Charly Elizabeth Barnes Birth Story

*This is the story of the birth of my beautiful baby girl Charly. I will go into full detail of the process so if you do not want to read about the physiological process of birth this may not be for you. I'm not a medical professional and in no way am I giving medical advice I'm just sharing my story.

It all started June 8th, 2019 at about 2:30am. I started having contractions that I could no longer sleep through. These contractions were pretty mild but definitely different than the braxton hicks contractions that I'd been having. Since they were coming so frequently I decided I had better start timing them just in case. I had had a lot of false labor over the last few weeks so I was trying not to get my hopes up or get too excited since I knew if these were the real thing it would probably be a very long day. Within the first 30 mins of timing them they were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting about a min. At this point I decided it was probably go time and woke Tyson up. I told him he probably was not going to work that day and asked him if he would make me some breakfast and start getting the birth tub set up.

Since I'd had so much false labor during the last few weeks I decided to get up, take a nice hot shower, and eat a good meal to see if the contractions would slow down.

The shower was a wonderful relief and I could have probably stayed under the warm water all day but I decided it was best to save the hot water for the birth tub. After showering I ate some breakfast and decided it was time to call the doula since the contractions were not slowing down and it had been a few hours since I woke up. It was about 5:00am.

I called the doula and worked through a few contractions on the phone with her. I was handling them fine at this point and since this was my first birth we figured we were probably in for a long day. We decided it was not quite time for her to join us and I told her that I would keep her posted. She told me to stop timing them and try and rest as much as I could for the next little while and to call her in a few hours with an update. She also suggested that we go ahead and call the midwives and give them a heads up. I call the midwives and they said the same thing to rest up and prepare for a long day. So I did just that.

Tyson was having trouble getting the birth tub filled up so while he worked on that I just stayed in bed working through contractions. I would rest on my side and then when I felt one come on I would pop up onto my hands and knees to breathe and rock through it. The contractions were getting much more intense and it was getting more difficult to stay relaxed. I began needing to use the restroom a lot. My body began releasing everything in my bowels which was a good sign things were progressing. I also lost my mucus plug and bloody show.

Finally, the tub had enough water that I could get in and at least try to work through some contractions. It was about 7:30am. The tub was amazing! However, I still needed to go the bathroom pretty frequently so I had to get in and out of the tub several times. This made it very difficult for me to get comfortable and relax in-between contractions. The contractions I had while out of the tub were very intense and began to be painful. I knew I had to pull things together and relax or I wasn't going to make it. I was still thinking I would be in labor all day so it was a bit discouraging to be having such intense contractions this early on.

I finally got back in the pool and was able to stay there. This was a huge relief! I was able to focus and breath and gain my composure again. Floating in the pool was heaven, and I can totally see why they call it the liquid epidural. It allowed me to float and fully relax my entire body in-between contractions. This helped give me strength for the next rush. It was about 8:30am by now and I told Tyson that it was time to get the doula here. It would take an hour or so for her to get here so I thought it was best to have her at least headed our direction. While we waited I started really finding a rhythm. I felt focused and relaxed and although the contractions were intense and very hard work I did not find them painful. I was very close to transition by this point and about 2 contractions before the doula got there I began to be very vocal and I began moaning low to help get through the contractions.

Our amazing doula Raquel arrived and after watching me through a few contractions she hoped on the phone with the midwives and told them we were not going to be here all day and that they needed to hurry and get on their way. She also called our birth photographer and got her headed our way as well.

It was about 10:00am by now and I was continuing to work through contractions. I decided to check myself to see if I could feel her head and although I don't know how to check for dilation I could tell that I was almost complete. There was just a little bit of a cervical lip left that needed to open and I had begun to feel like I needed to push. The doula helped me breathe through the contractions and tried to get me to not push quite yet if I could help it. With every contraction I felt more and more like I needed to push. There was really nothing I could do to keep my body from pushing. I just had to breathe and hope that the midwives made it in time. I began to have some back labor and it was very difficult for the doula and Tyson to do much for me outside of the tub so Tyson without hesitation hoped in the water with me and began to help me through each rush. This was wonderful! I loved having him in the tub with me. I felt like we were a team and I felt so supported with him right there by my side helping me through each contraction.

The birth photographer arrived and began documenting the labor which I am so grateful for!

Special thanks to Key Moments Photography for capturing our amazing experience. Check them out on Facebook if your in Treasure Valley and in need of a photographer for anything!

https://www.facebook.com/KeyMomentsPhotographyLLC/

The student midwife finally arrived and the nurse midwife was about 30 mins away. It was about 11:00am and I was wanting to push with every rush. They were still trying to get me to hold back so that the nurse midwife could be there for the birth. So I breathed and breathed through every contraction and I honestly think it helped so much!

Once the nurse midwife arrived there was nothing holding me back. Every rush came and I began to push through each one. I tried a few different positions but preferred to sit and lean back on Tyson. He gave me so much strength and motivated me so much during the whole process. It was so helpful having him right there by my side cheering me on and empowering me through the contractions and then during the breaks I could rest my whole body and just sink into him. This whole experience was so amazing to go through together and I truly felt like we were both working together to bring our beautiful baby into this world.

I began to feel intense pressure and reached down and could feel her head begin to emerge. I knew at this point it was go time. She would be here very soon. I dug deep and pushed with all my might when each rush that came. There really wasn't much resting in-between the contractions now. Each time I finished one I reached down and could feel her head even more. It began to burn and I could feel that everything was stretching so much. I knew that I could probably have her out in the next few contractions or I could ease her out over a longer period of time. They checked her heartbeat and it was perfect. It never dropped during the whole labor. Even though it burned and I knew I might tear I remember making the conscious decision to just push her out as quickly as possible. With the next contraction I gave it my all and pushed with my body hard as I could. Before I knew it her head was out! I reached down and could feel her perfect little head. I knew with the next push she would be born. The next contraction was pretty easy compared to the previous ones and I gave a small push and she was born.

The midwife handed her to me and Tyson and we gazed in wonder at our beautiful baby girl!

She was born "en caul" which means her water stayed in tact until her head emerged and it broke as she was being born. Looking back this was probably a good thing because I may have had her even quicker had my water broke earlier in the labor.

She was perfect! We held her as she cried and her color quickly turned a beautiful pink. Her heartbeat was perfect and she cried without complication. We tried to keep her warm in the water but it had cooled off a bit too much for her so we decided to get out of the tub and warm her up while we waited for the placenta.

I lay on the floor next to the tub with lots of blankets and pillows all around me. Tyson went and put some dry clothes on but he must have been quick because I don't ever remember him leaving my side. Charly lay on my chest and she was so calm and pink. We tried to get her to latch but she just wanted to snuggle.

The midwife said the placenta was probably ready to come out so I pushed once or twice and it was out. I was so grateful for this. I had very minimal bleeding and everything seemed to be going perfectly. They checked me to see how badly I had tore. I knew I probably tore since she was born so quickly so it was no surprise when they said I had tore badly. They said they were going to call another midwife to come and evaluate the tear and stitch me up.

At this point the cord had stopped pulsing and had turned white so we began preparing to cut the cord. Tyson got some really cute snuggles with Charly right before it was cut.

The midwife clamped the cord and went to hand Tyson the scissors to cut it. He had previously said he didn't want to cut it and when she asked him to he was like no you can go ahead and do it. He was so nervous about cutting it. She was persistent though and handed him the scissors again and said you've got this. I didn't think he would do it but he just grabbed the scissors and cut the cord! This definitely surprised me.

While we waited for the other midwife to come we got up and moved into the bedroom to lay on the bed and be more comfortable. We snuggled and stared with amazement at our beautiful baby girl.

When the other midwife arrived they set me up to be stitched up and after her examination she recommended I be taken into labor and delivery and have a surgeon stitch me. She said I had a 3rd degree tear and although she could probably do it a surgeon has much more experience with deeper tears and will do a better more complete job. I was so grateful that she recognized her scope of practice and recommend that I go in and get the best care for my condition.

My doula had heated me up some food and was feeding me. My husband was holding our baby while the birth photographer got some beautiful newborn shots. The midwives were cleaning up the birth tub and doing laundry. I felt that everything was taken care of around me and all I had to do was rest and love on my baby. This was such a blessing to me. I was so grateful to have so many wonderful people surrounding me and taking good care of me and my new baby.

Before I went in for stitches we had the midwives perform the newborn tests. Tyson was able to weight Charly and they measured her as well. She was 7 lbs 12oz and 20 inches long. She was perfect! She had the softest and most beautiful skin and since she came so fast her head was beautifully round without any bruises or mishape to it.

The midwife called the hospital and let them know we were coming in and they began to prepare me for transport. I rode to the hospital with one of the midwives and another midwife and my doula followed. They wheeled me in and got me set up in a room very quickly. The surgeon was a women and she was amazing at her job! She explained everything to me throughout the process which I loved because I felt like I knew exactly what was being done to my body.

One thing I did worry about before the birth was that if I did need to be transferred to the hospital they would not be accepting since I'd had a home birth. This was not the case at all. They were very professional. They welcomed me right in, took care of the medical need I had, and then sent me on my way. I was in and out of there very quickly and on my way home to my baby.

One thing that I want to point out here is how amazing Tyson was during all of this. He stayed home with our sweet baby during this time all by himself which I'm sure was a bit nerve racking. One minute there were 3 midwives, a doula, a birth photographer, his wife, and new baby all in the house and then all of a sudden they all left with me and he was alone with his fresh baby girl. He was such a champ! I had expressed some colostrum ahead of time so thankfully he had something to give her while I was gone to keep her blood sugar up.

Once I arrived home we finally had time to really soak up the events of the day. I knew we had a long night ahead of us so we just cozied up in bed and began to discover our sweet baby girl.

The next few days seem like a blur to me. I ran off little to no sleep and not because she wouldn't let me sleep it was more because when she slept I just wanted to stare at her and I felt like I was on a high from the events that occurred. She really is such a miracle and I'm grateful everyday that she is here and so healthy.

I'm also grateful to everyone for the role they played in our birth experience. We have prayed for this baby girl for quite sometime now and I'm so excited to love on her and teach her everything I possibly can! Charly Elizabeth Barnes we will do our very best to make sure that you have all the love and attention you deserve.

Special thanks to Key Moments Photography for capturing our amazing experience. Check them out on Facebook if your in Treasure Valley and in need of a photographer for anything!

https://www.facebook.com/KeyMomentsPhotographyLLC/