First Friday Birth Story! This month: Megan Halstead and her baby girl, Trystan!

We love birth stories! Each one is unique and amazing. If you'd like to share yours, you can use the button below to submit it. We will read (and probably cry) over each one, and then post one on the first Friday of every month! 

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Mama: Megan Halstead
Baby: Trystan
Due Date: Thursday, June 21, 2012
Birthday: Thursday, June 28, 2012

I had an all natural (no meds, no interventions, vaginal) home birth. My husband and I had decided to go the home birth route after having a doctor deal with our previous miscarriage very coldly. We found an amazing midwife and absolutely were reassured that we were making the right decision.

As many women before me, especially those who go the natural non-induction route, my due date came and went. I was busy chasing after an almost 2 year old and sweating in the hot Vegas summer. My water broke at 12:30 am exactly a week after my due date. Within three hours my midwife, her assistant, my doula, and the doula we rented the birthing tub from arrived, my photographer showed up 30 min later.

I started pushing and was fully dilated at 3:45 am. This had me worried because my husband was working four hours away and I didn’t think he was going to make it in time! But thankfully, he arrived around 4:15 am to help me through the pushing.

I had done 90% of the laboring on my own, only needing help to walk between the toilet and floor and bath tub. We all made the decision to not set up the birth tub because we didn’t think there would be enough time since it takes a minimum of 45 minutes to fill it. The doula who delivered the tub decided to stay until I delivered, thinking it would only be a half hour or so. Thank goodness she did stay because she was probably the most helpful with her words in getting through the tough times.

Low and behold I was birthing a giant for my body size and it took until 7:12 am to push her out. Three and a half hours, med free. From Trystan crowning to being born was five minutes of burning h-e-double hockey sticks! They don’t call it the ring of fire for nothing! But, we got through it and I delivered a healthy, 9.5 lb baby girl. No tearing at all (this amazed me in itself).

My husband and I have so much gratitude for our midwife and whole birth team!

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Thanks, Megan for sharing your story with us! What a blessing to have such a fantastic support team around you as you welcome your baby girl! Give Trystan all our love!

#WorkforceGEAR Labor Day Giveaway - WINNERS!

We had more than 1200 entries into the #WorkforceGEAR Labor Day Giveaway!  It has been a blast seeing all the different ways you all celebrate and take time off for Labor Day....and some of you, IN Labor Day! lol  

Here are some of our favorites... AND the WINNERS!

@lmccready24

@krazed79

@anmg13

@naturesnurturebtq

@cbleavitt

@brandyluangrath

@ab1987

@asiamoore

And the winners are...

PRIZE PACKAGE #1

@_leee_leee_

PRIZE PACKAGE #2

@myseekai

PRIZE PACKAGE #3

@seriouskrystyn

Thank you to all who participated! Stay tuned for more fun!