Sunday, July 8, 2012

6 and counting

Two fine girls born yesterday morning and this morning.  A happy run on girls at the moment.  The last three- all girls. Big, loud ladies, too, I might add.
Me with Baby "Ran" (rhymes with "Dawn")

At 7:30 yesterday morning, I arrived at a home birth, rushing in, to Imoto-san's cries: "Get your gloves on!"  I grabbed the closest gloves I could find and went for it.  Baby was born, one and a half hours later.  Mom was so ready to have her baby!  She really worked her baby down, in her own time, with us sliding her across a blue tarp many times, as she turned again and again, in the way she needed to, and we turned the blue plastics again and again, to cover the tatami flooring and her futons.  Her daughter, 4 years old, simply would not let go of her baby sister once she was born.  She was as glued to her as if all the oxytocin in the world had been poured right on them. 

Baby Kaede, meaning Maple
This morning's birth was calm, serene, with the mom really working her baby down.  I was overnight shift-lady at the birth house, and mom came in around 12 midnight.  Saito-san rubbed her back methodically, gently, "open, open," she whispered.  After a while, the mom said back, "open..."  Her pace was slower than she'd like, but I just knew this baby was coming soon.  At 230 her water broke and Saito-san went to call in the other midwife (they always have 2 at a birth), and mama asked me, somewhat wantingly, "how much longer??"  "Not long," I told her.  Baby was born 70 minutes later. 
For those of you interested in such things, the placentas have all come out quite quickly, within 5 or so minutes.  No tears so far, none that required suturing, and no other interventions, per se.  The breastfeeding support is absolutely wonderful.
Aoi-kun- "Blue"

Eta
Yosen

Yukinari

And now for a gratuitous Sunday afternoon reward:







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The line to get in

2 comments:

  1. lucky babies
    lucky moms
    lucky midwifes

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  2. all of these pictures bring me so much joy - your face is filled with bliss and contentment in the baby catching pics AND the eating yummy treat pics. thanks for sharing your tale with us. makes me anxious to get there.

    ReplyDelete