A Birth Led by the Body, Supported by Doula

A hospital birth in SWFL that started with Cytotec induction and was guided by trust in the body.  Written and shared with strength by Caitlin, the amazing mom who lived it!

Mackenzie Joseph Benarroch 

October 28, 2025 at 11:24am 

7lbs 12oz, 20 inches  

I know there are a lot of things out of our control when it comes to birth, but one thing I felt I could control this time was the support I had in place, which is why I turned to Mindful Birth Doulas. After a very traumatic experience with the birth of my first son in 2023, I knew I wanted additional support this time around. I could not be more grateful for the experience we had with the support of Tara as our doula. I truly felt like this was my redemption birth and I got to take it all in and walk away with a clear mind and memory of it all, and enter the fourth trimester so positively. 

We welcomed our second baby boy, Mackenzie Joseph Benarroch into the world on October 28, 2025 at 11:24am. 

We arrived at the hospital around 10am on the 27th for a scheduled induction due to gestational diabetes. Thankfully, I was able to stay diet controlled through my pregnancy, and although I really wanted a spontaneous labor, the doctor still recommended an induction at 39 weeks. I was also high risk for preeclampsia due to my first pregnancy and was on a close watch of my blood pressure. So I didn’t argue and went along with the planned induction, which ended up being at 39+2. 

Upon arrival at the hospital my BP was quite high and they were taking it often to see if it was going to remain high or if it was mostly anxiety (which it was). The trauma from my first really messed with my anxiety my entire pregnancy, so I tracked my BP at home regularly. While I was excited to give birth and meet my baby, I was so nervous to end up on magnesium again this time around, so as soon as I got that first high BP reading in the hospital I was freaking out a bit. They did some bloodwork to be safe and after that came back normal and a bit of time went by, it thankfully came down enough for me to calm down. 

I was given Cytotec to start the induction process every 4 hours. This part of the induction was very calm and just a hurry up and wait kind of feeling. My husband, Joe, and I watched some Netflix, called family, and tried to rest while we waited. I was given my 3rd round around 11pm and we tried to get some sleep. Around 1am is when things started to get real! Contractions had started earlier in the night but were not strong or consistent. By around 1 AM they were getting stronger and more painful and no longer allowing me to sleep. At this point I was still only around 1.5cm and baby was high. I moved around the room a lot which helped, used a birth ball and did some exercises recommended by Tara. By around 3 AM, I was in a lot of pain and thinking I was ready for an epidural. I called Tara in because I was nervous about the administration of the epidural. Tara was quick to arrive and I was receiving my epidural by around 4am. It went smoothly, however didn’t seem to be fully working. The anesthesiologist did have to come back and check on it and administer some additional meds, and then I got some relief, however still feeling more than I would have liked. Contractions continued into the early morning getting stronger and so close together I was hardly getting breaks. Tara was so helpful during this time. She helped me breathe through them and constantly reminded me not to tense up. Staying relaxed helped. We moved around a lot, using the peanut ball, to keep things progressing.

The doctor came in around 7am to check me and intended to break my water. Turned out my water had ruptured on its own and I was now around 4cm. Things got spicy, as I called it in the moment, from here on out. The contractions were strong and I likely had was I was told was a hot spot in my lower abdomen, an area where the epidural was not working. My legs were completely numb but in this one area I could feel every contraction and it was rough. Tara helped with counter pressure on my lower back and I continued to breathe through them. Although this part of labor went really fast, it felt like forever because of the pain. 

My nurse checked me again in a bit, because contractions had been so strong. At this point she noted to Tara that baby had turned face down. I didn’t know exactly what this meant and was a bit nervous, but Tara and my nurse, Jessica, reassured me that it was ok, but that we were going to try some positions to get baby to turn back. Tara and Jessica worked together to put me in all sorts of positions, including one that was required me to get on my knees and hang over a peanut ball. Mind you - I could not feel my lower body, so this was a fun one to get into. Tara and Jessica had me fully supported though and at this point I was just laughing about it. Moving around with no feeling in your legs is an experience in itself! After all the moving around, Jessica checked me again around 10am, and I was complete. She called it 9cm to give me a bit of time to labor down. But things seemed to go very fast from here on out. 

After checking me again shortly after 11am, they had me do a few practice pushes, and the doctor was called because baby’s head was right there. My doctor entered the room not long after to prep for delivery, and as I was laying there, not even with feet in the stirrups yet, I hear Jessica exclaim, “Dr. Nguyen, the head!” And baby’s head was coming! I didn’t even push. Once doctor was there catching, they had me give one big push and the rest of his body was out! 

The next couple minutes are a bit of a blur, as baby came out quickly and a bit dramatically. He came out with the cord wrapped around his abdomen and then around the neck. Thankfully it didn’t seem like it was to tightly wrapped. He let out one cry and then as my husband describes it, he went limp. The doctor had Joe urgently cut the cord and announce that we had a baby boy (until this point we did not know). The nurses quickly called the NICU team and baby was taken over to the warmer and given oxygen. I eyed Joe to go with him and Tara stayed with me keeping me calm. I was freaking out internally not knowing what was going on. Although it seemed like a lifetime later, I think it was barely a minute or two before baby Mack let out a reassuring cry. The NICU team entered the room and were told they were no longer needed. Baby was ok and was cleaned up a bit and brought right to my chest where he belonged. I have never felt relief like that in my entire life. I cried tears of joy that my baby was ok, that I was ok, and that I had just safely delivered my baby in the most redeeming and magical way I could have ever imagined. I was induced, but outside of a few rounds of Cytotec, my body knew what to do and did it all! I did that. No Pitocin, no breaking my water, no additional intervention. My body did that. I did that! And I was beyond happy. 

This birth experience has left me feeling so grateful, so empowered, and so relieved. I truly feel this experience would not have been as positive without the help of Tara. She was right there with me through the hardest parts. She has this calmness about her that I can only describe as a super power. My anxiety goes from 0 to 100 real quick, but she kept me calm and comfortable through even the toughest parts of my labor. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. And she helped me through it. I cannot recommend having a doula enough! 

Baby Mack is the perfect addition to our family. We are in newborn bliss and loving every minute.  

Caitlin + Joe, we’re so happy for you and your growing family, and grateful to Caitlin for sharing her story with such honesty and strength.

Tara + The Mindful Birth Doulas

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