I gave birth to Lennon Joseph Jaques on April 24th 2021. It was long and hard but it made me love birth more than I already did (I didn’t know that was possible). After 47 hours of labor, I proclaimed that “I will do it again and again”. Our birth story is posted on my personal instagram account @alexajoyjaques if you would like to indulge.
Postpartum is tiresome and messy and beautiful all at the same time! We are so thankful for Lennon Joseph! have openings for due dates in August, October, November, and December 2021 and in January 2022 for anyone that may be looking to add a doula to your birth team. If you aren’t sure if you want a doula, feel free to message me and we can talk about whether its a good option for you and your partner
~ Birth Blessings to All ~
My birth story with Lennon Joseph:
“Around 1 pm I felt my first contraction. They were coming and going throughout the afternoon. I needed to get out of the house and move my body, so we did one of my favorite activities. A family hike. We ventured through the woods at North Park. I only had to stop a couple times to give my body the rest it and Lennon was calling for. It was peaceful and I acknowledged that this would be the last hike we took with one child in tow and shed a tear or two.
We came home and ate what would be my last meal for basically the next two days. We went to bed and around 2am I woke up with some pretty strong contractions. These were different than what I felt with Leo. Sharp. Intense. Harder. I labored at home with Leo for about 8 hours. I went fast with him. I was very dilated by the time we got to the hospital. I was only in labor for about 10 hours with him before my labor was stopped in order to preform a cesarean due to his breech position. This. This was much different.
We got in our vehicle and drove across the city around 3 am to get to Jefferson Hospital, which is 45 minutes from our house and on the complete opposite side of Pittsburgh. I wanted this midwifery group and this story explains why I wanted these women in my corner.
To my surprise I was only 3 cm and 100% effaced when we arrived at the hospital. I was embarrassed. My contractions were 4 to 5 minutes apart and intense, so I was sure I was further along. Plus I’ve been at this for 12 + hours now. The midwife encouraged me to leave because if I stayed I would need to be on a monitor with Lennon and I didn’t want that. Monitoring limits mobility. Movement is key to an unmedicated birth. So, we left. We went and got a hotel room nearby because I was afraid to drive all the way home and have a baby in the car.”
We got in our vehicle and drove across the city around 3 am to get to Jefferson Hospital, which is 45 minutes from our house and on the complete opposite side of Pittsburgh. I wanted this midwifery group and this story explains why I wanted these women in my corner.
To my surprise I was only 3 cm and 100% effaced when we arrived at the hospital. I was embarrassed. My contractions were 4 to 5 minutes apart and intense, so I was sure I was further along. Plus I’ve been at this for 12 + hours now. The midwife encouraged me to leave because if I stayed I would need to be on a monitor with Lennon and I didn’t want that. Monitoring limits mobility. Movement is key to an unmedicated birth. So, we left. We went and got a hotel room nearby because I was afraid to drive all the way home and have a baby in the car.”