all kinds

One of the best parts of being involved in births is that they are all so different. When I started into this whole doula thing I guess I expected each birth to be pretty much the same: contractions, pushing and then a baby. Not so. 

There are short births, long births, very very long births, messy births, extremely messy births, births with profanity, births with laughter, births with friends, births with people I am meeting for the first time. There was a birth once with naked man that made me blush. And how could I forget the birth with non-stop-all-night-long-russian pop music.

Some births require a lot of me- hand holding, encouraging words, back rubbing, barf-bowl holding, cold washcloth blotting...you get the idea. It is me giving to them.

Other births leave me breathless in a completely different way. Total awe.  Almost as if I am trespassing into the middle of a miracle.  I usually find myself quiet, taking it all in from a distance as the mother and father work so beautifully together.  Completely, wonderfully absorbed in only each other they exchange private whispers and tender kisses. They share tears and songs and prayers and eventually that warm wriggly little being who slips into their arms.    In this case they are giving to me, and I am so blessed.

Welcome little Jocefin, your birth was quite lovely. 

 

(this is where I spent most of the afternoon recovering, thank you netflix for offering WALL-E on "watch instantly" so that I could catch a nap while the girls hovered nearby over my laptop.)

  **Just getting back into the swing of things after some weekend travel and then a birth on Monday.  Upcoming blog posts: meeting up with old friends, a fledgling garden, next year's homeschool curriculum, an awesome summer pasta, and if there aren't any more babies this week maybe some sewing?!?

Comments

[elizabeth Langgle]

left you an award on my blog :) thanks for being such a great read!

letslearntolove.blogspot.com

[Leslie]

you are so blessed to have that job.