Today, one of my good friends in Louisiana had her baby. If I still lived in Louisiana, I probably would have attended her birth. She had had the hard decision of choosing to birth unassisted, in part because she didn’t like the midwifery philosophies available to her or hospital choices.
She called me about an hour after her birth, unsure why her placenta had not arrived yet. With my ‘thimble-full’ and Varney, we brainstormed what to do next and she coaxed her placenta out within a few minutes. She is an enormously strong, confident, amazing woman and I only think she called me was because at that moment the magnitude of having an unassisted birth had hit her, coupled with the fact that physiological third stage is rarely seen, let alone discussed. Her previous placentas had had ‘gentle cord traction’ applied within minutes of her previous births, so that uncomfortable feeling of having it ‘still’ there was uncharted territory for her, even though she is well-versed in the science and feeling of birth.
Although it was excruciating not to be physically there with her, I took solace in the fact that she called me in the middle of the night comfortable enough to share her intimate experience with me and more importantly, allowing me to comfort, help, and reassure her in that time. It is an inexplicably awesome experience to witness a birth, but almost more so, spiritually, to be called from 1,000 miles away. I am truly grateful for these gifts.
My Journey as a Licensed Midwife in Louisiana 