A big thank you to Ashley Mitchell for sharing her second birth story and more to come! Be sure to click over to Happy Homeschool Mum and her FB Motherhood Maine
Ashley Mitchell’s Second Birth Story of 5!
My husband and I desperately wanted another baby. As young and as crazy as we were, our daughter was about to be two years and we felt like we had been trying forever (though I know 2 years isn’t long). We were young, stressed, and full of love. We had been married for a few years and decided to start trying for another baby when our oldest was only about 6 months, which seems just insane when I think back.
I was a full time stay at home mother and my husband was in the Army. We lived on a nice base and in a safe environment. We were able to become pregnant a few times but the pregnancies resulted in miscarriages.
Then, on our daughter’s second birthday we found out we were pregnant again!
A birthday trip to Chuck E Cheese was a double celebration! We all had just a wonderful feeling this time. The pregnancy was normal. Morning sickness, growing like crazy, the usual. Care was very difficult we came to find out. The base hospital was constantly full and the red tape was insane. Even after having an ultrasound, which was a wait enough, I still had to have a pregnancy blood test. Everything was a process and a wait but through it all we got into the groove of it all and I had a very healthy and normal pregnancy.
Childbirth and Doula
This pregnancy and birth was going to be different and better than my first one. First of
all, my husband was going to be home. Second, I was going to take charge and do all the
research I could, and I did. I was also blessed enough to meet an amazing woman named
Angie who was working on her doula certification. Not only did I learn what a doula was (I
needed one for my first pregnancy!) I was going to be able to utilize one of the best.
My son was a week over his due date. This is normal through, with any baby.
Now in my career as a doula and childbirth educator I like to call it a ‘due month’ not a ‘due date’. A due date is accurate to two weeks before or two weeks after a date given. I didn’t know that at the time though, and I’m not sure if my new doula did at the time or if she just didn’t mention it to me. Either way, we scheduled an induction for the next week.
We wanted to give my son time since it was only a week later.
I went into the military hospital at 6:00am to get ready for my induction. I had spent the
night before in the world’s longest and most luxurious bath, ready to be relaxed and ready for my birth. I knew to be there early because there would be a lot of waiting and paperwork to be done.
The Army motto is “Hurry it up! And wait!”
I let my husband and daughter sleep in and went in early on my own. While I was getting hooked up to the monitors the nurse was registering contractions and asked if I was feeling them. I felt nothing! She looks and says “Well there is another one.” Still I felt completely normal.
In hindsight my son was coming on his own, I just didn’t know it! I now believe he would have been born on his own that week. I was finished being hooked up to everything, I put the TV on (I love TV and watch too much), and was ready for my son to come by 8:00am.
My husband arrived by 9:00am and my doula arrived by noon time. Thus far my
induction was very easy. I was making progress and dialating fine, I was not feeling any
contractions or discomfort. I knew I did not want any pain relief medications for my birth and after 5 hours I was still doing fine. My poor doula looked bored, she was very attentive, asking over and over if I needed anything and trying to help but even though things were happening it felt like nothing was happening.
Then transition hit.
Transition really hit for me. Thus far I was having a very easy induction, even after the nurses said the pitocin was at high levels. Transition just felt like a whirlwind. The pain was pretty intense (not the worst by far compared to my other births) but the
hardest was the overall discomfort.
That is when the skills of my doula really came in. Her massages were everything I needed, her hip squeezes and side rolls were the cure for all, her encouragement and over all help and knowledge made my birth by far the best and most positive of all my births.
She helped and utilized my husband, I had 2 sets of hands. I was never
too hot or too cold, and I could do it.
She told me “You were made for this” and I sure was.
When it was the time to push my son was was already crowning, it was miracle, I made
it. This birth was the first and only time I had felt the ‘ring of fire’ which was one of the most amazing and powerful sensations. Honestly, not feeling it with my other births has been a let down.
I felt my son crowning, I felt his head, and I felt the power. Just such power and love in
the room.
My son was born!
He was here, he was not born crying which was just a testament of his permanent personality. In the 5 years of his life he has always been the most loving, gentle, and
creative child. His love is never ending and he is just an amazing human being. He was born perfect, and still is perfect. He was covered in dark hair head to toe, which never fell out despite what the doctors and nurses told me. My fuzzy monkey, and all the fuzz is still there but turned blond when he was about 8 months old.
After my son was born, I was given a menu and by far the best hospital food in the world. My nurses were very kind, attentive, and so supportive of all my choices. From the moment I started my birth with them knowing I was going to be induced but not accept pain medication, meeting my doula and husband, and talking to be about
the choices I had made for my son (they were very pro-intact which was a huge relief) the
hospital staff and my birth team was everything I could have asked for a more.
The overall birth and experience of having my son is a memory I am so blessed to have
gone through. It by far was my most perfect and positive birth.
I left the next day feeling like superwoman.
An induction may not be ideal, and there are higher risks, I had a wonderful
experience and a wonderful team with me. I will forever be grateful for my doula, without whom I would not have had the experience I had without her. The hospital I gave birth in (a military hospital), is still by far the best and most supportive hospital I have ever give birth in.
I was, am, incredibly blessed with the birth of my son, my first boy. I remember all the experience fondly and love the life I have with him and all my other children.
Jenny Pena
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Congratulations! What a wonderful story!