The Birth of Emory Elle

By Roots Community Birth Center client, Takeia Washington

My first two babies were born in a hospital, and I had an epidural both times. Especially

with my second birth, I found the hospital birth to be a traumatic experience. During my

third pregnancy, I knew I wanted something different. That’s when I found Roots.

Although my third birth was unmedicated and I had the birth center environment I

wanted, I felt very scared. I wanted to trust my body, but I had so much anxiety.

Before my fourth baby was born at Roots, I knew I had to prepare for her birth so I could

feel more in tune with my body. Part of my preparation was the attentive care I received

during prenatal appointments. Unlike the visits with the hospital-based practice during

my first two pregnancies, the Roots team listened to me and allowed me to voice

anything I was worried about. They never brushed me off. Instead, they affirmed me and

took their time.

This was so different from what I experienced with my first two babies. It seemed like all

they did was quickly check me and the baby’s heartbeat. Appointments lasted only a

few minutes. At Roots, the visits were 30 minutes or more, and they said things like,

“How can I support you? How do you feel?” I loved that intimacy with the person who

was caring for me and my child. They looked after me physically, emotionally, and

mentally.

Feeling Contractions, But Was it Labor?

As I continued preparing for my fourth birth, I hired a doula. She sent me videos on how

to properly breathe through contractions, which was helpful. About two days before I

gave birth, I started having contractions. They would be consistent for about two hours,

then they would stop. I was frequently wondering if I was in labor.

In the very early morning hours of August 26, my intuition told me something important

was going to happen. I couldn’t sleep in the bed, so I went to the couch. Between 8 and

9 a.m., I woke up and was having contractions that felt like period cramps. I decided to

wake my husband, so we could get the kids ready to go to my mother-in-law’s house in

South Minneapolis. We left our house around 10 a.m.

After dropping off the kids, my husband and I wanted to have lunch. However, I felt like I

was in active labor, so I thought we’d have to pass on getting food. With the

contractions coming every five minutes, I told my husband to go back to our house so

we could get the diaper bag and car seat. We went through Culver’s drive-thru. As we

drove away with our food toward our house, I couldn’t even eat because the pain was

unbearable. My moan went from “Oooooh” to “Uuuuuugh.”

I called Rebecca and told her that we were going home to grab our stuff and we’d be at

the birth center within 45 minutes. I shared with her that I felt a lot of pressure in my

bottom, and she encouraged me to come straight to the birth center. However, we were

already pulling up to our house, so I figured I might as well get my stuff. Inside our

house, I put on my gown and hoped I would be able to eat something on the way to the

birth center. As we got ready to leave the house, my husband suggested I get in the

back seat. He thought I would be more comfortable there than in the front seat. But that

did not work because he hit every pothole and every corner hard! As he drove, I quickly

grew afraid that I would have the baby in the car. Rachel called me and asked how far

away we were. I said 10-15 minutes, but the contractions were taking me out.

Arriving at Roots...Finally!

As soon as we got to Roots, I collapsed in Rachel’s arms and said, “Oh my goodness,

finally I’m here!” We live about 45 minutes away; it had felt like a long time in the car.

“I’m going to have this baby!” I announced. Rachel started running water for the birth

tub, and Kiana asked if she could check my cervix. My water broke, I was nine

centimeters dilated, and I hadn’t even been there for five minutes!

After about six minutes in the birth pool, I told the midwives that I needed to push. They

encouraged me to do what I needed to do. “If you feel like you need to push, go ahead

and push,” they said. I was in control of everything. It was my body, my choice. Pushing

was my favorite moment because I didn’t really think about the contractions. It was a

relief to push.

Within 15 minutes of arriving at Roots, my doula arrived, and I pushed out my baby and

caught her in the water. Emory Elle Washington was born at 2:38 p.m. on August 26,

2022, weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long. I felt so relieved

that she was here, that she was safe. I was safe, too. When I was pregnant, I had had

many crazy dreams that something bad would happen during birth. My anxiety was so

bad during my pregnancy. I couldn’t enjoy it because I was so scared, but after Emory

was born, I felt happy and peaceful.

I surprised myself with my strength. That day, I was looking strong in the eyes; I could

not believe it. I felt proud as hell of myself. With my third birth, I let my anxiety take

control. But this time, even with my anxiety, I was able to experience everything I didn’t

get to last time. I trusted my body to do what it was meant to do. I breathed and pushed

correctly. Thirty minutes after I had Emory, I took a shower, and I felt super good. My

bleeding was normal, and I had no tears or scratches.

Reflecting on My Roots Experience

We stayed at the birth center for about four hours. I finally got to eat some of my food: A

spicy chicken sandwich and onion rings! My husband and I relaxed on the bed with our

new baby. My husband was emotionally connected to the experience — more so than

with the third birth. That time, he didn’t want to get in the way, or do or say the wrong

thing. This time, he was hands on, even sitting on the side of the tub by me.

During the immediate postpartum, I held Emory and calmed her. Anytime someone else

touched her, she instantly cried. As soon as I had her, she was calm. She knew I was

her mom. She was safe with me, protecting her. As we snuggled, she got to my breast

and latched on right away. We’ve had a great breastfeeding experience.

Thinking back on my last birth center experience, I wish I could’ve done it that way with

my first two babies. The Roots team gave me nothing but love and support. For anyone

looking for out-of-hospital options, I would encourage you to advocate for yourself. At

Roots, there’s a community. It’s like a family. That’s just how they treat their clients.

Don’t be scared. They know what they’re doing.

Are you inspired by Takeia’s birth story and want to learn more about prenatal care and

birth services at Roots? Call the front desk at 612-338-2784 or fill out our online form.

Photo credits: Josephine Salamonski