I am so excited to share with you Mikah’s birth story, born August 8th, at Blossom Birth Center in Phoenix, AZ.

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Tell is a little bit about yourself (age, an interesting fact) and what # child is this for you?  

My name is Kelsey, I’m 22, my husband Kris is 25 and this is our 2nd baby. We have 2 boys 🙂 Our first son is 17 months old! (yes, we have our hands full, haha)

What was your EDD and when was your baby born?

My due date was August 11th and he was born on August 8th, 39 weeks and 4 days.

What did you name your baby?  Why did you choose that name?

We named him Mikah Ryan. There is no special significance, we just finally found something that we could agree on. We thought it went well with our other son’s name, Jakob.

Write a brief summary of your birth story.

We had a very long and difficult road leading up to the birth of Mikah. The pregnancy was filled with bumps and complications and at 36 weeks they even started an induction in the hospital. I was on Cervadil for 12 hours and having strong contractions but not making enough progress so they decided to stop the induction because he was starting to do better. The last 4 weeks were the most difficult because I felt like labor was paused and my body was exhausted. But in the end everything turned out well and I was able to have the birth that I planned. On the 7th I started having painful contractions at 8:00PM but they were spaced to about 11 minutes apart so I decided to go to sleep right away because that may be the last rest I would get for a while. At midnight I was woken up by contractions about 8 minutes apart but I was unable to sleep through them so I took a warm bath and they were now 5 minutes apart. I ate some breakfast and finally called my midwife and babysitter and headed to the birth center at 4:00AM. When I got to the birth center my contractions were still 5 minutes apart and I got in the labor/birth tub to help. Around 8:00AM my contractions were starting to space out so I got out of the tub and decided to try and get some more rest. My contractions would alternate between a few that were 15 minutes apart and then a few would be 5 minutes apart. My midwife came back in at 10:00AM and decided to send me home thinking that I wasn’t in real labor because they were slowing. (she didn’t check my dilation or we may have known that I was in labor) By the time I had made it home my contractions were 5 minutes apart again and starting to get more and more painful. I was eventually unable to speak through them, nothing was helping them feel better, and I was shaking and feeling a lot of pressure. I was still in denial and not wanting to go back to the birth center after just being sent home but my husband made me call them back so I did and she wanted me to eat and take a nap but Kris made us go in anyways. We made it back to the birth center around 2:30PM and I was already almost 7cm! I got in the birth tub and before I knew it it was time to push. I only pushed for about 30-45 minutes (I think) and he was born! 5:00PM. 9 pounds 8 ounces. 21 inches. Big boy!

Did you do anything to help prepare you for the birth?  Did it help?

I didn’t really do anything to prepare me for the birth. I had purchased a hypo-birthing book but never ended up reading it. I decided to just wing it. When my contractions were super bad at the end I was kind of wishing that I did do more, haha. But my midwives and husband were great support and they helped a lot.

If anything, what did you like or dislike about your birth?

I absolutely loved having a water birth! With my husband behind me to help hold me I was able to just completely relax my whole body and just float in the water. It was so nice to not have to feel any pressure anywhere like you would if you were laying in a bed, it was nice to feel weightless. The warm water and jets helped with the pain as well. I am so very happy with my natural birth.

What surprised you about the birth?

I was surprised when they weighed him and he was 9 pounds 8 ounces!! I was expecting a big baby and one ultrasound tech, about 30 weeks gestation, had guessed he would be almost 10 pounds at birth. But in the hospital a few days before birth they guessed his weight to be 7 pounds 12 ounces and I was smaller than I was with my first son who was 8 pounds 13 ounces. When Mikah was born (and still) he looks so much smaller to me, I kept saying how small he was even though my midwives were telling me otherwise, haha.

Is there anything you would have done differently, either before or after?

I am pretty happy in the end with how everything turned out. There were some complications but they were unavoidable by anything I could have done. If I could change anything I would have had my midwife check me before I was sent home and then just stayed around the birth center, gone to lunch and a movie or something instead of the long drive home and back. It’s almost an hour one way and the last thing I wanted to do with horrible contractions was sit in the car and be unable to move through them.

What do you remember most about that day?

I remember everything so well, the whole experience was amazing. But the most memorable part was right when he was born and put on my chest. I was feeling so many emotions, just so amazed and proud of what I had just done, and so deeply in love with this perfect baby. I loved having my husband right there holding me while I was holding our son and just staring at him while he was holding his dad’s hand.

If not your first, how did this birth differ from your others?

This birth was completely different from my first son’s birth in every way. I was induced in a hospital with Jakob and I had an epidural, the Pitocin was unbearable. I hated being stuck in bed, unable to move. I hated being strapped in to a million IVs, monitors, etc. Jakob went into shock when he was born because he got stuck coming out, I am convinced this is because of all the medication and the fact that I was forced to birth lying on my back. (Even more convinced now that Mikah was almost a pound bigger and had no problems) But because of that Jakob was taken away and I was unable to see him when he was first born. At the birth center I got my baby from the second he came out and he almost never left me. I was able to bond with him for a long time before they took him to do his checks (which they did right where I could see anyway) and I was able to go home that night! I loved being able to go home and sleep in my own bed!

Did you learn anything about yourself through this experience?

I really learned how strong I am, and I feel like I can do anything now!

Based off of your own experiences, is there a type of childbirth experience you would recommend to other women? Why?

I would definitely recommend using a birth center and having a natural birth, for all of the reasons that I have already explained. Your level of care is so much better than at a regular OB/GYN, you are not just another patient, you are a friend, someone they actually care about. They are there for you, and to give you the birth that you want. After having a hospital birth with an epidural and a completely natural birth I am able to say that natural is much better!

Any advice of other expecting moms?