6 posts tagged “baby”
My last birth was an epic one with days of labor and slow progression but an amazingly strong mama who birthed a big healthy baby! Early this morning I attended a quick birth. I had thought that last night would be a perfect night for my client to give birth (avoiding a non-stress test and such). I layed out all my things assuming she would call and then at 1 am when she did, I was so happy to hear from her! Water had broken and she was starting to feel contractions. I went over within an hour and things were going quickly. Within 45 minutes we decided to head into the hospital since she was planning to birth about 25 minutes by car away (in good traffic, which thankfully we had!). By the end of the car ride her contractions were shifting towards pushing contractions and I was hearing the small grunting sounds that often accompany this shift.
Last night I attended the birth of a little boy to an Orthodox Jewish family while they were beginning to celebrate Passover. She had called in the morning to let me know something seemed to be happening but several hours later she called sounding upset and reporting that it seemed to be fading. But it picked back up again and the next time I heard from her the intensity was building. We made plans and I came over at 8:30. She was the most composed laboring woman I have ever seen. Silently breathing through incredibly strong contractions as she rocked, bounced, and danced the baby down. And then just after 1:30 this morning she pushed he 7 lb baby into the breathing world with such grace and his sweet cries were like magic. Always a blessing to attend the birth of a baby.
Wow. This week has been so full. It was amazing to watch two babies come into the world after quick, intense labors. The first, on Easter, was a first time mom in a hospital and she was fantastic. The second, a mother of one already, had a homebirth in her apartment that also went quick - so quick I was not sure the midwife would make it in time! That was two days ago and it was also a terrific experience. She gave birth on her hands and knees in the shower to a big, beautiful baby boy. Tomorrow I have a prenatal and a postpartum - what a joyful job I have. The other day I rested on the couch of a client with their sleeping newborn cradled in my arms. Mom was showering while dad got breakfast at a local cafe that they like. I thought to myself that it takes a special kind of person to be so blessed as to get paid to rest with a newborn :)
This morning at 5:11 am I watched a beautiful little girl transform one couple into a family with her birth. Her mother labored so amazingly with terrific support from her husband and her mother and got the birth she wanted. I arrived home 10 minutes before my kids woke up, ready for their Easter Baskets and the day's activities. I am tired now, but still riding the wave of joy that surrounds a birth.
It is hard to believe that my little baby is almost 7 months already. We had a Christamas celebration with my siblings today and all the kids were playing together. Clay seems so grown up in so many ways and just deliciously playful. It's amazing that he is already this old. Here are a few pictures from 2 days ago.
This is such a thoughtful looking face, I love it.
Here is my other baby - now a 5.5 year old.
That is him at about the same age that Clay is now and here he is with Clay a few weeks ago:
There is so often this emphasis on information and on knowing more. With my first I had most of the tests, two ultrasounds, lots of doppler heartbeats, and I also turned down many available screenigs. What troubles me about this notion of 'information' is the sense that is it value-nuetral and benign when in fact these are forms of information that all but demand response in so many cases. Further, it is information that is so often wrong. Rapp's book Testing Women, Testing the Fetus speaks so nicely to this issue of testing being presented as simply information when it is so much more than that for the women who end up with the test results.
