Birth Stories

Shared with permission

Gabriela Carter - Birth Doula

First baby

Early Labor

It all started several days before my baby was born. I had been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for a while (starting on Wednesday). They’d come and go, and each time, I would text my doula, who told me to rest. Whenever I did, the contractions would get further apart. On Sunday morning, around 4 or 5 am, I woke up to a contraction that felt different. It wasn’t painful, but it was intense enough to wake me up. I was so tired of the Braxton Hicks that I was just annoyed. Like, again?! So, I tried to go back to sleep. Key word- tried. I spent the day trying to stay as normal as possible. I was even planning to go to church, but after all the contractions, I was too tired and decided to watch the stream and just rest instead. By the afternoon, we had a family lunch, and my aunt and cousins stopped by for a quick visit. We all went for a little walk. That’s when I started noticing the contractions were getting more consistent. Everyone was eyeing me, and I was still denying that I was in labor. I thought these were probably just more Braxton Hicks.

Active Labor

Later that afternoon, I went downstairs to the basement and tried to rest. I was on the phone with a friend when I realized that I wasn’t talking through the contractions anymore. She noticed too, and pointed it out. That’s when I realized: Oh wow, this is real. I was in denial, but she was right. My husband called the doula, and she suggested I do the Miles Circuit to keep things moving. So we headed to a nearby parking lot, and I curb-walked in circles, watching the sun set. Afterward, we went back home, and as I was finishing the Miles Circuit, my doula arrived. She helped me through some contractions while my husband packed the car for the hospital. We breathed through each contraction, and I started counting my breaths (about 12 breaths per contraction, if you’re curious). Finally, the car was loaded, and off we went. We got every single green light. At this point, I realized it was really happening, even though the whole thing had felt so gradual up to that point.

Hospital Labor

When we got to the hospital, we accidentally parked on the completely wrong side. But honestly? I didn’t care. I was totally fine with walking. Once we got to the front desk, they admitted me to triage, where they proceeded to ask me a million questions… and then a few more after that. Finally, we made it to a delivery room, and it had a tub!! I had been hoping and praying for the tub room, so that felt like a small victory. I labored in the room for a few hours, and my doula was amazing. She talked me through everything that was happening and kept me upright and moving, which really helped. I had planned on trying nitrous oxide (I’d decided that before labor) but funny enough, by the time I was actually at the hospital, I completely forgot about it. Around midnight, I got into the labor tub, and let me tell you, I loved it. The warm water was so soothing, but not long after, panic set in. Oh my goodness, I actually have to push her out. How much longer do I have to do this?! Reality hit me like a ton of bricks. I took a deep breath, tried to calm my nerves, and just let labor keep going. These contractions were the most intense yet. And then—I realized my body was pushing.

Pushing

As soon as my contraction ended, I told everyone what was happening. My doula looked like she already knew, but my nurse? She looked panicked. “You have to get out of the tub”. My doula reassured me that I had plenty of time and that there was no rush. Her calm reassurance helped me not panic. I was ready to be dry and have the baby, so I wanted out as soon as possible, and I knew I could do it—I just had to time it right. The problem? I only had about 30 seconds between contractions, and that wasn’t nearly enough time. So I made a plan: at the start of my next break between contractions, I’d try to get out. It actually took me four contractions to successfully complete Mission Impossible, but I did it! I walked over to the bed and immediately realized… my legs were so tired. There was no way I could push standing up, so I got up onto the bed and laid on my side—and wow, that felt so much better. This was the hardest part for me. My body was doing all the work, and I couldn’t stop it even if I tried. It was intense, overwhelming, and completely out of my control. But thankfully, within about 15 minutes, my daughter was born, and she was very vocal about it.

Afterwards

When they handed me my baby, my first thought was “She’s real??” I was in total shock, like, is this actually happening? Then came the overwhelming wave of relief and joy. It was the kind of moment that made all the hard parts of labor fade away. But things weren’t over just yet. I had torn a little, and when the doctor started stitching me up, the numbing medication they gave me didn’t work properly. I could feel every single bit of it. It was really difficult. My doula and my husband helped me focus on my baby to get through it. They reassured me, talked me through it, and I kept looking at my daughter, just holding on to the joy of her being here.

My birth experience wasn’t perfect, but the support team I had was incredible, and I am so thankful to look back on the memory very fondly. :)

More stories coming soon…