Third Home Birth in a Week!

No sooner had I gotten home Friday,
than the call came that our overdue Mama B.
thought she might be in labor.
I was plum.wore.out.
The Midwife said she'd call me
when Mama B.'s waves were to the point
that we needed to get up there
to Littleton, CO.

I wanted to go back to bed
but it was now 4:30Pm
and Joseph's bday,
so I dragged my bum up...
thank goodness for a supportive family tho--
honestly,
Diana & her bf, Little Man went and got the
German Chocolate cake & ice cream
--Joseph's favorite,
and Mr. Wonderful picked up Papa Murphy's pizza
on his way home from work.
Some of Joseph's friends came over to celebrate
and have a sleepover.
I went to back to bed at 8:30pm
Craving some more sleep.

The call came at exactly 3 AM...
since the birth was taking place in Littleton,
the Midwife and I would ride together.
Emily, the other Assistant
would not be joining
us on this birth.
Which sorta freaked my guts out
a tiny smidge.
Emily is amazing & sharp.
I wondered if I could fill her shoes
but decided I could just do my best
and hoped that was enough.

So I jumped in the shower
and Mr. W got up with me,
kissed me goodbye
and off I went with The Midwife.

Approx. 4:45AM
Mama B.'s labor was consistent
but dragging
when we arrived...
The Midwife gave her some
Labor Enhancer herbs
which wasn't as effective on her as we'd hoped.
Then some castor oil--
which I am just gonna say
would probably make me lose it--
as in upchuck;
but Mama B. chugged it down,
chased it with OJ
and even said it wasn't that bad.
bleh.
It was a very special day
in their house--
it was her daughter's 2nd birthday!
Yes that's right--both of her children
have the same birthdate!

Waves picked up
but still not increasing in intensity
so The Midwife pulled out her bag of tricks
then
we told her to rest as much as possible
so she piled pillows all around her,
put on her ipod music
we gave her some positive affirmations
to contemplate while she rested,
we shut her door and headed to breakfast
in town...
Mama B.'s mother and sister (aka the girls)were in town
for the birth from Waco, Texas..
they were anxious
for this birth to happen
before they had to return.
Along with Mama B., Papa K.,
the girls all laid down in our absence.

When we came back,
everyone was up except for Mama B.--
but she surfaced
at 10:30AM,
looking refreshed
and waves began coming
every 2 minutes!
YES!
Papa K. put on Enya music
and then Mama B. led the way!

She sat on a birthing ball
with her belly overhanging,
ate some chicken noodle soup
and then asked if i would do her one favor,
"Will you put a can of Dr. Pepper in the freezer for me,
for afterwards?"
She continued to labor on the birthball
or standing
as she leaned on the back of her sofa
until she felt like she was in transition...
The Midwife checked her
and yes she was!
SO into the labor pool she went!
About that time,
it started snowin too--
so how cool was that?

Papa K was attentive
 always always always
sweet words & attitude,
effleuraging her arms
counter-pressure on her sacrum
whatever she needed
he was there for her.
They made a really great team.

Mama B. was so in tune with her body;
she would tell us when she felt
a particular contraction had made a difference
in her cervix...
to look at her,
one would never know she was
ready to push--
until she let out a low grunt
and her body began spontaneously
pushing!

She tried several different pushing
positions:
squatting
lungeing
hands and knees
reclining in her hubby's arms---
all that moving helped
the baby to come down easily
and finally his noggin appeared
and with the next couple of pushes
little J.'s body followed!
Time 1:30PM.

It was quite the celebration
of joy & tears!
She did it
and it was perfect!
And what a chunky monkey he was!
Oh my! Round little noggin, chubby cheeks,
chubby neck, chubby chubby chubbiness!!
His weight 9lbs. 5 oz.!

Mama B. delivered the placenta
and was ready to get out of the pool
and get cleaned up.
She was a little concerned that she might
get light-headed
so we gave her some string cheese
and drink
and told her to take her time.
I also smiled and told her
I'm too old to pick her up
so she'll have to make it to the bed--lol.
ANd of course, she did just fine.
Within an hour,
she was laying in bed
and had her Dr. Pepper
and her laptop--
posting her great news
on Facebook!!
Within an hour!
That is how young people do it these days
I guess.

I quickly packed things up
as a huge snowstorm was in progress
and we needed to get back to the Springs
before the roads got too icy.
So we tucked the family in
said our goodbyes
and left with hearts so full of gratitude
for our 3rd safe home birth this week!

I have one more left--
my grandson is due this week.
I can hardly wait to meet this
sweet little boy!