A Wild Birth — An Origin Story
For years I have desired to commit to paper one of my favorite days of my life: the day we met my firstborn son. It was October 17th when I found myself sitting in the middle of an empty, half-constructed room that would be the main living space in the tiny house my husband was building for us. We had previously lived in Fayetteville, AR when we got a vision to move back to the small town I grew up in and make it our home. It was a big leap for us, but in January we broke ground to create the coziest 500 square foot cabin in the woods. Fast forward to October of the same year (we don’t need to get into the nitty gritty of the how to’s in building a house, we will only dwell on the day the house became a home!) and I began feeling a very foreign feeling in my body later to realize that it was the beginning of my labor.
That evening is somewhat hazy as I quite literally fell asleep around 9 pm in the middle of a construction site! We had family visiting to help us in the last stretch of construction, so one can imagine the hustle and bustle and excitement everyone had in rallying the troops to get this huge project finished in time to welcome Wilder earthside. Three hours later, and what was once a hectic job site, was a beautiful and clean house. My sisters had spent the last hours of their day cleaning the house after I had told them my labor might be starting.
I spent the rest of the night waking to contractions every 10 minutes, sleeping when I could, and letting my husband get some rest after his busy day. The whole house was quiet, but my heart was anything but still as I was bursting with excitement for what the following day (October 18th) would bring. Around 6 am my contraction pattern turned from a consistent 10 minute march to a closer 3-5 minute cadence. The contractions that I felt were somewhat overwhelming to me at first, as I imagine all new mothers might experience when acquaintanting themselves with contractions, but through prayer and breath work I had practiced for weeks, I began to develop a rhythm of coping with the ever-strengthening waves.
“Looking back, the energy she brought to my day was invaluable. ”
Prior to my labor, I hired a doula to work with prenatally that I was introduced to via my midwife. She was the epitome of what I hope to be for my doula clients: accepting, motivating, problem-solving, intelligent, loving, funny, compassionate, and kind. Looking back, the energy she brought to my day was invaluable. Around 10 am she arrived at our house and quickly began providing solutions to my stalling labor as we had had some disruptions from other family members waking up and helping get some last minute details in order. She created a warm environment and made me feel comfortable in many ways, but namely, she encouraged me to enter a place of calm within myself. Focusing inward became my frame of reference in coping with labor and my whole support system showered me with so much love and intention without ever breaking my concentration. Whatever I intuitively felt I needed to do they supported and we spent the entire day moving into different positions and trying various techniques to not necessarily ease my discomfort, but make it purposeful. I laugh whenever I think about this day – as much as I was uncomfortable in the throws of back pain and labor, I know my husband and doula earned their keep as they provided around the clock counter pressure per my request. God bless them! Ha! Thank you to both of you.
It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon when my midwife arrived. She had been at another birth that morning and had sent a midwife she works with closely ahead of herself to check up on me. It was then that I began to transition into the second stage of labor. My husband filled up a birthing tub on our front porch underneath the beautiful autumn leaves rustling in the wind and I was eager to jump into the water. The water was an excellent form of relief to me and it was almost too relieving as my labor did not ease up, but began feeling very frustrating to me as it no longer felt purposeful. This was discouraging to me at the moment, but looking back I can see that I was simply in transition as it is common for women to feel an “I can’t do this anymore” sensation. I very much felt this and possibly felt like I was going to be in labor for the rest of my life! It had been 18 hours since my contractions first started and I was beginning to feel fatigued. We moved back inside so that I could rest on the couch in our main room and that is when I began feeling the urge to push.
“The feeling is like no other: pure joy. ”
Following my birth, my midwife shared that she had had a dream about the birth of my baby. The dream was that I would deliver my baby at 6 pm and that is exactly what happened! At 6 pm on the dot (20 something hours later) I pulled my baby into my arms. The feeling is like no other: pure joy. Involuntary tears poured down my cheeks as I met the purest form of love for the first time. God had given my husband and me the most beautiful boy. My sweet, sweet Wilder – my wild child given to me through the wildest birth. What a gift.
“If you are in need of an extra person in your corner – I got you. ”
I wanted to share this story with you, friends, because stories are so important. Stories are what bring us together, create culture, and inspire us to go and make our own stories. It is my deepest desire that this inspires you to write your own sweet story as you longingly prepare for your baby’s coming, work tremendously hard in labor, birth, welcome your sweet gift into your arms, and learn what it is to be a family with your newest member. With the humblest heart, nothing would bring me more happiness than to be a part of your story. If you are in need of an extra person in your corner – I got you. Let’s connect and begin writing your own story: where you and your baby finally meet.
