Pippa's Birth Story

This is my birth story as written by my amazing doula, Marilyn Nolt.

Happy Birth Day to

Pippa

November 28, 2009

Sto called me at 1 p.m. to say Heather was having strong contractions coming every 4 minutes one day before her due date. Another call came at 1:47 p.m. when they were on the way to the hospital. Contractions had started mid-morning and got “real” at 12:30 p.m. On admission her cervix was 3 centimeters dilated.

When I arrived at the hospital Heather was peacefully and serenely resting on her side in bed, not giving a clue that she was in active labor. But she was. In fact within an hour, at 3 p.m. her cervix was 5 centimeters dilated. She preferred staying in bed and lying on either side. Sto was near by applying pressure to her back during contractions. She took sips of water or juice and made trips to the bathroom.

Right after we talked about the membranes rupturing, the bag of water broke at

3:15 p.m. Now the contractions were a bit more uncomfortable but she handled them beautifully. She was beginning to feel pressure and was spontaneously bearing down several times during a contraction.

The midwife asked her not to push yet so she did some panting to control the urges. Eventually the midwife told her to go ahead and follow her body to push. Heather was beautiful as she allowed her body to do the wonderful job of birthing.

By 4 p.m., the cervix was completely gone and she pushed while semi-reclined and then on her left side. Sto supported her leg and constantly affirmed her efforts. She pushed very effectively and there was a little head with a hand tucked by her head, and then the slippery little Pippa was received by Sto and placed on Heather’s chest. What a little sweetheart she was! She cried and then calmed to her parents’ strokes and voices.

What a joyous and unbelievable afternoon! The hunch that Heather may labor quickly like her mother was realized. Heather was superb in handling the hard contractions during a short amount of time. She stayed calm, rested and focused. It was an extreme pleasure to witness this miracle of birthing their daughter. Congratulations to Sto and Heather as they enjoy parenting beautiful little Pippa. And Happy Birth Day to Pippa!

Marilyn Nolt

Certified Doula