Friday, January 11, 2019

Birth Story of Dawson Gabriel



Well little man, this is the story of the day you were born, and when I say day, I mean FULL day, 24 hours to be exact….

A little background on who I am and how I came to be a part of your story – I met your mom about 6 years ago when we were purchasing our first horse, she was the vet who held our hands through our first ever pre-purchase exam. She remained our vet and was there for us through all our firsts, the first major injury, the first time ever selling a horse and through it all she was professional, compassionate and most of all patient with all our questions and at times hysterics (when said horse ran through a fence). When your mom announced she was expecting you, I jumped at the chance to give back a little bit and reached out to offer my support as her doula.

I have supported some truly incredible women throughout their pregnancies and your mom has to be one of the most chill, laid back, low maintenance clients I have ever had (and I have had some AMAZING clients). We joked more than once that she made the perfect broodmare.

I met with your mom and dad a couple of times during the pregnancy, came up with a bit of a birth plan and talked about what to expect. As the big day approached we chatted almost daily, just to touch base on how things were going and how she was feeling. The answer was always pretty much the same, she felt pretty good, no complaints and no big changes. One of the changes we look for in first time moms is for baby to start to make its way towards the exit, to head down into the pelvis and get ready for the big event.  However, you seemed awfully content exactly where you were and showed no signs you wanted out….

Your due date (New Year’s Day) came and went without any excitement at all, and we continued to wait. Finally on the evening of January 5th my spidey senses told me I would be hearing from your mom soon, I couldn’t fall asleep and sure enough at 1:05am the phone rang. Your mom called to let me know that things were starting, she was doing just fine with the support of your dad and would let me know when she needed me. I checked in with her again at around 5:45am and we decided she would make her way to the hospital to see where things were at. At 8am I met them at the hospital and after a quick assessment it was determined that it was early labour, all was well and we were sent home to labour away until things were further along. We headed home, sent your dad to bed for a nap so that at least someone would be well rested when you arrived.  Your mom and I hung out, chatted, and took the dogs for a walk.  Some of the highlights of the day for me were cuddles on the couch with the dogs while your mom bounced on the ball trying to encourage you to come down.





Your mom worked through each and every contraction without a single complaint, as they increased in frequency and intensity she just took it as it came. She did everything suggested and tried every trick in the book to bring you down and to get labour really going.  Things started to pick up around 2pm and by 330pm, it was time to head back to the hospital. We arrived shortly after 4pm and had another exam which revealed there had been some progression but not a lot. The exam also revealed that you were definitely feeling the squeeze of the contractions and didn’t love them, and they decided to keep her admitted so they could monitor you a bit better. As soon as the exam was over, your mom was up and out of bed and on the move again. We walked, rocked, lunged, bounced and did everything possible to encourage you to come down but you remained very comfy where you were. As we approached the 24hrs of labour mark, you started to show signs that you were getting pretty tired of it all and the decision was made to head to the OR for a C-section. It was FINALLY time to meet you!!

On January 7th, at 12:53am,  you came screaming into the world and into the waiting arms of your mom and your dad.

Your mom is my new super hero! 24 hours of labour, 24 hours without sleep and she worked so hard to meet you. She was incredible, and your dad was her biggest supporter through it all. You are so blessed to have such amazing parents.



Welcome to the world little man, you are so loved and you have a wonderful life ahead of you:)

Dawson born on January 7th, 2019
 8lbs 14oz 


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