01/16/2012::G2P3::
I received a call this morning letting me know about rushes that had been happening all through the night with pretty good regularity. Mom was given instructions to rest since she had slept very little that night and to check back in with Delphine around 4PM or to call if things picked up before then. I received my second call around 3:45PM saying it was time. I quickly prepared and started my drive across the country. Along the way I asked the universe to help me know what I needed to do when and if I was needed. I asked that the energy of love and light work through my hands and for the mom to have all that she needed. I thought about the lost notion of Rites of Passage and thought about how important it is for the birth of a mother. I then emptied my brain of all clutter as the car lurched forward. I arrived close to 4:30PM, the last to arrive. The door was answered by a daughter and I was quickly welcomed by the father and introduced to sets of grandparents. I made my way upstairs and found a place out of the way for my belongings. I greeted Delphine and headed to scrub my hands. As I entered the mama's sacred space I took notice of her beautiful view. She was listening to peaceful tribal music while waiting for the pool to be readied. Dad was reading in a rocking chair by the bed. He filled hot water bottles for his wife and offered small talk. Delphine was busy assessing the mother, observing her behavior, asking important questions, and then offered to check her or to wait. The mother chose to wait. Vitals on mom and baby are good. Mom states that she has been feeling nauseous. No to foods, yes to water. Rushes have slowed to 5-7 minutes. Less intense. We retreat to downstairs to start labor flow chart, talk, snack. After 30 minutes pass we recheck the baby, baby is perfect. We hang out some more. Mom appears very relaxed and sleepy. The house is VERY hot. At times it seems the whole house is eerily silent and at others loud and chaotic. I wonder if mom feels like all eyes are on her. After close to two hours we recheck mom. Rushes are closer together now, around 4-5 minutes. But she states they are still rather mild. We try to encourage some movement. She seems to relunctantely get up to use the restroom and she changes her position to her knees with her upper body leaning onto the birth ball.
The birth team meets outside to talk about our plan. The house is so hot that the frozen January air is a welcome treat. Delphine prompts us to see what we are feeling. I feel that mom either needs to get up or go to sleep. I wonder aloud if an internal exam would help us to know more about where she is in her labor. If she is more than 5CM we know not to go any where- but if she is still at a two or three, she should either change what she is doing or get some serious rest. We could go eat. The senior apprentice seems uneasy about leaving and we decide to present the mama with some options for nausea and suggest some deep theraputic sleep or some more active behavior, even if it was just being more upright leaning on the ball. However, when we re-entered the home the mama was up in the restroom and said things were getting more intense. Delphine offered to check and we found she was 6-7cm. We were staying. I re-checked mom and baby and bother were good. As rushes started to consistently roll in at 3-4 minutes, lasting 60 seconds, Delphine advised dad to begin filling the pool so we didn't miss the window. At this time is was around 7:30-7:45PM, filling the pool took close to 45-minutes! Mom was starting to moan more through her rushes, her voice would quiver some at the peak. She was very relaxed, focused, internalized, oozing serenity. We got her into the pool and I headed downstairs to re-fill her water bottle and I offered grandparents an update. I returned with water and took my place beside the pool at the chair. The senior apprentice was on the floor offering support to mom during the rushes and wiping her brow with a cool rag. Dad was seated on the birth ball by the pool offering counter pressure during the rushes. I assisted the senior apprentice by getting her needed items. Delphine watched patiently from the bed. Mom seeks out hands to hold during each rush and the senior apprentice holds her hands with love. I check baby's heart tones, sounds great. I switch with the senior apprentice when Delphine calls for her to come sit beside her at the seat of receiving the baby. I am holding mom's hands during rushes. Lightly stroking her arms and hands in between. When another rush builds, she reaches for a comforting touch. I would squeeze back. My thoughts were filled with low, open, calm. I would hum with mom to keep her paced. Offer encouraging words and wipe her forehead or offer her cold drinks of water. When transition began her bag of waters POPPPED! It startled the mother and was almost audible even under water. Her contractions began to give way to descent and Delphine called for me to assist her and the senior apprentice. I waited for a rush to end and dad moved in to support his wife. I took over the light holding. This was close to 9PM, the urge to push was growing strong. Sacrum rising, tailbone flattening. Purple line leading. Perineal bulging. Mom's voice began to rise in pitch. We offered gentle reminders to keep her voice low but the mama was off in labor land. The senior apprentice and Delphine offered a lot of perineum support. I felt like a sponge, absorbing it all!
9:09PM- more intense rushes. Baby descending. Delphine tells the mama that she can let her baby out whenever she would like. Dad kisses mom sweetly.
9:18PM- rushes increasing in intensity. Can see hair. Midwives gently rub some extra virgin olive oil around vaginal rim. Mom pants through burning. She does such an amazing job bringing baby down slowly. I have a towel ready for baby in one hand and in the other my iPhone for time and the flashlight still pointing into the pool. Delphine has hands in water applying pressure, when a big rush happens and there was the baby's head. A squishy face and then one shoulder, a wrinkled chest, another shoulder.
9:28PM- The baby came out facing mom's left thigh, LOA, then turned to greet us. Everyone rushes in the room. Kids. Grandparents. Friends. Then the separation begins. Blood in water. Mom moves to bed. Senior apprentice holds baby near mom.
9:38PM- Placenta birthed. All intact. Baby pink with a lusty cry. Mom quiet. Alert. Small smiles.
We do mama checks and baby checks. All is normal. Transitions appear to be happening easily. We leave them as a family for awhile. Do paperwork and snack. Chat with grandparents and excited siblings. We return to the family's space to do the full newborn exam. Mom tries to pee while the baby is being looked over. Mom can't pee.
12:20AM- we leave a happy and warm family, falling asleep in their bed.
I found it very interesting how quiet the mama was relatively though her whole labor and birth. She really didn't say much at all. Her communication consisted on nods and noises. A lot of body reading was involved. I feel that she is glad it was over. I would also like to research tandem nursing. What happens to the colostrum? Does the body make more or does the infant start getting milk?
I received a call this morning letting me know about rushes that had been happening all through the night with pretty good regularity. Mom was given instructions to rest since she had slept very little that night and to check back in with Delphine around 4PM or to call if things picked up before then. I received my second call around 3:45PM saying it was time. I quickly prepared and started my drive across the country. Along the way I asked the universe to help me know what I needed to do when and if I was needed. I asked that the energy of love and light work through my hands and for the mom to have all that she needed. I thought about the lost notion of Rites of Passage and thought about how important it is for the birth of a mother. I then emptied my brain of all clutter as the car lurched forward. I arrived close to 4:30PM, the last to arrive. The door was answered by a daughter and I was quickly welcomed by the father and introduced to sets of grandparents. I made my way upstairs and found a place out of the way for my belongings. I greeted Delphine and headed to scrub my hands. As I entered the mama's sacred space I took notice of her beautiful view. She was listening to peaceful tribal music while waiting for the pool to be readied. Dad was reading in a rocking chair by the bed. He filled hot water bottles for his wife and offered small talk. Delphine was busy assessing the mother, observing her behavior, asking important questions, and then offered to check her or to wait. The mother chose to wait. Vitals on mom and baby are good. Mom states that she has been feeling nauseous. No to foods, yes to water. Rushes have slowed to 5-7 minutes. Less intense. We retreat to downstairs to start labor flow chart, talk, snack. After 30 minutes pass we recheck the baby, baby is perfect. We hang out some more. Mom appears very relaxed and sleepy. The house is VERY hot. At times it seems the whole house is eerily silent and at others loud and chaotic. I wonder if mom feels like all eyes are on her. After close to two hours we recheck mom. Rushes are closer together now, around 4-5 minutes. But she states they are still rather mild. We try to encourage some movement. She seems to relunctantely get up to use the restroom and she changes her position to her knees with her upper body leaning onto the birth ball.
The birth team meets outside to talk about our plan. The house is so hot that the frozen January air is a welcome treat. Delphine prompts us to see what we are feeling. I feel that mom either needs to get up or go to sleep. I wonder aloud if an internal exam would help us to know more about where she is in her labor. If she is more than 5CM we know not to go any where- but if she is still at a two or three, she should either change what she is doing or get some serious rest. We could go eat. The senior apprentice seems uneasy about leaving and we decide to present the mama with some options for nausea and suggest some deep theraputic sleep or some more active behavior, even if it was just being more upright leaning on the ball. However, when we re-entered the home the mama was up in the restroom and said things were getting more intense. Delphine offered to check and we found she was 6-7cm. We were staying. I re-checked mom and baby and bother were good. As rushes started to consistently roll in at 3-4 minutes, lasting 60 seconds, Delphine advised dad to begin filling the pool so we didn't miss the window. At this time is was around 7:30-7:45PM, filling the pool took close to 45-minutes! Mom was starting to moan more through her rushes, her voice would quiver some at the peak. She was very relaxed, focused, internalized, oozing serenity. We got her into the pool and I headed downstairs to re-fill her water bottle and I offered grandparents an update. I returned with water and took my place beside the pool at the chair. The senior apprentice was on the floor offering support to mom during the rushes and wiping her brow with a cool rag. Dad was seated on the birth ball by the pool offering counter pressure during the rushes. I assisted the senior apprentice by getting her needed items. Delphine watched patiently from the bed. Mom seeks out hands to hold during each rush and the senior apprentice holds her hands with love. I check baby's heart tones, sounds great. I switch with the senior apprentice when Delphine calls for her to come sit beside her at the seat of receiving the baby. I am holding mom's hands during rushes. Lightly stroking her arms and hands in between. When another rush builds, she reaches for a comforting touch. I would squeeze back. My thoughts were filled with low, open, calm. I would hum with mom to keep her paced. Offer encouraging words and wipe her forehead or offer her cold drinks of water. When transition began her bag of waters POPPPED! It startled the mother and was almost audible even under water. Her contractions began to give way to descent and Delphine called for me to assist her and the senior apprentice. I waited for a rush to end and dad moved in to support his wife. I took over the light holding. This was close to 9PM, the urge to push was growing strong. Sacrum rising, tailbone flattening. Purple line leading. Perineal bulging. Mom's voice began to rise in pitch. We offered gentle reminders to keep her voice low but the mama was off in labor land. The senior apprentice and Delphine offered a lot of perineum support. I felt like a sponge, absorbing it all!
9:09PM- more intense rushes. Baby descending. Delphine tells the mama that she can let her baby out whenever she would like. Dad kisses mom sweetly.
9:18PM- rushes increasing in intensity. Can see hair. Midwives gently rub some extra virgin olive oil around vaginal rim. Mom pants through burning. She does such an amazing job bringing baby down slowly. I have a towel ready for baby in one hand and in the other my iPhone for time and the flashlight still pointing into the pool. Delphine has hands in water applying pressure, when a big rush happens and there was the baby's head. A squishy face and then one shoulder, a wrinkled chest, another shoulder.
9:28PM- The baby came out facing mom's left thigh, LOA, then turned to greet us. Everyone rushes in the room. Kids. Grandparents. Friends. Then the separation begins. Blood in water. Mom moves to bed. Senior apprentice holds baby near mom.
9:38PM- Placenta birthed. All intact. Baby pink with a lusty cry. Mom quiet. Alert. Small smiles.
We do mama checks and baby checks. All is normal. Transitions appear to be happening easily. We leave them as a family for awhile. Do paperwork and snack. Chat with grandparents and excited siblings. We return to the family's space to do the full newborn exam. Mom tries to pee while the baby is being looked over. Mom can't pee.
12:20AM- we leave a happy and warm family, falling asleep in their bed.
I found it very interesting how quiet the mama was relatively though her whole labor and birth. She really didn't say much at all. Her communication consisted on nods and noises. A lot of body reading was involved. I feel that she is glad it was over. I would also like to research tandem nursing. What happens to the colostrum? Does the body make more or does the infant start getting milk?