Protected: Birth #28 the one wit…
September 18, 2009 at 10:48 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: 2nd, Fast, Girl, Hospital
Protected: Birth #26 Two births and a funeral. (that doesn’t sound right)
September 4, 2009 at 10:01 pm (Learning, Willow Book)
Tags: 4th, boy, Emergency Skills, Hospital, waterbirth
Protected: Birth # 25- The one with the swimmer!
September 4, 2009 at 8:16 pm (Birth, Rural, Willow Book)
Tags: 3rd, busy, Caul, Girl, Hospital, nuchal cord, Rural, waterbirth, Willow Book
The Essence of Midwifery
September 2, 2009 at 9:01 pm (Uncategorized)
This was written by Linda V. Walsh, CNM, MPH, and I found it in “Wisdom of the Midwives- Tricks of the Trade Vol II.” it was also published in “Pregnancy and the American Bellyache” by Nancy Wainer Cohen.
He who uttered the words, “Routine Delivery”
Or hastily wrote “Normal Spontaneous Delivery” as one further procedure in a busy day
Couldn’t have really been with her.
He couldn’t have been
Or he would have felt her muscles as they
worked
strained
pushed
that infant into the world.
He couldn’t have been
Or he would have truly felt her perspiration weep from her body as she
reached for the strength deep within.
No, he couldn’t have really been with her.
If he were, he would have appreciated her expression as it changed from
excitement, to concentration, to fear, and to excitement and peace.
He couldn’t have held her,
Whispering
“You’re almost there”
“You’re doing so beautifully”
You are so strong”
Routine delivery.
He couldn’t have been there
He couldn’t have taken the time
to pause in awe and wonder
as that little head came slowly, ever so slowly,
and the eyes opened and looked out with such trust and wisdom.
Procedure-normal spontaneous delivery.
He couldn’t have marveled as she reached down, drawing her daughter to her breast
Laughing, shouting, crying- all the emotions of birth.
No, he couldn’t have been with her.
For she who has been with woman knows there is no routine birth, and that delivery is not a procedure.
Being with woman is opening up,
sharing,
loving,
caring.
Being with woman is truly being a midwife.
~*~
Protected: Birth# 24- the one with the Spanglish
August 31, 2009 at 9:40 am (Willow Book)
Tags: 2nd, boy, consult, diabetes, Hospital, nuchal hand, PROM, quick
A night of fitting in…and feeling like a midwife.
August 8, 2009 at 8:39 pm (Not your mamas midwife, Rural)
So, lately I’ve still been feeling like a bit of a black sheep around these parts.
I have one client close by who I geocache regularly with, yet still I don’t really “fit in” because the reality is: she’s from Ontario too. We have made a trip to the farmers market, and connected with…shock of all shocks, a woman from B.C. Either way, I feel like I’m missing the boat around here. (Or combine? baler? whatever it is to be “missed” I missed it.- welcome to the prairies.)
When we arrived in January; “It’s January!” they all said, give it time. Well we’re almost done the summer, and I had the first glimpse of community midwifery this weekend.
We (my husband came along) went to supper with some of my favourite clients of all times (birth #14) We had an amazing supper and just chatted it up. I love them! Then we went out to a barn concert (yep) where the babe’s uncle was playing in a band and his aunt was singing the 2nd set.
So we went with 1 set of clients, then I saw papa (from birth #yet-to-be-written )was playing drums! 
In the middle of all this, I started worrying about my phone. I’m on call for a homebirth and she is due on Tuesday. My phone kept flickering in and out of service, but really what can you expect from a barn in the middle of the prairies? Well at intermission, I found out that the very family I was thinking about was at the show too!
By the end of the show I saw 5 clients, 1 baby, 1 belly, an auntie, uncle, and 2 sets of grandparents. All who knew me as “their midwife”.
I have to say, the midwifery ego gets a nice pat at an evening like that. Times like this make me feel like “I’m here” and things are going well. It is all too easy to get caught up in the poorer aspects and to get burnt out, but nights like this just make me so darn happy to be here and be catchin’ babies!
Protected: Birth #21 the one that still isn’t over
July 27, 2009 at 10:24 pm (Willow Book)
Tags: 1st, boy, Breastfeeding, Hospital, nuchal arm, young
Protected: Birth #20 the one that had us in knots.
July 11, 2009 at 3:30 pm (Learning, Willow Book)
Tags: 1st, boy, consult, knots, nuchal cord, vaccuum
Post-Junta
July 7, 2009 at 5:49 pm (Uncategorized)
We had our little weekly group meeting (aka. Birth Talks reincarnated-but worse) and today…well, it just wasn’t that bad! We were able to talk, get words nay sentences strung together. We reviewed clients, did intake for the next couple of weeks, and generally there were even a lot of smiles and some…*gasp* laughter!
So what was so different? One midwife.
There is always one. In every group I’ve ever been in, there is one. One who just doesn’t want to be there. Today she wasn’t, and it was actually a good thing. As a person, I like her, but I have lots of issues with any midwife who is working as a midwife and who doesn’t want to be doing it anymore. That I have very little patience for.
So today, was a reincarnation of our Birth Talks where we all got to sit around and eat paletas (mmm pistachio) and hear beautiful birth stories after finding out there was no “list.”
Cheers to the good days!
