Always a joy!

Even though I'm not updating the blog very much, I'm still working! As both a doula and as a full-time stay-at-home mall to my kids this summer.

My last birth included several firsts for me - including laboring in the water. My clients have usually progressed too fast to get into the tub, but my client was able to get into the water right away, and even start her pushing while in the tub. She progressed very quickly, with help from me and her husband to apply back pressure during contractions. The only minus was getting OUT of the water later so we could change positions to work on the final lip of the cervix to get out of the way so the baby could move down. Another first, is it was my first birth I attended where we didn't know the sex of the baby.

And being it was a birth of firsts, it was also my first to attend at the University of Iowa Hospitals with the midwives. I did have another birth with the midwife service, but she wasn't able to get to the hospital in time, so the resident caught the baby. Based on this experience, I have nothing but great things to say about this midwife in particular. I actually found myself wondering why she was so keen on letting my client take so much time to labor down (wow, guess what doula, it's not on your time table!) as well as participate in giving back pressure and massage when she was closer to my client than I was during position changes. I was wowed by her care!

Right after sunrise a beautiful baby girl was born! Again I was amazed by the quick recovery and quiet alertness of the mother and baby with an intervention-free birth. After getting to help establish nursing, I was on my way just 9 hours after I arrived. And helping with some postpartum care it has been a JOY to watch Baby E grow!