It’s so fun to be a midwife’s midwife! We are just like any other pregnant mom who feels like we have lost our brain for 9 months. All the blood that is normally circulating in the brain is now circulating around that uterus. We have no memory for nine months just like most other pregnant moms. We forget that an estimated due date is just that, an ESTIMATE, and we forget even the most common sense things that we know we know. We sometimes forget to eat, drink and take care of ourselves, because we are too busy taking care of everyone else. You see; we really are no different from the ordinary pregnant mom.
I tell my clients that by the time they deliver we are BEST friends! We really have a trusting relationship and are usually on the phone everyday the last week. This mom was no different, we stayed in touch because she was having a lot of contractions, and at the same time was moving into a new house with lots of finishing work still to be done, had sick children, then she caught the bug herself, it was hunting season, and she didn’t want her husband and son to miss out on this father/son experience, not to mention a LOT of other outside pressure.
It was midnight, and mom calls to let me know what was going on. She didn’t want me to come quite yet, but “just be ready so when I call you can come quick”, she said. I already had all my ducks in a row, I called my assistant and she came to sleep at my house until we got THE call.
3:00 AM Dad calls and says it’s time, contx are 2 minutes apart, and mom wanted me to come NOW! My assistant and I were up, dressed, teeth brushed, contacts in, and out the door in less than 10 minutes. When we arrived mom was on the toilet breathing through contx like an experienced mom. I listen to baby’s heart rate and he sounds GREAT. I locate all the birth supplies and get everything set up and in order, ready for a birth. Mom likes her privacy, so I backed off and hung out in the front room, while she and dad were in her bedroom and master bath. I could hear everything going on, I listen closely to her breathing, because this tells me how close mom is, and what best way to assist her is.
4:00 AM Mom wants to get into the tub, as she lowers herself a sigh is heard as she feels instant relief. She and dad are breathing together and working through contx like she had done this five times before!
5:15 AM Mom request a dilation check so I checked her while in the tub and she is 7 cm. Mom feels a little overheated, so we cool the bath water down, put a cool cloth on her head and have her get out to go to the bathroom. Baby’s heart rate is a little high, I attribute this to mom being overheated, so when we cool mom down, I listen again and sure enough, baby was back to his base-line heart rate. Mom was eating ice chips because that is what she is craving. They ate a late dinner, so food wasn’t appealing at all. For the next hour mom was in and out of the tub to the bathroom, and I am listening to baby frequently as I don’t want his heart rate to jump high again, it continued to stay at his perfect base-line.
6:15 AM Mom is feeling lots of pressure, she wanted her other children present, actually, THEY wanted to be present, they missed the last birth because they were at grandma and grandpa’s, and they weren’t about to miss this one. So my assistant went to each of their rooms and woke them up. They all hung out on mom and dads bed to watch their baby brother be born in the large garden bathtub. Well, they started out on the bed, they soon gathered ‘round the tub to get a closer look.
6:25 AM Mom gently pushes out her baby’s head, I had my hands down to help guard her so she wouldn’t tear, but she pushed my hands away, so I honored this, and just held the space for her to receive her 9 lb baby boy with grace and ease! The whole family was gathered ‘round the tub in sheer delight!
