This post weaves in a lot of spirituality, take the pieces which resonate and leave the parts that may not. We are all connected on a much higher, more intricate level than I truly believe any of us realize. And whatever you believe, my hope is you learn to trust yourself & find peace in this life.
Maeve’s birth was just like her. Sweet, loving and super intense. It took me a while to process and finally put it down on paper. My births with B and Jude were so different. Longer, easier, quieter. Maeve’s put me in touch with a part of myself I didn’t know existed. It was primal, raw, deeply spiritual and cracked pieces of me wide open. We were supported and surrounded by so much love…..
The few weeks prior, contractions came and went. There were periods they would be consistent for longer stretches of time, then stop. Anyone who has more than one baby knows, your body does so much of the work before birth!
The Wednesday before she arrived, there was a beautiful, massive full moon. My contractions started around 9 pm and were consistent for several hours. They were manageable, so I laid down and told Chris I would try and get some sleep. In the back of my mind, I thought for sure she was coming. For months, my intuition was telling me the number eight was incredibly important. Initially I thought it was because she was due in August, but knew there was much more to it.
In numerology 8/8, 8/17 and 8/26 are all considered significant 8/8 portals. With last year also being an 8 year (2024), the dates were even more significant, with there being 8/8/8 occurring three separate times in the month of August.
I woke around 3 am and my contractions stopped. I also realized we were past 8/17. We had a midwife appointment the next morning and Chris refused to let me drive myself. In fact, he didn’t want me driving anywhere, or taking the kids along, afraid I’d have to pull over somewhere with them. All four of us showed up to my appointment and my midwife laughed. We explained why we were all there and she said, “I was certain someone was having a baby with that moon last night”. I was like, “well, I’m still here”. Not to mention growing increasingly annoyed and uncomfortable.
She eased Chris’s concerns, telling him I could drive wherever I wanted. We were nearing the 39 week mark and he asked me if I wanted to be checked. Had no desire to know if I was dilated.
Thursday we went about our day and contractions continued on & off. Friday morning I woke to Chris checking in (which had become common now, as he was ready to drop what he was doing at any second). There was a pattern this morning to my contractions and they just kept coming. I started losing my mucus plug (but told myself not to get excited. It regenerates and I lost it on and off with Jude for weeks. Bianca’s remained in place until labor started).
We met friends at an indoor play place and I told the other mom what was happening. She was shocked, concerned and said, “you’re having contractions now?!” She kept checking in with me, but we let the big kids play. As the day went on, my contractions eased and I was growing antsy & impatient. The weather was beautiful and I decided to take the older two to the creek. Chris of course was concerned about all the activity, but I was secretly hoping I’d have to drop what we were doing and rush home to have a baby!
The kids swam, caught minnows, threw rocks and I got to take it all in. Adding another baby is so exciting, but the transition would be a big adjustment, especially for Jude.
A woman at the creek with her grandsons excitedly asked, “when are you due”? “Any day”, I replied and mentioned having contractions on and off all week. We both laughed and she started to panic, letting me know she was not a doctor, would do the best she could to help me, but begged me not to go into labor while we were there!
We took it easy over the weekend, and Bianca asked to have a play date Sunday. Sunday felt off. My mood was terrible, I was so over the contractions and being pregnant. My back hurt and wasn’t sure how much more I could take. A close friend messaged me and asked, “are you in labor or having contractions? My low back is killing me and I immediately thought of you”. I explained to her what was going on and that tomorrow was 8/26. My intuition is never wrong and in my heart I knew the number eight was significant. She said, “I think you should trust that”.
Around dinner time, I started leaking fluid. I decided not to get ahead of myself or too excited and monitor my symptoms. Things were uncomfortable and I was beginning to get emotional, because if I had a leak in my amniotic sac, we needed to move labor along. It also limited some natural induction options, LOL.
We ordered dinner and our friend came to pick up his daughter. He joked about what we would do if I went into labor while the girls were playing. Bring her home I said, but thought to myself, “you’re already in labor lol”.
Chris was anxious to set up the birth pool, but I told him contractions weren’t consistent enough, we needed to wait and see how things progressed over the next few hours. Around 9:45 pm everyone was still awake and the first contraction hit. Two minutes later, another, then a minute later another. Huh….? I thought to myself. Those were close together. After a few rounds of this, we began timing them. I jumped in the shower and put something comfortable on. The kids were starting to get excited, but we reminded them we needed to lay down and try to rest.
We set up the diffusers, put lots of oils on me (trying to keep mommy calm), laid out the baby items and made sure the birth supplies were set up in Jude’s room. I tried to relax, but my contractions were back to back and hurt!
I messaged my friend Katie, for the third time this week telling her, “I think it’s labor”. She kept me calm, cool and collected and talked me through all my feelings. She reminded me how strong I was, told me to stay open, go with the flow and try to listen to something to stay focused. We found a few labor meditations and affirmations on YouTube and I immediately popped in headphones. There was a series of 4-5 early and active labor meditations I listened to, while Jude & Biance drifted off next to me.
It hurt to lay in bed and Chris didn’t give me the chance to stop him from setting up the birth pool. We both knew we were much closer to meeting her, than we expected. Leaning over the toilet was the only position I could manage, but my entire body would tense with each contraction and it was a super hard surface. I snapped some pictures between contractions, knowing it would be the last time I’d ever have a pregnant belly.
I began to reach a point where nothing eased the discomfort. Chris asked me what I needed and I had him grab the birth ball and some water. He knew I wasn’t ready to call Kathy (our midwife), so he talked me into calling my mom. We filled the birth pool, because to be honest, I desperately needed the warm water. The water felt incredible and I worked through contractions leaning over the edge.
Things started to pick up once my mom arrived. I was vocalizing more and feeling incredibly hot. She rubbed my back between contractions and added counter pressure. Each contraction hit my stomach, ran down the tops of my legs and I felt them a little in my lower back. My mom continued to get increasingly concerned and asked how far away Kathy lived. I said, “about an hr” and she had Chris call her. She thought her and Chris were going to be catching this baby!
A wave of nausea hit and up came my dinner. This happens every time I’m in labor, and definitely factored into my dinner choices.
Kathy wanted to talk to me. She was super sweet & calm (like always) on the phone and asked me to give her the rundown of what was happening. I filled her in and said, “if this isn’t actual labor this time, I don’t know what is”. I let her know I just got sick, which typically means a baby in about two hours for me. She knows when I say it’s time, it is and quickly made her way to us.
Over the next hour contractions became longer and longer, with hardly any breaks in between. Once I got in the birth tub, the labor meditations went out the window. I can only ignore the discomfort for so long and then work with it. This was intense and nothing my mom did was helping. We started with cool washcloths on my neck and alternated warm & cool washcloths on my back during each contraction.
I prayed, talked to my guides & angels and decided I needed to connect with my baby. This was hard and we needed to work together.
Kathy arrived and took a few minutes to listen to the baby. She sounded great and Kathy knew no matter what suggestions she made, I get into a position to labor and need to stay there! Everyone took turns doing hip squeezes for me, which made a world of difference. During contractions, we chatted & laughed and I tried hard to focus on the conversation. I asked Kathy if her nurse was coming this time. Lucky for me Andrea lives close by and was now a midwife. I was overwhelmed with emotion and so excited, as Andrea assisted with Jude’s birth.
The contractions continued to build in intensity and I begged Chris to use some type of deep pressure on my back. He was doing hip squeezes so hard, I had bruises the next day. Andrea arrived in the meantime and everyone kept whispering words of encouragement.
With the next contraction I felt my body push. I told Kathy I felt “pushy” and she let me know, she could feel me pushing too. I had Chris wake Bianca and Jude, Bianca did not want to miss it. My mom let the midwives do their thing, and helped as the kids patiently waited & watched.
For those of you who have given birth, there is no way to really articulate what happens next. I knew in my heart & soul she was ready, and I could hear her whisper “it’s time”. I went deep within myself, yet somehow completely outside of my body to bring her here.
The sounds I made were primitive. I grunted & roared so loud, my throat hurt the next morning. To be honest, I didn’t care. At first I was concerned, but quickly realized, this was her birth and her process. I reminded myself to breathe and lean into each contraction. I could feel her descending and just let it happen. At one point I asked Kathy & Chris, “is she crowning”? Kathy told me it was difficult to tell, but it seemed like the amniotic sac was bulging.
I heard Kathy say, “here she comes” and knew someone else would have to catch her. I couldn’t get my hands underneath me, I was gripping Chris’s legs SO hard. With the next contraction, I felt her slip into the water. Kathy caught her and handed her to me to place on my chest. At 3:52 am, she made her way earth-side and into my arms on an 8/8/8 portal.
She was perfection, looking up at me with the biggest eyes. She let out a tiny cry and relief & joy came rushing through me. I told her it was hard for me too, both of us crying, taking each other in.
Bianca couldn’t wait to get her hands on her little sister and Jude was terrified (most likely due to the noises I was making). We let Bianca announce her name and couldn’t wait to share it with family & friends.
We wanted to use something Irish this time and played around with a few names and combinations. Maeve was one we both had on our list coincidentally. Not only was it a favorite from a show we used to watch, but Maeve was a legendary warrior queen in Celtic mythology and means, “she who intoxicates” and “the cause of great joy”. Cecelia means “lily of heaven” and translates to “blind” or “dim sighted”. Blind joy is exactly what this baby is and yet I’ve never felt so seen. Cecilia is also the patron saint of music, and I’m excited to see how this plays out for her.
Kathy asked me if I was ready to get out of the birth pool so she could monitor my bleeding better. We got into bed to relax, rest and let Maeve nurse. Everyone was excited to get a turn to hold her and Bianca eagerly dressed her baby sister, while my mom and stepdad got us all breakfast.
We all settled into bed and snuggled on a total baby high. Everyone was able to nap, but me. All I could do was look around and marvel at these beautiful babies we created.
Being a mother and giving birth, has been one of the greatest gifts of this lifetime for me. There is a sacredness to the number three and we feel such a deep sense of closure after this baby. It is difficult to leave this phase behind, but I am incredibly grateful for how it has shaped me and look forward to all of the exciting years to come. To each of you out there afraid of birth, all I can say is, lean in. You have an innate wisdom running deep in your veins and bringing life into the world is your super power. No matter how it happens.
