The birth of this little lady happened quite quickly. Her mumma was feeling quite uncomfortable and had surges (contractions) on and off for a few days leading up to her birth. My doula partner, Cheyla, and I were on high alert that baby was getting ready for his/her big debut. 

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Cassy had previous birth trauma and hired us to help her achieve the birth she has always wanted. We had a lot of communication between us. We came up with her birth plan, to do our best to prevent anything from happening that was not what she wanted and to voice things she did want, but may not have thought of in the moment, giving us a good idea of how best to support her during her birth. 

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On April 11th, Cassy had an appointment with her OB and was told there were signs of imminent labour and that her water may break. She drove 45+ minutes home, to spend time with her other children and try relax after a full night of surges. 

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After 3-4 hours, and a dance party later, Cassy notice the strength of her surges had picked up. They were still bearable, but more intense, so she had a bath to relax and find some comfort. 

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At 4:53pm, our patiently waiting mumma messaged us to let us know it was go time. Hubby was on his way from working out of town and then they will be heading to the hospital. Cheyla and I got ourselves ready and I met them at the hospital just after 6pm. 

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Upon my arrival, Cassy had already been taken into her labour room. As soon as I entered it was very clear this birth was going to be fast and intense. My goodness this lady was a power house, chatting between surges like we were two friends catching up over a cup of coffee- she blew my mind. 

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I let her take the lead in finding a comfortable position, following her closely. When a surge would start she felt a lot of pain in her lower back. I did some hip squeeze techniques and gentle touch when it was over, but the more intense they got the less she received relief from being touched. 

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We tried a few standing and leaning positions but Cassy was more comfortable on the bed, on her hands and knees, doing a rhythmic rock that helped her focus and cope. Touch during a surge took her focus away and caused her to feel front labour. So, I dimmed the lights and laid a blanket over her which you could tell made her feel safe and relaxed. When a surge would start, we gave Cassy gentle verbal support, letting her know what an amazing job she was doing. 

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By 7pm, Cassy had reached transition and surges were coming more rapidly, she kept her focus on her breathing and rocking through them. By 7:15, her waters released spontaneously and baby moved down to +3 station (the nurse could see the top of little babes head). 

After this moment, Cassy progressed quickly and the room became busy with nurses and the Ob arrived to catch baby. 
 

Cassy started pushing in an all fours position but she wanted to turn over. We helped her turn and held her legs so she could focus on birthing her sweet little babe. At 7:25, a beautiful little girl was born, weighing 6lb 3oz of pure perfection. 

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Cassy was in disbelief of how perfect her birth went. She looked at us and her partner asking, "Is this real life?" Did this just happen that quickly, without any drugs and with her keeping her cool? To which Mike made a comment about them having more babies, as she made it look so easy.

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He was so right, she did make it look easy. I don't know how many times Cheyla and I exchanged looks, knowing what the other was thinking...WOW! Periodically telling each other how amazing Cassy was doing.

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Cassy, you showed such strength and control, you surrendered to what your body had to do and blew us away in the process. Thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your labour team. What an honour it was to witness those first precious moments between you and baby Abby. To watch Mike fall in love with his new little girl - Even after joking he would pack up Jack and move to the Yukon if baby was a girl. You can tell how much love Abby is going to be surrounded by with you two as her parents.

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~AS

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