Wow, so it's been a very very long time since I've posted anything. And I miss it dearly! There's no way that I can write the full stories for all the births I attended in the last year, as there were 36 in all. Including my homebirth apprenticeship, my friends and my sister's birth, I've attended 63 births. Of the last 33 I am going to try and write down at least something memorable about it, for myself.
1/21/09 - super sweet young couple were expecting a little boy, never confirmed by ultrasound, and after a challenging delivery they met their daughter. Because they were set on using the name Floyd, they decided on Magnolia Floyd. =) She is the sweetest little baby and we have had them all over for dinner a couple times =) I need to call her soon.
1/29/09 - super sweet waterbirth of a little girl =)
2/3/09 - Tall, beautiful, strong momma having her second baby. She birthed and caught her daughter in the water.
2/11/09 - I attended this birth as an assistant and didn't know the mother very well. But she did have a lovely waterbirth.
2/16/09 - Good friends of mine decided to transfer from their OB to the birth center. Sadly we did end up back at the hospital with the need for a c/s. This was a very hard labor for mom and dad, with a challenging postpartum recovery. Momma was so beautiful in labor, I will never forget the connection we had breathing together with locked eyes. and then seeing those same eyes in her beautiful son hours later.
2/26/09 - Super sweet couple, I came to help near the end of their birth. Much strength and love was used to birth this sweet little girl =)
2/2/09 - This momma cracked me up! She was so spunky and light hearted. I can only dream that everyone has a labor like hers. In between pushing she was casually making requests for songs on her ipod. Smiling and laughing. Lovely waterbirth.
03/14/09 - Another birth that I helped out with where I didn't know the mother very well. lovely waterbirth.
5/8/09 - This was my marathon birth. This beautiful single momma had a history of epilepsy so we knew going in that she would have to birth at the hospital. She was also attempting a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean) her water broke early and then her labor needed augmenting. Her best friend and I stayed with her for all 57 hours of her labor. Encouraging, supporting... in the end the little man did exactly what his sister had done 4 years before and got stuck in an awkward position. So she did have another c/s but this time it wasn't as traumatic, if anything it was healing for her because it convinced her that something about her pelvis and the way babies lower into it meant her first c/s was necessary. I had met this mom only twice before her labor, but we connected in a way that was incredible. I need to give her a call sometime soon too =)
5/23/09 - Super sweet single momma was so amazing at becoming independent and improving her life for her son before he arrived.
6/12/09 - Strong momma birthed her son at the birth center on the birthing stool.
6/22/09 - This momma discovered she was carrying twins halfway through her pregnancy. With a lot of support she attempted a vaginal delivery, but the little ones positions just didn't workout, so she had a c/s. Brother and sister were born just minutes apart and are adorable =)
6/24/09 - Competitive ballroom dancing parents, momma labored beautifully even after needing to transfer and pitocin. She didn't opt for an epidural and went on to birth vaginally =) way to go momma!
6/29/09 - Super strong momma who also needed to transfer but went on to have a natural delivery.
8/2/09 - An amazing second time mom who went past her dates and needed induction. She beautifully birthed her second son, but then had a hard 3rd stage. This was the first placenta accreta I have seen. It was incredibly hard and traumatizing. I love this momma.
8/8/09 - Sweet couple who had a lovely birth center birth.
8/15/09 - This second time mom went very fast! she arrived at the birth center, had one contraction, got undressed, had another contraction, climbed into the tub, had her third contraction and her baby was born!
8/23/09 - I'll never forget this mommas birth. Second baby had a very bulgy bag of waters. Judy and I were sitting on the floor infront of her ready to catch and the bag burst showering Judy and getting me a bit too. This was also the first time I helped with catching, supporting the baby on its way out. She was a slippery little girl =)
8/24/09 - A momma I didn't know very well, but just assisted with.
8/25/09 - Super sweet couple who labored hard and beautifully to birth their son =)
8/30/09 - I had worked with this couple since very early in their pregnancy. We became good friends and I was very emotionally invested in this birth. Momma ended up needing to transfer and was such a good sport. She pushed so hard, but just couldn't bring the little man down all the way. She had a forceps delivery which looking back would have been a c/s if the doctor knew how big he was. She had such a hard recovery but took everything in stride. I really admire this amazing momma.
9/8/09 - Second baby for this momma, she did beautifully and had a lovely water birth.
9/14/09 - Another second baby and this momma repeated what she did at her first birth center birth, which was spinning in circles in the tub. It was quite the whirlpool =)
9/18/09 - Didn't know this momma very well, but they were a very sweet couple and worked very hard.
10/7/09 - This sweet momma had a very very long labor, and just didn't progress very well. She ended up with a c/s which was really shitty, but she took it in stride and instantly fell in love with her daughter.
10/10/09 - Second baby for this momma, very sweet family =)
10/18/09 - This momma pushed out her OP daughter with the strength of a lioness.
10/27/09 - This momma had a party at her birth with lots of friends and family while we had a power outage. Luckily it was during the daytime, but we still had to use flashlights. Quite the exciting waterbirth.
11/4/09 - This momma was a beautiful redhead who had a challenging time transitioning to motherhood, but had a lovely waterbirth.
12/24/09 - This momma was so sweet. She had a lovely waterbirth and we keep in touch =)
1/3/09 - This momma didn't expect the intensity of her labor and opted to transfer for some relief. She delivered her daughter vaginally.
1/18/09 - This second time momma was supposed to be my first catch, but as the birth continued she needed the expertise of Judy to help her son be born. It was a little nerve wracking, but had a very happy ending =)
1/25/09 - This momma needed to transfer after having a very long prodromal labor. After some relief and rest from an epidural she went on to birth her son vaginally.
The next 3 births I will write about in the next post. As they are very special to me =)
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Monday, January 26, 2009
Birth Summaries =)
So I decided to do some really brief birth summaries, just because looking back at the older posts its nice just for myself to remember =)
12/12/09 Super sweet momma gave birth to her daughter in the water. She pushed like a rockstar and her partner weeped at her strenght. Little Roscoe had a head full of dark hair like her mom and her papa's nose =)
12/13/09 Mom and dad came with grandma and grandpa and moms brother to the birth center. Mom labored hard for a while and then got into the tub. Everyone stood by encouraging while grandpa played folk guitar really loud. We had to ask him to stop while we listened for heart tones a few times, it was pretty funny. =) Mom pushed hard to bring her little boy into the world, and little Pierce James was born weighing 9lbs 3 oz.
12/17/09 Mom and dad were a young couple who came and labored a while at the birth center. We worked with her in every position to try and help her baby come down, but he didn't want to budge. The decision was made to transfer her and the other student who knew her better went with her to the hospital. They tried to do a vaccum assist, but it didn't work, and in the end she had a c-section under general anestesia. Not the birth they were hoping for, but they were happy to have a healthy boy.
12/22/09 Sweet mom and dad came in in active labor. Amazingly mom was smiling between contractions, trying to stay positive and enjoy the experience no matter how intense it got. After a few hours and a few different positions it was time to push and she did so great! Each push brought Linden closer and closer. I was able to show her his decent with a hand held mirror. Soon he was in her arms cuddling and sucking. Sweet little boy.
1/9/09 Mom and dad came to the center with grandma, great grandma and about 6 bags of supplies. Including some xmas lights which really made a nice soft glow. A few hours later the other set of grandparents showed up. At first it was a bit much, and too crowded so we helped the parents get some space. Mom needed some help getting her contractions stronger so she and her partner did some nipple stimulation in private and it worked really well. She was having lower back pain and the only thing that helped was me pressing her hips together during contractions. So for 3 hours, every 4 minutes thats what I did. When we were all getting tired and frustrated it was time to check mom and sure enough she was complete and ready to push! with the new found energy mom worked hard to push her little boy into the world, and soon James West was with us.
1/12/09 Mom had been laboring for a while and came in twice to find out she was only 1cm and then 2 cm dilated. To stay at the center you need to be at least 5cm, so they went home to labor some more. The third time they came in she was almost completely dilated and laboring hard. She got in the tub for a while but the positioning wasn't the best for her petite frame. So we had her sit on the birthing stool to let gravity help and it did. After a couple more position changes and a lot of hard pushing, and a tiny episiotomy (that was totally needed because she was so tight and the baby's heart tones were dipping) little Leathian Shore was born with a head full of dark long hair. She needed some help to breath, but within minutes was using her beautiful little lungs to let us know she had arrived. Because there was meconium and a need for rescuscitation, we decided to transfer mom and babe to make sure everyone was fine. A few hours later mom and babe were cuddling and nursing blissfully.
1/13/09 Moms water had broken early at 37 weeks 5 days with no signs of labor. She tried herbs and nipple stimulation to get things going and it worked a bit. The policy at the birth center is that you have 48 hours after your waters breaking before we need to transfer if you aren't in active labor (5cm) and when she came in she was only 1cm =( So we all packed up and headed over to the hospital. She was able to get some rest with a little morphine while they put her on pitocin to get the contractions going. a few hours later she was 6 cm dilated but in quite a bit of pain and opted for an epidural. (pitocin makes unaturally strong contractions because it is a synthetic version of the hormone that doesnt communicate with the brain to send more endorphines to deal with the pain) After the epidural she was able to rest and a few hours later was completely dilated. Mom pushed for about an hour and little Finnegan Maynard was born. LIttle Finn didn't start breathing right away, and needed to be helped a lot by their pediatric team. It was the most intense rescuscitation i have ever seen. At the birth center we only ever needed to give a little positive pressure ventilation with the bag and mask, but little Finn needed chest compressions because his heart went too low, and then a shot of epinephrine to jumpstart it, and an intubation to make sure the oxygen was going directly to his lungs. 30 minutes of pure terror as in my heart i called his little spirit to stay with us. Eventually his heart rate came up and he started to breath on his own, but there were signs of some possible brain damage. They decided to transfer him to UCSF for a new Cold Therapy that slows his metabolism to allow the blood to focus on the brain to either slow, stop or reverse any damage. After 3 days of cooling and a few seizures, they warmed him and did an MRI. The MRI looked good and a couple days later they took him off his ventilator and he was able to eat the milk his mom had been preciously pumping and storing for him. A couple days later he was able to nurse at her breast and then was released home with his parents. They might not know for years if there was any permenant damage, but he's home and thriving. Finnegan means "fair skinned" in Ireland, and Maynard means "brave". He was definitely our brave little fairskinned boy.
1/14/09 We had a vbac mom (hoping for a vaginal birth after cesearean) who technically is not allowed to have her baby at the birth center because of some stupid laws. But Judi said that if she came in in active labor and the baby just fell out... then there's nothing we can do about that. I got the call at 12:45am, Mom was pushing and judi was there alone, get there fast. I flew like a bat out of hell and got there in 15 minutes at 1:00am. When i got there mom was almost crowning. I rushed to get everything else Judi needed. His heart tones had dropped pretty low while she was pushing, so Judi had her push hard and fast and little Ander was born at 1:18 crying on his way out. It was the most beautiful sound. Unfortunately mom did tear because he came out so fast, but her baby boy was perfectly healthy. We got her cleaned up and into bed with her baby to cuddle and rest.
I will write about the most recent birth in another post soon. =) and then we'll be all caught up. If you didn't notice, the last three were 3 days in a row =)
12/12/09 Super sweet momma gave birth to her daughter in the water. She pushed like a rockstar and her partner weeped at her strenght. Little Roscoe had a head full of dark hair like her mom and her papa's nose =)
12/13/09 Mom and dad came with grandma and grandpa and moms brother to the birth center. Mom labored hard for a while and then got into the tub. Everyone stood by encouraging while grandpa played folk guitar really loud. We had to ask him to stop while we listened for heart tones a few times, it was pretty funny. =) Mom pushed hard to bring her little boy into the world, and little Pierce James was born weighing 9lbs 3 oz.
12/17/09 Mom and dad were a young couple who came and labored a while at the birth center. We worked with her in every position to try and help her baby come down, but he didn't want to budge. The decision was made to transfer her and the other student who knew her better went with her to the hospital. They tried to do a vaccum assist, but it didn't work, and in the end she had a c-section under general anestesia. Not the birth they were hoping for, but they were happy to have a healthy boy.
12/22/09 Sweet mom and dad came in in active labor. Amazingly mom was smiling between contractions, trying to stay positive and enjoy the experience no matter how intense it got. After a few hours and a few different positions it was time to push and she did so great! Each push brought Linden closer and closer. I was able to show her his decent with a hand held mirror. Soon he was in her arms cuddling and sucking. Sweet little boy.
1/9/09 Mom and dad came to the center with grandma, great grandma and about 6 bags of supplies. Including some xmas lights which really made a nice soft glow. A few hours later the other set of grandparents showed up. At first it was a bit much, and too crowded so we helped the parents get some space. Mom needed some help getting her contractions stronger so she and her partner did some nipple stimulation in private and it worked really well. She was having lower back pain and the only thing that helped was me pressing her hips together during contractions. So for 3 hours, every 4 minutes thats what I did. When we were all getting tired and frustrated it was time to check mom and sure enough she was complete and ready to push! with the new found energy mom worked hard to push her little boy into the world, and soon James West was with us.
1/12/09 Mom had been laboring for a while and came in twice to find out she was only 1cm and then 2 cm dilated. To stay at the center you need to be at least 5cm, so they went home to labor some more. The third time they came in she was almost completely dilated and laboring hard. She got in the tub for a while but the positioning wasn't the best for her petite frame. So we had her sit on the birthing stool to let gravity help and it did. After a couple more position changes and a lot of hard pushing, and a tiny episiotomy (that was totally needed because she was so tight and the baby's heart tones were dipping) little Leathian Shore was born with a head full of dark long hair. She needed some help to breath, but within minutes was using her beautiful little lungs to let us know she had arrived. Because there was meconium and a need for rescuscitation, we decided to transfer mom and babe to make sure everyone was fine. A few hours later mom and babe were cuddling and nursing blissfully.
1/13/09 Moms water had broken early at 37 weeks 5 days with no signs of labor. She tried herbs and nipple stimulation to get things going and it worked a bit. The policy at the birth center is that you have 48 hours after your waters breaking before we need to transfer if you aren't in active labor (5cm) and when she came in she was only 1cm =( So we all packed up and headed over to the hospital. She was able to get some rest with a little morphine while they put her on pitocin to get the contractions going. a few hours later she was 6 cm dilated but in quite a bit of pain and opted for an epidural. (pitocin makes unaturally strong contractions because it is a synthetic version of the hormone that doesnt communicate with the brain to send more endorphines to deal with the pain) After the epidural she was able to rest and a few hours later was completely dilated. Mom pushed for about an hour and little Finnegan Maynard was born. LIttle Finn didn't start breathing right away, and needed to be helped a lot by their pediatric team. It was the most intense rescuscitation i have ever seen. At the birth center we only ever needed to give a little positive pressure ventilation with the bag and mask, but little Finn needed chest compressions because his heart went too low, and then a shot of epinephrine to jumpstart it, and an intubation to make sure the oxygen was going directly to his lungs. 30 minutes of pure terror as in my heart i called his little spirit to stay with us. Eventually his heart rate came up and he started to breath on his own, but there were signs of some possible brain damage. They decided to transfer him to UCSF for a new Cold Therapy that slows his metabolism to allow the blood to focus on the brain to either slow, stop or reverse any damage. After 3 days of cooling and a few seizures, they warmed him and did an MRI. The MRI looked good and a couple days later they took him off his ventilator and he was able to eat the milk his mom had been preciously pumping and storing for him. A couple days later he was able to nurse at her breast and then was released home with his parents. They might not know for years if there was any permenant damage, but he's home and thriving. Finnegan means "fair skinned" in Ireland, and Maynard means "brave". He was definitely our brave little fairskinned boy.
1/14/09 We had a vbac mom (hoping for a vaginal birth after cesearean) who technically is not allowed to have her baby at the birth center because of some stupid laws. But Judi said that if she came in in active labor and the baby just fell out... then there's nothing we can do about that. I got the call at 12:45am, Mom was pushing and judi was there alone, get there fast. I flew like a bat out of hell and got there in 15 minutes at 1:00am. When i got there mom was almost crowning. I rushed to get everything else Judi needed. His heart tones had dropped pretty low while she was pushing, so Judi had her push hard and fast and little Ander was born at 1:18 crying on his way out. It was the most beautiful sound. Unfortunately mom did tear because he came out so fast, but her baby boy was perfectly healthy. We got her cleaned up and into bed with her baby to cuddle and rest.
I will write about the most recent birth in another post soon. =) and then we'll be all caught up. If you didn't notice, the last three were 3 days in a row =)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Births
Ok, so it has become apparent to me that there is no way for me to write about each birth I've attended. They have been happening too frequently and I've got way too much other stuff going on to keep up with them all. So in summary, since I started apprenticing at the Sage Femme birth center in Oct there was 1 birth, November there were 2, December there were 5 and in january so far there have been 5 making a total of 13 births. When that's added to the 14 from my LA apprenticeship, I've been to a total of 27 births =)
I have learned so much in the last 3 months at the birth center. From the births themselves to the pre/postnatal appointments and classes that I've sat in on. My skills have been improving and I'm slowly being given more responsibilities. Drawing more blood, doing the forms for lab work, discussing prenatal issues and procedures, and being involved in the decision making process during births. I am feeling much more confident in my understanding of birth and all the variables that play a part.
I have had the unfortunate yet fortunate opportunity to assist in resuscitations of newborns. While it is hard when it is needed, I am very grateful for the experience. Also grateful that of the 2 babies I helped Judi resuscitate at the birth center, both of them are doing great. =) I have also had a few experiences where we needed to transfer to the hospital and where I was presented with very challenging situations. I have been tested to be strong for parents when every cell in my body wanted to cry and collapse. To try and guide them through each experience, emergency and intervention with hope, clarity and faith.
I am grateful for those experiences too. Even more grateful though that each of those babies and mothers are healthy and happy now. There was one case where I really wasn't sure if the baby was going to come around. We were at the hospital and the pediatric team was working on him to try and help him breath, and for 30 minutes I saw no movements, heard no sounds coming from this little boy. Eventually he came around, but with the potential to have some brain damage. After a new treatment to help heal him he was able to go home after a week. I haven't seen him out of the hospital yet and I can't wait to hear his little voice and see his face without any tubes helping him breath.
Even with these challenging births I have not been swayed or scared away from this new path I've chosen. The world needs more skilled birth workers who understand birth and mothers and babies. Who can help them come into this world with as much love and peace as possible. So it seems for each challenging birth, there are twice as many, if not more, easier births, which are like a therapy of their own. Like when the babe is not even fully born and already starts to cry out. Its the most beautiful sound.
All these new experiences have driven me to study even harder. And it is really satisfying to read what was once confusing or intimidating and have a better understanding of it. I still have a long way to go, but it feels so good that everything feels like its falling into place. It's also very satisfying to see a smirk of pride on Judi's face as she walks past me doing a something right on my own. I was talking to a mom about breast feeding, and as Judi passed by she heard me saying passionately to the mom "Each breast is different, each nipple is different, each baby is different,... so learning how to breastfeed can be challenging, but it is possible and we will help you learn how to!"
Lastly I am so fortunate that Simon is so supportive and understanding. He's always there when I need him, willing to listen and offer a shoulder to cry on if I need it. Or if i've just learned something and have to share it, so long as its not too gross =)
So thats the update for now. =) life is so precious.
I have learned so much in the last 3 months at the birth center. From the births themselves to the pre/postnatal appointments and classes that I've sat in on. My skills have been improving and I'm slowly being given more responsibilities. Drawing more blood, doing the forms for lab work, discussing prenatal issues and procedures, and being involved in the decision making process during births. I am feeling much more confident in my understanding of birth and all the variables that play a part.
I have had the unfortunate yet fortunate opportunity to assist in resuscitations of newborns. While it is hard when it is needed, I am very grateful for the experience. Also grateful that of the 2 babies I helped Judi resuscitate at the birth center, both of them are doing great. =) I have also had a few experiences where we needed to transfer to the hospital and where I was presented with very challenging situations. I have been tested to be strong for parents when every cell in my body wanted to cry and collapse. To try and guide them through each experience, emergency and intervention with hope, clarity and faith.
I am grateful for those experiences too. Even more grateful though that each of those babies and mothers are healthy and happy now. There was one case where I really wasn't sure if the baby was going to come around. We were at the hospital and the pediatric team was working on him to try and help him breath, and for 30 minutes I saw no movements, heard no sounds coming from this little boy. Eventually he came around, but with the potential to have some brain damage. After a new treatment to help heal him he was able to go home after a week. I haven't seen him out of the hospital yet and I can't wait to hear his little voice and see his face without any tubes helping him breath.
Even with these challenging births I have not been swayed or scared away from this new path I've chosen. The world needs more skilled birth workers who understand birth and mothers and babies. Who can help them come into this world with as much love and peace as possible. So it seems for each challenging birth, there are twice as many, if not more, easier births, which are like a therapy of their own. Like when the babe is not even fully born and already starts to cry out. Its the most beautiful sound.
All these new experiences have driven me to study even harder. And it is really satisfying to read what was once confusing or intimidating and have a better understanding of it. I still have a long way to go, but it feels so good that everything feels like its falling into place. It's also very satisfying to see a smirk of pride on Judi's face as she walks past me doing a something right on my own. I was talking to a mom about breast feeding, and as Judi passed by she heard me saying passionately to the mom "Each breast is different, each nipple is different, each baby is different,... so learning how to breastfeed can be challenging, but it is possible and we will help you learn how to!"
Lastly I am so fortunate that Simon is so supportive and understanding. He's always there when I need him, willing to listen and offer a shoulder to cry on if I need it. Or if i've just learned something and have to share it, so long as its not too gross =)
So thats the update for now. =) life is so precious.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Meconium Transfers
So it's policy at the birth center that if there is any meconium when the waters break and the birth is not imminent, that we transfer to the hospital. Usually when a baby passes mec (their first stool) it means that they are distressed. Sometimes this can mean there is something seriously wrong, other times it may have been for just a brief period that the cord was compressed... and sometimes if the baby is just postdates (older than 40 weeks) then they pass it just because there's plenty of it.
Recently we had two mothers who both had mec in their waters. I had not had a chance to meet either of them before their labors. One had quite a long labor at the birth center and was pretty tired, so when her waters broke and there was mec she was ready to transfer to the hospital. The baby was still doing fine and she ended up staying there for another day before delivering a perfect healthy baby.
The second mother never made it to the birth center. Her waters broke at home and it was obvious they were meconium stained. Meaning they had a yellow/greenish tint to them, and sometimes there are particles. So she went directly to the hospital and also stayed for a couple days before delivering.
So in both cases, there was meconium but neither of them needed to have an emergency c-section. One of the things Judi tries to convey is that even if a transfer is needed, that it is still possible to have a natural birth. Most of the reasons we transfer are if the mother is just really tired and needs some relief that we can't give (epidural/narcotics), if her uterus is really tired and needs some extra help (pitocin), or if there is mec in the waters just to be safe. Other than distress the main concern about meconium is that the baby will breath it into its lungs once its born.
Of the 20 births that I have been to I've seen mec in the waters about 4 times and each of those never had any complications. So for now I've had positive experiences around meconium, but I want to stay cautious and prepared.
Recently we had two mothers who both had mec in their waters. I had not had a chance to meet either of them before their labors. One had quite a long labor at the birth center and was pretty tired, so when her waters broke and there was mec she was ready to transfer to the hospital. The baby was still doing fine and she ended up staying there for another day before delivering a perfect healthy baby.
The second mother never made it to the birth center. Her waters broke at home and it was obvious they were meconium stained. Meaning they had a yellow/greenish tint to them, and sometimes there are particles. So she went directly to the hospital and also stayed for a couple days before delivering.
So in both cases, there was meconium but neither of them needed to have an emergency c-section. One of the things Judi tries to convey is that even if a transfer is needed, that it is still possible to have a natural birth. Most of the reasons we transfer are if the mother is just really tired and needs some relief that we can't give (epidural/narcotics), if her uterus is really tired and needs some extra help (pitocin), or if there is mec in the waters just to be safe. Other than distress the main concern about meconium is that the baby will breath it into its lungs once its born.
Of the 20 births that I have been to I've seen mec in the waters about 4 times and each of those never had any complications. So for now I've had positive experiences around meconium, but I want to stay cautious and prepared.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Two in a row!
We had two moms deliver last week. One on friday and one on saturday. Both were water births with baby girls and lovely chinese mommas. =)
Friday's went great. Mom's water broke around 3am. Labor picked up soon after and they headed over to the birth center. They live in Sacramento so it was a good 2 hour drive at least. Judi called me around 7am saying that they had arrived and that it was still a bit early, but to be prepared to come around 12. I decided to head out a bit earlier and got a call from Judi while I was on BART. She said I should get there as soon as i could, things had picked up. Luckily I was just 2 stations away at that point.
When I walked in Judi was fervently setting up the tub and mom and dad were in the front exam room laboring hard. Gradually they made their way over to the birth room and she got into the tub. I had never seen a first time mom in active labor be so relaxed. She literally melted and floated in the water. Her partner was right at her side supporting and helping remind her to drink to stay hydrated.
As usually the warm water slowed things down a bit, so we had C change position a few times and eventually squat and stand swaying for a few contractions. It definitely did the trick and her contractions picked up again. Baby was doing great the whole time. Good strong heart tones. =) Soon it was time to start pushing and she worked so hard to bring her little girl down and out. Emmi was born at 1:59pm. Beautiful, pink and a bit early at 37 weeks and 3 days.
On Saturday I came in to help out with a "Mother and Baby Care" class that Judi was teaching from 2-5pm. Around 3pm we got a call from H who was 41 weeks and 6 days. Once moms hit 42 weeks they aren't allowed to birth at the center and have to go their back up hospital instead. So over the last few days H had been working with Judi to naturally induce labor using herbs, castor oil and membrane stripping. This was H's second baby, so we just had to get labor kicked in and her body would take care of the rest.
Apparently the castor oil had worked, because she was having contractions every 4-5 min for about a minute long since 1pm. Judi said for her to come in at 5pm as planned to see if she had dilated some more. When Judi checked her she was 6-7cm with a bulging back of waters. Both Judi and H decided to go for broke and do a full on "natural" induction and break her water. Normally most midwives try to avoid breaking waters as it can cause issues if the baby isn't positioned right or not ready. But in H's case, she was well past due, already dilated and having contractions, and baby's position was perfect. And luckily in her case, it totally worked.
Labor got stronger and stronger. And we helped her deal with her fears. Her first labor had lasted 52 hours and ended in a transport with an epidural. So she had never felt the full strength of contractions before. We decided to welcome them as friends and helpers with a positive mind set. As they became stronger she needed some more help and Judi guided her through each contraction chanting "OOOooopppppeeeeennnnn" with her to help visualize her cervix opening.
Soon after she got into the tub with her partner supporting her and the water was very comforting. Eventually her "open" chants became less fluid and more grunty, usually meaning that the pushing stage was beginning. She began to push with each contraction and slowly her daughter came closer and closer. We could she her little head full of dark hair and H put her hand down to help ease the head out herself and then pick up her daughter as she was born.
Both were very sweet births. Totally normal with no resuscitation or abnormal bleeding. Just pure birth, and bliss and love.
In December there are 15 moms due. Some are bound to spill over into November like friday's birth. And some are likely to last into January. Simon and I are going away from dec 25th till Jan 3rd. So I'm going to miss some births. But I'm hoping to catch most of them =) I'm up to 5 births at the center, but I'm only counting 3 as official because i was there from beginning to end. And that makes a 17 total since March.
I've decided not to take the second apprenticeship and just do Tuesdays and Thursdays at the center. That way I can focus on finishing my modules. I really want to finish them by spring of 2010, take the NARM exam and then go traveling with Simon for 6 months. I know I can do it. I just need lots of coffee to help focus =)
Friday's went great. Mom's water broke around 3am. Labor picked up soon after and they headed over to the birth center. They live in Sacramento so it was a good 2 hour drive at least. Judi called me around 7am saying that they had arrived and that it was still a bit early, but to be prepared to come around 12. I decided to head out a bit earlier and got a call from Judi while I was on BART. She said I should get there as soon as i could, things had picked up. Luckily I was just 2 stations away at that point.
When I walked in Judi was fervently setting up the tub and mom and dad were in the front exam room laboring hard. Gradually they made their way over to the birth room and she got into the tub. I had never seen a first time mom in active labor be so relaxed. She literally melted and floated in the water. Her partner was right at her side supporting and helping remind her to drink to stay hydrated.
As usually the warm water slowed things down a bit, so we had C change position a few times and eventually squat and stand swaying for a few contractions. It definitely did the trick and her contractions picked up again. Baby was doing great the whole time. Good strong heart tones. =) Soon it was time to start pushing and she worked so hard to bring her little girl down and out. Emmi was born at 1:59pm. Beautiful, pink and a bit early at 37 weeks and 3 days.
On Saturday I came in to help out with a "Mother and Baby Care" class that Judi was teaching from 2-5pm. Around 3pm we got a call from H who was 41 weeks and 6 days. Once moms hit 42 weeks they aren't allowed to birth at the center and have to go their back up hospital instead. So over the last few days H had been working with Judi to naturally induce labor using herbs, castor oil and membrane stripping. This was H's second baby, so we just had to get labor kicked in and her body would take care of the rest.
Apparently the castor oil had worked, because she was having contractions every 4-5 min for about a minute long since 1pm. Judi said for her to come in at 5pm as planned to see if she had dilated some more. When Judi checked her she was 6-7cm with a bulging back of waters. Both Judi and H decided to go for broke and do a full on "natural" induction and break her water. Normally most midwives try to avoid breaking waters as it can cause issues if the baby isn't positioned right or not ready. But in H's case, she was well past due, already dilated and having contractions, and baby's position was perfect. And luckily in her case, it totally worked.
Labor got stronger and stronger. And we helped her deal with her fears. Her first labor had lasted 52 hours and ended in a transport with an epidural. So she had never felt the full strength of contractions before. We decided to welcome them as friends and helpers with a positive mind set. As they became stronger she needed some more help and Judi guided her through each contraction chanting "OOOooopppppeeeeennnnn" with her to help visualize her cervix opening.
Soon after she got into the tub with her partner supporting her and the water was very comforting. Eventually her "open" chants became less fluid and more grunty, usually meaning that the pushing stage was beginning. She began to push with each contraction and slowly her daughter came closer and closer. We could she her little head full of dark hair and H put her hand down to help ease the head out herself and then pick up her daughter as she was born.
Both were very sweet births. Totally normal with no resuscitation or abnormal bleeding. Just pure birth, and bliss and love.
In December there are 15 moms due. Some are bound to spill over into November like friday's birth. And some are likely to last into January. Simon and I are going away from dec 25th till Jan 3rd. So I'm going to miss some births. But I'm hoping to catch most of them =) I'm up to 5 births at the center, but I'm only counting 3 as official because i was there from beginning to end. And that makes a 17 total since March.
I've decided not to take the second apprenticeship and just do Tuesdays and Thursdays at the center. That way I can focus on finishing my modules. I really want to finish them by spring of 2010, take the NARM exam and then go traveling with Simon for 6 months. I know I can do it. I just need lots of coffee to help focus =)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Second Apprenticeship?
So during my hunt for an apprenticeship I heard about a group of three midwives who have a home birth practice in the east bay and SF. I had hoped to talk with them before deciding on working at Sage Femme, but the timing was not right. A week after I accepted the apprenticeship at Sage Femme I got a response from these midwives that they were interested in meeting with me.
I wrote them back explaining that I had already accepted my apprenticeship, but that it was only one day a week, and whenever there were births. I asked if they would in interested in working with me when I wasn't at Sage Femme since I don't have another job or kids yet. The only potential issue would be if there are overlapping births. They wrote back and said that there isn't a conflict with Sage Femme, because they don't regularly see clients on the day I'm scheduled to work there. And as for conflicting births, if its meant for us to work together, then we'll find a way to work things out.
So I'm going to meet with them on Wed for lunch and see how things go. I have a feeling that I will really like working with them. Just from the impression I got from their website and birth photos. I did meet one of the midwives briefly at a conference in March. She was also a student at Sage Femme for a while before leaving to do home births. So Judi knows her well and I talked to her about my plans to meet with them so that everyone is in the know.
Because I accepted at Sage Femme first, I plan to make them my priority. If I'm already at a birth at Sage Femme, then I won't be able to leave for another birth. And if I'm at a birth with the other midwives and get a call for Sage Femme, I'll have to leave. This could potentially really really suck. If I've developed a strong relationship with the mother I won't want to leave in the middle of her birth. I'm hoping that the chances of births overlapping will be slim. But it really depends on how busy they are.
We will talk about everything and figure it out. I think maybe doing a trial period of a few months to see if I can actually pull it off is a good idea. I don't want to over commit or burn myself out. But at the same time I'm very eager to gain experience and take advantage of my time right now. And I would LOVE to be in the homes again. 2 of the three births I have attended at the birth center resulted in transporting to the hospital. Both were necessary, but it makes me wonder...
I have a theory that mothers that choose home birth are more committed and willing to have a natural birth. And that mothers who choose a birth center are still afraid or not trusting of birth. They don't want to be at home, but don't want to be in a hospital. It's a safe middle ground. Both deserve unconditional support and excellent care. But part of me wants to work with mothers who trust birth as much as I do. That is one of the things I need to work on personally.
So we'll see how it goes. I need to keep studying. It's hard to with distractions at home. The internet, Cody (our kitty), and wanting to get organized around the house still. I find it's easier to study at night when everything is quiet and dark. =) Wish me luck!
I wrote them back explaining that I had already accepted my apprenticeship, but that it was only one day a week, and whenever there were births. I asked if they would in interested in working with me when I wasn't at Sage Femme since I don't have another job or kids yet. The only potential issue would be if there are overlapping births. They wrote back and said that there isn't a conflict with Sage Femme, because they don't regularly see clients on the day I'm scheduled to work there. And as for conflicting births, if its meant for us to work together, then we'll find a way to work things out.
So I'm going to meet with them on Wed for lunch and see how things go. I have a feeling that I will really like working with them. Just from the impression I got from their website and birth photos. I did meet one of the midwives briefly at a conference in March. She was also a student at Sage Femme for a while before leaving to do home births. So Judi knows her well and I talked to her about my plans to meet with them so that everyone is in the know.
Because I accepted at Sage Femme first, I plan to make them my priority. If I'm already at a birth at Sage Femme, then I won't be able to leave for another birth. And if I'm at a birth with the other midwives and get a call for Sage Femme, I'll have to leave. This could potentially really really suck. If I've developed a strong relationship with the mother I won't want to leave in the middle of her birth. I'm hoping that the chances of births overlapping will be slim. But it really depends on how busy they are.
We will talk about everything and figure it out. I think maybe doing a trial period of a few months to see if I can actually pull it off is a good idea. I don't want to over commit or burn myself out. But at the same time I'm very eager to gain experience and take advantage of my time right now. And I would LOVE to be in the homes again. 2 of the three births I have attended at the birth center resulted in transporting to the hospital. Both were necessary, but it makes me wonder...
I have a theory that mothers that choose home birth are more committed and willing to have a natural birth. And that mothers who choose a birth center are still afraid or not trusting of birth. They don't want to be at home, but don't want to be in a hospital. It's a safe middle ground. Both deserve unconditional support and excellent care. But part of me wants to work with mothers who trust birth as much as I do. That is one of the things I need to work on personally.
So we'll see how it goes. I need to keep studying. It's hard to with distractions at home. The internet, Cody (our kitty), and wanting to get organized around the house still. I find it's easier to study at night when everything is quiet and dark. =) Wish me luck!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
First official day =)
So my last post was on the Sunday before I officially started. I got a call the next day, Monday, and there was a mom in labor. Judi wanted to know if I would like to observe the birth. Of course! It was still a bit early but I headed over to the center to be there when the mom arrived. While waiting I started the scavenger hunt around the center and got very familiar with where all the supplies and equipment are stored. A few hours later and still no momma, so Judi called to see how she was doing. Her contractions were becoming irregular again and waning so they were probably not going to be coming in. I was disappointed but grateful to get to know the center a bit more and went home.
The next morning at 5:30am I got the call from Judi. L had come in around 4am and she was around 6cm with fairly regular contractions every 5-7 minutes. I jumped in the car and drove over the bridge into the city with the early morning traffic. By the time I got there L's contractions had slowed a bit, and she was being well supported by her husband and doula. I ate some breakfast and got introduced to them. Sweet couple, mom in her early 40's, first baby, its a boy "Paulo". At this point I was just helping with taking vitals and timing the contractions occasionally.
The next 12 hours seemed to fly by with taking vitals and trying to help her swing Paulo into a better position. The silly monkey had his back on one side and his head turned the other way. To help do that we had her changing positions and walking, trying to keep her contractions going, but it was hard because of his funky position, his head wasn't applying the even amount of pressure on the cervix to synchronize the contractions.
At 7pm after having a bit of yogurt with honey for energy L vomited and her water broke at the same time. Even though most people think vomiting is a bad thing... in labor it can actually help a lot. Her waters were clear and perfect. Throughout the whole day Paulo's heart rate was fantastic. The little guy wasn't even phased =) Now that her water was broken we needed to monitor her temperature to see if she was at risk for an infection. So far so good =)
After her water broke she became a bit dehydrated so Judi suggested an IV and they accepted gratefully. After an hour or so of the IV she was feeling much better and had much more energy. She was rocking and swaying with the contractions. Around 10pm Judi decided to check her again to see if she'd made any progress. If she hadn't we were going to talk about transporting because the contractions she had kept coming and going and weren't strong enough to help turn Paulo. If she got a bit of Pitocin at the hospital it would help, and before she was too tired for the pushing stage.
When Judi checked her she was still 7-8cm, but very stretchy. So Judi decided to hangout for a contraction and see if the head came down when L pushed. It did. So through a few contractions Judi helped move the cervix out of the way for the head to come down. And down he came. We moved L to a birthing stool to let gravity help and with each contraction and push he came closer and closer. Soon we could see his little head full of dark hair molding perfectly to fit. As he started to crown she panted through the contractions and his head came out perfectly. He had turned the right way!
With the next couple contractions his whole body came out and we helped lift him to L's lap. He was pretty flaccid (floppy) and didn't start to cry after being stimulated with rubbing, talking and some suctioning. Judi listened to his heart and it was pretty slow, so she clamped him and brought him to the resuscitation table. I was right there ready with the oxygen on and a warm blanket to help dry him and stimulate him more. After a few seconds he started to pink up, I listened to his heart and it was back up to a good range. But he still wasn't crying or making strong efforts to breath. Judi asked me to call 911 and ask for a neonatal resuscitation team.
I flew to the other side of the room and called. Somehow I remembered the address even though I'd only been here twice before. While on the phone I could see Paulo moving around and starting to make a little noise. Once I confirmed everything I went to the front of the building to wait for them. They arrived about 8 minutes later (longest 8 minutes of my life) and I let them in. When I went back to the room Paulo was breathing on his own but still wasn't crying. So the decided to transport him just to be cautious. So Paulo and dad went to the hospital and mom stayed with us to make sure she was doing ok.
During the commotion of resuscitate and calling and waiting L had delivered her placenta with the help of the other student midwife and her doula and was doing great. Before we could let her leave we had to make sure she wouldn't hemorrhage, was able to go to the bathroom, get something to eat and rest for a bit. We got her in bed and I made her some scrambled eggs. While feeding her the eggs and some yogurt we talked about what happened and how Paulo looked to me, and that I was certain that he was going to be fine. As the EMS was leaving with him we heard him cry.
After about an hour and a half, with a good nap, food and being able to walk around without feeling dizzy... I drove L to the hospital. We had her sit and she was finally able to hold Paulo and cuddle him skin-to-skin. They had done some blood tests and found that his hematocrit was higher than normal, meaning his blood was thicker than they liked. The talked to the parents about doing a procedure to help dilute his blood, by extracting some from his umbilical vein and adding saline through and IV. The risk of a high hematocrit is having his blood clot and potentially give him a stroke. The benefits of the procedure definitely out weighed the cons so they agreed to go forward with it.
I offered to stay at the hospital and wait with them till after the procedure and Paulo was all settled with his mom again. The father still needed a ride back to the center to pick up their things that were left behind in the rush and to get their car. So around 9am everything was finished, Paulo was back to cuddling with his mom and resting so it was time for me to head out. I as so grateful to be able to support them. I was able to help assess L's bleeding while at the hospital to make sure she was still doing fine and make sure she stayed hydrated.
Even though I had been awake for more than 27 hours, I was high on adrenaline from the whole evening and so satisfied and happy that they were all doing great and finally together again. I learned a ton and was so grateful that I was able to help so much during the birth and afterward. Judi does have another midwife on staff, but the decision to start pushing happened so quickly that even if she had called her, she wouldn't have made it there on time. And I'm super glad that I came early on monday and got to know my way around the center. Knowing where everything was helped a ton and I was able to preemtively prepare things. I was fast and efficient. It felt great =)
I got home around 10am, took a shower, ate and then crashed into bed =) *sigh* It was a good start to my new apprenticeship =)
The next morning at 5:30am I got the call from Judi. L had come in around 4am and she was around 6cm with fairly regular contractions every 5-7 minutes. I jumped in the car and drove over the bridge into the city with the early morning traffic. By the time I got there L's contractions had slowed a bit, and she was being well supported by her husband and doula. I ate some breakfast and got introduced to them. Sweet couple, mom in her early 40's, first baby, its a boy "Paulo". At this point I was just helping with taking vitals and timing the contractions occasionally.
The next 12 hours seemed to fly by with taking vitals and trying to help her swing Paulo into a better position. The silly monkey had his back on one side and his head turned the other way. To help do that we had her changing positions and walking, trying to keep her contractions going, but it was hard because of his funky position, his head wasn't applying the even amount of pressure on the cervix to synchronize the contractions.
At 7pm after having a bit of yogurt with honey for energy L vomited and her water broke at the same time. Even though most people think vomiting is a bad thing... in labor it can actually help a lot. Her waters were clear and perfect. Throughout the whole day Paulo's heart rate was fantastic. The little guy wasn't even phased =) Now that her water was broken we needed to monitor her temperature to see if she was at risk for an infection. So far so good =)
After her water broke she became a bit dehydrated so Judi suggested an IV and they accepted gratefully. After an hour or so of the IV she was feeling much better and had much more energy. She was rocking and swaying with the contractions. Around 10pm Judi decided to check her again to see if she'd made any progress. If she hadn't we were going to talk about transporting because the contractions she had kept coming and going and weren't strong enough to help turn Paulo. If she got a bit of Pitocin at the hospital it would help, and before she was too tired for the pushing stage.
When Judi checked her she was still 7-8cm, but very stretchy. So Judi decided to hangout for a contraction and see if the head came down when L pushed. It did. So through a few contractions Judi helped move the cervix out of the way for the head to come down. And down he came. We moved L to a birthing stool to let gravity help and with each contraction and push he came closer and closer. Soon we could see his little head full of dark hair molding perfectly to fit. As he started to crown she panted through the contractions and his head came out perfectly. He had turned the right way!
With the next couple contractions his whole body came out and we helped lift him to L's lap. He was pretty flaccid (floppy) and didn't start to cry after being stimulated with rubbing, talking and some suctioning. Judi listened to his heart and it was pretty slow, so she clamped him and brought him to the resuscitation table. I was right there ready with the oxygen on and a warm blanket to help dry him and stimulate him more. After a few seconds he started to pink up, I listened to his heart and it was back up to a good range. But he still wasn't crying or making strong efforts to breath. Judi asked me to call 911 and ask for a neonatal resuscitation team.
I flew to the other side of the room and called. Somehow I remembered the address even though I'd only been here twice before. While on the phone I could see Paulo moving around and starting to make a little noise. Once I confirmed everything I went to the front of the building to wait for them. They arrived about 8 minutes later (longest 8 minutes of my life) and I let them in. When I went back to the room Paulo was breathing on his own but still wasn't crying. So the decided to transport him just to be cautious. So Paulo and dad went to the hospital and mom stayed with us to make sure she was doing ok.
During the commotion of resuscitate and calling and waiting L had delivered her placenta with the help of the other student midwife and her doula and was doing great. Before we could let her leave we had to make sure she wouldn't hemorrhage, was able to go to the bathroom, get something to eat and rest for a bit. We got her in bed and I made her some scrambled eggs. While feeding her the eggs and some yogurt we talked about what happened and how Paulo looked to me, and that I was certain that he was going to be fine. As the EMS was leaving with him we heard him cry.
After about an hour and a half, with a good nap, food and being able to walk around without feeling dizzy... I drove L to the hospital. We had her sit and she was finally able to hold Paulo and cuddle him skin-to-skin. They had done some blood tests and found that his hematocrit was higher than normal, meaning his blood was thicker than they liked. The talked to the parents about doing a procedure to help dilute his blood, by extracting some from his umbilical vein and adding saline through and IV. The risk of a high hematocrit is having his blood clot and potentially give him a stroke. The benefits of the procedure definitely out weighed the cons so they agreed to go forward with it.
I offered to stay at the hospital and wait with them till after the procedure and Paulo was all settled with his mom again. The father still needed a ride back to the center to pick up their things that were left behind in the rush and to get their car. So around 9am everything was finished, Paulo was back to cuddling with his mom and resting so it was time for me to head out. I as so grateful to be able to support them. I was able to help assess L's bleeding while at the hospital to make sure she was still doing fine and make sure she stayed hydrated.
Even though I had been awake for more than 27 hours, I was high on adrenaline from the whole evening and so satisfied and happy that they were all doing great and finally together again. I learned a ton and was so grateful that I was able to help so much during the birth and afterward. Judi does have another midwife on staff, but the decision to start pushing happened so quickly that even if she had called her, she wouldn't have made it there on time. And I'm super glad that I came early on monday and got to know my way around the center. Knowing where everything was helped a ton and I was able to preemtively prepare things. I was fast and efficient. It felt great =)
I got home around 10am, took a shower, ate and then crashed into bed =) *sigh* It was a good start to my new apprenticeship =)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
