Birth II

A quiet day on the floor, and a woman laboring without pain medication and in spontaneous active labor: a rarity in this setting. I was thrilled to be able to use some classic doula and midwifery skills, and to teach those to the medical student eager to learn them.Hip squeezes, dancing and swaying, back massage, position changes, pacing and breathing. The medical student at first seemed hesitant to reach in and participate with such intimate touching, but she relaxed as time went on, as it does in labor. A beautiful birth quickly followed.I was surprised to find a much more complex tear than I could have ever expected, with a long repair anticipated. I went over and over in my head what I could have done differently to prevent the tear, with few feelings of resolution. I am thankful for the incredibly kind physicians who took gentle time and care to complete her birth experience. I continued to midwife her through that time, and she did fantastically.Birth.