Birth Happens-Life of a Midwife 2


Birth Happens! Sometimes it happens so quickly that you barely have time to catch the sweet baby, let alone make it all the way inside the birth center! Midwives are used to quick thinking and even quicker responses. Thankfully, these skills were at my fingertips for this birth. The other key to these quick births is the fact that most of the time, for most clients, the midwife really and truly just catches the baby. Birth Happens

This handsome babe kept his parents in suspense, with a couple trips to the center with “false” alarms. When I met the family outside this last time, I took one look at the mother and said a quick prayer that we would make it inside. It was a cold day and I didn’t want babe to make an entrance into the chilly air. Mom also knew that it was cold and wanted to get inside, with pure force of will she managed to get just inside the stairway door.  She stopped, leaned onto the stairway banister and announced that baby was coming. Knowing from experience that when a laboring person says those words you better pay attention, I helped her with her pants and caught her sweet one. Both baby and Mama were fantastic and healthy, the baby was even born en caul. We quickly moved inside after the birth and they had a lovely postpartum recovery. This is a picture that I took later of the “aftermath” of the quick, beautiful birth. Then I had A LOT of scrubbing to do.

Image credit Aubre Tompkins, CNM


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2 thoughts on “Birth Happens-Life of a Midwife

  • Amanda Weeks

    Oh my goodness! That is crazy…and your right birth happens, wherever and whenever. 🙂 I am about 15 days away from my due date and my new goal is to make it through the door. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.