Beautiful Lioness

My trip to SF was wonderful. I had such a great time visiting with all my friends, co-workers and of course lil Dexter. Being in the city felt great, i missed the smells and sights, the random conversations you can have on public transportation, and even the guy holding the "FREE HUGS" sign, who gives amazing hugs =) I'm looking forward to visiting again soon.

I got back on Satuday, spent a really nice day with Simon on Sunday, and was looking forward to starting my adjusted work schedule to have more time for apprentice work. Monday night I went sleep looking forward to the 3 prenatal visits scheduled for Tuesday, but was awakened by a call at 3am from D asking if i was ready for another birth. =) Of course I am! haha.

So bleery eyed and groggy I threw on whatever was at hand, squinted at my computer to get directions to where the family's home was, and headed off into the dark morning. Thankfully the freeway was almost completely empty so it took my only about 10 minutes to get there. When I arrived mom was in her birthing tub already relaxing and talking with her sister and husband.

Since this was her third baby, the midwives thought that things would progress pretty quickly, but... you never really know and this was one of those cases where the unlikely was happening =) The hours passed by as mom focused on her contractions and we gave her support and comforted her.

Inspite of moms efforts pushing, the baby didnt seem to be making progress. Sometimes the baby's head might be at a funky angle or the cervix has trouble dialating and staying out of the way, and it seemed that this was the case. Mom was getting really tired by now and frustrated that things werent progressing. The midwives suggested trying a couple more things to help the baby reposition his head, like having mom walk up and down a couple stairs like a sumo wrestler, and if those didnt help then we would consider transporting to the hospital. Not because anybody was at risk, but just because she was really tired and an epidural might help her get some rest.

Mom didn't want to go to the hospital, so she tried the sumo waddle, and sure enough it did the trick and her contractions became more intense. She was standing being supported by her husband as she growled and screamed with each push. She used her voice to give her strength and power and it did just that. Soon the head was out and then the body followed being caught and supported by the midwives till mom could reach down and lift her to her chest.

Everyone was so happy and relieved. Mom laid down to cuddle with her new daughter and we all admired how pink she was and how she was breathing just fine without needing any suction. Her husband was so proud of her, and grateful to us for helping them. I did get a bit choked up at the overwhelming emotions in the room. It was beautiful.

Even though this birth was more challenging, it was a wonderful experience to see how the midwives deal with situations like this. How they didnt panic, but gave constant support and observation, trusting in mom and respecting her wishes. We all worked really well as a team, each with a dutiful task, and it felt great.

I helped with clean up and packing up while the proud papa forced bagels, fruit and juice on us. Soon after the mothers parents arrived and the house was full of blessings. I was able to help the midwives other apprentice inspect the placenta to make sure it was intact, and that was very educational. You can look at pictures so many times, but the real thing is very different. She showed me the "tree of life" on the placenta, which is made up of the arteries, veins and cord. If your curious here's a picture =) (its black and white, so dont be afraid)

I got home around noon a bit dazed and tired but not tired at the same time. The midwives rescheduled appointments for that day, and I was very grateful to have time to myself to reflect and rest. I fed my foster kitties, took a shower, ate some lunch and then took the best nap ever =) Dreaming of little Isabella and her strong lioness mother =)