Sammy’s Birth.

Sammy is one of my personal heroes. A mother to FOUR boys, she knew this birth would be her last and was determined to do it naturally. But sweet baby boy was breech the last three weeks of her pregnancy and no matter how many exercises she did, or visits to the chiropractor, he was not going to budge! She went in to have him manually turned (which can be painful for mom!) but her fluid was low and they kept her for the day just to give her fluids. She went home that evening, contracting, stretching, hanging upside down from the couch . . . and went into labor. Going into labor was considered high-risk since her baby was breech, but when she got to the hospital she insisted they take an ultrasound and check the position of the baby . . . and miraculously, he had turned. Just in the nick of time!

She had her husband, her doula, and her mom there for the birth. When I arrived at midnight, the contractions were close together and strong. She had not eaten in 12 hours, and had barely slept. I was amazed by her stamina!

Birth is so raw. Painful and unpredictable, even in the best case scenario. I was undone by the care that Sammy’s husband showed her throughout the process. She had given him several phrases beforehand and it was all he was allowed to speak to her during contractions, such as, “You can do this,” or “Your body was made for this.” If he said anything else, she’d remind him of the pre-approved phrases. For those of us not birthing a baby, it was funny to watch. If he started pitying her pain, she’d reach for her doula instead. She was determined to have that natural birth!

I just love all the hands covering Sammy as she moved through transition. How loved is she? Her husband was so present with her in the pain. It was powerful.

Here is grandma, who flew in from out of town to witness the birth. She was so excited for her grandon. At this point, Sammy was not sure if she could finish the birth naturally, but her support team was incredible, and she didn’t give up.