Very First Birthday Cake

On Thrusday evening I was on my way upstairs to grab a sweater when I heard my cell ringing downstairs... Instantly I thought, "K!" We had 2 moms that were due anyday, so granted I had a 50-50 chance of guessing the correct mom. But since I'm trying to tap into my intuitiveness, (a valued skill in midwifery) I was happy to discover I was right!

I was the first to arrive at their house. K's parents happened to be in town because they were all going to their 4-year-old son's t-ball game. K was in her bathtub soaking, her mom keeping her company. She was having some good strong contractions but they were still about 5 or so minutes appart. She felt like getting out of the tub to walk around a bit and I was her little shadow. Wherever she was with each contraction she would lean on something and I would gently massage her back. She said it felt great to have something gentle that felt good to focus on.

D arrived soon after and I started to help her set up all the supplies and equipment. Which I'm getting better at knowing where things are and where they should be placed =) When we were almost done I realized that K's mom had left to attend to their son and she was alone in the bathroom laboring on the toilet. I told D, I feel like I really need to be in there with her right now, and she said "go, go!" being supportive of me listening to my instincts.

When I came in she smiled and then another contraction came on and I stood at her side while she sat on the toilet. (which is by the way a wonderful place to labor for many reasons... not a great place to start pushing though =) So I stood there and she leaned against me singing her birth song, the low moans of a laboring mother. I held her and spoke softly to her to help her remember to sink into the pressure, to relax her shoulders and face, to allow her body to open.

In between contractions her son would poke his head in, he was super excited to meet his little sister. He kept saying it was the best day of his life and he was going to draw her a spiderman picture for her birthday. K's husband would check in periodically too, but he kept himself busy with cleaning up, rearranging and hosing down the back patio. K was happy to just have women around her for this part of her labor.

As the contractions started to get stronger and closer together her husband stayed close. Over the course of a couple hours she tried a bunch of different positions. Kneeling on pillows supported by her husband, sitting on the birthing stool, standing leaning on their bed, sitting in her rocking chair, lying on her side in bed. We were all over the place =) And throughout the whole labor the baby's heart was doing great.

Their son decided that since it was the baby's birthday she needed to have a party with cake. He came in sweetly asking what kind of cake was the baby's favorite, and K explained that the baby wont be able to eat any of the cake, but that he could choose his favorite instead. He was very happy about that =) So off he went with his grandpa to buy the cake and candles. Apparently he gave his grandpa directions on how to get to the Cold Stone Creamery so they could get an ice cream cake. He came back in carrying the cake into the bed room to show it to us, frosting, whipped cream with lots of colorful sprinkles. =)

The contractions kept coming strong and as she was leaning over the bed holding on to her husband her water broke and were excited knowing that Ruby Jane would be coming soon. She decided to turn around to face D who was kneeling on the floor below her, ready to support as the baby came out. With just a few contractions her head made its way out slowly, and then with the next contraction and push she was only half way out and already started to cry. Then there she was, all pink and crying, getting lots of oxygen from the air and still from the cord pulsing from within. They helped K sit down and and then placed her new daughter on her chest. She cried with joy holding this precious babe that she worked so hard with to bring into the world.

Their son had been taking a bath after returning from the cake shopping and he came in all excited to meet his sister. "Oh she's so cute!" he exclaimed. "I'll go get her cake!" haha. They told him it would have to wait just for a bit. =) We got K all cozy in bed with her babe, and the family just cuddled for a while. Soon after her husband helped cut the cord and she delivered her placenta. Ruby Jane stopped crying pretty soon after, and she was all alert looking around, listening to the voices around her and nursing.

Eventually their son couldn't wait anymore so, with his grandparents help, he put a bunch of candles in the cake and then we all sang a little happy birthday song to Ruby Jane. I was able to make K some scrambled eggs to eat, instead of cake for now, cuz she needed some good protein. It felt good cooking for one of the moms for the first time. As most of you know I love to cook and feed people. Eventually I'd love to include that as a service for postpartum moms, to bring them fresh cooked meals =)

Everyone was so happy in the house. We did all the routine tests to make sure mom and baby were healthy and then left them a few hours later cozy in bed. It was a very sweet birth and K thanked me for being so comforting. I drove home around midnight with my heart full of love and my belly full of cake. =)