It was 3:50 p.m. and Jen was on day 2 of signs of early labor. Since her body had been warming up for a couple days, it didn’t take long for things to progress. I arrived at their home about 5:30 p.m.
When I walked in, the kids greeted me with smiles and excitement. Jen and Clint had never left their children out of the birth process. This was fascinating to me. Little did I know that their oldest child, Carly, would become an integral part part of her mama’s support in labor. I remembered Jen telling me at our initial consultation that Carly (almost 8) had always been a nurturer. And everyone in attendance at this birth agreed in the end; she had an inner doula. She breathed with her mama, she provided pressure to her lower back, she held her hand and watched in fascination beside her little brother and sister as Jacob entered the world.
It was beautiful! And apparently I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Jen’s sneak peeks of her birth, and particularly of Carly supporting her in labor, yielded over 10,000 likes and 2,000 shares on Facebook, people. Whoa. Like… WHOA. Aside from the image I took of this baby born in the caul, I have never seen such a response!
So without further adieu, I give you the complete story. Enjoy.