[homemademomma]

im so tired, but wanted to post this story- first time mom, was in labor all day yesterday, ctx about ten min apart. she was doing great, eating, drinking, and taking naps. she came in last night at 12 with her sister and mother. she was 6 cm at 1220, ctx about 4 m apart. strong, but she was doing fine. she got into the tub at about 12:30, then said "screw this tub thing" and went to the bathroom. then she said, "i cant keep my legs together" and started pacing the tub room, doing this wierd waddle. then she said, "the baby's coming for real yall!!" and sure enough, the baby's head was *right there*. she and her sister caught the baby together, we didnt touch her at all. she delivered standing up in the tub room. 6cm to baby in less than 20 minutes.

it was amazing. her sister wants to be a mw,and this was the first time she had helped catch a baby. they did it completely themselves. the sister even caught the placenta. intact perineum, they went home 2 1/2 hours later. only complication was that the baby got cold cold cold- we had to dust off our radiant warmer (we have never used it before lol), and we layed the baby in it. it took about a 1/2 hour for the baby to warm up. scared the crap out of me. temp was like 94.4. yikes.

but it was beautiful!!!!!!!! it really re-emphasized for me what i am coming to believe about birht/midwifery- we do so much just because we want to feel necessary- we need to "protect" women's perineums, and help them catch their babies. i mean, not all women can emotionally do what this woman did, but if we helped women empower themselves and find their own inner strength, they wouldnt be looking to us for help so much. we as midwives could and should resume our rightful place in the corner!!!!

 

[BetsyPage]

I've recently been reading lots of great birth stories in one of Ina May's books, it's just amazing... that is a really awesome experience, thanks for sharing!

 

[Raven]

Thank you SO much for sharing this with us! I just love hearing things like that!!

 

[2+twins]

That's a wonderful story and you're absolutely right about mw's resuming their place in the corner. For me that is the absolute ideal birth and the way I wish it could be for everyone.

 

[yequanamama]

Beautiful story. Thanks!

 

[Boobiemama]

That is a great story! How cool to do it completely on your own like that!

 

[sevenkids]

What a sweet birth!
Those births are the ones that make me love what I do even more..

 

[annakiss]

Great story.

Something though about this -

Quote:

Originally Posted by homemademomma but it was beautiful!!!!!!!! it really re-emphasized for me what i am coming to believe about birht/midwifery- we do so much just because we want to feel necessary- we need to "protect" women's perineums, and help them catch their babies. i mean, not all women can emotionally do what this woman did, but if we helped women empower themselves and find their own inner strength, they wouldnt be looking to us for help so much. we as midwives could and should resume our rightful place in the corner!!!!

While I agree with you that midwives should do only what they're needed to do, this particular bit really struck a chord with me. With my last pregnancy, I tried so hard (lol) to release myself from expectation. Of course, what I ended up doing was building a whole lotta expectation instead. Part of that was that the "right" way to birth is by myself. That if I'm by myself then I could somehow witness myself doing what I had to do totally instinctually. Once in labor, however, I found the extra set of hands of my midwife for the birth part, not at all the labor, to be essential. In those moments it was so intense that I couldn't catch my baby myself. My husband - well I don't know what he was doing - he was there holding me or something or just watching the baby emerge in stunned awe - but he didn't catch. In those intense moments, my midwife had to come in from the corner to support me. Maybe this example isn't even what you're referring to and I'm coming from a completely different perspective, but I guess I just want to add that though midwives don't have to do a whole lot, that they are needed and not just because some women can't get it together emotionally to be totally self-sufficient (though I'm sure that that's not what you're saying). I guess I've been a little too steeped in this alternative birth culture and have grown to resent the extremes to some extent and see them as hurting women, which is not to say that I think that any of those extremes in and of themselves are bad or wrong, just that promoting them, I think, for many women builds unreasonable expectation about what birth is or is supposed to be.

I get what you're saying, ultimately, but am feeling compelled to defend my own position. And to honor midwives.

 

[2+twins]

annakiss - an excellent point, but I think what she was saying (at least what I took from it) is that mw's should stay out of the way when they aren't needed by the woman (which is a lot of the time, like during the labor, for many women). Once the woman requires assistance - whatever type for whatever reason - then of course it's wonderful to have her there. And that's why *I* hire a mw in the first place. Otherwise, what would be the point?

 

[MamaTaraX]

Right on! Awesome story, thanks for sharing! That's what I think midwives should do -- hang out in the area and be there "just in case", unless somebody asks them to do otherwise. I totally dig and respect that.

Namaste, Tara
mama to Doodle (7), Butterfly (2), and Rythm (due at home 1/06)

 

[homemademomma]

excellent point annakiss- you are definitely right about that.