I was woken by a phone call...


on a wintery Tuesday morning in July. The rumble of Andys voice, Sarah's husband, came thorough the phone- 'she's asking for pain meds, and can't talk anymore'. I jumped out of bed to run outside in the nude just as Ezra was pulling out of the carport on his way to work, the kids staring at me wide eyed as I ran past. I got dressed, grabbed my bag, and jumped in the car to head across town.


Sarah was 42+3 when she gave birth to her baby, Van. The weeks leading up to her birth were long with discussions about induction and daily visits to her clinic once she got to 41 weeks. We spoke on the phone, and texted back and forth, Sarah and Andy trusted Sarahs body and their baby to know when he would be born. A woman's body isn't failing if she doesn't go into labour before or on 42 weeks, and despite the notion of a 'due date', only 5% of babies are born on the estimated date.


Sarah put the worries about her birth aside and began to focus on the things she and Andy loved to past the time. Picnics in the park, playing board games and laughing a lot. Trusting that her body and her baby knew when he was ready to be born


On the Sunday, Sarah was feeling crampy and had lost some mucus plug. She reminded herself floppy face, floppy fanny. Another sleepless night but not because she needed to get up to pee, but because her surges intensified when the world was dark and quiet.


Monday arrived with her losing more mucus plug, and was experiencing small surges. Resting as much as possible, she was going with the flow and employing all those beautiful skills learned from Shari from Belly 2 birth. Sarah was truly the definition of patience.


Sarah's surges would increase at night, and fizzle out during the day, which with prodromal or early labour can be frustrating for the birthing person and the support. In the evening the birthing hormones are the strongest because the estrogen, prostandins, oxytocin and melatonin peak. As the sun sets our bodies naturally release hormones to help us sleep, and us being the birthing mammals we are- love to birth in the dark.


I arrived at Sarah and Andy's house on the Tuesday morning to her hopping out of the shower, and the space in between her surges lengthening out again. We shuffled her off to a dark room with her hypno tracks in the hopes to continue the consistency of her contractions.


Labour and birth tend to take you places you never imagined and I truly believe that each labour, birth and then the subsequent child are all here to teach us something not only about who they are and what they need as people, but who we are and how much we can handle.


Sarah was immensely strong with Andy by her side during each surge, riding the wave with her being the supportive partner every person should have when they are in labour. Sarah laboured throughout the day on Tuesday, and continued into the evening. After being with them for most of the day, I went home for a freshen up and some sleep.


The sun rose on Wednesday morning with Sarah and Andy- exhausted, confused, and probably over it-heading into hospital to get checked and to see how everything was going. I met with them there, but left soon after as they needed some rest and recuperation. Before I returned during the afternoon, Sarah's membranes were ruptured and Pitocin administered. When I walked into the birth suite, Sarah was relaxed and held by Andy, using the birth ball and comb to manage the intensity of her surges.


The beautiful Van had other ideas. Despite labouring like a total warrior, resting and listening to her body, Van choose a belly birth in the early hours of Thursday morning to enter this world healthy and gorgeous, much to the relief of Sarah and Andy.