Mila's due date was October 20, but after a week and a half of prodromal labor, we had a feeling she might make her arrival a little early. I just didn't realize how early!
At 1:53 a.m., while I just so happened to be on my phone, lying awake scrolling Facebook Marketplace for things I absolutely did not need, my phone lit up with a text from Anna: I'm in labor.
She also sent me a screenshot of her contraction timer, and although the timing wasn't entirely clear, I could tell her contractions were coming close together. What I didn't realize at first was that she was already on her way to the hospital and her contractions were so intense she couldn't talk.
I jumped out of bed, threw a few things in my camera bag, changed out of my pajamas, and headed to the hospital. Somehow, we arrived at exactly the same time.
Once we made it to labor and delivery, the nurses quickly recognized that mom was well into active labor and sent her straight to a room. Her cervical exam confirmed she was already 7 cm dilated, with baby sitting low.
This baby was coming fast!
An Intense Labor and a Beautiful VBAC
Anna was vocal through contractions and worked hard through each surge with the help of her incredible doula, Lennie. She tried nitrous oxide, AKA laughing gas, for pain relief but didn't find it particularly helpful, so she continued working through contractions without it.
Within about 40 minutes of arriving at the hospital, mom began instinctively pushing. When the doctor checked her again, she was 10 cm dilated and ready to start pushing baby out!
After about 35 minutes of pushing, Mila made her way past her mom's pubic bone and then just a few minutes after that she was out.
Just like that, Mila arrived via an unmedicated VBAC!
This birth was especially meaningful because of what Anna had experienced with her first baby, Sasha. Her labor had initially been progressing well before fetal distress and repeated decelerations led to an emergency C-section. As if an emergency C-section wasn’t “exciting” enough, she developed a kidney infection in the days after birth that left her seriously ill and hospitalized for eight days postpartum.
Going into this pregnancy, she hoped for a VBAC, but understandably carried a lot of anxiety about whether things might unfold the same way again. Instead, she got the experience she'd been hoping for, just maybe a little faster of a labor than she had thought possible.
I love getting to document birth stories like this. Not because one type of birth is better than another, but because I know how much it can mean to a mom to have the experience she's been hoping for, especially after a difficult first birth.
"That Was the Fastest Labor Ever!"
One of my favorite moments happened after Mila was born. Her husband, Anthony, her doula, and I were all laughing as mom kept going back and forth between saying, "That was the fastest labor ever!" and "That took forever. I thought it was never going to end!"
Honestly, both can be true!
Eventually, it was time for Mila's newborn exam. She weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 19 inches long. A perfect little girl!
Next Up: Meeting Big Sister
I arrived at the hospital around 2:30 a.m. and left just before 7 a.m. I had just enough time to drop my daughter off at school before heading home for a two-hour nap and starting to cull Mila's birth images.
But my time with this family isn't over just yet!
Mila has a big sister, Sasha, who's almost four years old. Tomorrow, I'll be heading back to the hospital to photograph their first meeting as part of a Fresh 48 session.
Those first introductions are some of my favorite moments to document and I can't wait to see Sasha meet her baby sister.
For now, I'm just so happy for this family and for the birth experience mom was able to have. Congratulations, you four! I can't wait to see you again tomorrow.