23 Recorded Live From She Podcasts Convention; Dilation, Effacement, and Station Education With Heidi

Heidi comes to you recorded live from the She Podcasts convention in Atlanta, GA! In this special episode, Heidi tells the birth story of one of her doula clients who was an absolute Rockstar at natural birthing. Tune in for explanations on dilation, effacement, and station and how they are the top predictors of the length for the rest of labor.

Looking for a Virtual Doula to create a custom birthing experience and guide you through your journey to parenthood in the United States? Contact Heidi at www.mydoulaheidi.com

For additional free birth education resources and to purchase Heidi’s book, Birth Story: Pregnancy Guidebook + Journal, visit www.birthstory.com.

Want to share your thoughts on the episode? Leave a review and send a message directly to Heidi on Instagram.

TRANSCRIPTION

Does a contraction feel like? How do I know if I'm in labor and what does a day of labor look like? Wait, is this normal? Hey, I'm Heidi Campbell, a certified birth doula host of this podcast, birth story and owner of my doula, Heidi. I have supported hundreds of women through their labor and deliveries.

And I believe that every one of them and you deserves a microphone and a stage. So here we are listen each week to get answers to these tough questions and more birth story, where we talk about pregnancy labor deliveries, where we tell our stories, share our feelings, and of course, chat about our favorite baby products and motherhood.

And because I'm passionate about birth outcomes, you will hear from some of the top experts in labor and delivery, whether you are pregnant, trying desperately to get pregnant. I hope you will stick around and be part of this tribe. Hey everybody, it's Heidi with the birth story podcasts and I am recording live, meaning I'm not going to do any editing from she podcasts.

And if you've been following me for awhile, You may be like some of the people that have been emailing me or tagging me on Instagram recently and are like, Heidi, what happened? You haven't been put out an episode in over a month. And I wanted to jump on here, live from she podcasts, a big podcasting convention and just like rip this bandaid right off, because they feel like I've just been like hiding under the covers from my audience, from all of you guys.

And I'm having like a lot of like shame and guilt about just being a busy mom. So I want to tell you why you haven't heard. A birth story or a new birth story. Well, let's start with a couple of obvious things that you may or may not have noticed when I launched this podcast on January or eight 31st, and you'll still hear the beginning.

It says, hi, I'm Heidi Campbell. And dang, if I'm not Heidi Campbell anymore. So I've had a big name change for now. It's just me. It's Heidi. Some of my best friends call me hides. Another thing is that at the very beginning of this podcast, I said, Hey, it's Heidi. And I'm writing a book. That's going to be out this summer, which was summer of 2019.

Well, Juan Juan Juan it's October of 2019. And because I had never published a book before, I didn't really understand exactly how hard it would be and how the timelines with editing and design and production can all get pushed back. So I just want to give a shout out to like the three to 400 people that have pre-ordered the birth story book.

And if right now you're like what buck, this is the first episode I've ever listened to. Well, welcome to the verse story podcast. I'm Heidi, a certified word doula, and I wrote a book called birth story with the director of obstetrics from chapel Hill, dr. John Thorpe. And it's a 42 week guide to your pregnancy.

It's a journal. It's got affirmations in it, beautiful birth stories to help you learn about how to advocate for yourself. And now I'm at the point where I'll just say, it's coming soon. So the book is written. It's beautiful. I can't wait to get it in your hands. Um, but I, I'm just not sure how long production takes the reason that you haven't heard from me though.

Right? The end of August. And there's been a big gap is because the deadline came due for that book. And so with my executive coach, my team and all of my friends and family that were supporting me, I had to make the very difficult decision to focus on two things. Number one, myself and my family, and number two, finishing that book.

And so that meant that the podcast didn't get much love and the month of September. So I just wanted to come on and say, thank you to everyone who stuck with me and is following this journey. And I really appreciate the emails and the tags on Instagram and Facebook because people you you've noticed.

And I don't think that there's any greater compliment on your podcast than being just so loud. I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, and the she podcasts convention. I am going to read you a birth. The story. It's not included in the book, but it was one of my absolute favorite natural birth stories of this summer.

And I wanted to tell you all about the day dear Kennedy, Louise was born. And so this is a letter that I wrote to help her mom and her dad just remember a little bit about their birthing time. So I hope you learned something and I hope you enjoy this story things for sticking with me. This is episode 23, dear Kennedy, Louise.

Your moms leave or symptoms started three days before you were born. On July 1st, she was having cramping that started early in the morning. She was experiencing a lot of pressure as you drop to lower and lower in her abdomen, the cramping felt like she might have just had to pass gas or go to the bathroom.

At least that's what she told me. And this continued for the next two days. On July 3rd, she woke up and she was just doing her thing. Normal routine. She went to work was having some small contractions. She told me they were super inconsistent and not too painful. This went on all day at work at 4:15 PM.

She texted me. Hey Haiti, the contractions have progressed a little. I advised her to just ignore him that time would tell early labor if it was just some more of that practice, she had laid down to start timing the sensations that she was feeling. She sent me some pictures of her contraction, timer, app, and they were sporadic, but lasting for about a minute or more and coming every 11 to 19 minutes.

Within an hour, they were consistently seven to 10 minutes apart. She let me know she was arresting drinking water and tracking them. And at 6:30 PM, I asked her what her pain level was. Okay. Out of 10, she said a six. I called her. She had planned for a natural childbirth, and I told your mom that we were going to have to reframe her pain scale.

He was obvious when I talked to her that she was in labor, that she was in pain, but a natural childbirth, I let her know that this was probably more like a one or two out of a 10. She was able to reframe. And at 10 30, she called me back to let me know that her water broke. She agreed to keep resting and to just call me when she felt like she needed active management of her conjection.

That happened very quickly at 11:09 PM. Your dad texted me and said that your mom asked if I could come over right now. I raced over and at 1140, I arrived and I found your mom laying in a bed with your cute dog Hampton. Your dad was amazing. And he was, was unloading everything from my car. One time piece at a time, I had your mom and sideline position and I would push on her hips.

When the contraction started, she was breathing through them and handling them fine. She was still a bit chatty and not fully in the labor zone yet. So we just had some essential oils, defusing spa music playing, and she rested taking each contraction time soon, these the bathroom. So I decided to help her along in the process with some squats, your mom labored on the toilet for a while, and then moved to the birding ball.

And she would squat on the floor when the contractions would search her next birding spot was right into your nursery. We laid a towel down as amniotic fluid and bloody show continued to emerge. She was on her hands and knees and she would lay down over the peanut ball and rest in between around 1:00 AM.

Your mom was back to the toilet and laboring there. She had started to make some of those primal opening sounds like, uh, in Wawa during each contraction. While she labored, she had a contraction that surprised all of us. She started moaning a deep guttural moan. She also started to get the labor shakes. I asked, are you ready to go to the hospital?

And she said, yes. So we drove and met at the front entrance. There was no parking and your dad just left the car right there. Flashers on when we got to the hospital, your mom's leave or slowed down a lot. All of the bright lights, the chatting, the asking her questions, checking in, just made her aware of her surroundings and it took her out of the LIBOR zone that she was in.

And the comfort of your dark home. I squeezed her hips. As we walked down the hallway towards check-in each time she would fall into a deep squat and eventually we made it to triage. At this particular hospital, they don't let the doulas in. So your mom and dad went to triage and your dad texted me to let me know that your mom was doing okay.

She was three centimeters dilated, 80% of faced. You were very low at a zero station and they confirmed that her water was ruptured. Your mom was given the most amazing nurse. She was a cheerleader for your mom the entire time and helped guide her all the way through a natural childbirth. After 40 long minutes in triage, your parents were led to their birthing suite.

The doctor on call came in, but we only sell him once they left. Yeah. Mom alone and they let the nurse control all of the medical aspects of birthing you. At two 30 in the morning, your mom climbed into the bed. Um, uh, the awkwarder I'll show you. She loved it. She turned on the Whirlpool jets. She said that the labor was getting really hard, but that she was doing okay.

She said the pressure and the sounds from the Whirlpool are really helping her and your dad sat by her side and comforted her through each contraction. About the same time. All of your extended family arrived, your aunt, both of your grandmothers. They all came in and sat on the couch, watching quietly as your mom labored.

I set up the room with twinkly lights and candles and diffused essential oils. I made ice cold lavender cloth. I played the track by Steven Halpern, inner peace to help your mom more deeply relaxed. She was so cold. However that when I put those lavender ice cloths, they were unwanted. She just wanted to be in a really big, extra large sweatshirt at 3:00 AM.

Your mom started to feel like she needed to throw up the waves of nausea would peak with the contraction and then subside when it faded away, we encouraged her to not fight the wave. I asked the nurse for some smelling salts and she handed me alcohol away. Your mom really enjoyed that. Go haul wipes.

And they said it helped tremendously with the nausea at 3:30 AM. Your mom was out here, the tub, and she was hanging by my Rebozo and doing squats. She would lay back into your dad's chest and arms in between the contractions. Then she would sit up on the birthing ball as she felt the conjection coming, she was, would push it away and fall into a deep squat hanging from the Rebozo your dad.

And I traded off squeezing her hips through each contraction. The nurse was monitoring you for your mom's contractions to see what your heart rate was doing. She did this about once an hour for about 10 to 15 minutes. When it was time for the next check, your mom was on her hands and knees laying over the peanut ball.

This was the very first time she said, I cannot do this anymore. Your dad said a prayer, and this is when contraction spaced out to 10 minutes apart. That lasted about 30 minutes when they returned, they were now longer, stronger, and closer together. Two minutes long. Coming every three minutes, just one minute break in between.

At 4:10 AM. The nurse checked your mom's cervix. And she was five centimeters dilated, a hundred percent of faced in a plus one station. Your mom was acting like she was in transition, much more than those numbers suggested, but your plus one station let us know that you were coming soon. This LIBOR was not going to last much longer.

Your mom climbed back out of the bed and did many more squats with me. She worked with curling around you and pushing your head deep onto her cervix to help it melt away in order to burn you. This was some of the hardest work of her entire labor by 5:45 AM. She was seven centimeters dilated and a plus two station.

She was pushing at the peak of each contraction and we reminded her that our body would not tell her to hurt itself. If she had the urge to bear down and push the dilation didn't matter, but your mom was done. She was deep in transition and she was ready for pain relief. Your head was coming through her pelvis and the sensations were overwhelming.

So I asked everyone to leave the room, including myself to give your mom and your dad some space with her medical provider is she was wanting a medical intervention. Then she needed to be alone with your dad and her nurse only to privately navigate the end of your labor. The nurse hung Ivy fluids and let anesthesia know that they could come after she was given enough.

Typically two bags are needed. Your dad and her nurse labored with her as she came to peace with her decision and patiently awaited for anesthesia. At 6:15 AM. Your dad came to get me. When I came back into the room, your mom was in the bed. IB fluids were going, she was on her hands and knees and she was bearing down naturally with each contraction.

Your heart rate was decelerating, healthy decelerations. Letting us know you were so very low. I asked your mom to just go with the sensation and to just start pushing. I reminded her that pushing feels so much better than labor. And as she waited for the epidural, that was never coming, it helped her. The nurse checked her cervix.

She was complete 10 centimeters. You were a plus two station and almost delivered. So it's 6:30 AM. Your mom started to push on the very first push. I can see the top of your head and your hair. All of your family came piling back in the room and your mom powerfully pushed. She immediately said that pushing felt so much better.

She had an amazing surge of renewed strength in between contractions. She would breathe oxygen to help you with your naturally occurring heart decelerations on each. Push your mom pushed you down further and further. Everyone can see you and everyone was cheering. Your parents left your sex, a surprise.

And as you emerged at 7:10 AM, your dad announced that your name was Kennedy Louise. After the cord stopped pulsating and your dad cut your cord, they gave your mom Pitocin to help her uterus to contract and to aid in the delivery of your placenta. Your mom is strong. She is faithful. She was body led Kennedy.

Your mom birthed you naturally was strength and vigor. She is an amazing woman who is surrounded by love and support of your dad and family. The entire time. Much. Love your doula, Heidi. Sorry. Thanks everybody for just joining me for this. Quick little episode, sorry. I've been gone for so long, but one of the teaching moments I want to leave you from Kennedy Louise's story is that station is so much more important than cervical dilation in which we get hung up on.

So you can look back on this story and remember that this mom was acting like she was in transition. She was a little pushy. She was getting to that transition. I cannot do this anymore. And that was just about an hour and a half before delivery. So she went from five centimeters to 10 centimeters dilated and less than one hour, she was deeply in transition.

She believed that she needed the epidural to get through the end, but really by the time she was ready to just throw the towel in and give up, it was time to birth her baby. So I encourage anyone who's listening. Who's pregnant to really focus on the fact that there are three numbers you are going to learn about your cervical dilation.

You are going to hear about a face mint or how thin your cervix is. You're going to learn about the station where your baby's head is. Yes, high, low, any positive numbers mean your baby is coming soon. So you can get those ID fluids it's going and get ready for your epidural or your team could help to encourage, to get you through transition and just push your baby out.

Whatever you want for your body is always the right answer. So I really look forward to getting back on track with some of the traditional birth story interview episodes. I have recorded 15 new episodes while I was on this little hiatus, finishing the buck and I can't wait to share them with you. So you're going to hear from Lily Nichols, who is the author of real food for pregnancy?

Then you're going to hear from Michelle Smith all about hypnotherapy. I interviewed Emily Graham from the documentary. These are my hours, a midwife who wrote the most amazing documentary that you can find on Vimeo about undisturbed, birth, Leanne Barnaby. Great birth center story coming to you out of Canada.

Yeah. I also recorded another daddy bootcamp and in this one it went through three hours long is a two part series and yeah, the men tell all. I have a really special one coming up too. It's the meet Jasmine episode. And she talks about having a birth in a hospital, having a birth in a birth center, having a home birth, being a safe they're get, and then getting diagnosed with leukemia and how to become the match.

There are so many more, but I just am really excited about the episodes that I've recorded. So that's the lineup in the interim. Please tag me in your birth stories at birth story podcast on Instagram. Make sure to write a review and listen for your review to be talked about on the next per story podcast.

So thank you everyone for being loyal followers, and I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

Thank you for listening to birth story. My goal is you'll walk away from each episode with a clear picture of how labor and delivery might go, and that you will feel empowered by the end of your pregnancy to speak up plan and prepare for the birth you want. No matter what that looks like.