Tenzin's Birth Story

So, this will probably end up being a slideshow rather than a beautifully written birth story because I have some amazing photos from my friend Jaimie with Little Bear Birth Photography and because this was a FAST labor and birth! Around 2/2.5 hours!

Sweet baby Tenzin arrived earthside on March 17th after weeks of prodromal labor. That last week of prodromal labor was absolutely a test. A test to my patience, my trust in the natural process of birth, and a test of motherhood. Contractions would come and stay consistent for hours and then just disappear until the next day. They were painful, I was exhausted and questioning everything. I went to the chiropractor, went on long walks with friends, did the Miles Circuit and spinning babies techniques, etc in case baby was in an unfavorable position causing labor to start and stop. Finally, the day I hit 39 weeks, I hardly left the couch all day and that evening real labor actually came on!

I had signed up for a breathwork healing circle in case there was any stuck energy holding me back. In the beginning of the breathwork, we were asked to name our intentions for the session. Immediately after naming my intention to release anything that was hindering my body’s ability to birth this baby, contractions came on again. I didn’t bother tracking them because I had just assumed this was prodromal labor AGAIN. So I ignored them until I started to realize they were practically nonstop. This was only a few minutes, I didn’t even get to start the breathwork itself!

We decided to go to the birth center to get checked out and see if it was actually labor. I didn’t even bring my big water bottle because I was sure we would be home again soon! I was planning on declining all cervical checks but after the past few weeks, I consented to a check to see what was going on. I was 6-7cm! Within about 10 minutes, contractions became almost nonstop and I asked to get in the water because the yoga ball wasn’t helping much anymore.

They say not to compare births but it’s hard not to! With my last birth, the water took the pain from a 9 down to a 6. This time… not so much! I will forever be grateful for the best birth partner, my husband AJ, who applied counter pressure through every contraction while I labored in the tub. He did amazing!

I started to feel pushy. I told the doula but was confused because it hadn’t been long at all, there was no way my cervix was fully dilated enough to begin pushing. Well, through the next contraction, my body took over. She heard the pushiness in my voice and ran to get the midwife and the birth assistants from the other room. I instinctively moved my hand to feel for baby’s head.

I wasn’t ready but my body was pushing baby out. I desperately wanted a break in between contractions to re-center and get back to my breath but my body and baby had other plans! Within 2-3minutes, my body would push out the baby in one loooong but POWERFUL contraction! My water broke as he came out!

I wanted to catch my own baby and was able to do just that! I gently guided him into the water as his body emerged out of mine and into his own.

I think I was in shock. Thinking holy shit that just happened because it happened SO QUICK! This face of shock, exhaustion, and gratitude. For comparison, Arden’s birth involved a 2.5 hour pushing phase with lots of time to get into the peaceful hypnobirthing state. This was so different but so powerful.

Ahhhh… finally opened my eyes to witness this beautiful baby. All worth it!

Look at all of that vernix! Vernix is such a cool thing, it has anti microbial properties, helps lubricate baby to get through the birth canal, helps regulate baby’s temperature, and moisturizes their skin making the transition from water to air gentler.

The placenta was taking a long time to come out so we made our way over to the bed. Tenzin’s instints kicked in and he found the breast and latched.

The placenta took a VERY long time to come out. I handed the baby to AJ for some skin to skin while I kneeled to allow gravity to help out. My midwife was so patient and I am so grateful for that! She kept an eye on my bleeding but honored my request to wait to check for tears until I was ready. Even after such a quick birth, I didn’t need stitches because my perineum was able to stretch open. I believe the water helps this as well but there isn’t much scientific literature on that yet!

The cord had stopped pulsing awhile ago but I wanted to keep everything attached at least until we were ready to head home. The womb is such an incredible design and I have always wanted to see everything connected.

So beautiful. We took the placenta home and planted it into a peach tree in our backyard on Mother’s Day!

Arden arrived to meet his little brother!

The following morning, Arden quietly tip toed into his room where I slept with the baby and once we woke up, he wanted to hold the baby. Such a sweet moment and he did that every morning for the next few weeks!

I am so grateful that I was able to experience another birth surrounded by the support of women who truly trust this process as well as my husband who I think will be forever changed after witnessing both births. The man who was uncomfortable with an out of hospital birth, hiring a doula, etc and after each birth was in love with how everything happened.

Arden's Birth Story

Arden’s Birth Story

10pm I had just hit 38 weeks and thought I had a stomach bug because I was feeling ill and on the toilet a lot for a few days. I was on the toilet and couldn’t stop peeing. I was in denial that it was in fact my water breaking so I called the doula and she told me I would start getting some cramps shortly. I started to feel period like cramps only a few minutes later and when I timed them, they were only 3.5 minutes apart! I went downstairs and bounced on the yoga ball while listening to the Freya app (hypnobirthing app that calmly talks you through each contraction) while AJ gathered our stuff.

12am The doula, Andrea Boyd of satoribirths.com, met us at the birth center at midnight and we all got settled. I was managing contractions bouncing on or leaning on the ball. My back pain was pretty intense so Andrea and AJ took turns applying counter pressure during each contraction which helped a lot! The midwife offered to check my cervix and I agreed but didn’t want to know until the end so she didn’t say anything. I was 5cm dilated at 1am.

2:10am With pain intensifying, I got into the tub thinking it would help the back pain. It DID! Shortly after, I got sick but still felt completely in control. Apparently, this was transition. Definitely not what I was expecting since everyone said transition is when you feel like you can’t take it anymore. I still felt completely in control in between contractions and contractions were painful but not unbearable. I think it was easier than expected because I had a break in between contractions. I don’t know why I thought labor was just constant pain before I got pregnant and researched! So, even if the pain was unbearable, it only lasted a minute.

2:35am We played the hypnobirthing video I had fallen asleep to almost every night in my third trimester. I kept my eyes closed and went inside my Self. I felt like I was in a different dimension, looking down watching the people in the room from a higher consciousness. I kept my eyes closed this whole time and almost felt as if I were high. This was the “labor land” the doula had told me about.

3:50am My body began pushing and I had no control over it. I told the midwife and she checked me to see if I was fully dilated before pushing. At this point I wasn’t trying to push but also wasn’t fighting it. I was almost 10cm but had a lip. Around 4:30am, my body completely took over and would push with each contraction. It was a powerful feeling that I had no control over, but I still focused on keeping my breathing slow. I felt weak from getting sick earlier, so I kept hydrated with Body Armor and snacked on organic gummy bears for the quick energy. I was still pushing with contractions and felt every bit of skin stretching but kept the trust in my body. The midwife guided me out of the squat position and back to leaning against AJ once his head started coming out in order to prevent tearing. Once his head was out, his entire body emerged with one push. It felt amazing and I still remember the feeling so vividly!

6:35am Arden Jude Acuna was born weighing 7lbs 9oz and 19” long! Because I was pushing for so long, my skin had the time to stretch and I didn’t need stitches. Our bodies are made to do this and the trust in that allowed it to happen as it should. I felt very supported and like my body was in control. It was truly an amazing experience and I remember thinking “this is it?” and “I did it!” immediately after.

This photo was taken immediately after Arden was born. We patiently waited for his cord to completely stop pulsing as we marveled in the amazing experience that had just happened.