First Week, First Babies

June 5, 2010

Alright, so I’m sitting here, having a late lunch, checking in every so often on the mama and baby in the other room.  I haven’t even been here a week, and there’ve been two births, although I only attended today’s.

The one I missed was an emergency induction and Cesarean for mama’s health with a 35 week baby, and I didn’t know her well enough to attend, though they are both doing very well.  The very best outcome given the circumstances.

Today’s birth was amazingly routine: a perfect first apprentice birth for me.  Absolutely beautiful.  It was her second baby, who was born about an hour after she arrived here at 8cm.  She labored in the outdoor jacuzzi and pushed baby out in one contraction on the birth stool over an intact perineum.  I mostly held the umbrella, to shade her from the hot Hawaiian sun.  Placenta checked out great, baby weighed in at 8 on the dot, we cleaned up and fed everybody.  My preceptor went to her youngest daughter’s high school graduation, and I’m tending our now-postpartum client and her baby.  They’re doing well, and the new big brother’s running around the yard naked.

Other than this, I’ve been to a half-dozen prenatals.  Some of our clients are first-timers, others experienced.  We have a range of ages and health backgrounds.  Collectively, however, they have been very sweet: warm and welcoming, amazingly willing to share their experiences with this fresh apprentice.  I feel blessed.

I have not done any of my documentation of these prenatals.

Tags: Birth Stories

Author Bio: Jasper Moon, CPM LMT (they/ them)

Perinatal care specialist. Parent of two. Hosted three fetuses: my big kid, a surrogacy in the middle, and my little kid. Vegan; drinks a lot of tea. Board game (and general) geek. Goat hugger extraordinaire.

Read more about Jasper here.