Jess found out she was pregnant with her first child in January 2019. After an initial scare of an ectopic pregnancy, she had an easy and simple pregnancy. Jess did not experience any negative pregnancy symptoms and loved being pregnant. She stayed active throughout her pregnancy by working as a nanny and taking care of seven children, breeding her horse, cleaning stalls and taking yoga classes. She chose to see midwives and planned a birth center birth. She loved the personalized care that comes with choosing midwifery and especially the extensive postpartum care the midwives offered her.
As her due date came and went, Jess did everything she could to encourage labor. She started experiencing preterm labor at 40+3 which continued until she delivered after taking castor oil at 42 weeks the day before her scheduled induction. Her water broke on the way to a scheduled appointment with her midwife and upon arrival was 3cm dilated and 85% gone. After working all day with no progress they made the decision to transfer to a hospital.
The hospital experience was positive for Jess and she was still able to have many of the experiences she had hoped for when choosing a birth center birth. After 36 hours of labor and 6 hours of pushing, Jess gave birth to her baby girl via vacuum and discovered that she had a cervical hand which was the cause of the odd labor patterns and difficulty pushing. Her daughter Ellie was born on September 27th (42+1) weighing 9lbs 6oz. Jess had a relatively easy postpartum experience, although she had to be stitched up again a week postpartum.
Almost exactly two years later Jess found out she was pregnant again and was due just 4 days before her daughter’s due date. She had another enjoyable pregnancy but was less active this time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She chose to have care with the same team of midwives and planned to give birth at the birthing center. This time she waited to post dates and told anyone who asked that the baby was due by September 23rd (42+1). She wasn’t surprised when her due date came and went with no signs of labor.
After a sweep at 41+6, Jess started having solid contractions at 10:05pm. An hour later she checked in with her midwife and was instructed to call when contractions were 5 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute for an hour. When the contractions got to this point around midnight Jess called back and during that call she started shaking uncontrollably and had 3 contractions on top of each other. Jess and her husband jumped in the car and headed to the birth center and their midwife left her house to meet them there. Once in the car, Jess’s contractions slowed and she really enjoyed working in the car.
At 12:24 am her midwife called to check in and they were both about 25 minutes from the birth center. After she hung up, Jess had another contraction, felt her water break, and immediately felt the baby drop down the birth canal. At 12:33 am they pulled over to the side of the road and called 911 as the fetal ejection reflex kicked in. A firefighter escorted them to a fire station a mile up the road (exactly halfway to the birth center) where Jess delivered her son in the parking lot in the front seat of their car with the help of firefighters and EMTs. Sean was born at 1:05 am. of September 22 (42 w) exactly 3 hours after labor began.
He was a very calm baby and didn’t cry at all but was perfectly healthy. After the placenta was delivered they were taken to the hospital where they learned Sean weighed 9 pounds 8 ounces. They were discharged to the care of their midwives and settled in at home by 4pm. of that day, less than 24 hours after the onset of labor. Jess loved both of her births and felt positive and empowered despite having two births that didn’t go according to plan!
Jess Maki Bio
Jess lives in a small town in central Massachusetts with her husband Pat and their two children Ailey and Sean. She found her calling in child care and has worked as a nanny for the past six years. Jess finds the most joy working with infants and toddlers. She is passionate about caring for children with respect and loves to share this passion with the families she works with. Would love to connect via Instagram @jessmaki or via email jmaki0116@gmail.com
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This episode is sponsored by Kindred Bravely. Use code BIRTHHOUR15 for 15% off your first purchase at kindredbravely.com
