Baby Anya. A Seattle water birth

Continued from this post: https://carolynkipper.com/alinas-maternity-session-at-the-point-defiance-rose-garden/

After Alina’s water broke, we went our separate ways and headed home to wait for labor to start. Alina really wanted a natural un-medicated waterbirth, so rushing to the hospital was not in the plans (though she did go to confirm that her water had broken). The next day I was sure I would get the call that she was in labor. My bags were packed, childcare was lined up for my daughters and I was anxious! Alina kept in touch with me, letting me know that contractions hadn’t started yet. I was worried that she would end up in the hospital with Pitocin and not have a chance for her water birth, but luckily she had a fabulous mid-wife and doula guiding her decisions during that day. She tried just about everything to get labor started, but by that evening it still hadn’t begun (24 hours after her water breaking). Around 9 pm I got a text message saying that she was going to go get checked out in the morning, if labor didn’t start overnight.

I tried to sleep that night, but it was tough, I was convinced that I’d miss the call while I was sleeping. Sure enough, at 5am I got a call from Artyom (Alina’s husband). He sounded so calm as he told me that she was in labor, that it had just started, and that they were heading to the birth center in Bellevue. I have been to quite a few births that have lasted 30+ hours, so I wasn’t sure if I should rush or take my time. I asked him if she was in active labor and to let me know how many centimeters she was dilated. Unfortunately they don’t do checks at the birth center, so he wasn’t sure. I couldn’t gauge the urgency in his voice, at first thinking that maybe she was just in early labor, so I really wasn’t sure what to do… then right before I hung up with him I heard a loud scream/moan in the background… and that got me moving! I could tell by the sound of her voice that this was the real deal, lol, so I quickly dressed, scrambled to wake up my three daughters and rushed them to their babysitters house.

It’s about an hour from my house to the birth center and I was entering early rush hour traffic when I got on the road at 5:30am. About 15 minutes into my drive I started getting urgent text messages from Artyom telling me to hurry up, that labor was going really fast!! My heart raced as I silently hoped that I wouldn’t hit traffic on the way there. The minutes went by like hours. Every car seemed to want to slow me down and the carpool lane called my name (don’t worry, I didn’t use it!). I was 9 miles away from the birth center when traffic came to a complete stop. It was close to 6:30. Artyom had informed me via text that she was going to start pushing. Every curse word ran through my head as I thought about how awful it would be for me to miss a birth, especially one where I was present when her water broke!

I told Artyom that I was going as fast as I could, that I was 9 miles away and to wait if possible (easier said than done!). It was an amazing feeling when the cars started moving again. I weaved my way in and out of lanes and managed to make it to the center in just 15 minutes!

I rushed into the room and found Alina laboring in the tub. She had a wonderful group of midwives, her husband and her doula to support her through labor. Her husband held back smiles, as he rubbed her hand and coached her through contractions. He was so clearly excited for the birth of his daughter. It was really sweet to see.

Within 20 minutes of my arrival, Alina gave birth to sweet baby girl that they named Anya. Anya came out with a full head of hair, a loud voice, and a petite 5 lb 11 oz body. She is beautiful, just like her mama (by the way, who looks that good just after giving birth!?! Not fair!! :D)

Congratulations Alina & Artyom. I’m so blessed to have been at your daughters birth. I’m so glad I made it in time!

Enjoy your perfect little girl!