Birth Story of Maya Marie

I had the honor of attending the planned home birth of a friend and coworker's first baby this week and this is their story.

I have worked with Steph for about a year and a half and was honored when her and her husband asked me to be their doula.  It was pretty cool to be able to watch her baby belly grow day by day.  Steph was thrilled to be pregnant but more than a little anxious about the birth and how she would manage. Her friends and family joked that she was a bit of a drama queen and not great at handling pain but my gut told me she would be just fine when it came time.

Fast forward to the week of her “due date” (truly much more of a guess date).  Steph was cranky and frustrated to still be pregnant, her midwife appointments were a bit disappointing as nothing much seemed to be happening. We chatted lots over the phone and via text and then on Sunday, Mother’s Day it was starting to sound like things where changing, she was feeling crampy and unsettled, all great signs that baby was getting ready for the main event.  I spent Sunday evening getting things ready on my end and waiting for the call. It came around 11pm and I arrived at Steph’s house shortly after midnight.

Steph was contracting on a regular basis and coping perfectly, things weren’t that intense yet and we just kind of hung out chatting between contractions and puttering around.  Around 2am things started to pick up and the smile had officially been wiped off her face, we called Kim (her fabulous midwife) to check in and give her an update. Kim’s instructions were to carry on as we were. A couple hours later the intensity of the contractions had picked up and Steph was starting to get a little bit panicked, not sure if she could do this and not sure if she wanted to do this.  We called Kim again and she suggested getting Steph into the pool and let us know she was heading out to join in the fun.  Kim arrived and assessed Steph’s progress, assured her that things were moving along and advised to stay the course and to not get discouraged. We got Steph into the pool and very quickly she found her groove with her labour.  Being in the water had almost magical powers for Steph and she was able to handle each contraction beautifully. A couple more hours passed and at about 630am, I let Kim know it was probably time for her to come back.

Steph was in and out of the pool throughout the morning, more in than out as the pool really seemed to bring her the comfort she needed to power through her labour. She was working so hard yet seemed to calm.  Her strength and perseverance was amazing.  By 11am Steph was fully dilated and ready to start pushing.

Steph pushed with everything she had for just over 2 hours but baby was not budging. This baby was quite happy right where she was and wasn’t making any sudden movements towards the exit! After the 2 hour mark Kim made the suggestion to move the party to the hospital.  Mom and baby were both doing fine and were in no danger but it was better to be safe and an ambulance was called to make for a safe and comfy trip for Steph. 

The decision to transport to the hospital is a little bit scary but Steph and James just rolled with it. There was a flurry of activity as we packed everything up and got Steph ready go. She walked out to meet the ambulance and was whisked away.  Once they reached the hospital Steph was assessed again and we learned that baby had actually move back up and away from the exit! She was not going out on her own and the decision was made to do a c-section.  Steph showed no signs of fear, she was just ready to meet her baby girl.

They took them off to the OR and about half an hour later, Maya Marie Albrecht was born and she was pissed! A pouty mouth, a furrowed brow and an amazing set of lungs letting the world know she was not happy about her eviction!  As soon as was possible she was tucked in, skin to skin with her mom and was as happy as could be.

Steph was amazing from start to finish, no drama, tough as nails and fierce.  Her baby needed her mama to dig in and get through a long labour and that is exactly what her mama did.  James was incredible, at no point did he look like the usual deer in headlights dad to be, he was on his toes the entire time, right there for whatever Steph needed (even at the cost of almost all the hair on the backs of his legs). If how they got through labour together is any indication of how they will parent together this baby girl is one lucky kid. 

This not so little girl weighed in at 9lbs 7oz and almost 22inches long! She is gorgeous with lots of dark hair and she has completely stolen her daddy’s heart.  He told me he wasn’t prepared to be so in love with her so instantly.

Welcome to the world baby girl!