The only thing predictable about birth is that it is unpredictable. And being in labor for 6 days was definitely not something that Irma predicted when she planned for the birth of her first baby!
But she continued on, day after day, trusting in God's timing. After days of powerful contractions and not yet progressing past 4cm, she and her husband made the decision to transfer from a planned home birth to hospital care.
With an epidural, pitocin, and lots of position changes as suggested by her birth team, she progressed overnight and met her sweet boy the next morning!
Whitney encouraged Irma to continue incorporating movement and position changes into her labor, even with the epidural. She and the nurses helped her into a side-lying release position, to help open the brim of the pelvis.
As the sun rose, Irma was at 9.5 centimeters with a cervical lip. She pushed for a little while, as midwife Whitney tried to reduce the cervix. After a little while of pushing, Irma went back into a sitting position, so that some rest and gravity would help continue to bring her baby down.
Photo credits: Dallas Arthur Birth Stories & Support
Irma: Everyone was in so much anticipation, after 6 days of labor, we were all ready!
