Birth O

The first thing she says to me when I walk in: "I want my baby right away when she comes out, because at my last birth they took the baby away immediately."She was tenacious throughout the labor. Seemingly to ignore the presence of the epidural when it came time to push, she intuitively birthed the head incredibly slowly.A medical student stood to my right, quietly understanding my note before entering the room that "midwives tend to do this a little bit differently." Still, he asked why I wasn't using Betadine, why I didn't cut, and why I wasn't telling her to push faster. I responded: We don't need to. She's doing everything perfectly.I supported her, encouraged the slow birth of the head, and found a tight nuchal cord but with quick shoulders behind it. Somersaulted right onto my forearm and lifted easily right into moms arms, the vigorous baby seemingly reaching for her right away.The medical student stood behind me with wide eyes and arms frozen in front of him, motionless.Mom and baby glowing, thankful for their re-attachment after a brief moment away from each other.Birth.