The 14th Birth

On Friday, June 5th I attended my 14th birth with a client from the adoption agency where I work. Here are some "belly notes" from that birth.

• At 23 years old, she desired to have a natural birth because her mother and grandmother did and she wanted to carry that on. In addition, she wanted to steer away from medications for the sake of the baby. It is rare when we have a client that truly understands and embraces the ability her body has to birth naturally and who also cares enough for the health of the baby that she intends to place for adoption.

• As an agency, we are working to accommodate the needs of every client, but unfortunately because 99% of them want medication, their 6 hour childbirth education class does not fully prepare them for having a natural birth.

• I am grateful for the two amazing nurses (two shifts) she had at the hospital that fully accommodated her efforts to have a natural birth and her 25+ hour labor, 12 hours of which we were at the hospital.

• I am thankful for the doctor on call who did not do a cesarean when she stalled at 8cm for a few hours. It makes me appreciate birthing in the middle of the night when there are not as many time restrictions and clock watching. Even the nurse admitted to that one!

• When she began to get tired and the pain got too much for her I got nervous. As much as I feel that I know how to help, this was a situation that I felt helpless. I had to dig deep into myself to really know what to do and say with her. After almost 20 hours in labor, she decided to have the help of medication.

• Although the agency does not have access to alternative childbirth classes, it has made me appreciate the births I have attended with clients who were adequately prepared. I believe that it is important for my clients to be well prepared and going forward I may request that my clients outside from the agency have Bradley, Hypnobabies, Hypnobirthing, or some other form of childbirth class that is geared toward natural birthing.

• I got to see the nurse actually birth the baby that early morning at 3:53am. The doctor was taking his time. But, because he did and the nurse was so careful, she did not tear or receive an episiotomy that she so desperately did not want to have.

• I was with her for 19 hours of her labor and birth. Although, not the longest birth I have ever attended, it was still tiring, but worth every minute of being sleep deprived. I never question why I do this because watching a new life come into this world makes me so happy.