On August 27, 2024, Tanner arrived just 35 minutes after we reached the birth center—born into calm water, surrounded by love. From acupuncture and curb walking to a powerful, natural birth in the tub, every moment felt intentional and empowering. My husband and I welcomed our third son in a peaceful, supportive space with midwives we trusted. It was fast, intense, and deeply beautiful. Tanner’s birth reminded me how strong and capable we truly are.
“On Tanner’s due date 8/26, I was pretty sore, so after work that day I went to the chiropractor for an adjustment in my hips and I got the royal treatment. They used a TIMS machine to stimulate a pressure point in my legs, and then Doctor Dennis put about 9 needles in me to help start labor. That night, I took some evening primrose that had seemed to help move things along, and woke up with some strong contractions in the middle of the night.
I emailed work to take off Tuesday thinking that labor had started and was nervous about progressing quickly because of how fast my second came. The next morning, I didn’t feel many contractions and was pretty devastated and annoyed at having used a sick day without labor. We took the boys to preschool and I spent the day trying curb walking, exercise, bouncing on the ball, and any other tricks to get labor started.
I started noticing some more consistent contractions around 2 pm and started timing them. We decided to take the boys to the pool after naps and I noticed that they were more intense and consistent, about every 5 minutes over an hour. I called the midwives and spoke with Angela around 6. She said to go ahead and come in, but I told her it’d probably be about an hour since we were waiting on our MIL to come from Madison, IN. We then called our MIL who was at a soccer game with the dog and said she was on her way. We packed the boys up and I went to the bathroom where I noticed my mucus plug had come out. I had to stop walking a few times as we left the pool, which we found out later scared the teenage lifeguards who were worried they’d have to call me an ambulance. Once we got home, I quickly realized we had to leave immediately as my water started leaking, and luckily our neighbor came to watch our boys until my MIL came. I started playing my birth hypnosis app and I wasn’t in transition yet so it was a calm ride.
We were greeted by the midwife Sarah who I loved, and the nurse was Katelyn. I didn’t have them check me for dilation and went straight to the tub. With my second, we were in room 4 with the largest tub, and this time we were in room 1 and I much preferred the smaller tub. Jared held onto me and applied pressure and we chatted with Sarah. We arrived around 7:20. I labored on my knees for a few waves and Sarah confirmed that he was very low and everything looked good. Soon, contractions became more intense as I transitioned and I labored on my side some as Sarah coached me through the contractions. I soon felt the need to push as he dropped more and flipped onto my back. Sarah had me grab my knees to bear down better and worked on relaxing my body and shoulders. I practiced deep breaths and tried keeping my voice low. His head finally appeared and I rested between my next big push. I remember Sarah saying to stay slow and controlled as I tried to push him out. He finally came and she lifted him onto me- the relief was immediate. My husband wanted to confirm that he was a boy, even though we had found out the gender at our 20 week ultra sound for the first time since we waited to find out gender for our other two boys. Overall, we were at the birth center for 35 minutes before his arrival into the world at 7:55 pm on 8/27 at 40 weeks and 1 day.
We spent time relaxing with Tanner in the tub. They draped a towel over him, made sure he had a good cry, and we lay there for a while, marveling at his cord, checking out the placenta, and going over how fast he had come. We stayed in the tub as he nursed for the first time and we cuddled. It was peaceful, beautiful, and so calm. There was no rush to get out or do anything before we felt like it. After everything was checked and I’d had some food delivered, I took a relaxing herbal soak while my husband got some skin to skin time with Tanner. He weighed 7 lbs 14 oz and measured 21 inches. We had great discussions with Sarah and Katelyn and were discharged around midnight so that we could go home and sleep in the comfort of our own bed.
It was a wonderful experience- such a great option for those who don’t want to birth in a hospital but want the expertise of midwives and a relaxing environment with the peace of mind that a hospital is right across the street. I would highly recommend this after having had experienced 2 births with Tree of Life as well as a traditional hospital with all the interventions. I felt powerful, in control, and so proud of myself for my second natural childbirth!”