A Doula Gives Birth with the Help of a Midwife

A midwife helps a doula give birth. What's that like? Find out as Cherokee Women’s Health patient, Maddy, shares her birth story with us.

“On Tuesday, June 14, we went in for an ultrasound at Cherokee Women’s Health Specialists. I was 39 weeks and 6 days. We had been monitoring my fluids because they had been fluctuating. Before going to the appointment, I decided to pack phone chargers and meds. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought I wouldn’t be coming home for a few nights.

The appointment was with Dr. Haley. I hadn’t met him yet, and honestly, I was a bit nervous. It was my husband’s last day of work, and he was able to go with me. My ultrasound showed that my fluids had dropped quite a bit from the previous week. Following Dr. Haley’s guidance, my husband and I chose to induce. I appreciated Dr. Haley’s approach. He was straightforward but not at all intimidating," shares Maddy.

Off to the Hospital

We grabbed some dinner then headed right to the hospital. We started Cytotec at midnight on Wednesday, doing about three rounds. Dilation was also moved along with a Cook Catheter. The contractions I was having with the catheter were very intense. I remember throwing up once and trying to pee often. (Later, the midwife said that many women get an epidural before the catheter is inserted, and I understood why.) I bore down to empty my bladder as much as I could. I felt a gush, and the catheter fell into the toilet. I immediately felt better.

Devin, my husband, peeked around the bathroom door and said, ‘Uhhh, was that your water?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, but I feel WAY better.’ (spoiler alert: it wasn’t my water).

- Maddy sharing her spoiler alert

Maddy continues, "I was able to labor and rest until midnight that night. We then started Pitocin on Thursday at midnight. I asked to titrate the amount once instead of twice per increase. I labored while on my hands and knees for most of the time and moved around when I felt like it. Devin offered me water after every contraction. I was laboring well until my water broke around 3:00 am.

I was over it and told my husband that I wanted the epidural. The nurse knew our preferences and offered Fentanyl instead. I tried but it burned off so fast, I was done. We checked my cervix; I was 8 cm and about 90% effaced. My contractions lasted for a minute on and about a minute off for those first few hours. However reassuring my husband was, it didn’t change the fact that I was in pain. Having contractions while sitting upright on my bum was not my idea of a good time. After the epidural was placed, I felt immediate relief. I was able to rest for a few hours before waking up and needing to push.

My favorite midwife, Susan Fischels, was there for our hospital stay. We built a good relationship prior to being admitted, and she knew my desires for my birth. I had never felt the urge to push as if I needed to poo, but I can only describe it as feeling spicy. We watched the monitor for a little bit, and I could recognize that I was having a contraction when it felt spicy. I pushed for about 20 minutes. Susan and the rest of the room were beyond encouraging, allowing me to push when I felt I needed to and not coaching me. She only told me to be gentle once baby Indigo was on her way out.

She maneuvered Indigo ever so slightly, looked at Devin, and encouraged him to take his daughter. He placed her on me, and I immediately began to sob and give thanks to the Lord. Devin and I looked at each other with tears, and besides our wedding day, it remains my favorite moment thus far. Indigo had a short cord, so she only made it as far as my tummy. Her cord was white when she was born, and Susan said, ‘I know you wanted to wait until it was done pulsing, but it’s already white. Are you okay if we clamp it now?’ So, we did. She was finally here, in our arms, as calm as can be."

Thankful for Midwife Susan Fischels

“Susan makes you feel heard, and she takes your concerns seriously. Each time we met, she wouldn't just tell me how things would be or prompt me. She’d say, ‘Alright, do you have any questions? What questions do you have? Let’s talk about it.’ She wanted me to talk, and she held space to listen. So, that was one of my favorite things about her. I hugged her after I gave birth, and I hugged her when I saw her every six weeks.”

- Maddy on her experience with midwife Susan Fischels

Maddy — Mother & Doula — Gives Advice to Other Mamas

“Try to let go of expectations and change your mindset to, 'I'm choosing this, it's not happening to me.' That's where making sure you have information and options provided comes in. I never wanted to feel like I had to do it, or it was my only choice. Having the mindset of ‘I choose this’ gave the power back to me.

For example, I chose to get the Cooks Catheter; that was my mode of induction. I decided that, so that was helpful. It wasn't expected, I wanted to do spontaneous labor and labor at home, but that wasn't the safest for us. I had to think about that too and roll with it because that's really what parenthood is about."

"As much as I want to control everything, I can't. You can only truly control your response."

– Maddy’s advice to all soon-to-be moms