Lydia Coleman: My Birth Story
I want to start by saying that the idea of giving birth has always been scary to me. The pain, the idea of the pain, was terrifying. So when I first found out I was pregnant, I knew I needed to change my idea of what birth was and looked like to me. I spent a lot of time praying for peace. Then I spent a lot of time researching how I wanted to bring our baby into the world. Luke and I decided home birth was the choice for us after watching the documentary The Business of Being Born. We set out to find our perfect birth team in a knowledgeable and trustworthy midwife, a well-trained prenatal chiropractor, an encouraging doula, and a talented birth photographer.
Sunday, January 27th, I slept in and woke up to make breakfast for lunch, pancakes and bacon. I told Luke this would be the perfect laboring food. I didn’t know that would actually be my fuel for later that evening.
I started feeling crampy (are these contractions?) around 2 PM. We had a gym cleanup day scheduled, and I hadn’t seen everyone at CrossFit in weeks so I decided that I would go up there and help for a few hours. Luke was doing some work upstairs, and if these were contractions, I wanted to distract myself as long as I could. I decided to leave the gym around 4:30 as the cramps were getting a little more uncomfortable.
Once home, I decided to do some final clean-up in the kitchen and living room; I was definitely in labor, and we were about to have company coming over! I decided to try and lay down to rest around 5:45 and sent Luke a text to go to Wal-Mart and get a fruit and veggie tray for our guests later. “Big things are happening tonight.” He went to Zaza to get us some dinner but by the time he got back around 7, I wasn’t in the mood to be sitting down to eat. I drew myself a bath with some lavender Epsom salts and decided to try and relax here. I started my labor playlist and timing my contractions. Luke was still unaware of just how I was feeling, but I put him to work blowing up the birthing tub and getting my birthing space how I had envisioned it.
Around 9 PM I texted my AMAZING chiropractor, Merissa, to come over and check that everything was in line for baby to have the easiest trip Earthside. Around that time, my WONDERFUL midwife, Kim Jacob, said she wanted to come over and see how I was progressing. At 9:30 Kim said the most wonderful sentence. “You’re not going to believe this, but you’re at an 8-9.” WHAT?! Thank you, Jesus!
We better start getting my crew together! We called our doula, photographer, and my parents to make their way over. This baby is coming!! I was able to labor in our bathtub and breathe through contractions pretty easily until 11-11:30. That’s when things started getting...serious. My birth team had filled up the birthing tub, and it was time to move. I did NOT want to stand up, but I knew I wanted to be in the birthing tub. Let’s go! Quickly! I was in the pool by 12:30, and the contractions got much stronger.
The urge to push came right after 1 AM and by 1:15 my water broke. I continued to push in the pool, changing positions because baby just wouldn’t come. Kim finally talked me into getting out of the tub and onto the birthing stool just after 3 AM, and just THREE pushes later, our little darling was in my arms! It was 3:14 AM on Monday, January 28th. I held her against me in disbelief that it was over! I had actually done it! It went perfectly and was just how I imagined it. I looked back at Luke and said, “are you ready to find out what baby is?” I looked and, “It’s a GIRL!” More disbelief. We were overjoyed! So in love.
Unfortunately, that’s not how my birth story ends. I did end up being transported to Conway Baptist due to a retained placenta and had to spend a few days there after surgery to remove it. The nurses and doctors there were wonderful, but I choose not to focus my birth story on that chapter.
I truly could not have had a better birth and support team. Luke being the best of them all. He supported every decision throughout my pregnancy and helped me in making decisions when I wasn’t sure what to do. He was there to hold my hands, rub my back, and kiss my forehead through labor. And he was literally supporting me as our baby took her first breath.