I have seen birth as natural as it gets....

So my VBAC client decided at 38 weeks that a medical birth was not going to work for her. She met with a midwife, sat on it for a few days, and decided this is what she wanted. Her due date from her doc was the 26th, midwife had calculated the 29. Low and behold at 4am on the 29th, I got a phone call. Her water had broken. She was going to try to lay down and rest a bit, and would call me when things picked up..which happened to be 10 min later. Right after I got out of the shower, my cell phone was ringing and things were happening. So I got there by 5am. She was on her hands and knees, the only position that ever felt good to her. She didn't want to move from there. Her husband did encourage her to go downstairs, which she did, and he began filling the birth pool up. He drained the hot water tank, so we started boiling water, so we could get it nice and warm. The pool was heated, but there had to so much water in it before that part would work. Her contractions were coming about every 3 minutes. I called the midwife and told her she should be on her way, she said it would be about an hour and a half. So we labored downstairs on hands and knees and about 7 things were picking up, contraction about every 2 min. I called the midwife and she was still 20 min. out, on 270. Client was feeling a lot of pressure and having the urge to push. At some point in the next few minutes, tub was ready, and we quickly got upstairs, leaned on her bed for a few contractions, midwife got there, checked her and she was COMPLETE. She got in the tub, her husband joined her, and she began breathing her baby down, and out, into her arms at 8:38a.m. No crying, screaming, just a very focused mind. She followed her body's cue's, listened to her body and had a 8lb 12oz baby boy, no tearing at all. This has opened my heart, mind, and eyes, to exactly what it is like not to be messed with, to be supported, body, mind, and soul. This woman birthed her own baby with out anyone telling her what to do. This is how birth is supposed to be. This birth was so healing for this mom after having gone through the traumatic birth experience she had prior to this. Today, she feels wonderful and is just amazed at the difference of being treated by a midwife and by a medical doctor. Birth is not an illness.

Homebirth

It seems to me to becoming more and more desireable for women and their families. I've talked to quite a few expecting moms who have said next time around, they think they will just stay home. There are not a lot of resources here in Columbus for home birth, BUT there are resources. CHOICE on High St. has midwives that do homebirths and there is another midwife that I know of that does homebirths. If your pregancy is going along just dandy, then why do we all need to go to the hospital? We don't. It is a personal choice, but it is important to know that there are choices.

cake

Tomorrow is my best friend Kerry's baby shower. Lena, Linda, and I all made the cake and here it is! It turned out really well I think! YEAH!!!

Things are getting busy!

It's been awhile....I've been working a lot with a VBAC client of mine. She is such a sweetheart and has decided to have a homebirth! I am so excited! I feel like they have made the right choice. She is due pretty much any day now, so I am just waiting for the call. Another new client of mine will be due here in just a couple of weeks, and they are going to be a lot of fun. Last week, I went and took some photos of a family with their newborn and daughter. Oh my gosh, the litte girl was great! She loved the camera. The whole famly is just beautiful, very natural, and all take wonderful shots. From them, I have been in contact with another new family, with twins, and they would like me to come and take their shots. I've got some ideas of things I would like to try with the new babies, but we'll see how it turns out. I think it has potential of being really great too! The kids are on spring break, which has been nice to not have the school schedule for a little while, but a cold/virus has hit the house, and so we are all trying to fight that off. We've been drinking a lot of Emergen-c! lol. I am also getting ready for my best friends baby shower which is Saturday. The cake baking beings tomorrow and another best friend is coming on Friday and we will be decorating it. Then next weekend is Josh's birthday party---eeekkkss:) It is fun to be busy doing things I love! Life is good! Everything is balanced.

My day with Ina May

On Feb 3, 2007, a group of us from Birthworkers of Central Ohio went to Cherry Valley Lodge, in Heath, Ohio to see Ina May Gaskin. IT was truely amazing to listen to her talk about childbirth in the way it should be talked about. In the evening, at the fireside chat, it was like hanging out with grandma. She is just so real and passionate about women and childbirth. If anyone ever gets a chance to see her, you should def. take the opportunity.

Able to network moms;)

I was hired recently by a mom expecting her second child. She is hoping to VBAC, so I am very optimistic that she will achieve her goals. Anyway, in talking with her on the phone prior to our meeting, I learned that she lived on the same street as another client of mine. So today, I talked to them both and they are going to meet and hopefully go to a MOMS or MOPS meeting together at the end of the week. They are both so excited to be meeting someone on there own street. YEAH!!!

30 years ago today....

I was born 30 yrs ago today. WOW! I am really looking forward to my 30's! OLD?...nah! I have had a great day so far. Last night my family and I went to the House of Japan. My kids LOVED it.....was so much fun. Then they went shopping and Ben and Sarah brought me home. When the kids got home, they were giddy with excitement. They were trying to convince me (very unconfincingly)..they were smiling from ear to ear, anyway they were trying to convince me that they hadn't gotten me anything, that they couldn't find what they were looking for. Then I realized Tyler was a bit sad, so I found out that the store that had what he wanted to get was closed. So he said what would make him feel better is if I would open what they got me right then. So I did. Wrapped in cute kiddy paper and taped with duct tape, was a box and in that box wrapped with cute kiddy paper by duct tape was a beautiful MACBOOK!!!! I was sooo shocked! So that is what i am typing on now! WOW...what a great birthday! So this morning my husband went and got me my favorite Starbucks drink, my kids made me breakfast, very very strawberry milk, toast with lots of butter, one slice had jam on it, and a big bowl or honey smacks. LOL. Shortly after that, there was a knock on the door. It was a florist that was bringing me gerbera daisy's from my long time best friend Kerry, her husband Jamie, and soon to be Lilly pie. Soon after that Tom took Tyler and Sophie to Target, and they got me what they wanted to....a really cool bracelet from Tyler, and some candles and a necklace from Sophie. What a great day so far!

So on reflection of my 20's. I accomplished a lot, struggled some, but overall, were pretty joyful. I gave birth to my 3 awesome kids. Got married. Bought a house. Made some really really good friends. Adopted our doggie. Helped Gwen enter this world. Became a professional doula. Started a business, closed that business. Lived in Virginia. Lost my wonderful grandfather at the ripe age of 96. Learned photography, cake decorating.

My goals for my 30's. To continue to help women and their families give birth the way they want to. To become a midwife. To visit Ina May's farm. To continue to nurture and help my children blossom. To always have time for my family and friends. I just realized that when I finish this decade of my life that Josh will be almost 19. NO WAY! Okay we aren't going to go that far ahead. To travel the US and any countries we can manage to go to with the kids. I think I would like to go to Africa. Being 30 is going to be a good thing.