Dasiy Hope

"Normal birth is something that a woman DOES, not something that happens to her". -Marsden Wagner, MD in his book, "Born in the USA"



I was a doula at a birth this past Tuesday. This was a sweet friend from my church having her 2nd baby. Her first birth was very disappointing for her and she wanted to do something very different this time. She planned for a natural birth in a hospital here known for low intervention and waterbirths. After much reading, childbirth classes, etc, she was still apprehensive about having no epidural...and wanted a natural birth, but was somewhat unsure about this choice. Her husband, although a great guy, was totally freaked out by this and could not understand why on earth any woman would want a natural birth. It was funny having him in class :) I enjoyed it greatly! I could not wait to hear his thoughts after the birth.

Tuesday afternoon, labor began. (no induction this time!!!!) She called and told me that contractions were sporadic and not to bad...she would take a shower then a nap. One hour later she called and in mid sentence threw the phone down (a contraction began) and I knew she should head into the hospital. (I found out later that she was basically lying naked in the floor of her room......a BIG sign that she should be at the hospital!!!!). I headed out during rush hour to the hospital....45 minutes away. Thankfully rush hour here is nothing...a joke really compared to Atlanta traffic.
I walked into her hospital room at about 6:18 p.m. and she was side-laying on the bed...pushing! WOW. That was fast! What I missed............she got to the hospital around 5:50 p.m. and was laboring on her hands and knees...8 cm. The midwife asked if she could break the bag of water to "speed things along"....thankfully the mom had enough sense to say no (gee wiz, how fast did the midwife want it to go?????). A minute later, her water broke on it's own and mom began to push.
I rushed in the room and helped support mom and dad....cold cloths on her forehead (I love those in labor) and helped her know the most effective way to push. (note: I do NOT like coached pushing. A mom knows what to do if she follows what her body is saying. "Purple pushing" is NOT good (those three long pushes with each contraction with someone counting to 10) and I hate it. However, in a hospital setting, if mom can "fake" like she is doing this then the nurses will usually leave her alone and let her do her own thing...so I try and guide mom enough to have everyone shut up and let her push)
So this mom began to do some really great pushes and the nurse hushed.
Several pushes later, there was a good amount of bright red blood loss.
This is not a comforting sign. The immediate concern is the placenta. Is it detaching early? If so, the baby must come out NOW. I have only seen this personally once at a birth...a homebirth...and the baby/mom were fine with no problems...just a few tense moments and a few grey hairs.
So what is this bleeding? The midwife was concerned and the nurse flipped mom on her back as to get baby's heart tones. (this will tell if it is placenta and if the baby is getting enough oxygen.) The baby sounded great....no decels. The bleeding stopped on it's own never to return. Mom did not like the flat on the back position (who would???) but the midwife did not want her to move. Thankfully the baby was about to crown so the birth was imminent.
This is when the midwife asked to do an episiotomy. She was concerned about he bleeding that had occurred. It had stopped, the baby was fine, but she wanted the baby out just in case. Mom had an epis with baby #1 and the scar tissue was taking a while to stretch and the midwife did not want to wait. She did ask the moms permission and told mom that they could wait a few more pushes and see what happens. Mom pushed a few more times and then gave permission for the cut to be made. Although I am against all forms of epis and there is Z-E-R-O scienentific evidence of it being useful AT ALL, I was pleased that the midwife gave the decision to mom and was willing to not to it. (typically they just do it without even saying anything) So this mom was able to take control of her own body and decide what she did and did not want. Better than most hospitals, let me tell ya! So the midwife did the epis...a very small one...definitely not a doctors cut! (the midwife came in later and apologized for having to do it...she has only done a few in all her years as a midwife....but she really wanted the baby out so she could assess the bleeding)
So the baby was born in the next two pushes...and mom reached down to help catch her new baby.
The joy at this point was contagious...even the nurses were excited :)
The family did not know the sex of the baby prior to the birth. They have a daughter and REALLY wanted another girl.
So as the baby lay on mom's chest mom asked, "What is it??? Is it a boy or a girl"????? The midwife said, "Well, Dad needs to look and see!" (I thought this was so nice. I HATE it when the staff announces....it is the parents baby, they should get the excitement of looking for themselves...personal opinion, of course!)
So Dad looked and said, "It's a girl....THANK THE LORD!!!!" It was hysterical. Them mom and dad both said, "Daisy! Hi Daisy!!!!" She looks like a Daisy...a little flower :)
The staff did not take the baby from mom till after about 2-3 hours after the birth. How nice is that? Mom got to bond and nurse for these hours before the baby was weighed, measured, foot printed, etc. Nice. Her first daughter was taken and she saw her about 4 hours AFTER she was born...for the first time...so it was so sweet for her to be able to have this baby continually...and they never took her from the room at all. She never left mom.


It was a nice birth. Even being a hospital birth...which I rarely do anymore due to emotional distress...it was nice. They did the typical hospital stuff...cut the cord right away...gave ridiculous nursing advise....kept the baby for jaundice...etc...but overall and compared to other hospital births I have done around here it went very well.

I did the postpartum visit yesterday at the parent’s home. The baby is simply adorable...I cannot wait for my own kid to come out! Mom is feeling great and was very pleased with the birth. She said she felt SO SO SO much better this time after the birth than with her first, and that although natural birth is hard, it is SO worth it.
I asked dad his thoughts..........remember, he was really terrified of the whole natural thing. His main comment was this, "Well, after the birth of our first baby, there was little joy. Mom did not even know the baby was out she was so drugged and she never got to hold her. After this birth, there was SUCH JOY. We were so happy. She worked so hard for this baby and she was able to control what happened during the birth...she has skill. The joy was just so great".
How cool is that?! And mom said that even though they did not plan to have any more babies, this whole experience makes her want to have another baby!!!! I hear this A LOT with moms and natural births....and I think it is so neat. Obviously doing what God made us to do can be extremely rewarding and although temporarily challenging, the overall effect is what God intended birth to be.... Joyful :)











SO...............I have decided to have a baby :)