Tuesday August 16th 

It’s the due date!! We waited 40 weeks to meet our sweet Glory Bray and the day has finally come. Hayden had guessed she would arrive on the 17th and due to how well I carried the pregnancy I didn’t think I was going to be early, in fact I was just acepting and embracing a late birthday. The whole time I had peace knowing the Lord had already ordained her birth. I was at peace with it all. We were just so excited to finally meet our girly! 

That morning my midwife came over to check and sweep me. Due to Hayden health improving a bit we did want to see if we could nudge a bit so he could be apart of the delivery in a way that he could remember and enjoy. Again, I knew the Lord knew the perfect timing!  I also took a Castorl oil shake.. threw it all up in 30 mins. Haha - that stuff is nasty and I think the very fragile gag reflex was to blame. I took another half dose of the shake around 2.

1:00pm - I started to get a bit more cramping than I ever had before and didn’t really realize they were contractions until I noticed they would go away and come back! I was able to do everything throughout the day.  I remember texting my doula to ask what the difference between contractions and cramps were. We also knew that both the shake and the membrane sweep could produce false labor cramping. Honestly, I didn’t think much of the contractions and didn’t even tell hayden I was having them until dinner time. 

8:00pm- after dinner my contractions completely stopped so I assumed that they were just practice contractions influenced by the sweep. Exhausted, I suggested to hayden let’s go to bed around 10pm. I was out like a light around 10:30pm. 

12:30am- I woke up from a deep sleep to a strange sensation down in my pelvis where I know her head was, followed by some contractions that were way more intense than the ones early in the day.  I laid there in the bed for a bit and then I felt the most wild “pop” followed with the warm water that was surrounding our baby girl. That’s when I woke hayden up to ask for him to get me a towel so I didn’t completely destroy the bed. I remember my heart pounding thinking to my self “wow is this really happening” and I also remember a wave of adrenaline hitting hayden too. We both didn’t know what to do with ourselves. We knew things were about to get real. It was go time! In my head I also thought my labor was going to be long, so I braced myself mentally for that. 

1:00am - after cleaning myself up in the bathroom I made it back to the bed to give my midwife and doula a call to let them know my water had just broke. Hayden had gone out to give the dogs to our parents and by the time he came back into the room  I had a few more contractions that were so intense I really didn’t know how to cope with them, so my immediate reaction was to get down on my knees and lean over the bed.  I threw up once and let my midwife and doula know. She said to keep her updated and call back at 3am to update me. The contractions kept coming fast and strong. I then began to throw up two more times with my contractions speeding up even more. I remember looking at Hayden and telling him “there’s no way I can do this if this is what early labor feels like” not knowing how far along I was. I did have a feeling I was decently far along because I knew most women throw up during the transition stage of labor. After I threw up my contractions come on faster, longer and were one right after each other.  Hayden let the birthing team know and my midwife was on her way along with the doula who was 45 min from us. 

1:45am - my wonderful midwife showed up which was much relief knowing we weren’t going to have a baby alone in the house. My doula showed up minutes after and helped with counter pressure and encouragement on how to breathe the baby down during each contraction. I had prepared a worship playlist, oils and the my birthing podcast to help me through everything. However - it all went out the window. I wanted peace and quite, didn’t even care to think about oils and or the podcast. I just wanted to close my eyes and breathe between each contraction. Hayden and the doula rubbed by back as I rocked back and forth leaning against the bed on my knees. Alyssa, my doula encouraged me to go pee a few times and gosh that toilet is the worst. I now know why they call it the dilation station. Pressure increased immensely when I sat on that.  I’m not sure what time it was but Alyssa had encouraged me to do five contractions on the toilet before going in the tub. I knew it would help so we moved there. This is when I fully embraced the pressure and the “pain”. Every contraction I just imagined our baby girl moving farther and farther down. I worked with the contractions and didn’t try to work against them. Honestly I think it would be way more painful to tense up and try to escape the pain rather than embracing it and letting my body do it’s thing. 

3:15am- This is when I started to get grunty and feeling like I had to push something out. Honestly this is when the contractions for me started to get easier.

3:30am Hayden got the tub ready and man did that hot water feel good. It allowed my body to relax, especially during the breaks of my contractions. When they hit I was leaning over the pool while hayden rubbed my back. The whole labor I rocked back and forth and hayden rubbed downwards every time I rocked down. It was rhythmic for me.  At this point I was baring down and pushing every contraction, not because I was told but because my body just did it. I got the sense things baby girl was coming soon when the doula transitioned to taking photos and my midwife and her team stayed with me the whole time. Checking babies heart rate all the time and quietly observing it all. The sense of calmness and peace throughout the whole room was one of my favorite things. I believe it was a major part of the environment and played a role in my whole labor/ delivery. My midwife then suggested I turn around and lean up against the pool with my back. Hayden was now in front of me as he was going to catch our sweet girl. I ditched my combs and  sat on my hands during every push. At this point Morgann told me to reach down and feel her head. She was an inch or so away from coming out. Pushing was honestly my favorite part of it all. Didn’t hurt bad as the normal contractions and i could use my strength and mind to focus on something - pushing her out. She would come further down then go back in and did that a few times. I remember my midwife Morgann encouraging me so softly that this next push was it and she would crown. Sure enough, baby girls head came out, full of hair. I remember looked at Hayden and saying she has hair! This time wasn’t painful for me at all. Just uncomfortable especially because she started to move while her head was out.  While we were waiting for the next contraction, my midwife checked for a cord and it was around her neck. This was the first time during my whole labor and delivery where she touched me. As Morgann unwrapped her cord, I pushed and she and Hayden brought our baby girl up out of the water and onto my chest. She didn’t cry instantly but was alert, moving and making some sounds. Glory Bray was born at 4:54 am.

I stayed in the tub for a few minutes then transferred over to our bed where I delivered the placenta, and got stitched in three spots. Tearing was a huge fear of mine but I didn’t even feel a thing and stitches weren’t bad either. After that I handed baby girl to Hayden so I could shower. I’ll never forget the cry she let out when hayden held her.

After the shower my midwife helped me dress, braided my hair and tucked us into bed. Alyssa my doula got us both food. We did the newborn screening checking her height, weight and all the things. She was also given the vitamin K shot. That morning was so special. We were supported in a way I’ve never felt before. Both absolutely swooning over our new precious gift. While being fed and taken care of. The only time she was ever away from me was in Hayden’s arms. After a few hours we were left alone in our own home, as a new family of three. It was the most amazing and beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed and been through. It was so beyond clear that the Lord ordained that early morning. A morning I will never forget and never stop praising Jesus for.