DUNCAN, OK BIRTH | BABY L

I was wrong.

This was Megan’s first baby - first labor. First time Mom’s don’t normally progress that quickly. Toss in the added element of being induced, and more often than not, the result ends up being a longer labor. This would be my 19th birth to shoot. While that by no means makes me a birth expert, I did feel like I had some generic idea of a timeline of when Megan’s labor and the birth of her sweet babe would happen.

My husband just so happened to be out of town that Thursday - Saturday. I had talked with my parents the night Megan when in to start the induction, to arrange for them to take care of my little fellas. I distinctly remember telling my Dad on the phone that it would probably be late afternoon or early evening that Friday before I would need to go to the hospital to be with the Hoopers.

Ha! I was wrong. I was so wrong.

Megan’s doctor determined her to be low and very thinned out that Thursday night when she was admitted to the Duncan Regional Hospital Birth Center. We all had hopes that labor would move along as naturally as possible.

Then came the text at 8:22am on Friday: “Hey Christie, it’s Bryce…. [Megan’s] phone isn’t charged so please contact me.” I replied back to Bryce’s phone at 8:28am, and we texted back and forth for a minute. Megan’s labor had intensified through the night, and she hadn’t gotten any rest. They were giving her the epidural and were going to check her once it was in place. Exactly an hour later, Bryce texted me again and said she was at 8, and I was out the door. Baby Hooper was on her way!

I walked into a calm scene. The bed was mostly flat and Megan was on her side with the lovely peanut ball between her legs. She had tired eyes and a messy (but adorable) ponytail all over her head. Her gorgeous floral hospital gown she brought with her was barely hanging on one arm and most of it lay in a disregarded heap behind her back, but the smile on her face went from ear to ear. 

We joked a little about how quickly she progressed, and I snapped some shots of what was happening in those last quiet minutes before she would start to push. I didn’t have much time because by 10:10am she was complete and Dr. Hurst was called.

Birth happens in all different ways. Sometimes the room is dead silent in exhaustion. Sometimes there are tears of struggle. Sometimes there is fear and quiet determination of doctors and nurses doing their job to keep moms and babies healthy.  

And sometimes there is just giggles of relief, and maybe even shock, to see yourself or your spouse with legs up in the stirrups, anticipating the arrival of your very first child.

In between pushes there was a lot of laughing and joyfulness and Bryce playfully mocking how dramatic Megan was being during labor before her epidural. (Truly, it was playful. Bryce was extremely attentive from the moment I walked in till the moment I left. His playful jabs were exactly what Megan needed to stay relaxed after each push.)

Typically, Mommas do three big pushes during a contraction, then they relax and get ready for the next wave. On the next to last pushing sequence, Megan started to lay back down to rest and Dr. Hurst said, ‘Wait! Big deep breath and go again!” Baby girl was so close to being completely born, and with two last pushes she slipped out!

Baby L Hooper was born at 10:31am on 9/19/19, and was my 19th birth to attend. A true palindrome baby! How cool is that?

During our Maternity Session, Bryce said he couldn’t stand the wait. He was so anxious to see his little girl! He was totally enamored once he saw her and couldn’t stop staring. She was more than content to stare right back.

After the hour of skin to skin time - which our Birth Center wonderfully promotes and protects with a vengeance - Megan’s mom and dad came in for hugs. By this time it was 11:45am.

And I’m not saying the Hoopers were my best Birth Story clients to date, but what I am saying is that Bryce looked at me right in the eyes as the clock neared 12:00pm and said, “What do you want from Chick-fil-a?” I didn’t even pretend I wasn’t hungry, and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a chicken sandwich that fast in my entire life. Megan said it was the best Dr. Pepper she’d ever had, and munched on her fries while she watched her Momma get all weepy over her newest grand girl.

Telling Birth Stories never gets old, and I do love to share them! But the real reason behind why I tell Birth Stories isn’t just to share the story on a website, but it’s to give the families memories they can keep forever. Not just for the Moms and Dads, but for the babies, too.

I didn’t just want Megan to be able to see herself as she brought her baby from the inside of her to the outside of her, and I didn’t just want Bryce to see himself as he held his brand new little girl. I also wanted Baby L to look at these pictures years from now, and see her very first day on earth. I wanted her to see how strong her Mom was (and still will be), how much joy her parents had holding her tiny hand for the first time, and the way her Daddy couldn’t get enough of her.

It’s powerful. It’s not how everyone’s story starts. And because of those two things, this Birth Storytelling cannot be a hobby for me. It’s too important. It’s too valuable. It’s a passion, and I’ll never ever take the opportunity to serve a family in their sacred birth space for granted.

Welcome to the world Baby Girl! It was an honor to meet you on your Birth Day.