Congrates to K & C!!

Friday night I'm up late getting the website up, when I receive a text from K stating her water had broken!! Guess her baby wanted to be born on his due date!  I advise her to lay down for a nap so she can be better prepared for the work to come.  She says she will and starts her hypnobabies.  I finish up and climb into bed hoping for a few hours of sleep.  It is not long before K calls and asks me to come so that C can have peace of mind.  This is not unusual for a 1st time home birth family.  I get on my way.  When I get there K is have birthing waves every 10 min.  I set up everything.  By this time little c has calmed down and fallen asleep and C has picked up the sitter.  The house calms down about 4 am and everyone gets a little sleep.  K wakes for birthing waves and is a little restless.  C is able to calm her so she can get a little rest.  I am able to rest for about 1 hour.  C comes and to tell me K is really uncomfortable with back pain.  Birthing waves are 4-5 min apart and she is about 5 cm open.  So she gets in.  Baby is doing wonderfully.  After about 30 min I call for M and F to come.  Our group always works with 2 midwives and an apprentice.  While I'm waiting for M and F to arrive, K birthing waves slow to 10 min apart again.  She is resting well in the water so I have her stay in and rest in between birthing waves.  M and F arrive.  I decide to run and get some breakfast with K stating that is ok.  I return about an hour later and things have changed.  K is out of the water and having a harder go of her birthing waves.  We have her stay out of the tub for now.  She is very tired.  We have her lay down.  None of our usual pressure points work, and K really needs some relief so I pull out the tens unit.  This helps and she is able to rest for a while.  Around 11 K requests a check.  She is now 7 cm open and birthing waves are regular at 4-5 min again.  We warm her bath and get her and C in.  It truly is a pleasure to be part of and watch the birthing couple love each other through this experience.  C is totally focused on doing anything he can to help her with each birthing wave.   K's back is really hurting and has do deal with a 9 cm cervix for more than an hour.  Just as she is saying to can't do this and trying to run away from her birthing waves, mercifully it time to push.  K is a fabulous pusher!! She moves the baby down with every push.  We do some stretching of her perineum as the baby gets close.  C is able to see and touch babies head now!  After 2 birthing waves with the baby trying hard to get through her perineum, I tell the other midwife and apprentice to get her knees way up. Baby's head is born on the next push and body shoots out right after.  Baby has a slow time starting.  Nothing to be worried about because he is still getting oxygen from the placenta.  Our group does not cut the cord for several hours.  He starts to tell us all about his journey!!!  Beautiful baby boy born 1/4/2014, weighing 8 lbs 2 oz and 20 1/2" long!! Congratulations K, C and little c.  Thank you for choosing us to be there for you during this miracle.

Suprise birth -D & J's birth

I recieved a call from Mariah at 6 pm stating she had just talked with D who thought her bag of waters was broken.  D and Mariah thought maybe it was her mucas plug.  I called her to appologize for missing her text.  After talking with her for a few minutes I thought I should stop by on my way the primary midwife's son's wedding reception.  So I got my prenatal bag and stopped by a graduation party to drop off the gift.  about 3 minutes from D's house her husband J called and asked where I was.  I knew something serious must be going on.  You always run when the dad calls.  When I arrived, at about 6:45 7pm, D was working hard with her surges.  I checked the water running down her legs and no surprise it was positive for amniotic fluid.  Then we checked her.  D was 6 to 7 cm opened and 100% thin.  Baby was very low.  I knew it wouldn't be to long before we had a baby!!  I called Mariah and told her to HURRY!  Then sent my husband for my birth gear and a change of clothes.  D got in the bath while I set up for the birth.  D was doing beautifully with her hypnobabies and J was amazing just knowing what to do for her and when.  I talked with about about what he wanted to do.  He was all in.  Anything we would let him do!!  D labored in the prayer position most of the time.  Mariah arrived about 8:15 and right around 9:30 pm D began to push with her surges.  After about 40 min of pushing we changed positions.  J was holding her leg in a side lying position.  Mariah and I had decided early on that if D made it 10 pm, without having the baby, that S should be done with her son's wedding and we would call her.  So at 10:15 we made the call.  S said the timing could not be more perfect!!  She came in a flash!  S arrived just as we were seeing more and more of the baby's head with each push.  It was beautiful.  The whole time I was praying for Father to help me chill and let everything happen as it should, but also to let me know if I needed to do something for her.  We had J start putting a warm compress on her perineum.  His grin was from ear to ear.  Every time D pushed and we saw more and more head he would encourage D with such enthusiasm!  Then came the time that J and I needed to support her perineum and top of her birth canal.  Baby was on his way!!  She pushed really slow allowing herself to stretch.  Then at 11:09 baby's head came out into daddy's hands.  I checked for a cord, no cord.  Then came baby's body.  I helped daddy rock baby's body out and up out of the water.  The look on his face was priceless.  D was ecstatic to finally have the baby out.  Then we had dad check what it was.  It was a BOY!!! Placenta came just a few minutes later.  Baby latched so perfectly. J was there through it all, and was so attentive even during suturing.  One of my favorite births.