all in a days work

Yesterday morning at about 2:00am I got the call. It was the call I had been waiting for for about two weeks. She said "Hannah, my water just broke and I am having really strong contractions." I said, "ok, I will be right over. She was having a homebirth and lives about 25 minutes away. Surprisingly, I was not nervous or anxious despite the fact that this was only my second "natural birth" and the other one I had attended was not truly "natural" (that story is for another time). I had been praying a lot that I would have the instincts to know what to do for her when the time came. I had also been praying very specifically that I would be able to attend all of her birth and that the baby would not come at a time that I could not get to her immediately due to other obligations.

I arrived at their home at about 2:4oam. She was still in first stage labor and dealing very well with her contractions. We tried several different positions for her to be comfortable. I did some massaging on her back to ease her contactions as well. Ultimately she found the bathtub willed with warm water to be most comforting. She had prepared for this birth which The Bradley Method (taught by my friend Donna) and with hypnobirthing techniques. While in the tub, she became very peaceful and allowed her body to work for her not against her. So much so, that none of the midwives, nor I, could really tell when she was having contractions. Although exteremely tired, she was very relaxed and trusted her body at that point. As she got close to second stage (pusing) she wanted to be out of the bathtub. As it was being drained for her to safely get out, she began to have the strong urge to push. It seemed as though she wasn't going to be getting out of the tub and that the birth was going to take place right there. With her husband and I at her head coaching her along, she had one midwife at her bottom and one midwife at her side. With several pushes a baby girl was born at 5:22am. Mother and baby bonded right away. After immediately nursing, mother and baby enjoyed an herbal bath together. Dad did an awesome job in his support roll for her. It isn't always easy to fully understand the needs of a laboring woman and, in my opinion, we worked together well to achieve the mothers needs. I stayed for about two hours postpartum to ensure mother, family and baby were doing well. The midwives were going to stay for a few hours as well. I will be visiting her at least one postpatum depending on her needs.

I feel very honored to have been a part of the birth. It is such an intimate experience for the family and to be asked to attend is such a wonderful feeling. I enjoy working along side women who desire to have an amazing and memorable birth experience. I know that having support and comfort during that time means a lot to moms..... and dads too!

And, I highly recommend the midwives at The Cleburne Birthing Center in Cleburne, TX. They were amazing!