The only thing predictable about birth is that it is unpredictable. And being in labor for six days was definitely not something that Irma had foreseen when she planned for the birth of her first child!
However, she persisted, day after day, trusting in God’s timing. After enduring powerful contractions for days without progressing beyond 4 centimeters, she and her husband decided to transition from a planned home birth to hospital care.
With an epidural, Pitocin, and various positional changes as recommended by her birth team, she made progress overnight and welcomed her sweet baby boy the next morning.
Whitney encouraged Irma to continue incorporating movement and position changes into her labor, even with the epidural. She and the nurses assisted her into a side-lying release position to help open the brim of the pelvis.
As the sun rose, Irma was at 9.5 centimeters with a cervical lip. She pushed for a while, while midwife Whitney attempted to reduce the cervix. After some time pushing, Irma transitioned back into a sitting position, allowing rest and gravity to further bring her baby down.
Irma shared, “Everyone was in so much anticipation; after 6 days of labor, we were all ready!”
La Drake, Irma’s husband, expressed his support, “I prayed over her, that the Lord would continue to give her strength. I also held her hand so she could squeeze.”
Surprisingly, their baby was born covered in meconium, despite no previous evidence of it during her labor, even though her water had broken the day before. Nevertheless, the baby was crying and active, and Irma could hear him from across the room.
Once everything settled down, Irma and Xavier attempted breastfeeding for the first time with the assistance of their nurse.
La Drake praised Irma, “She’s an amazing woman; the amount of pressure, pain, and stress she went through to have our baby was such a sight to see. I’m so thankful to have her as my wife and mother of our son.”
Irma reflected, “Women don’t get enough recognition for the work we do. I’ve been in the Navy ten years, but nothing compares to having a child. This was the hardest, most honored achievement in my book.”
