Baby girl Madison has made her debut! Join us in welcoming Amanda and Mike’s first baby, born 12.1.1

Madison Mellon's birth announcement was written by our birth doula, Tara. Tara is our Naples area doula and is a quite a natural at this doula thing! Tara is a mom of two boys and one pup, with her background in social work.

Madison Mellon was born on December 1st, 2018 at 8:20am. She was 7lbs 5oz and 20.5 inches.

BIRTH PREPARATION

I first met Amanda last spring as she began her doula journey. I enjoyed her down to earth attitude and gentle spirit. As a first-time mom she shared with me that she is a nutrition coach, enjoys a plant based diet and lives a very holistic lifestyle. She does her research and likes to be prepared, and during pregnancy she took every step she could to influence the natural birth she desired.

She completed our Birthing From Within class with our agency owner and childbirth educator Christine, where she learned new tools for not only pain-coping but coping with the unexpected. She practiced Spinning Babies activities for optimal fetal positioning regularly. She made sure she was always sitting with knees lower than her hips to encourage baby’s most optimal position. She hired a doula (I'm so thankful to have supported her birth!) She diligently ate her dates (studies suggest eating dates regularly during late pregnancy can lead to swifter labors) and sipped her red raspberry leaf tea. Preparing for breastfeeding was also important to Amanda. Her job as a WIC counselor (Women, Infants and Children) gave her lots of firsthand knowledge about infant feeding and the support it requires, and she knew that a natural birth could contribute to breastfeeding success.

PREPARING FOR OUR WORRIES

Throughout her pregnancy Amanda’s biggest fear was having a cesarean, as many moms can relate! So, when her doctor assured her at every appointment baby was head down, she was relieved. However, when those cesarean fears still crept up, she drew upon skills she had learned like breath awareness and practicing her birth mantras. She also prepared for “Having a Cesarean in Awareness” during her Birthing From Within childbirth class and we talked about the unexpected during our doula visits.

LABOR

On evening of November 30th Amanda was tired and went to bed early. She woke up at 1am to a “pop” and a strong contraction. She tried to go back to sleep but her contractions were coming quickly and strong, so she got up. She coped well for a few hours at home and we arrived at the hospital just before 6am. When I saw Amanda, I was a little concerned because she seemed in good spirits and not in too much pain. My doula brain said, “Uh oh, did we come too early?” But Amanda was smart to have trusted her instincts. She was concerned she had seen some meconium while laboring at home. When the nurses checked her, her concerns were validated and mine were put to rest. She was 6cm! But that darn birth fairy had another twist for us. Baby was breech!

CESAREAN BIRTH

We all knew this would mean a cesarean in today’s birth culture. Dad stepped up immediately to support his wife through this surprising news. The nurses tried to reassure Amanda as well that a cesarean would also be best for baby given the amount of meconium present. Amanda continued to cope through her contractions and come to terms with her cesarean as they prepped her for surgery. Having prepared in advance for any possibility, Amanda was able to mindfully navigate what her next steps would entail and how to move through her cesarean birth with mental strength and clarity.

A FEW IMPORTANT TAKEAWAYS

Mom was able to share a few important insights from her experience.

Amanda’s body had gone into labor on her own, and she shared that she is thankful she didn’t know in advance about the breech presentation because it allowed her to experience labor.
Madison had picked her birth day! She didn’t have to schedule the cesarean in advance and this allowed baby and mama to initiate labor on their own terms.
Mom shared that not only did she face her biggest fear but was fully supported by her doula and her husband throughout her process and came out the other side feeling stronger because of it.

These larger lessons are the gateways to self-growth and self-compassion. And on a lighter note, you might be able to empathize with Amanda who said, “I’m never eating a date again!!”

Sometimes we need more tools than just the scientific knowledge of the physiology of birth and facts about medical support. Sometimes we need the tools of how to cope when things don’t go according to our plans, as birth so often does. Those tools, which are the tenets of Birthing From Within class, served Amanda and Mike well as their plans changed on a dime. Having a doula for your birth can be priceless support during all of labor's uncertainties.

I couldn’t be more happy for these joyful, mindful first time parents. Please join me in welcoming baby Madison!

In doula love,