Laken James Truhler
I love to read a good birth story. I had read hundreds of them before I was even pregnant with LJ. I think every single birth story is so unique and exciting. You go in with a general plan (get the baby out), and you leave with a tiny, squishy human. What happens in between is a whole lot of science and a little bit of mystery. I was looking forward to experiencing labor and delivery, and even more thrilled to be able to write it all down afterwards.
LJ’s birth story began Monday March 11th, the first day of Travis’s spring break. We don’t take a spring break where I work, and my time off request for the week hadn’t been approved. Needless to say, I was a little grumpy about going to work.
I estimated my due date for March 17th, Saint Patricks Day. I did not want to have a baby on Saint Patricks Day. When I was 14 weeks along we went in for a dating ultrasound, just to make sure. I was very close- my new “guess date” was March 14th.
Travis’s spring break began that week. I started telling the baby everyday (from week 6 on) that the 8th, 9th, or 10th was a great day to have a birthday! I said it in the morning on my way to work and on my drive home, and I poked and prodded while I laid in bed in the evenings, reminding our sweet baby to arrive a little early.
Walk the baby out
If you’ve ever been pregnant you know that the last month of pregnancy lasts forrrrevvvveeerrrrr. At 39 weeks I was more than ready to get the baby out. In a valiant effort to “walk the baby out” Travis and I walked the entire Mall of America the Saturday before Laken was born.
I joke that it wasn’t the walking that put me into labor, but the oxytocin spike from swiping my debit card and buying new things. A handful of people have told me that in hindsight, they knew they were about to go into labor because they did something really uncharacteristic of themselves. That Saturday I bought three pairs of shoes. THREE! I’m not really a shoe person, and I’ve definitely never bought so many pairs at once. I was also nine months pregnant and had swollen feet. Not a great time to buy shoes, if you’re wondering.
The night before
The possibility of my water breaking in an inconvenient place terrified me. At work, in the car, and especially in bed. I did not want to clean that mess up. Right before I went to bed on Sunday I got a nervous feeling and decided to sleep in one of the very glamorous adult diapers I had on hand for after birth.
One of my friends from the birth class we took also messaged me to check in. At 7pm, the night before I went into labor, I wrote “Our bags have been packed, and everything is as ready as it’s going to be before baby gets here, so now we wait. Today I decided to focus on other stuff I’m interested in instead of thinking about when the baby will get here- mainly to save my sanity.” I was caught between being bummed that walking the mall and having swollen ankles felt like it was for nothing, and also being at peace with the waiting game of labor.
The morning of
I woke up at 6:40 am. As usual, I had to pee. When I went to the bathroom I heard and felt a weird popping sound. My mucus plug! I yelled for Travis to come see it (we are over-sharers) and I was excited. That is, until I read that it could be another 2 hours, 2 days, or 2 weeks before baby decided to make his debut. Luckily I didn’t have to wait much longer.
We had a 39 week appointment scheduled for that morning. I hopped in the shower to wash my hair and shave my legs. My water broke and sporadically gushed the entire time I was getting ready. Here’s something no one warned me about: amniotic fluid is sticky, not like “water” at all. My contractions really picked up speed when I got out of the shower. Our plan was to labor at home for as long as possible, but my contractions were already two minutes apart by 9 am. Luckily I had already packed our Birth Center bags, so we we’re able to leave quickly.
Travis took some photos while we were getting ready to document this momentous occasion. He told me to smile while I was french braiding my hair, and the look I gave him was priceless. He accidentally recorded it instead of taking a photo, so the whole moment will forever live on.
Journey to the Birth Center
We chose to have LJ at Health Foundations Birth Center in Saint Paul. They told us we would know we had arrived at the right time if, upon arrival, you had a contraction in the car, on the ramp up to the door, once you got inside, and again when you made it into a room. I hit each of those milestones, adding in a pit stop between getting my coat off and getting to the room.
Our Doula, Carly, met us there. Birth is a blur. I highly recommend asking someone to record moments and take pictures. Even if they aren’t great, they can help you piece together your story later on. Carly was there to support Travis and I, and she also snapped a few photos for us.
Contractions, breathing, and movement
I labored around the bed and then on the birth ball for a while. A few weeks prior I had tested GBS+, and had chosen to have the antibiotics during labor. It was hard to get an IV in my hand, so my wonderful midwife and nurse ended up standing and squatting next to me holding an IV in my arm to administer the first dose. That felt like the longest 15-20 minutes ever. Contractions made me feel like I wanted to jump out of my skin, but having to hold still really helped me ground down and breathe through them.
After the antibiotics I climbed into the birth tub. Ah, what a luxury. Travis soon joined me and I labored there for quite a while. Travis helped support me through contractions and Carly helped guide my breathing. I love yoga. Aside from being a wonderful human being, we chose Carly because she is also a yoga teacher. It was important for me to have someone there that could cue my breathing in a way I wouldn’t need to think too hard about.
Pushing
I led my birth. I moved when, where, and how I wanted, and ate and drank what I thought I needed. When I felt like pushing, I pushed. I started pushing in the tub, but was having a hard time getting his head down and around my pelvis. My midwife recommended I try sitting backwards on the toilet. The change in position helped a lot.
Once he was nice and low, we moved back into the tub to have a water birth. Pushing out his head was a challenge- it burned and stung a lot. It was also frustrating. His head would come out, and then go back in, and then come out a little father, and then go back in. Travis held me up and let me hold him tight through each contraction.
We were facing each other, and Travis was excited each time LJ’s head started to show. I was encouraged to reach down and feel the baby. He had a full head of hair! I was a bald baby, so I wasn’t expecting that. Finally his entire head came out! He was under water, so the nurse started her timer. He needed to come out completely within the next few minutes, or else we’d need to move.
I tried to push his body out, but I was tired, and he seemed a little stuck. Our midwife ended up having to pull him out! His arms were crossed in front of his chest like an “X.”
The Golden Hour
As soon as he came out, I held him right away. Honestly, holding a brand new baby is so surreal. One minute you’re massively pregnant and convinced you’ll stay that way forever, and the next you’re holding this tiny sweet human you grew. It’s incredible.
I didn’t really notice it right away, but the water quickly turned a deep shade of red. Travis got out of the tub and dried off. I held LJ while they drained the tub. The nurse gave me a shot of pitocin in my leg, just in case I was the one bleeding. Travis cut his cord, and then I passed LJ to him. Our nurse quickly got to work checking him over while Travis held him on the bed. Our doula and midwife helped me out of the tub and to the bed.
I delivered my placenta and was checked over for tears after settling into bed. Luckily I had none! All the slow, self directed pushing was worth it. After looking over the placenta and umbilical cord our midwife determined I wasn’t bleeding. The umbilical cord had ruptured during delivery, causing the crimson water.
Our sweet babe
Part of our birth plan was to nurse soon after delivery. I tried to get LJ to latch on, but he was sleepy and snuggled in my arms instead. He ended up nursing well a little while later. While he rested we called and sent messages to family to let them know our sweet little one had made his arrival.
Travis’s brother brought us Panera. We were all ravenous. Both of our parents came and visited for a few minutes to wish us well and meet LJ. Our midwife did a newborn screening and looked LJ over shortly before we were ready to go home.
We bundled him up and drove home about four hours after he was born. We were both so incredibly grateful for the love and care we received from the birth center, our doula, and our family.
Laken is such a dream baby. We are completely enamored with him. Welcome to the world sweet boy.
Did you experience your baby’s birth? Did you write their birth story? If so, I’d love to read it!
With Love from our Wild,
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