When you’re expecting and starting to create your birth plan, reading others’ birth stories can have a beautiful impact and provide inspiration for your own birth. I am a birth photographer I had the privilege of photographing Emma as she welcomed her third little one at her Smithville Missouri home. An extra bonus, this was a surprise gender! Emma has been gracious enough to write out her story and share with others.

Here’s Emmas story:

I remember waking up the morning of November 8th and being instantly disappointed. This was the longest any of my babies have ever made me wait to meet them, and I was on the little defeated side- but still trying to let my body do its own thing without meddling. I went into work, as I was determined to work until this baby came (which I did!) and that afternoon I went for my weekly walk. I should mention that all during the day my back was sort of aching. Not a come and go sort of ache that I would associate with contractions, but just a constant dull feeling. I finished my day out and headed to go pick up the kids for swim lessons. As I was driving, with the kids in the car, the back pain got to a point that it was fairly uncomfortable. I briefly thought about having Josh stay with the kids at swim lessons while I drove to go see my chiropractor for an adjustment thinking maybe I tweaked it the night before and the walk I took made it worse. I ended up deciding it wasn’t THAT bad so into the pool area I went. As I was sitting there I noticed my stomach sort of hardening in consistent intervals, but when I say it has zero pain, it was ZERO pain. I thought maybe my body was playing tricks on me but I reached out to my birth photographer and doula just kinda let them know that my body was doing some crazy things. All during this time I didn’t tell Josh about the tightening that I was feeling. I didn’t need to have him staring at me and asking every 30 seconds if this is it. We put Jaxon to bed around 7:30pm and hung out on the couch with Lynnlee until her bedtime of 8:30pm. All during this time nothing picked up. The tightening was still present but I felt no pain or discomfort, just my belly hardening every 8-10ish minutes.

As I was laying down with LynnLee trying to get her to sleep, I felt a weird pop. I felt the warm sensation going down my leg. Having two prior losses my instant fear is blood. So I quickly stood up and went into the hall to look and see what color it was. It was clear, thank god. Josh looked up from downstairs and I told him I thought my water had just broke. I sort of stood there for a second unsure if it was my water or if maybe I just peed a little. Another tightening happened right as I was having doubts and water gushed out on the floor. I quickly walked to the toilet so I wouldn’t ruin our carpet. Lynnlee followed closely behind as she was confused as to why I quickly left her bed without much explanation. As she saw the remnants of vernix in my shorts, she was convinced I was throwing up. Not entirely sure where she got that but there was no telling her different. She went running to her room. By the time I got a diaper on and new shorts she was asleep soundly in her room when I checked on her. The amount of fluid I continued to lose was insane. I changed my diaper twice in 30 minutes by the time I stopped having those gushes of fluids. By this time it was 9 pm. I was downstairs, called my midwife, let Cheryl know that I was feeling a little bit of contractions probably every 6 minutes or so but they didn’t hurt at all so I wasn’t ready for her to come yet. I texted my doula, Kat, who lived very close to me and she got there by 9:15pm, and I texted my birth photographer. I didn’t feel like I was anywhere close to having this baby and honestly thought I had a long night ahead of me.

It was around 9:45pm when I started having slight pain with my contractions. I was pacing the house, watching Harry Potter, and sitting on my labor ball. I went into the bathroom around this time and was just curious if I could tell how dilated I was. I tried to feel my own dilation and could definitely feel a head but I couldn’t distinguish my cervix from the head enough so I just quit trying to guess. At this point contractions were probably 5ish minutes apart but really nothing crazy. I could still talk through them, laugh, smile, etc. I knew that it could either change quickly or I had a long night. I continued laboring upright until around 10:50pm. By this point it required more intentional breathing and focus, but I was still very much in control. My doula suggested I try an all-4’s position leaning on my birth ball. I experienced 1 contraction in this position that had completely taken my breath away. The type of contraction that you kinda forget what feels like as a 3rd time laboring mom.  I immediately got off of all-4’s into my standing position and decided that didn’t feel good and I wouldn’t be doing that again. I texted my midwife and photographer telling them they could head this way and I went upstairs to get into the shower. Something about that contraction told me that this was going to be fast labor.

 While in the shower, which was so hot it was turning my skin red, I clenched onto my birth combs- one in each hand, and vocalized in low tones during contractions. Showers have always been my safe place. Whenever I would feel sick or have morning (all day) sickness I would just sit in the shower and let the water hit my back to help make me feel better. I previously wanted a birth in the birth pool, but I think ultimately I knew that I would be most comfortable in the shower.

 At 11:35pm I got out of the shower and felt like I needed to push- which caused a bit of internal panic. My midwife wasn’t there yet and I didn’t really want to have a free-birth. We called my midwife at 11:40 while I got on my hands and knees on the bathroom floor. She remained on the phone with me for the next 7 minutes as I roared through my contractions. Kat, my doula, had gotten gloves on and was seated right behind me to ensure that if a baby came flying out that they would be caught. I remember during a push that panic feeling as I could feel baby wiggle down through my pelvis and knew he/she was close. We had waited to find out the gender.

During this small moment of panic I remember Kat telling me to take deep breaths and everything was going to be okay. Cheryl was giving me a play by play on which road she was passing as each contraction passed. She finally said she was in my driveway and she was going to hang up. She came upstairs quickly, was able to get me to move enough to get a vinyl tablecloth underneath me, before Elias’ head emerged. One small push and his remaining body came out as well at 11:53pm. 7 minutes prior to his due date.

I reached down and held him up. “It’s a boy.” I sobbed. I was so shocked that

1. It was a boy. I had convinced myself it was a girl my whole pregnancy.

2. That I really did it. From 8:30pm-11:53pm I had labored and birthed a baby. With less than 1 hour of the active labor of hard contractions. 

I was amazed, and tired, but mostly in awe of what my body was able to do with the most special group of individuals surrounding me. While I think I am closing my own chapter of having babies, everytime I am privileged to attend a birth of another sweet babe I am reminded just how amazing birth is. Whether you have a homebirth, hospital birth, unmedicated birth, or medicated birth, what our bodies do beginning to end throughout pregnancy and birth will never cease to amaze me.

Emma is also a birth doula and services Kansas City, Smithville, St Joseph, and surrounding areas. You can get more information about her birth work and passion for all things birth by clicking here to see her website.

Emma’s home birth midwife was Cheryl Gates with KC Homebirth. You can find out more about Cheryl and who she services by clicking here to see her website.

Are you interested in documenting your birth story?

Hi! I am a Kansas City and Smithville birth photographer and I would love to capture your birth story. Click here to get in touch with me.