After having Matthew at the hospital with a midwife assisting, Scott and Nikkie knew exactly what their plans were with Gabrielle. She, too, would be born at the hospital with a midwife assisting.
Thankfully, Scott and Nikkie did not have any last-minute problems with the birth of Gabrielle. She arrived a few days before the due date given by the early ultrasound and Nikkie did not have any blood pressure issues this time.
Around 1:30 in the morning, Nikkie woke up having strong contractions and wondering if this was going to be it. Having seen blood early in her labor with Matthew, she was disappointed in not seeing any blood this time. However, she did have an upset stomach and knew that it is common for a woman to have this happen at the start of labor. So, she was hopeful and began cleaning up and preparing for her trip to the hospital.
She eventually woke up Scott. Once again, they wanted to labor at home as long as possible but also knew that typically, after having the first child, later labors are quicker. They eventually began proceeding with their plans by taking Matthew to his grandmother’s house next door and packing the car with the suitcase and snacks.
While Scott was busy, Nikkie sat and talked to Gabrielle during the contractions, telling her to work with her and soon, they would be together. Contractions seemed to be going easier and thinking about the prospect of having the baby safe in her arms made it easier.
Scott and Nikkie arrived at the hospital around 7:00 am. Initially, the nurse wanted to immediately hook Nikkie up with the typical IV. Nikkie refused and told the lady that her birth plan stated that she was not to have any of that. For a moment, Nikkie thought she was going to have to go through a struggle to stand for her right to have a natural birth but the nurse finally agreed. Then, trying to appease Nikkie, the nurse tried to comfort Nikkie during a contraction but Nikkie only wanted Scott near her. Scott and Nikkie are a team during labor and interference from others is not welcomed. Thankfully, though, this was not the nurse that would be attending during the delivery and the experience improved.
After being checked, they were pleasantly surprised to find out that Nikkie was already 8 cm. For a brief period, they were busy moving to the delivery room and getting comfortable. During that time, Nikkie seemed to have a little break, only having a few light contractions.
Before long, Nikkie began wondering if she was ready to push. With Matthew, she knew it felt good to push but this time, she did not have a strong sensation of wanting to push so she wasn’t sure what was going on. Her midwife checked and she was indeed ready to push.
With hesitation, she began pushing. At this point, Nikkie’s water had not broken. Her midwife asked her if she wanted it broken and Nikkie said no. Toward the end of the pushing, her midwife stated that the baby was close to being born but that the bag of waters was in the way and asked again if Nikkie was okay with it being broken. She said yes and Gabrielle was born shortly afterwards.
After Gabrielle’s birth, Nikkie was surprised to see her daughter a little blue. Later, she learned that the umbilical cord had been wrapped around Gabrielle’s neck twice. The midwife also told Scott and Nikkie that it was good that her waters had stayed intact because this bag had probably kept the cord from pulling tight around Gabrielle’s neck until there at the last. Scott and Nikkie were stunned to learn this and grateful that the bag had stayed intact. If the cord had pulled tight sooner, Gabrielle could have been born with brain damage, or worse yet, dead. It could have also caused an emergency caesarean to be required. But because the bag stayed together, Gabrielle was born healthy and well around 8:30 am.
Once again, Scott and Nikkie left the hospital thankful that they allowed things to happen naturally although, at this point, they were a little disappointed with the medically-minded staff. They were even more disappointed when they asked if they could leave the hospital early (since Gabrielle was born early in the morning, they hoped to go home that evening), and learned that leaving the hospital early could warrant a visit from DSS and could also mean that the insurance company would refuse payment.