04Dec 2017 by Full Circle Doulas 1 Comment
The Birth of Our Surprise Baby, Finley Janice

The Birth of Our Surprise Baby, Finley Janice

Birth Story, Doula, Home Birth, Midwife, Stories
In February of 2017 our Family got a HUGE surprise. A little baby conceived with an IUD, weeks before a scheduled vasectomy, and days after a car accident. We called her our "wild card", our lucky baby, our loved little life-curveball, our tenacious girl. It's no surprise that her birth followed suit. She came fast and furious, in her own shocking Finley fashion, and left us all in awe of her persistent nature. The last week of October, days prior to Finley's birth I had a really intense massage/energy work with Mindy, one of the students at Mermaid Birth. During this session she suggested that Jeff and I take a moment to tell Finley she was welcome and wanted. She said she was sensing some fear and hesitation from Fin. This made…
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30Mar 2017 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments
How I Achieved My Empowering Hospital Birth Experience

How I Achieved My Empowering Hospital Birth Experience

Advice, Birth Story, Doula, Hospital Birth, Midwife, Musing, Stories
​I am normally an out-of-hospital birthing momma that has a preference for birthing at home but in 2016 while being a surrogate for my lovely friends we decided that, for this particular birth, hospital was the route we wanted! Once you have birthed outside of the hospital and experience the freedom to listen to your own body instead of following "hospital policy" it's hard to go back to thinking about birthing the way I once did in a hospital setting. So we made the decision that we wouldn't. We wouldn't settle for the drive-through-window experience that is often birth in the US. I stayed upright and moved as my body wished, I ate and my nurses happily spoiled me with food,…
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24Jan 2017 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments
Birth Story #8 – Baby Oliver’s Home Birth

Birth Story #8 – Baby Oliver’s Home Birth

Birth Story, Doula, Home Birth, Midwife, Stories
8:46 am. I was getting breakfast ready for my toddler and I when contractions started. They were coming every (5 or 10) minutes and lasting approximately 30 seconds each. My husband had already left for work. It was the only Saturday he was required to work and we had joked before he left that today would probably be "the day". I was 2 days past my due date. 10am. I texted my husband to let him know I had been having contractions for over an hour now. He asked me if I wanted him to head back home from his work (45 minutes away) but I suggested we should wait and I would keep him updated. He reminded me to message…
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12Jan 2017 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments
Birth Story #6 – Birth of a Spirit Child

Birth Story #6 – Birth of a Spirit Child

Birth Story, Home Birth, Midwife, Stories
Some pregnancies are planned and some come by complete surprise. Like a small seedling sprouting, searching for the sun without the smallest glimmer of awareness from the soil around it. This is how my third son came into existence by chance against the odds and totally in charge. I would later learn that these amazing and frustrating traits would also carry through into his next stage of life as a breathing, creating child. At the time of conception my husband Ben and I were raising ourselves and two small children ages three and a half and one years old. The thought of adding to our family was enough to cause me to inhale into a paper bag with a…
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11Jan 2017 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments
Birth Story #5 – Baby Roderick’s Hasty Entrance

Birth Story #5 – Baby Roderick’s Hasty Entrance

Birth Story, Hospital Birth, Stories
I have to start from the beginning: My first daughter, Aubree, was born 4 years ago, after 26 hours of labor in a local hospital, being induced, while witnessing the popular interventions of pitocin, pushing strong contractions and an epidural slowing them down. This labor was very slow, dull and frustrating, and at the time I wasn't aware of my rights, or of all the options I had. Shortly after her being born, I started researching pregnancy and birth, and deciding that my next pregnancy, I would do things very differently. Spring of 2016, I started out my second pregnancy under the same care of the obstetrics office that I went to with my first. I continued to stay with them for a while, even though I knew very well…
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09Jan 2017 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments
Birth Story #4 – Baby Esplin!

Birth Story #4 – Baby Esplin!

Birth Story, Hospital Birth, Stories
This was for my second. Since I wasn't feeling the baby move as much as she was I got checked and decided to be induced. We called at 5am and was told we could come in in an hour. When we got there we got all set up and they started pitocin. After about 2 hours I started having contractions. They were subtle at first so I practiced my breathing and watched New Girl. Another hour went passed and they were getting stronger. I decided to get an epidural. They came in put the epidural and about 45 minutes later I was ready to push. I pushed for 15 minutes and out came Quinn. They laid her on me while they cleaned her off and the doctor delivered the placenta…
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03Jan 2017 by Full Circle Doulas No Comments
The Healing Homebirth of Sawyer Ruby

The Healing Homebirth of Sawyer Ruby

Birth Story, Home Birth, Stories
On Tuesday the 29th i was 41 weeks pregnant and feeling uncomfortable but surprisingly patient for such an impatient person. I had a late night appointment with my wonderful Midwife, Danielle, that included a prenatal massage and foot zoning from her Student Midwife, Mylie. The previous week I had the same massage from her and it was so relaxing I had a few contractions afterwards, so I was feeling hopeful! I was having some troubles from the babys positioning blocking output from my left kidney (hydronephrosis) causing me to not be able to drink very much without my kidney swelling a bit. So I was feeling ready to have her whenever she decided she was ready to join us on the outside.…
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02Jan 2017 by Full Circle Doulas 4 Comments
Birth Story #2

Birth Story #2

Birth Story, Doula, Hospital Birth, Stories
While we were eating dinner on Monday 6pm 8/3 my water broke, small gush and a little pink so I called my midwife to see what I should do. She suggested I come in to make sure it's my water, etc. We got our things ready and my sister in law came to get the boys! At 730pm we arrived at the birthing center, I was 2cm dilated and we confirmed that it was my water that had broken. 9pm contractions picked up and we're 6 min. apart. We watched a funny movie, and hung out, resting when we were able to. At 4am contractions pretty much stopped. 6am 8/4 contractions started again but weren't consistent. Legally there is a 24 hr time frame that the birthing center could keep…
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