A few births...
These are a few pictures of my own birth from 3 yrs ago. My daughter was born after a very rapid labor, and with a compound presentation (her fists were balled up beside her face as she crowned!) I'll be posting more pics of other births in the days to come, enjoy!
I know I say this a lot, and they are all amazing....But wow. This was truly an *amazing* birth. I was gifted with the chance to step in late in Jessica's pregnancy, and to spend numerous days with her and her mom, preparing for this special little man. She asked questions, got second opinions, and believed in her instincts. I loved watching her find her inner strength. She went from a quiet, mild mannered woman, to a faithful, strong mother. Beautiful. Here are a few highlights of Jessica's birth.... and thank you again J, for enriching my life and career with your birth.
The birth of Baby Harris
....did not go as Mom and Dad had dreamed. God had other plans for this special little man. I got the chance to visit with this lovely family last week and was so pleased to not only see how well baby Harris is doing, but that Mom is doing well too. Lindsey and Andy were meant to be parents. After trying for several years, they were *this close* to their first IVF appointment when they found out Lindsey was indeed pregnant! Miracle! I fell for this woman from the start, she is so much like me. She first contacted me at barely 8 weeks pregnant to start discussing the "doula thing". Ha Ha I am so glad I got to spend the next 6 months bonding with this couple, building trust and continuing to educate and support them. Shortly before reaching her due date, Lindsey developed a rare but dangerous condition afflicting her eye sight. With no other tell tale signs of high blood pressure or other expected symptoms, the doctors were stumped. One thing was for sure though- The process and intensity of labor/birth was surely send her condition over the edge and she would most likely lose her eye sight completely. We were saddened, yes, but happy that baby Harris could still be born safe and sound, and Lindsey could be kept safe also. A win/win for everyone! Baby Harris arrived August 5th, a beautiful boy, to a loving and eager family. I was blessed to have known this family, and I am glad for the time we spent preparing for a vaginal birth even though that wasn't to happen. Lindsay and Andy were relaxed and prepared for this too, and handled it all amazingly well!
....did not go as Mom and Dad had dreamed. God had other plans for this special little man. I got the chance to visit with this lovely family last week and was so pleased to not only see how well baby Harris is doing, but that Mom is doing well too. Lindsey and Andy were meant to be parents. After trying for several years, they were *this close* to their first IVF appointment when they found out Lindsey was indeed pregnant! Miracle! I fell for this woman from the start, she is so much like me. She first contacted me at barely 8 weeks pregnant to start discussing the "doula thing". Ha Ha I am so glad I got to spend the next 6 months bonding with this couple, building trust and continuing to educate and support them. Shortly before reaching her due date, Lindsey developed a rare but dangerous condition afflicting her eye sight. With no other tell tale signs of high blood pressure or other expected symptoms, the doctors were stumped. One thing was for sure though- The process and intensity of labor/birth was surely send her condition over the edge and she would most likely lose her eye sight completely. We were saddened, yes, but happy that baby Harris could still be born safe and sound, and Lindsey could be kept safe also. A win/win for everyone! Baby Harris arrived August 5th, a beautiful boy, to a loving and eager family. I was blessed to have known this family, and I am glad for the time we spent preparing for a vaginal birth even though that wasn't to happen. Lindsay and Andy were relaxed and prepared for this too, and handled it all amazingly well!
This was such an amazing birth. "S" beat the odds, and wow'd us all. Great job mommy, and I look forward to supporting you again in the future!
- Gretchen
- Gretchen