Cheryl and Grove hired me as their midwife for the birth of their third child, and first homebirth. They had two healthy sons, and after the loss of a stillborn daughter several years earlier, thought they might be done having children. Fortunately for me they weren't!
Throughout their pregnancy we talked about the idea of their two boys attending the birth, a thought which horrified their extended family. We shared books and videos with them, and they were active participants in each and every prenatal appointment. Cheryl and Grove both felt strongly that the boys should not be forced to stay in the room, but should be made welcome to join in if they wanted to.
Cherly's labor began late one night, a few days after her due date. She called to let me know things were starting, but they were not ready for me to come over yet. When I didn't hear from them all night, I thought things may have come to a stop. However, at 11am I got a call from Grove that it seemed like the contractions were finally picking up. He seemed very casual about it, so I felt no urgency. I offered to come by in an hour with the labor pool they were borrowing, and would leave if they weren't ready for me yet. However, when I arrived there at noon it was quite obvious that Cheryl's labor was cooking! I quickly called my assistant Heather, and set up the tub. Cheryl walked around the house until the pool was ready, and was more than happy
to get in and relax.
Although still charged with the excitement of an immenent birth, the atmosphere in the room calmed dramatically when Cherly stepped into the tub and let out a big sigh, "Oh, this is WONDERFUL!" Their children were in the basement watching Oklahoma, Cheryl's sister Carol was taking pictures, and her husband was quietly reassuring her. I stepped downstairs to greet my assistant Heather and fill her in, when we suddenly heard what sounded like pushing from upstairs! We ran up to find Cheryl actively pushing with her body. Her two boys had heard all the noise and were on our heels. With the next contraction we could see head, and the rest of the baby soon followed. As Grove and I lifted out their healthy baby girl the two boys broke out into peals of laughter. It was infectious and within minutes we were all laughing hysterically!
So often parents worry that witnessing a birth would be too traumatic for their children......but sometimes
it's just down-right funny!
are
such
a
nice
way
to
start
People!
HolisticHomeBirth@yahoo.com
Jessica Nipp, CPM, RM
6873 Prince Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
(719)661-9028