Irma was a joy in my life from our first phone call. She was planning a home birth for their first baby, a little boy named Xavier, and she was excited to have me there as her birth photographer and videographer. I came over to meet her around 37 weeks, and they fed me dinner while we got to know each other. She had asked dozens of dozens of people about their labor experiences, hoping to gather a variety of stories to prepare for what could come. She asked about my birth stories, and I shared about the births of my daughter and son.
But nowhere in those stories was the tale of a 6 day birth. And yet, that was the birth story that was about to unfold. I knew that Irma was strong: her decade in the Navy and bold, confident personality made it clear that she could accomplish anything she set her mind to. But over the 6 days of her son’s birth, we would all see just how powerful she was, but also how beautifully she surrendered to the process. Her faith guided her every decision, and she and La Drake spent time in scripture and prayer through each day, asking for guidance on what was the next right step.Irma, I’m endlessly proud of you. Thank you for sharing your story!
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Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday passed. Irma kept in close contact with me, and her surges continued to come, stronger and stronger. Her midwives came to check her on Tuesday; she was 1cm dilated and baby was slowly trying to turn into a more optimal position. They gave her some exercises to help baby engage and to try to get labor to progress.
Her contractions continued at least every 15-30 minutes from Sunday to Monday. By Tuesday they were 5-7 minutes, with some periods of time where they were 2-4 minutes. On Wednesday, her midwives came around noon, and she had progressed to 4cm, with strong contractions every 10 minutes. As a birth photographer, I knew it was still too early for me to be there. But my relationship with my clients comes before any timeline, and I just wanted to see her! I also knew that even if it wasn’t baby time yet, I needed to go document this part of her story. So I headed over around 7pm on Wednesday.
I walked in the door to a cheerful house, buzzing with energy. Irma’s surges were coming close, consistent, and powerful. She was so focused, using the stairs to brace herself and open her pelvis.
She was upbeat and laughing between waves, but vocalizing loudly and focusing deeply during each one.
Irma: I called a midwife and had her come check me. I intended on doing a home birth with the Jacksonville Community Midwives. They were rocking with me every step of the way.
Irma: They showed up and I was at 2-3cm with a baby who enjoyed being OP, stuck in my pelvis.
OP means occiput posterior, and is sometimes called “sunny side up” or “stargazer.” This means that baby is head down in the pelvis, but instead of facing Irma’s spine, Xavier was facing her belly. This can lead to long labors, back labor and pain, and in Irma’s case, a snuggly little baby who just didn’t want to descend!
One of the keys to working with a malpositioned baby is movement. Changing positions, using cloth and hands to sift the belly and shake the hips, and using a peanut ball for rest all helps make room to encourage baby to turn.
The midwives gave Irma suggestions to help things progress, and then they recommended everyone head home to give them some time to rest.
When I checked in with Irma the next day (Thursday), she said her waves continued every ten minutes through the night. She went to the chiropractor to see if an adjustment would help baby to spin into a better position.
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