The Birth of Easton Briggs

** Reposted blog transferred from previous version of this website. **

Happy Monday! This couple didn’t make the decision to have a home birth until their trimester, but they were so happy they did. Be inspired by the birth story of baby Easton and the beautiful pictures to follow!

The Birth of Easton Briggs
By Laura Robinson

I feel like I had the perfect textbook pregnancy, labor and birth and I am so thankful for that. It all started on July 14 when I found out we were pregnant. I could not be more excited but nervous at the same time. I immediately changed how I ate and exercised. I knew everything I did had an affect on the baby.

We announced in September and was surrounded by love and excitement with family and friends!

I started going to prenatal yoga 2-3 times a week and focused on pelvic floor exercises. It was so relaxing and helped me get my mind set on track. “I can do anything for 2 minutes” is what I told myself during ” keep up exercises.” Theses really came in handy during labor.

Now to the decision of a home birth. I knew I wanted natural but a home birth really didn’t come to my mind till later. I also knew I did not want to deliver in a hospital! Justin and I checked out a few birthing centers but it just didn’t feel right! At this time I was working with a group of amazing midwives but the problem was they only delivered in the hospital so my search continued. Maybe a home birth is something I can do! At this point I was in my third trimester and knew time was moving fast.  I talked with many friends that had experienced home births and started interviewing midwives! The emergency department nurse in me wanted a provider that still knew what to do in emergent situations while maintaining calm. I finally found one after weeks of searching and was thankful that Jennifer Vines of Vines Midwifery took me as a patient in my third trimester!

During pregnancy I went to the chiropractor, prenatal massages every two weeks in third trimester and floated! Floating, it’s a sensory deprivation float tank and for pregnant woman, being able to float in Epsom salt on your stomach is heaven! I walked at least 3 days a week and worked a few 12 shifts a month all the way till 38 weeks. My diet was pretty healthy besides a few cheat days for frozen yogurt! I am vegetarian and really try to limit dairy and soy. I did increase my eggs for protein. All organic produce! I really didn’t have cravings. If I can think of one thing it was oranges!

Fast toward to May 19th… I was one day away from my due date and we were just now getting the pool together and the house clean. I had always heard that babies are not born on their due date! Midnight hit…March 20th!

I was woken up about 1am to pressure, lots of pressure so went the restroom and my mucous plug fell out. It was a perfect plug just sitting in the toilet. I had texted my midwife a picture, she asked questions and told me to go back to bed. I had read that some plugs come out weeks before so back to bed I went! An hour later I was woken up again to menstural type cramps! They were strong but not consistent. I think they call this early labor, I kept telling myself. Luckily I was able to handle them and got a few hours of sleep. Come 12pm the next day they same feeling was occurring so my midwife came to check me. I was only dilated 1 cm. 1 CM!!! “This is going to suck,” I told myself. I really thought I was a 5 or so just because these early labor contractions had been occurring now for 11 hours! I was cleaning and trying to stay busy and was able to sway my hips and let out a deep voice moan when the contractions would hit. I did this for the next 7 hours! Around 7pm the night of March 20th something changed! The contractions were stronger but still just felt like bad menstrual cramps. Laying in my own bath tub I was imagining my baby boy being here. Telling myself, “you can do this Laura” “Your body is made to do this.” I was reading birthing quotes that my dearest friends had wrote on pieces of wood for me a few days before! 9 pm came and I needed help! I was not able to get comfortable so my midwife sent my doula. I waited all day because I like to do as much as I can myself and mentally prepare. I think that’s the introvert in me. One of my amazing doulas named Sandee came around 9pm. I still remember her telling me, “your contractions need to get longer and stronger.” I was mentally prepared for this! I need to get into active labor!

10pm my midwife came and checked me right away. “You are at 8cm and have a bulging bag of water and his head is there!” “Am I in active labor?” I asked. “Yes” she replied! We called my sister and photographer real fast!! I was soo proud of myself at this point! I was relaxed and I got myself to an 8! My birthing crew hustled to get my birthing pool filled with water and other supplies they needed because my baby was coming fast!

I began laboring in the water for about 45 minutes when my midwife broke my water! I asked, “Does this mean its going to get worse?” I was swinging my hips in the warm water to Coldplay. That music pushed me! The room was filled with love and music. At one point the music had stopped and I looked at Justin as if the music was making my dilate to a 10! “Turn it back on,” I yelled!

At 1:30am on March 21st, his due date….something changed! I felt my contractions get different, Its hard to describe how they were different, but they were! “You are a 10 and you can start pushing,” my midwife said! Now that was a challenge! My body was tired and I kept thinking, how am I going to take care of this baby when I am so tired? Your body naturally pushes so trying to sync that with my pushing was tiring.

After about 30 minutes of pushing in my birth pool, I needed a change! I could tell that his head was not over my pelvic bone and into the vaginal canal yet. I walked and sat on my toilet and pushed 3 times there and felt my baby come in to the vaginal canal. As I attempted to walk back to my birthing pool to deliver I had to pause to breathe through a contraction. I was pushing so hard, I felt like I might pass out and just needed to lay down. I went down on my bed, laying on my side and pushed one more time and my baby was born! He was born on his due date on my bed!!

All the pressure and pain I had felt was completely gone. A healthy, 8 lb 1 oz baby was born, crying and ready to nurse. He latched right now for his first meal!

A few hours after loving on him, pictures, showers and eating we went to bed and had the best sleep!