31 births
29 hospital births, 2 home births
24 vaginal, 7 Cesarean
1 VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean)
14 unmedicated, 17 epidurals
9 inductions
20 with midwives, 11 with OBs
Smallest baby: 4 lbs, 6 ozs
Biggest baby: 9 lbs, 1 ozs
Shortest labor support time: 2.5 hrs
Longest labor support time: 35 hrs
Average labor support time: 9 hrs
Longest gestation: 41 weeks 5 days
First birth: 17
Second birth: 12 (4 were repeat clients)
Third birth: 1
Fourth birth: 1
Location of births: Baptist Health Lexington 6, Clark Regional 1, Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center 2, Frankfort Regional Medical Center 2, Home 2, UK 18
Individual provider who caught the most of my clients’ babies: Hayden Meza, UK Midwife Clinic (5 babies)
Practice whose providers caught the most of my clients’ babies: UK Midwife Clinic (17 babies)
Professional development: Body Ready Method
My house is quiet and still as I write this- my children are at school, my husband is at a job site, my dogs are asleep on a rug. Outside my window, it is also still (and bare and cold). It feels like such a heavy contrast with the way I would describe this year in birth work. I’ve had more clients than the previous four years due in large part to situations related to the pandemic. So many of my clients’ labors and births were unique and unpredictable. Because of that, I’ve grown quite a bit in this work. The never-ending learning as a doula continues to challenge and amaze me.
Three of my clients had preterm births, meeting their babies at just over 35, 33, and 32 weeks of pregnancy. One had IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) and severe preeclampsia that required induction of labor and the other two went into preterm labor. Two of the three had Cesarean births and all of the babies spent weeks in the NICU.
Due to the pandemic, I supported two clients virtually. One was at Baptist Health Lexington which was not welcoming doulas at the time and the other was COVID positive (on her last day of isolation- so close!). I was also unable to attend two of my clients’ births at Baptist Health Lexington because they had C-sections and the current policy does not allow doula support in the OR, in recovery, or on postpartum. I was able to support some of my clients in the OR at both UK (unplanned Cesareans) and Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center (planned Cesarean). I also had to call a backup doula for the first time this year because I was at another birth down the hall. I walked in shortly after their baby was born; they had wonderful care from my backup and I’m so grateful she was there for them.
While my clients’ induction rate was lower this year than the past two years at 29% (9 of 31), some of them happened suddenly/urgently, which I think made them take center stage in my brain. Six were medically indicated (e.g. preeclampsia, IUGR) and three were elective or unclear on the medical indication.
I’ll end with some interesting situations and highlights of the year:
Supported a client during the worst ice storm of the year. We drove around downed tree limbs on the way to the hospital.
A home birth client had a vaginal birth after having a Cesarean with her triplets about 2.5 years prior.
Two of my clients were in labor at the same time in rooms right next to each other. With permission, I was able to leave one client to support the other’s precipitous labor, then go back to the first client.
Two of my clients are best friends and they gave birth less than two weeks apart.
Attended my first birth at Clark Regional in Winchester.
Supported two 40 year old clients, one having her first baby and the other her second. They both had spontaneous vaginal births.
Reflecting on the year, the theme that comes to mind is team building and collaboration. One obvious advantage of attending more births is that I met and worked with more nurses and providers. I’ve said it many times, but learning nurses’ and care providers’ styles and approaches to different types of situations and developing collaborative relationships with them is so valuable to folks who choose me as their doula. I have now seen 40 providers catch/deliver babies! I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of what to expect from different practices, individual providers, and hospital staff.
I was also fortunate this year to team with Bundle Birth Nurses and cover tuition for five L&D nurses in their Physiologic Birth Training. Nurses from Baptist Health Lexington, Ephraim McDowell Fort Logan, Frankfort Regional, and UK claimed the spots. I know that the pandemic has been extremely taxing on nurses and this small gesture was a way to show how appreciative I am that they’ve continued to show up the way they have for my clients.
Birth work has not been easy this year. 2021 was harder than 2020, in my opinion. We’ve seen loss, illness, hospital staffing concerns and changes (compensate these L&D nurses and hospital midwives fairly, please, NOW!), and almost everyone I’ve known has felt burnout at some point this year. I’ve witnessed so much community support, though, which has provided some solace. I hope that this spirit of community care and collaboration continues and grows in the new year.