Being a military spouse myself, this birth really hit home for me. I met Jennifer in July after she had contacted me about my doula services. Her husband Jordan was deployed, and would be for the birth of their 3rd child. We found out our children went to school together, and that she only lived a few minutes from my house.
We moved forward with our prenatal meetings discussing birth options, logistics, and where the kids would be headed when the time came. It was fun getting to see Jennifer at running club and school pick ups between meetings. I was excited to have a client I would get to see her regularly even after her birth. Around 6pm on Sept, 25th Jennifer let me know she had had a prenatal appointment that afternoon. She was already 4cm and had been contracting irregularly. Around 9pm she let me know things had slowed down a bit. I encouraged her to eat a good snack, get some rest, and I said I would be on high alert for her. Around 12am Jennifer text and said she was pretty sure her waters had released, but her contractions were still pretty irregular. I let her know that I was going to go ahead and get dressed then head her way. Since this was her 3rd baby, and she was already dilated to 4cm I knew things might move quickly. I met Jennifer at her house and helped her get her boys loaded up and off to a friends house. As soon as they were gone I watched her through a contraction. She barely slowed down, just stopping for the peak, but said she was feeling a lot of pressure. We both agreed it was time to head in to the hospital. We grabbed her bags and loaded her into my truck. As soon we started driving Jennifer felt even more pressure. I reassured her we only had a short drive to the hospital, and that babies generally take some time, and effort to be born. Jennifer kept trying to contact her husband between contractions, but he wasn't answering. We quickly made it to the gate to get on base. I said, "Only a few more minutes! We're almost there!" We got to the gate and it was CLOSED! I think we both had a mild panic attack. I stopped the truck and asked Jennifer if she wanted to try to make it to the next gate, or if we needed to call an ambulance. She said, "I don't want to have a baby in a parking lot!" So I drove as quickly as I could to the next exit. When we got closer we saw orange cones and a 'Road Closed' sign. There was a construction worker standing near the exit. I stopped, rolled down my window and yelled, "We need to take this exit!" He said, "Sorry the exit is closed." Then Jennifer yelled, "I'm having a baby NOW, and I HAVE to get to the hospital!" I think we scared the poor man, but he waved us on. I breathed a sigh of relief and we quickly made it to the gate. We finally made it to the JBER hospital. Hallelujah! I dropped Jennifer off at the emergency room entrance and parked. I ran inside to follow her down to labor and delivery. We were greeted by the sweet nurses, and they quickly got us into a room. Jennifer was fully dilated and starting to feel the urge to push. She asked me for her phone and she tried calling her husband one last time. HE ANSWERED! Jennifer finally felt like she was safe to have her baby now. Her children were being cared for by a friend, we finally made it to the hospital, and she had her husband on the phone. A few pushes later and her baby girl was here. What a bitter sweet moment. Welcoming a new soul into the world, and a father that had to experience it a half a world away. I am so thankful for the technology we have to connect us, but a reminder of all the things our service men and women sacrifice for us everyday. They miss holidays, anniversaries, graduations, milestones, and even birthdays like this. Jennifer absolutely left me in awe. What strength this woman possess. She never faltered, she never broke down, and she did everything with such grace. I think she accomplished more while she was in labor then I do in a week. She listed off to me all of the things she had gotten done; packed bags, packed lunches, made beds, went grocery shopping, went to cub scouts, and the list continued! Women are strong. We have a strength that is deep within us, and when necessary we let it out like a fire. One of the best parts of my job is getting the opportunity to see a woman's true strength. It inspires me to be strong, and to remind every woman about the fire that resides in each of us.
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