Birth J

A long day of induction made easier by an epidural, she quickly progressedto 8cm and suddenly felt a lot more pressure. A few contractions later andonly an anterior lip of the cervix remained. For her first time, Iemphasized how great she was doing, and that moving the baby down is thehardest work of all. The women surrounding her were so excited, cheeringher on, guessing what time the baby would come. Each of those times passed,the women feeling frustrated. But the laboring woman was clearly in the zone and in power.Slowly the head progressed, in the more difficult position of occiputanterior, where the back of the head is directly against her pubic bone. She pushed like a champ. Cord was around the neck once, easily reduced, and the baby quickly into mom's arms.The nurse in attendance had been a midwife in her home country, and sharedkind words about this beautiful birth.Her first birth. My first birth as an independent midwife, now doing it on my own, reminded that she and I are in it together, and neither of us are ever alone.Birth.