Strength

Birth never ceases to amaze me. Just his past Thursday evening I had the privilage of supporting an amazing woman during her labor and delivery.  When I am with a woman as  she labors to bring a precious soul into this world  is like having one one foot here on earth and one foot in heaven. The room is filled with so much love, joy, peace, and excitement. I cannot think of a better place to be than supporting, guiding and pampering a women as she labors.  The strength that a woman has is simply remarkable and I am in  total awe of the entire birth process. I am blessed to be apart of this work. Thank you, to all those whom I have had the pleasure to work with. You all are invaluable to me. I am a better person for knowing you and being with you helping you create a memorable birth-day!

Casey and Baby J

December 15th 2011 was a special day for Casey and her husband. Casey came into the Birth Center around 5:00 pm not contracting much, but was ready to get the show on the road. You see, the following day was her husbands birthday. How cool would it be to have a father and son share a birthday? Casey was determined to make it happen.

Casey arrived at the Birth Center at 5:00 for an "induction". What is different from an induction at a Birth Center verses a Hospital is night and day. At the birth center, you are given homeopathic's and we rub different oils clockwise on mom's belly to stimulate contractions, then send her for a nice long walk for at least an hour. Much different than in a hospital where you are given an IV and pitocin to start contractions. With Casey, we did just that-  homeopathic's, oils and a nice (long) walk. After about 3 hours of walking, oil, and homeopathic's, Heather, Casey's amazing midwife, suggested if her bag of water was ruptured, it would speed up the process. Casey was game! Around 10:00, Heather broke her bag of water. Nice and clear, just the way it should be. Things picked up rather quickly and we thought perhaps baby J would arrive the day before his dad's birthday. 12:00 came and went and Casey was doing a fantastic job, focusing on staying calm, hydrated and positive during each contraction. It never ceases to amaze me the power and strength a woman has when they set their minds to great heights. Casey was no exception. It was at this time Casey decided she would like to labor in the birthing tub. Water is so soothing in all aspects of life, especially during labor.  It is exactly what Casey needed to give her body a rest. Around 12:30 am, Casey was almost fully dilated and almost ready to push but it wasn't until Heather suggested she get out of the tub and sit on a birth stool that Casey felt the urge to push. She did an amazing job pushing! In fact, it wasn't until our  postpartum visit when she told me she  didn't think she was pushing effectively, but she was! At 1:30 am on Friday, December 16th,  her beautiful baby boy arrived into this world, on his fathers birthday. The peace, love and joy in that room at that moment is  indescribable. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Casey looked amazing and her son was perfect. I am honored to have been able to support Casey and her husband through this amazing journey. Thank you for allowing me to take part of baby J's birthday. You all will never be forgotten.

A New Year

Happy New Year! As I reflect on this past year, I am humbled and completely amazed at the strength of women. Birth never ceases to amaze me. I am so grateful and blessed to be apart of this amazing work. Along those same  lines, I am  completely amazed at the amount of care and compassion that a father gives his laboring companion. A team working together, side by side to bring forth a special spirit. I am honored to be apart of this incredible work. May this coming year bring you joy, happiness and endless amounts of love!