A Well-Supported Beautiful Day-Time Hospital Birth in Avon, Indiana — Indiana Birth Photographer
When I arrived to Ali’s hospital room, she was already in the throes of labor. Having started an augmentation medication called Pitocin earlier, I knew her contractions were likely already becoming very intense. Her sister-in-law, husband, and labor nurse were all doing their best to soothe and comfort her in any way they could. Let me just say, they were amazing. I’ve had my share of supporting loved ones through labor, seemingly to no avail — thus the nature of childbirth — and it can be an emotional and exhausting task. Not to mention, the birthing person can quickly lose stamina and spiral during transition, the most intense stage of labor. Paired with Pit, well, you’ve got a lot working against you when your goals are to birth as naturally, and with as little intervention or pain medication as possible. Pitocin is basically synthetic oxytocin, a hormone naturally produced in our bodies when we feel lovey-dovey, and is administered through a continuous IV drip. The only kicker is that it can make contractions extra uncomfortable, contracting our uteruses synthetically rather than naturally, making it harder to achieve those aforementioned goals. Thus was the case with Ali’s labor. And despite her determination and her birth team’s determination to get through this second baby’s birth with as little medication as possible, an epidural was sounding pretty good by then.
Soon, Ali's contractions were beginning to couple up. This means that they were coming on top of each other, with very little to no break in between for rest. While this can be a typical labor pattern when baby is near birth, it can also be caused by Pitocin drip. At one point, Ali even begged her nurse to stop her Pitocin drip. Finally, it was turned off in attempts to offer Ali a slight break. Naturally, her body had taken over from there and continued contracting enough to bring baby further down. After a few back and forth’s from toilet sitting, soothing swaying/rocking, and managing through each wave over the next hour, Ali finally felt the urge to push! Within the few hours since I had joined them in their birthing room, their baby would finally arrive. Ali fought through her pain, despite the odds against her, and delivered her baby as naturally as she could. Her baby was laid on her chest, and the cord was cut.
Ali was soon coming back from labor land, and after letting dad snuggle baby for a bit while she adjusted, decided to explore breastfeeding another baby all over again. The early evening light poured in as she became familiar, once again, with parenthood of a newborn. Even though you can sense an intense discomfort from Ali in these images, they accurately represent how hard birthing on Pitocin can be. They show that the people she chose to support her in birth, love her so much. Most importantly, they show how strong and beautiful she is!
