Passion Ms. Directed
Ha ha... misdirected, get it? Mmmm, seeing as I am always on full-tilt no matter WHAT direction I head into, I should get used to (or BE used to) being let down but still, I am not. I get my hopes up, put my heart into whatever it is that is on my plate at the moment. I have the drive of my father and the tenacity of my mother - together that makes one focused woman. At times obviously it's a benefit, often it is a hindrance. My heart takes one tiny bruise at a time... which should seem silly in the long run, really, but after a while it seems like my heart needs a break - and I walk through a bit of disillusionment. HOW do I stop the cycle? Is it worth melding my passion so that I don't attack things with such vigor? Hard to say...
There has been another birth since my last post and it was amazing (so far, none of them have been any less than amazing). I was on-call for a friend that was out of town for the week prior to this second-time Mom's due date (which in both of our opinion quite possibly meant that she was going to miss this Mom's birth). I had had a heads up call on Wed. afternoon that contractions were 10 min. apart and that she would call if things got closer together (she is easily 45 min. away) and as that is the day her Mom was flying in, I was not suprised to get a call - I figured she was waiting to go into labor until her Mom was in town to take care of her older daughter. I didn't get a call that evening or the next day, or even the next day. When Sat. morning started, I figured that was it and when my friend arrived that evening and was back on-call for this Mom, she would be at the birth if it ever came.
7:30 am. and my phone rang with the Mom on the other line... contractions had started after she had nursed her daughter and weren't seeming to slow down... if they continued or gathered strength she would be calling me back later (either way). I got ready for our monthly doula meeting that is at my house and put my doula bag in my car just in case. She called again as the meeting started saying things had not mellowed out and if it kept up another hour she would call for me. An hour passed (maybe less) and she called again asking me to head their way. I left the doulas at my house and headed out high on caffiene and adrenaline.
When I arrived at their home in the country, I unpacked my bag and entertained their daughter with the contents (so much fun!) and we blew up my birth ball so she could be like her Mom, I showed her how to use the massager and she got to play with the hand air pump (by far her favorite). Who knew it could be so entertaining? I settled into the pattern that Mom had and provided hot wash cloths for contractions, pressed on her back when it seemed like she needed it, and fell into the moment. It seemed after I arrived that the contractions spaced out a little but got longer and stronger - all a good sign - and after another hour or so, we stopped filling the birth tub with the hot water tank, started boiling water instead, and sent Mom off to a shower while we called the midwife. After about an hour shower, drying off and getting dressed, Mom's water broke just as the midwife drove up the driveway. It was lightly stained with meconium but seemed nothing to worry about. Mom settled into the birth tub after about a half hour of marching with wide legs, hanging onto her husband's forearms and having pressure on her back by me (just about my only job so far other than daughter-entertainment and water-boiling). Baby's heartones sounded wonderful and Mom settled into the water in the middle of transition.
The most amazing part of this labor is the way this Mom could fall into working with her body, listening to her body and following it without any instruction... it was mesmerizing to watch her be so in tune... it was a treat. She was so into what was going on that it was almost a little overwhelming and having her keep her eyes open during the last little bit of transition and all through pushing seemed to make a world of difference. When her eyes were open she was on top of the sensations, when she closed her eyes, they ruled her. She began pushing when it was time, contractions spacing out at this time. Mom had torns quite badly with her daughter because of that primal-urge to follow her instincts, she had 'blown' her baby out so fast her tissue hadn't had time to stretch... this time she listened to her husband talk to her, coach her to go easy, etc. She pushed well and her baby was born to its eyebrows, began moving sharply, wiggling strongly and giving Mom a lot of pain... pushing again and baby's head was out - more movement... another push and baby's chest, then rest of baby was out - and it was a boy! Baby had some trouble breathing on his own to start and the midwife gave him 3 breaths which enabled him to inflate his lungs with a little help - soon he was so pink he was red, and crying. Baby was 8lb 11oz and his chest was 4 cm. wider than his head - and thus why he wiggled so, to fit!
Happy baby, thrilled parents, and pleased doula... I walked away almost feeling as if I did nothing - but the tiny bits I did made a big difference to them, so I was grateful to be there. When their daughter came home from the store with Grandma (where they had gone for a few hours (as well as taking a nap in the car) while Mom labored) the first thing she said is, "He's so round!"... it was adorable, all she could see was his head! :grin:
So I was there all of 5 hours, I hardly did a thing, and I continue to learn more... as I always say, I LOVE MY JOB!
There has been another birth since my last post and it was amazing (so far, none of them have been any less than amazing). I was on-call for a friend that was out of town for the week prior to this second-time Mom's due date (which in both of our opinion quite possibly meant that she was going to miss this Mom's birth). I had had a heads up call on Wed. afternoon that contractions were 10 min. apart and that she would call if things got closer together (she is easily 45 min. away) and as that is the day her Mom was flying in, I was not suprised to get a call - I figured she was waiting to go into labor until her Mom was in town to take care of her older daughter. I didn't get a call that evening or the next day, or even the next day. When Sat. morning started, I figured that was it and when my friend arrived that evening and was back on-call for this Mom, she would be at the birth if it ever came.
7:30 am. and my phone rang with the Mom on the other line... contractions had started after she had nursed her daughter and weren't seeming to slow down... if they continued or gathered strength she would be calling me back later (either way). I got ready for our monthly doula meeting that is at my house and put my doula bag in my car just in case. She called again as the meeting started saying things had not mellowed out and if it kept up another hour she would call for me. An hour passed (maybe less) and she called again asking me to head their way. I left the doulas at my house and headed out high on caffiene and adrenaline.
When I arrived at their home in the country, I unpacked my bag and entertained their daughter with the contents (so much fun!) and we blew up my birth ball so she could be like her Mom, I showed her how to use the massager and she got to play with the hand air pump (by far her favorite). Who knew it could be so entertaining? I settled into the pattern that Mom had and provided hot wash cloths for contractions, pressed on her back when it seemed like she needed it, and fell into the moment. It seemed after I arrived that the contractions spaced out a little but got longer and stronger - all a good sign - and after another hour or so, we stopped filling the birth tub with the hot water tank, started boiling water instead, and sent Mom off to a shower while we called the midwife. After about an hour shower, drying off and getting dressed, Mom's water broke just as the midwife drove up the driveway. It was lightly stained with meconium but seemed nothing to worry about. Mom settled into the birth tub after about a half hour of marching with wide legs, hanging onto her husband's forearms and having pressure on her back by me (just about my only job so far other than daughter-entertainment and water-boiling). Baby's heartones sounded wonderful and Mom settled into the water in the middle of transition.
The most amazing part of this labor is the way this Mom could fall into working with her body, listening to her body and following it without any instruction... it was mesmerizing to watch her be so in tune... it was a treat. She was so into what was going on that it was almost a little overwhelming and having her keep her eyes open during the last little bit of transition and all through pushing seemed to make a world of difference. When her eyes were open she was on top of the sensations, when she closed her eyes, they ruled her. She began pushing when it was time, contractions spacing out at this time. Mom had torns quite badly with her daughter because of that primal-urge to follow her instincts, she had 'blown' her baby out so fast her tissue hadn't had time to stretch... this time she listened to her husband talk to her, coach her to go easy, etc. She pushed well and her baby was born to its eyebrows, began moving sharply, wiggling strongly and giving Mom a lot of pain... pushing again and baby's head was out - more movement... another push and baby's chest, then rest of baby was out - and it was a boy! Baby had some trouble breathing on his own to start and the midwife gave him 3 breaths which enabled him to inflate his lungs with a little help - soon he was so pink he was red, and crying. Baby was 8lb 11oz and his chest was 4 cm. wider than his head - and thus why he wiggled so, to fit!
Happy baby, thrilled parents, and pleased doula... I walked away almost feeling as if I did nothing - but the tiny bits I did made a big difference to them, so I was grateful to be there. When their daughter came home from the store with Grandma (where they had gone for a few hours (as well as taking a nap in the car) while Mom labored) the first thing she said is, "He's so round!"... it was adorable, all she could see was his head! :grin:
So I was there all of 5 hours, I hardly did a thing, and I continue to learn more... as I always say, I LOVE MY JOB!
posted by birthfree at
9:49 PM
|
2 comments
