Abrielle River Ince
July 18, 2013 9:04 a.m.
7 lbs. 15 oz.
20 inches
Dear Abrielle,
I had the pleasure of meeting your family, for the first time, in your home. Your Mama and Daddy and I got to know each other and talked about your big brother and your big sister’s births, how your mom was feeling throughout your pregnancy, and her hopes for your birth.
You are so blessed to have such a strong, confident mother, who knows exactly what she wants and is grounded in her faith to help guide her to achieve it. After several meetings, we were able to really connect in order to identify how to work as a team at your birth.
In the days leading up to your birth day, your Mama’s body was working hard processing her experiences birthing Sami and Noah, contracting, and getting ready for you.
On July 15th, your Mama began experiencing prodromal labor. The waves would come and go throughout the next several days, testing your Mama’s emotions and endurance. She is strong though, and proud. She labored on and waited for you to choose your birth day.
On the evening of Wednesday, July 17th, my back up doula, Jess, and I came to your home to spend some time with your Mama. We spent a couple of hours talking, laughing, and trying to help her to relax. In those hours, I learned so much about your Mama. I learned that her faith helps keep her grounded and that no matter how hard she tries to control things in her life, in her heart, she is accepting of letting life fall into place, as it may.
At 7:25 a.m. the next morning, I received a message from your Mama that she was heading to the hospital after being up since midnight with contractions. When she arrived at the hospital, she was admitted after finding out that she was dilated to 6 cm. I arrived to the hospital around 8:45 a.m. to find your Mama ready to bring you Earthside. As soon as I got to her side, she laid on her back ready to push, but found that position to be uncomfortable. As she turned to her hands and knees, leaning over the birth ball, she closed her eyes, and peacefully continued to labor through each wave.
After the past few days of prodromal labor that tried her patience, having to face the reality that pregnancy and birth are out of our control, I quietly whispered words of strength, of courage, and of hope to your Mama, in hopes that those words would be exactly what she needed to birth you. As she sang her birth song, my words floated through the air from my lips to her ears. After a few pushes, your head and body were born at 9:04 a.m.. Your beautiful hair, and delicate features resembling your older siblings, graced the room. Your proud Daddy watched with amazement as he realized that his heart just grew by another mile.
Dear sweet Abrielle, thank you for letting me witness your first breath. You are blessed with a family that loves you more than all of the stars in the sky. Enjoy every moment with them and welcome to the World.
**Written by Rebecca and shared with permission from the Ince family**