I first met Ken and Amanda on July 7, 2023, for a consultation about birth services. From the moment we met, I was in awe of these two first-time parents. Their deep love for each other, their sweet baby boy, and their profound faith in Jesus was truly inspiring.

Over the months, our monthly meetings allowed us to transform from complete strangers into family. We spent hours discussing pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and life in general, forming a deep and meaningful connection.

On Thursday morning, January 18, 2024, I woke up at 5 a.m., as usual. There was a distinct change in the air that I couldn’t quite pinpoint, but I continued with my day. Amanda was only 39 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Typically, first-time moms go into spontaneous labor around 41 weeks, so I noted the change and carried on with my morning routine.

During the weeks I’m on call for a birth, I engage in deep emotional and spiritual work. Prioritizing self-care is essential; I nourish my body and soul as if I were preparing for the birth of my own baby. Entering a birth space is a sacred honor, and I approach it with the utmost reverence.

Around 7:12 a.m., I received a text from Amanda saying she had been experiencing contractions about seven minutes apart for several hours. After a few back-and-forth texts, I called her to listen through some contractions and discuss her options since she had a planned in-office midwife visit. I encouraged her to assess how she was feeling before her departure time and decide whether to stay home or go to the appointment.

By 8 a.m., I decided to text Ken to touch base, allowing Amanda to focus on labor rather than updating me. Shortly after, around 8:30 a.m., Ken informed me that Amanda was requesting my presence.

I left my home shortly after 9 a.m., expecting to arrive by 9:45 a.m. When I walked in, I found Amanda peacefully laboring on her living room floor.

Between her contractions, we discussed her questions, instinctual positions during and between waves, breathing exercises, and massages with a labor essential oil blend. I encouraged her with affirmations, scripture, and reassurances that both she and her baby instinctively knew how to navigate this birth.

As Amanda instinctively swayed, walked, squatted, and vocalized through her contractions, I noticed their intensity had increased in the short time I had been there. She leaned against her husband, drawing on his physical strength and peaceful presence. Her whole body showed a surrender as she let go, allowing the birth process to unfold precisely in God’s timing.

While Ken filled Amanda’s birth tub, I continued to sway and walk with her between contractions, providing hip squeezes during the waves. As we moved through one contraction, I suddenly envisioned Amanda's water breaking right on her living room carpet. When the contraction subsided, I quickly grabbed some chux pads to place under her feet for protection.

With the next contraction, Amanda mentioned feeling as if her water had broken. She headed to the bathroom to check, and we found a bit of bleeding, indicative of rapid cervical change.

At that moment, Ken and Amanda decided it was time to update their midwife team and request them to start heading over. Just before 11 a.m., we tucked Amanda into bed. Her midwife team arrived promptly at 11:15 a.m.

Becky and her team of student midwives arrived with quiet voices and gentle hands, asking their soft questions, listening to the baby's heart tones, and checking Amanda’s vitals. Everything was beautiful. God's design of the birth process is divine, and all we needed to do was surrender and let it unfold naturally.

The midwives left the room to give Ken and I space to support Amanda through her waves, while they set up and allowed her to labor undisturbed.

Transitioning into the birth tub can be a significant and transformative moment during labor, providing a sense of relief and comfort. For Amanda, this transition was no different and marked a pivotal point in her birthing experience.

Shortly before noon, Amanda was ready to move to her birth tub. We made the transition between waves, moving slowly and carefully to ensure her comfort.

Amanda labored beautifully, her waves maintaining their rhythm even with the change of environment. The relief and relaxation brought by the warm water of the tub were evident, visibly etched across her face and body.

For a while, it was just the three of us. I leaned over the birth tub, providing hip squeezes with each wave, while her husband remained her pillar of support, holding her hands and staying close to offer both physical and emotional support.

As her waves intensified and Amanda needed a warm-up for her water, the midwives rejoined us in the birth space, offering their support with gentle voices and peaceful presence.

With each wave, I could sense where the baby was in her pelvis. Her vocalizations, the Rhombus of Michaelis, and the instinctual movements of her body all provided clues. It was a profound honor to witness this birth process unfold so meticulously within God’s design.

I remember sitting beside Ken, helping Amanda breathe between waves, and I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful it is to witness a laboring mother. Here was this Christ-loving woman bringing an expansion of the Kingdom into the world. If a woman is not glowing and the most beautiful thing to witness in the sacred birth space, she is not being nurtured properly.

The hormones were flowing so optimally because here was Amanda, so gorgeously roaring her child into the world, absolutely radiant, undisturbed. The way Amanda worked through her fears and the spiritual attacks in the final weeks of her pregnancy was awe-inspiring. Witnessing all that Amanda and Ken walked through to reach this moment was a testament to their strength and faith.

As Amanda began to feel the urges to push, her baby moved down swiftly. She roared her sweet baby down. As baby’s head began to crown, she felt the burning sensations. Before too long, her baby’s head was fully born as the midwives checked for a nuchal cord, which none was present.

Baby and mama recieved a break for about 2 minutes. With a possible “sticky shoulders”, the midwives had Amanda move her right leg into a runners lunge position, this helped baby fully emerge, and he was here!

Due to a short cord, the cord snapped, so quick action by the midwives to clamp off the cord was had. Axel began to cry very soon after birth and a little bit of help with a bag and mask was administered to be sure he was not struggling to breathe after having the cord snap within seconds of birth.

After the midwives helped baby and ensured his heartrate and respiratory rate were healthy, he was returned to his mama while we waited for the birth of the placenta, which came fairly quickly after kisses and snuggles with her sweet baby.

This birth was an absolute honor to witness. A 10-hour birth for a first time mama is pretty incredible! God is so good!

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