping her have a better birth there than we did!". While it's not my job to make sure my clients have a "better birth" than mine, it IS my job to support them in their choices. It was a true pleasure to do so and I was able to overcame my mental roadblocks at the same time. Congratulations to them and Merry Christmas to you!