Thoughts, Feelings and Impressions- not exactly a birth story, but still sharing about the experience.
Gwendolyn Fae Febbo
2:22pm
October 6th, 2025
8 lb 3 oz (weighed after pooping twice and peeing)
20 in long
That was so intense. The whole few days leading up to today were a long lesson in surrendering and letting God lead. It was difficult and at times felt isolating and almost desperate, but the day and time came regardless of all my doubts and worries.
The ‘induction’ plan did NOT go how I expected. None of it went the same way it did for Link’s birth, and the way my body responded this time had me wondering at what was or wasn’t happening. After the double bubble was placed I started having some pretty strong contractions through the night. I couldn’t lay down and didn’t sleep hardly at all. Finally by about 4:30am the contractions slowed enough for me to lie down and rest for a couple hours.
The circuit in the morning also didn’t go the same and I wasn’t having normal contractions after finishing the whole regimen, and I wondered what that meant for the induction. The midwife told us to come in and we could break my waters to keep it all going.
Once we got to the birth center and Lindsay checked my progress she offered to break my waters. I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes at this point and knew that if she broke my waters it would be fast and intense and I was very right. I took a few minutes to just sit (and breath through contractions) and prepare my mind for what was ahead. I sat on the toilet during that time and mentioned how I felt like I was constipated, except that is had diarrhea all morning because of the castor oil… Lindsay assured me that feeling was pressure from Gwen’s head not constipation. I had several contractions during this time and in retrospect believe I was coming into active labor, but because of the irregularity and up and down of the contractions from the last several hours I wasn’t sure if I could trust the rushes I was getting now.
Maybe 10 minutes or so later I told her I was ready and she broke my waters. Lots and lots and LOTS of waters. She thought she had prepared with enough pee pads and such but it spilled way over.
It was incredibly fast and furious then. Highly intense contractions and lots of coaching and convincing through it all.
Warren wasn’t as physically involved in Gwen’s birth as he was with Link’s, largely because it was so intense and so fast I didn’t know how to get the help I needed. After breaking my water I did return to the toilet for just a minute but quickly switched to the bath. The first couple minutes in the bath were pure relief, but when the first contraction hit it was incredibly intense and already had me doubting my capacity to cope. Only one or two contractions later and I was getting that urge to bear down and push but didn’t want to hurt/tear/rush, so did my best to breath through it all. Lindsay encouraged me through a couple position changes and every time I changed position the next contraction was even more intense. I think we only changed position twice, from sitting to side lying with my leg over the side of the tub, then to my knees. Only one or two contractions later, the ‘urge to push’ feeling went from inclination to NEED. She was born in just a couple of contractions worth of pushing. I remember feeling frustrated that the bath was too narrow and I couldn’t move my knees any wider.
Gwen was born in the water, I heard Lindsay say “head is out” and remember feeling the need to rush her body out too so she wasn’t under too long. Lindsay passed her through my legs so I could hold her but pretty much immediately told me I needed to stand and get out of the tub so she could address Gwen. Gwen wasn’t breathing yet. Lindsay was calm and collected while directing me (and physically supporting me) to the bedside so I could put Gwen there and she could administer some “breaths.” After Gwen coughed and breathed she was given back to me and I was ushered to the bed where I held Gwen and waited for some more contractions for the placenta. This placenta was the toughest I have delivered. All the others I hardly remember needing to push but this one took a couple contractions of intentional pushing to deliver- and it was huge. Nearly double the size of a typical placenta according to the Midwife.
Gwen didn’t have an easy or quick first latch like her siblings had, it was a bit of a challenge to get her to open her mouth wide enough at all. We decided to try again in a little and give Warren some skin-to-skin time. I took a little seated shower then to clean up and it felt wonderful. I returned to bed with clean clothes and we ordered sandwiches to be delivered. Gwen finally latched after that, and also pooped a little in the towel she’d been wrapped up in. We decided to finally try and get her weight and check up with everything, so Lindsay took her from me. When she was just a step away from the scale, Gwen erupted with both a big poop and pee all over Lindsay!
She weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces but I would have guessed a few extra ounces of actual birth weight were missed from that eruption.
(Timeline notes from Hailey)-
12:45 Arrived at birth center
When checked after arriving, was Dilated to a 5
1:37 broke water
1:55 bath
“Warren?”
“Yeah?”
“This is hard.”
2:06 “I feel like pushing!”
2:20 crowned
2:22 born
“I love her”
“She’s much smaller than link”
“Alright sweetie, come on, it’s time. It’s time to say hello.”
“She’s moving, she’s there.”
2:23 baby coughed and breathed
“There we go, there you are, that was good”
2:23 first cry
2:25 first sneeze 
2:31 placenta clamped
2:33 Placenta delivered
2:53 first time nursing
2:59 placenta cord cut by Warren
3:00 skin to skin with Warren
3:15 finally latched!
- this birth was HARD
- A fast birth does NOT equal an easy birth. People seem to be thinking that it is but it definitely isn’t.
- the intensity was a little frightening
- I truly did my best to surrender to the Lord with constant prayer in my heart and mind and let me body lead
- Lindsey was amazing, even though I had originally wished Jeanine could have delivered Gwen since she delivered Link, Lindsey knew just what to say to coach me through the intense contractions and was quick and calm when Gwen was not breathing after birth.
- Gwen pooped twice and peed once before we weighed her, so the weight is probably not quite accurate.
- She did not latch right away. She didn’t want to open her mouth at all, already my toughest baby to learn feeding with.
- The placenta was giant. They said it was nearly 2 times the size of the average.
