Etta Moon: A birth story
*****BEFORE YOU READ******
I can't believe I have to say this shit but this post contains BIRTH PHOTOS.
My ass is pictured and so is my placenta and so is my ooey gooey fresh outta of the vaginal canal baby. If you can't handle that crap, then don't read it/look at it and don't you dare waste my time telling me how it offends you.
I give zero EFFS.
This is birth.
It's the most natural and RAW experience on earth and I want to share it.
You can choose not to read/look at it.
So there.
You've been warned.
Etta Moon Olsen
Born January 11, 2019
9:40pm
8lbs 9oz, 20.5 inches
Friday, January 11, I went in first thing in the morning for my 40 week appointment. I was so anxious to find out if she was still head down. We had found out at my 35 week appointment that she was breech. I really struggled thinking that I had completely lost the chance to have another magical natural birth. I immediately started researching all the ways I could get her to turn-
-the miles circuit
-inversions
-Webster technique via weekly visits to my chiropractor
-essential oils
- lights on my belly
-music on my belly
-ice packs on my belly
-meditating
-talking to her/begging her to turn
-and lastly praying.
I did it all, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. My anxiety was through the roof as I couldn't stop thinking about the worse case scenarios. I dreamt about hemorrhaging out on the operating table...it was awful. What if after 4 amazing med free births, they had to cut me open!? The thought of a c-section made my physically ill. I was really scared. For two weeks they checked me at my appointments and she was still breech. I remember feeling a bit hopless as the window of time to get her to turn safely was getting smaller and smaller. We decided to give it one more week before discussing the next step which was an external version.
One night I had finally had it, I broke down and did the last thing I could think of. I grabbed pillow and threw my body upside down against the wall. I held it as long as I could. I remember thinking if this doesn't do it, nothing will.
That night in bed I felt more crampy and way more movement than normal. During my routine 3am pee break I felt some strong kicks up by my ribs and thought OMG SHE FLIPPED!!
Sure enough at my next appointment it was confirmed that she was in fact head down.
I cried tears of joy!
My midwife told me to get on a ball and bounce her down into the birth canal haha.
I had some pretty good practice contractions the next few weeks but nothing was consistent. Since Wolfe had come past his due date, I really tried hard not to get my hopes up that she would come any easier.
I made it to my 40 week appointment and measured 3 cm, super soft and was at -2 station. My midwife Janelle said she could feel her head. I asked her to sweet my membranes since my cervix was favorable. I left the appointment feeling optimistic. It was the perfect weekend to have a baby but I tried not to get too excited.
I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house and hanging out with the kids. I lost my mucus plug that afternoon but had zero other signs that labor was eminent. David got home and we had dinner together as a family. Afterwards he started the bedtime routine with the kids and I felt my first strong contractions.
It was 6:30pm.
They started coming one after another, about 3-5 minutes apart. I remember telling him, I think this may be it? I don't know though..they def feel different. I texted my family in our group txt and my photographer to give them a heads up just in case.
By 7pm they were still coming steadily but I was still unsure.
My mom was about a 40 min drive away and we were about a 30 min drive to the hosptial so I didn't want to wait too long but I also didn't want to go too early in case it wasn't the real deal.
I texted my BFF kate giving her the run down and she told me to hop in the shower.
The hot water was exactly what I needed to clear my head.
I hopped out of the shower at 7:15 and knew that it was in fact go time.
David finished getting the kids to bed while I pulled together a few last minute things to throw into our hosptial bag.
My mom left her house at 7:30 and my photographer Jamie confirmed that she was on her way and would meet us at the hospital.
The contractions continued feeling stronger and stronger but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I resorted back to my mantra chanting "OPEN" and humming through the duration of each one.
I started to get emotional thinking about how soon we were going to meet our precious Etta girl.
If her birth was to be anything like her siblings, I knew the countdown was on.
My momma arrived just before 8pm.
David finished packing the van, laying down a few extra large pool towels just in case Etta decided she wanted to come in the car lol.
David had laid down one of the captains chairs so I hopped in and continued laboring on my hands and knees in the van.
On the drive over David called the on call provider to let them know we were headed up. I learned that my midwife Yvonne was on call for the night and I was SOO excited. I love all the midwifes at my practice but I always felt like I had a special connection with her.
While I rested in-between contractions I remember looking up and see the moon shining bright in the sky. It made me smile.
I said a prayer and asked that Heavenly Father would help bring my sweet baby girl earth side safely.
We pulled up to the hospital at 8:30 pm.
Since it was past hours, we'd typically have to check in through the emergency room, but Jamie had tracked down security to hold open the doors to the womens center for us.
She's AMAZING right!?
We walked right in and there was a hosptial admitting person waiting for us.
We were all smiles man!
So excited to get this show on the road.
I felt like a celebrity having her snap photos of us with the flash on while we walked in through the doors haha.
Contractions were still steady and I felt super in control getting through each one. I started to feel hot and sweaty and was dying to get to my room so I could strip down.
8:45pm
We were finally admitted and took the elevator up to the Labor and Delivery unit.
I started needing David to administer his strong counter pressure on my hips.
They knew my history of fast labors and let me bypass triage completely and took me straight to the natural birthing suite. We met my nurse real quick and I booked it straight to the bathroom. I labored on the toilet for a few minutes before feeling the urge to throw up.
I only throw up in transition so I knew she would literally be coming any time.
Before we did anything else the nurse checked my cervix and I was at an 8!
I was like holy shit I'm already almost done and it literally hasn't even been hard yet haha.
I remember the mood feeling easy and light in the room and I couldn't get over how perfect everything was falling into place.
Like always, I preferred minimal fetal monitoring but they needed at least 20 min to get a solid baseline. I hate wearing those monitors. They never stay in place.
David had set up a little speaker we had brought along and started playing an ingrid michaelson playlist.
I looooved having familiar music to sway and hum along to during contractions.
I was comfortable standing up and sort of paced around the room while I answered the routine questions and continued to be monitored.
I looked longingly at the HUGE gorgeous aqua doula tubs thinking how awesome it would be to jump in one, but I literally laughed out loud because I knew she'd be here before it would even be finished filling up with water.
Maybe next time haha.
Once again David rocked the hip counter pressure.
It is one of our favorite go-to moves because it just works so well.
9:00pm
I had declined an IV and a hep lock but the nurse had reached out to yvonne who had suggested they draw some blood for typing (I think? I can't really remember the reasoning)
Here the nurse is explaining to me mid contraction and I was like girl can you hold on for like 30 seconds while I'll get over this so I can actually listen to you!?
Anyways, they drew blood real quick and I remember being super annoyed by it since I felt like it was interrupting my flow.
9:26pm
Something that had really worked for me during Wolfe's birth was really focusing on keeping my face and the rest of my body suuuuper relaxed. I paid special attention not to tense up and instead just let my body ride it out during each wave of the contractions. I felt 100 percent relaxed and in control. I've said it a dozen times but by this point I still had yet to feel any actual pain.
Yvonne came in and checked me and I was at a 10.
I started feeling Etta move down and I felt like needed to change positions so they set up a ball on the bed that I could lean on.
My hums turned into moans as I felt her decend into the birth canal.
Yvonne was amazing, rubbing my back and telling me how good I was doing.
I moved back and forth on the ball and rested in-between the contractions.
9:35 (5 min before she was born!!!)
9:40pm
The next contraction my water broke and gushed all over the floor.
Still the weirdest feeling ever haha.
The first thing I did was ask if it was clear and it was!
Yvonne asked how I wanted to push and I got up on my hands and knees on the bed.
Another contraction started and I asked if David could catch the baby.
I grunted and bore down and BOOOM.
She literally flew right out onto the bed!
The first thing I hear Yvonne say is "well no one is catching that baby! HA!"
I was absolutely in SHOCK!
Wait that was it!?
She's here?
OMG I JUST HAD A BABY!?
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
I squealed with excitement.
I DID IT!
David and the nurses help me maneuver around her cord so I could flip over and see her for the first time.
She cried out right away.
She was absolutely beautiful.
I asked them not to wipe her down as I wanted to take her all in, oooey gooey cheesiness and all.
Vernix covered babies are my favorite.
I love all the helping hands in this photo.
I was seriously in shock.
It all happened SO fast.
David was like what the heck!?
A little warning next time haha.
We studied her up and down and took her all in for the next 15 minutes while we waited for her cord to stop pulsating. She looked just like Frances to me.
Her hair was blond and curly and her fingers were so long!
She had the sweetest little cry.
I couldn't stop smiling.
Those first moments after birth are seriously the best.
All
the
emotions.
It's literally like a high.
David texted our friends and family and no one could believe how fast she came.
They were like wait, didn't you just get to the hosptial!?
I wanted to cut the cord this time since David got to do it with the other 4 kids.
I was not prepared for how gross it was going to be.
The crunchy sound/texture totally grossed me out.
Literally the most unflattering photos ever but I think they are hilarious and a memory I never want to forget.
Upon examination Yvonne noted that I had a huge vein across my bag of waters which is also referred to as velamentous cord insertion. It was fascinating to look at but after researching what exactly it was after her birth, it was amazing at how perfect it all went down because things couldn't have gone bad fast.
We snuggled up on the giant bed for the next two hours, admiring our fresh little spirit straight from heaven!
She latched immediately and pretty much didn't stop nursing the entire 24 hours we were there.
A few hours later the peds nurse came back to do her exam and measurements.
She weighed and measured the exact same as Wolfe.
A few hours later we were transferred to the mother baby unit where we stayed for the rest of the 24 hours required.
I kid you not, I was outta there at 24 hours ON THE DOT.
I refused to stay a minute longer.
I struggle so hard with the recovery rooms...I can never rest and they aren't comfortable for me at all.
But that's another post for a different time.
IN CONCLUSION...
It was literally THE BEST and EASIEST birth to date.
A unicorn birth if you will.
I was still in shock from it all hours later.
It was almost too good to be true.
This time around I finally learned that here is actually a term for my type of births .
They are called "precipitous births" which is defined as "expulsion of the fetus within less than 3 hours of commencement of regulate contractions"
So it's a real thing.
I'm not positive on how I swung the pain free part of it all.
I don't know if it was because it was my fifth time around and I knew what to expect, or maybe that I just had some solid coping tools/skills that we had "perfected" together as a birth team.
All I know if that I couldn't do it without David.
And births like these make me want to have a dozen more babies because that crap was EASY.
-Signed BADASS BIRTH GODDESS
and now we are a family of SEVEN-
family photo by Michelle Perdue Photography
birth photos by Jamie Costlow at Phoenix Photography.
She's seriously THE BEST.
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