Faryn and Jason are close friends of ours. One day in the fall of 2019 Faryn and Jason were in my home and we were talking about a project that they were working together on. When they were about to leave they said: “also, we have some news for you… we are pregnant!” I danced, I screamed, and I celebrated! Two dear friends were now three. They shared with me that they had just found out and I was the first person they were sharing their news with- what an honor! It was even more an honor when a few months later they asked me to be their doula and support them through their birthing journey.
At 11pm on Saturday May 30th I got this text from Faryn: “We’re going to bed but tonight was the most activity I’ve felt. Strong cramping but nothing too consistent and not lasting longer than 30 seconds. We’ll see if the body just wanted to warm up.” Turns out labor was definitely beginning because just 45 minutes later Jason texted me and let me know that the contractions had become consistent and more intense and Faryn was having a hard time resting. At 1:30am on the 31st contractions were three minutes apart and about a minute long. At 2am I joined the Janke’s at their home and the contractions slowed down a bit and Faryn was able to get a little rest in between waves. The rest was short lived however and after allowing them to build in intensity we decided it was time to head to the birth center. We got to the birth center around 5:15am and Faryn was already 7-8cm dilated. Contractions were every 2 min and about a minute long. At 6:40am Faryn got into the tub to get some relief. Things slowed down a bit and she was able to get a little longer breaks between her contractions, but again, this was short lived. Things intensified and at 10am we decided to take a break from the tub and try and get some rest on the bed. At this point Faryn was very tired from no sleep and having very consistent and intense contractions. Faryn was able to get some sleep between contractions for a half hour and then was jarred awake with some very intense contractions. We made our way to the tub to see if that would give some relief, thinking baby would make an appearance very soon. However, after a 45min and still being in the same spot we took a break from the tub and began to try some things to help bring baby down. Over the next 9 hours Faryn did everything she could to bring her baby down. We created a sling, we labored on the toilet, we did some rebozo techniques, and tried to get rest whenever possible. At 9pm Faryn began to feel the urge to push. Jason held her, encouraged her, and cried with her as she used all her might and power to push her baby out. At 11:44pm on May 31st Faryn reached down and grabbed her sweet baby and placed him on her chest. Jason announced that they had a sweet baby BOY and his name would be Ira David. Jason and Faryn were filled with joy and relief to finally meet their sweet baby Earth-side. It had been a very long 24 hours and they were ready to soak up all the baby snuggles and get some rest.
After getting settled in Ira got his newborn exam and was a healthy 8lbs 2oz and 21” long. Ira’s name means “watchful” and there is no better way to describe him in his first hours of life. He was eyes wide open taking in all of the new world he was experiencing.
When announcing your birth, Ira, your parents shared this: “Ira means ‘watchful’ in Hebrew and our heart for him is that he would be watchful for those that feel & are unseen. We pray he grows in wisdom to love all-encompassing.” I echo this prayer that they have prayed over you! You are already filled with the immense love that your parents pour into you everyday. They are teaching you about sacrificial, unconditional, abundant love. My prayer is that you receive their care and then shower it out on to those that the world overlooks. You are deeply loved, dear one, and I pray that love propels every step you take.
