For reasons of privacy I will change the names of all the babies I witness being born as well as the moms. This story however is true only identifying facts will be changed.
It was a beautiful day I was walking about with a friend and my partner looking for housing for him and his wife. I got the call mid day that Angelica was on her way! I said my goodbyes and ran home, literally. I was so excited this would be my first birth and I wanted to get there right away.
When I arrived the mother of the mother to be wondered what my role would be now as we waited. My role was going to be to pamper mom to be as much as possible and keep her comfortable as long as possible.
The midwives wanted the mother to be to rest as it was going to be a long day. Now anyone who has given birth knows one thing, trying to rest on the day your baby is about to be born is like asking a child to sleep on Christmas morning before unwrapping the gifts. Not likely going to happen.
After it was clear she would not sleep I spent the time massaging her legs, hands, and arms. Walking with her, encouraging her to eat something, drink and pee. I know it sounds odd that you would encourage someone to pee but really it helps progress Labour. I pressed on pressure points to aid in her uterine contractions.
When it was clear the contractions were close enough we called in to the midwives and headed to the hospital. We laughed and kept mom breathing during the ride making sure we did not lose her to the fear of the increasing pain. At the hospital the family said goodbye and we headed into the room. It was mom's choice to have me be the only person in the room with her.
The midwives were amazing. We used Hydrotherapy, position changes, massage, and vocalization to get through it all. As the contractions got stronger and stronger it took more concentration to continue to stay on track. In the end Angelica was born healthy and alert, the drug free birth her mother wanted all along. Angelica was placed on her mother within seconds of being born and never left her mothers sight. She was able to nurse in the first hour of her life and then the both of them were released to go home and recover.
It says a lot about having midwives at the birth, the room was calm, quiet, and peaceful. Mom's comfort was what was most important to us all. There were no nurses rushing in and out, no interns to fuss with and no one pressured mom during the low moments to get drugs. Mom had a choice if she wanted something she could ask it was in her court. In the end Mom trusted in her body, in her midwives and in me, the result was a beautiful, healthy, alert baby girl.
I smiled for days afterwards it was truly the most amazing experience I have gone through and I look forward to my next.
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