Labor support for military families.

The phone rang a little after midnight on a Monday morning. When I heard her voice the adrenaline rush hit, the way it always does when one of my clients calls. Jane was a client sent to me through Operation Special Delivery, which provides free birth doula services to military wives whose husbands are deployed during the birth of their babies. Jane's husband was not due back for another six weeks. Jane wanted me to be there to support her through an unmedicated birth.

I could see my breath that cold morning as I climbed in the car and tossed my birth bag on the seat next to me. I had a few minutes to think as the car warmed up; I love being on call, but it changes my life drastically. Each of my days are planned so that I can leave whenever my clients need me. Now, at one in the morning, I was in my car driving to a hospital I had never been to, in order to assist a woman I had only met twice give birth to her baby.

When I arrived, Jane and her friend Nicole were in triage. I checked in to let her know I was there, got her some ice water, and headed back out to the waiting area because of the one visitor rule. About an hour later, we all started walking the hallways.

One of my favorite parts of birth is early labor. As we ambled down the dark corridors, I learned what Jane was giving her two young daughters for Christmas and that she had been disappointed in the movie she been watching that night. She talked about how she and her husband met, and the surprises in their marriage. Then she and Nicole began guessing his whereabouts that night as they looked out through the hospital windows at the ships in the Naval Station port. During each contraction, we would stop and she would hang on to the rail and sway, and then pick up mid-sentence where she had left off before it started.

After an hour, we headed to a birthing room. Lying flat on her back was excruciating as the nurse hung a new IV, checked her, and hooked up the fetal monitor. As soon as she could, I encouraged her to flip on her side, and put pressure on her sacrum. Soon we got up for a bathroom trip, and the nurse got a birth ball for Jane. She had known since our first prenatal visit that this was where she wanted to labor and got into a rhythm of moaning to cope with the contractions. Nicole sat in front of her, providing counter traction as I pressed on her back. I was in awe of how well she was doing, moaning with her during the contractions, and letting my tired arms rest in between them.

After an hour of strong labor, Jane headed back to the bathroom, but was caught halfway there by a contraction. She leaned on me and we swayed through it. Then she headed back to bed, to see how far labor had progressed. Her back was still aching, and after being check at 7 cm, she began the hardest part of her labor. Nicole and I helped her turn on her side, but the contractions were overwhelming. With our strong encouragement and some coaching in light breathing, she began again coping through the contractions. Within a half an hour, she felt the urge to push.

With her nurse holding one leg and Nicole holding the other, I positioned myself at the headboard of the hospital bed and held her hand. She needed no coaching; her body was telling her exactly what she needed to do. I just encouraged her with every contraction, letting her know she was doing an incredible job. In between contractions, she asked for a cold cloth, but when I went to move my hand so I could get to the sink, she looked directly at me. She said, "No, I need you right here next to me." I was amazed at how powerful the bond between us was; in a few short hours I had become a friend, a support, and a comfort. Just as the sun rose, Jane pushed out a big baby boy, sunny side up. She was amazing.

The phone rang just as she began breastfeeding, for which both mom and baby needed little encouragement. Jane's mom was calling to find out about the new grandchild, and so she could let Dad know his son had been born. Her room had a view of the water and the ships, which again made her think of her husband and where he was this morning. We talked quietly as she fed and admired her new son. I felt so privileged to be there for Jane that morning.

I encourage anyone who is interested in volunteering to doula for women whose husbands are deployed to contact Operation Special Delivery at www.operationspecialdelivery.com, You can also volunteer with Operation Doula Care. Their web site is www.operationdoulacare.org. There are so many women in need and these organizations are always in need of volunteers, and my experience volunteering has been extraordinary.

Kelly Beeken CD (DONA/PALS), CLE (CAPPA). Size is the Virginia State Coordinator for Operation Special Deliver. She also volunteers win Operation Doula Care .She is an ALACE Childbirth Educator in Training.

Names were changes to protect confidentiality. This birth story was used with the mother's permission.