And Baby Makes Three

We have been waiting for this little fellow for quite some time!  His birth story started at 2:45 AM early Sunday morning when his sack of water broke.  Ami called 3:00 AM to let me know it was time to come up! I was a little confused-after all, I had been asleep and I remember staring down at Lula wondering why she was ringing.  Ami's due date wasn't for another two weeks, so who on earth could be calling in the middle of the night?  But I finally woke completely up and was up in Ferndale by 6:30.  We spent the morning hanging out and trying not to watch the clock.  Ami wasn't having regular contractions, so we knew we had a ways to go.  My job was simple: use my vast knowledge of childbirth (haha) to help Ami and Kris welcome their first son into this world as naturally as possible.

Around 2:30 PM, Ami was ready to go to the hospital and be assessed.  After determining she had in fact ruptured her membranes (duh), she was admitted to her own room and observed.  By evening it was apparent that she was uncomfortable enough that she couldn't sleep, but she wasn't going to make any progress unless she slept.  The doctor ordered "therapeutic rest" which helped her sleep until early morning.  What a blessing for her!

Monday morning came and her contractions were uneven and not progressing, so she needed to be induced.  Ami stuck with her initial birth plan, but as anyone who has had to be induced knows, pitocin contractions are way too intense to manage alone.  After she received an epidural, Ami rested, contracted, and dilated beautifully until little Charlie was born at 9:45 PM last night.

He was 6lbs 9oz and 20 inches long.  He is the smallest baby I have ever seen-so precious!- and is perfect in every way.  He is nursing beautifully and both mom and baby are recovering quickly.  They are expected to go home sometime today.

I am so honored that Kris and Ami included me in their birth.  I was able to participate as a doula before the epidural was placed, as an advocate (aka annoying question asker) throughout their stay in the hospital, and as a coach during the birth.  Thank you both for sharing this most precious moment with me!