My Second Birth
The pregnancy with my second daughter was a blur. My first daughter was 5 months old when we found out we were expecting another. I was already a couple of months pregnant when we found out, and needless to say we were surprised! I never returned to working in the restaurant business but decided instead that I wanted to pursue my passions in birth, breastfeeding, and yoga. I signed up for a baby & toddler yoga teacher training and loved it. I worked part time babysitting for a local family during my pregnancy, which was perfect because I could bring my daughter (who was still breastfeeding) with me. I enjoyed the closeness of breastfeeding with my daughter, and she nursed through the entirety of my second pregnancy. I planned to give birth at the same hospital again and would be attended to by midwives.
My labor began with my second daughter on an evening in early May. The surges very quickly became very powerful and close together. I took a hot shower and got dressed and ready. I was pacing around the house, full of excitement and jitters, and my husband became aware of how quickly my labor was progressing. As we had a long commute to the hospital, he decided we should leave quickly. My doula agreed to meet us at the hospital. I walked into the hospital and announced happily that I was there to have the baby. One of the midwives said she wanted to check my cervix to see if I was “actually in labor”. I was 6 cm dilated and it felt terrible to be laying down in bed during the cervical check. I stood up and began dancing and rocking back and forth. I was laughing, making jokes, and I felt euphoric.
I was intermittently making trips to the bathroom to have strong surges on the toilet, it felt really nice to be alone in the quiet and dark. I requested that the providers fill the birthing tub, but there was no time to climb in. My daughter was born roughly 40 minutes after arriving at the hospital. My second labor was a total of 2.5-3 hours from start to finish. I was in a standing/squat position, leaning on the birthing tub when my daughter was born. As she was crowning, I experienced the most intense, pleasurable, and satisfying sensations. I felt no pain. My midwife caught my daughter and passed her between my legs so I could hold her against me. I shuffled to the hospital bed and enjoyed a long skin-to-skin session with her. My second daughter latched onto my breast immediately, I remember being impressed by how well she latched so quickly. My midwife checked me for tearing, and I had not torn/did not need stitches. I felt elated and empowered. Those two days in the hospital without our first-born daughter (who was 13 months old) were terrible. I couldn’t wait to be home with my two babies. When we arrived home, my daughters started nurse together and I was crying, so happy and emotional. My daughters went on to tandem nurse together for 3 and a half years. Throughout the next few years, I continued my studies, education, and certifications in birthing, breastfeeding, and yoga. I absolutely loved learning more and diving into these pursuits; I had found my passion.
My first daughter breastfed until she was four and a half, and my second daughter breastfed until she was almost 4. I weaned my second daughter shortly after finding out I was pregnant with our third child.