Again, and Blessed

After seven months of no baby-catching, I finally got to do again! And I guess it's like riding a bicycle; I didn't forget how to do it, which I'm sure is a comfort to the parents of this wonderful new little boy. And it was a deep pleasure for me to watch what few nurses and doctors get to see -- a completely natural birth.

Beulah (name changed, as usual) labored ever so quietly. I think she is the quietest laboring mom I have ever watched. As she was a first-time mom, I was amazed at how she handled all the new not-so-pleasant sensations. I arrived with my assistant a little before 5 pm. She had been laboring since 11 am, and her water had broken at 8:30 am. Steve (also name changed) was helping her cope, but she was so easy to help.

I watched her as I got everything ready for my part. Crock pot, washcloths, towels, baby hats, oil, bowl of instruments, gauze, stethoscope, etc, were all gotten ready by me or Amy. She soon started exhibiting signs of transition. I won't go into them all, but they're very obvious to me. So I sent Amy downstairs with the news.

Downstairs were about 20 people, milling around, eating, visiting, giving and receiving massages, taking pictures. They were family, neighbors, friends from church, and were all waiting for this baby. (No pressure, Betsy!) So I would send Amy downstairs every so often with some news of what was going on upstairs in the little birthing sanctuary. Amy was a godsend for me, since my left knee was not wanting to go up and down stairs for anybody. But that's another story.

A little before 6 pm, Beulah said she had felt quite a bit of pressure with the last contraction. So I did a sterile exam and found that she was complete. She was ready to push. (Wonderful news! Woo hoo!) I tell Beulah that she must do a mind switch now. "You have to go from relaxing with your contractions to pushing with them." She very quietly acquiesced. And I sent Amy downstairs with the news.

She pushed for a while in a semi-sitting position on the bed. And she was making progress there, but she was getting tired. So I had her get up (hard to do!) and get on the birthing stool for a while, where we started seeing a little bit of the baby's head. (Good progress!) Steve was sitting on the edge of the bed behind her giving her a place to rest on him between contractions. After a while, however, Beulah said that her toes were going numb. Yeah. The birth stool is a little bit tall, and your legs do go to sleep. So we get her up and on the toilet. The toilet is very similar to the birth stool, but lower.

She sits there for a few contractions, pushing really well. I can't tell what's going on (the downside of the toilet), but I can tell she's making progress. When she tells me that she feels some burning with the last push, I get her off the toilet and back on the bed. Sure enough, the baby's head is crowning, and it doesn't take too many more contractions to have a "full crown," where the fullest part of the head is through.

So the head is born and Steve gets ready to help me catch his baby. I pull a loop of cord over the head and realize that the baby is holding onto the cord with his right hand! Always cool to see the baby's hand peeking out -- I had that experience with my very first catch five years ago. The little white hand waves and wiggles it's fingers. Steve catches the baby's body after we persuade Beulah that one more push is needed. (She's not so convinced about this last push.)

Hurrah! Hurrah! 8:03 and baby is born! I suction and listen and look and give him an Apgar score. Yes, it's a him! Steve checks to see. A son.

The hard part is over. The hard part has begun.

We do the normal postpartum stuff which always seems to take forever, but is all necessary.

The cry that goes up from downstairs when Steve announces it's a boy feels to me like the cheering for a touchdown at a high school stadium. There's so much happiness and love in this little apartment. A new family member. The first grandchild on both sides. The first baby for this couple. A firstborn son.

Grandpa prays over this son. Other grandpa has baked an upside down cake, which is his tradition for new babies.

Amy and I pack up and leave about 11:40 pm. Amy's still on a high. I feel so much satisfaction. Job satisfaction. I have it. Although I don't really feel that it's a job. It's wonderfulness.

And now I can apologize for the long time between posts. I have had some interesting times at home in my "time off" from midwifery, but I didn't share them with you.

I have 10 more babies coming this fall and winter.

God is good.