Birth Story: Part Five

(Written by the husband)

One of the nurses at the Birth Center opened the door for us. Abby took one look at her and burst into tears. The nurse quickly hugged her and held her for a long time. This was the first time Abby cried during the process. Which is amazing. It was evening now, and the midwife was on her way. While we waited, the nurse checked Abby’s cervix. 28 hours in, and only 4 cm dilated. And his head was apparently not putting much pressure on her cervix.

Judy (the midwife) arrived and we talked about our options. She said Abby was having dysfunctional labor, meaning she was having strong contractions, but her cervix was not dilating due to the baby’s posterior positioning. We decided together that the best option at this point was to go to TMC (the neighboring hospital) and see if pitocin would help make her contractions more effective. Judy would continue our care at the hospital along with a TMC nurse, and our doula.

Abby’s dream had been to have a “Birth Center birth”, so there was a sadness as we made the short drive to hospital. When we arrived at TMC, we knew right away that we had been spoiled by the care, comfort, and empathy of the Birth Center and its staff. The hospital was a much more clinical environment. They quickly ushered us into our room, and began reading over Abby’s birth plan. “It says here your greatest fear is… birthing at TMC?! Why’s that?” Abby burst into tears again. Before she could answer, Judy walked in. She hugged Abby and helped her compose herself. It was clear that she was going to be running the show.

To be continued…