A Speedy Arrival | Born at Home in Minnesota
June 23, 2020 | 12:03 pm
Welcome to the world, sweet Lucca! We are so glad you’re here.
On the day you were born, the raspberries had just started to ripen in the backyard. As your mom noticed her contractions starting to build, calls were made to the birth team to start heading your way. Your very eager big sister was ready to meet her new sibling, and Grandma had just picked her up to offer a bit of a distraction from what we thought was a long day of labor ahead. Much to our surprise, it was just after noon when you sprang into your dad’s awaiting hands, everything falling into place just in time for your arrival.
The Importance of Building Your Birth Team
Though speedy in the end, it took many days of waiting and work before this little one’s swift entrance into the world. Building a birth team that is supportive in these days between one’s estimated due date (EDD, or what we like to call a guess date!) and baby’s actual day of birth is so important.
This family’s midwives offered ample amounts of patience and assurance as they helped this family navigate their options during these days of waiting such as castor oil smoothies, building oxytocin, stretch & sweep procedures, and simply allowing more time and space for everything to unfold on its own. As their doula and photographer, Brooke offered support and evidence around these options as well as other natural induction measures, comfort tools, and finding practitioners that met this family’s needs. Dr. Tiffany came to their home for an extra little nudge the day before and Rochelle encapsulated their placenta in the days after baby was born. Even amongst the era of COVID-19, we found ways to work together to wrap around this family and create the most supportive environment to welcome Lucca into her parents arms when she was ready.
Due dates are a tricky thing. So much pressure and anticipation on the expecting parent(s) as this date gets nearer on the calendar, and those emotions only build with each day thereafter. With most of the data out there suggesting only 5% of folks actually give birth on their due date, we know having options for both before and after this date arrives is essential to giving families autonomy in the choices they make around their care and induction preferences.
Evidence Based Birth offers a roundup of the research and summary of the findings around due dates. Early on in your pregnancy, we recommend getting clear on how you would like your provider to approach your due date. Having this be a discussion topic earlier on can lead you to finding the right provider for you, or switching to a provider that aligns more closely with your family’s values.
