Breathe Easy, You've Found Me ((HUGS))

People will wonder why this blog is needed, why minority midwifery student? It's very simple actually; I was looking for this blog...but I couldn't find it...so I created it. We all have unique experiences, and every experience, every story, can help someone else. I am a black girl from the hood at an ivy league professional school. That, alone, is reason enough to write. Somebody was looking for this blog. Someone wanted proof that what I'm doing can be done - even when you come from where we come from.

To that person especially, WELCOME.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

It All Leads Up To This...

Yesterday morning I was on my way to my second call shift of the semester. The man got up to take me at 6:45am. I got in the car and put my head back to take a two minute nap. I was so, so tired because I had stayed up most of the night trying to prepare for clinical (making sure I had what I thought I needed, reading up, filling out my brain book, and making some cheat sheet flashcards) I wish I had've remembered to look in the guide they gave us which told us what to bring because I stilll didn't have everything. As we pulled off from the house, Brittany's tribute song came on the radio. It's been 20 days.

I was given report by the student midwife who had worked the 7pm-7am shift, and then went to meet the laboring woman. When I walked into the room I recognized her, and I was so grateful because I really hate how we work with women in labor and birth without ever having met them, but this woman had worked a shift with me on my pediatric rotation. When I got to the room she was 7cms and working hard. The father of the baby and her sister were there, but the sister was youngish (16?) and very pregnant and just there to "see how it is." But her guy, he was present and supportive.

S.A. is 27, and has 2 baby girls at home. She had epidurals and lacerations & tears requiring stitches with her first two babies. She had went from 3cm to 7cms dilated in less than two hours, and this was 30minutes later and she was grunting. So, when she asked about an epidural we explained the possibility of it not taking affect quick enough for how fast she was moving "You're about to have the baby," we were saying.

She looked at me and said "I've never done it this way - never without an epidural."

Me: "I know, but you can."

Her: How do you know?

Me: Because I believe you're strong.

Her: But I...I...I

Me: You got this. We're here. We're all here for you.

Her: No, you don't understand, I can't do this! (transition kicked in with...trembling...crying...hot flashes)

Me: You're doing it! You're at the end, this is it, you're so amazing!

This is about where my friend who was 2nd call came in to help with labor support, which was awesome because she was needing all the encouragement she could get, plus a little shocked that she was going to have the baby without pain meds! And I was needing to refocus down below since I really had very little clue what I was doing LMAO. When you're learning it's hard to do both the eye to eye personal attention and the physical work.

Then her body began involuntary pushing and she grunted "it's coming." When women who have had children already say this, it's usually true! And their babies can come out pretty fast. So that was my cue to gown up (gown, gloves, mask). She had an anterior lip of the cervix left, so we got her to lay on her side with her leg up (held by the nurse) and she ended up loving that position and wanting to stay that way for the remainder of the time. The only concern I had was her hemorrhoids...the worst case I had ever, ever seen before. Even my preceptor was a little worried at the size of them. She tried to apply counterpressure while she pushed, but she said that didn't help at all, so my preceptor abandoned the attempt and we just kept an eye on them.

Then the screaming began.

Crowning.

A forehead, a nose, fat cheeks, lips, and a chin - very slowly as to prevent tearing. The anterior shoulder, posterior shoulder, and the rest of baby's body.

A cord wrapped once around the neck and then once around a foot. Baby straight to mama's belly, UNpulsating cord cut by the daddy.

Yesterday, on February 9, 2008, I caught my first baby.

I welcomed a person, a girlchild, into the world with my own two hands. I saw a person open their eyes for the first time on earth....take their first breath.

And one more thing...four little words: over an intact perineum.

I'm still a little dazed.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

AHHHHHH!!! WOO HOOO!!!YOU DID IT!!! I am too proud of you GIRL! you coached, you caught, you were "with woman"
you're on your way

Student Nurse Midwife said...

Awesome job!! Sounds like we both had big days yesterday.

On my first day, I saw a twin vaginal birth with a double footling breech.

All healthy. Both girls.

Keep doing the work you're doing. :)

kati b said...

chills chills chills! I think for the perineum than for the baby... the baby was a foregone conclusion to me with the tone of the post lol.

I saw my first two births from this side of things on Monday night and am still reeling.

wow.

thank you again for doing this, for adding yourself to the world in this way.

RN2CNM said...

Incredible!!!! What a blessing you are going to be to the midwifery community!! And a blessing to that mama, whom you encouraged to take hold of her own strength and bring her child into the world.
'Over an intact perineum', music to any birthing woman's ears!!
Congratulations! And thanks to you for partaking in this incredible journey and for the difference you will make!

Dark Daughta said...

Smiles. That was wonderful. I'm glad she had you there saying she didn't need th epi. I'm glad you had such a wonderful outcome for your first birth.

s2 said...

travel to this world
baby comes
with/in
fluid

traveling
naturally
to
our surface

from life cord
to the life of pecola's hands

baby begins it's journey
as pecola
begins hers

congratulations LP!

Ashley said...

Beautiful. The End.

Kristina said...

Aw girl you have me crying happy tears. :)

Louisa said...

Well done you!
You're SO amazing!!!
Yay!
xx Morag

starchild said...

grinning like a cheshire cat over here! congrats to you, mom and baby.

sparkle said...

congratulations, loving pecola!!

:D

may all parties involved be blessed.

A little bit a... said...

Congratulations!!!! : )

A little bit a... said...

Pecola- do you have an email address? I only wanted to ask if you worked during your first semester in school? I will be attending nursing school this fall and I would like to not have to work at least the first semester. You can send a response to my gmail account if you have time. Your response would be appreciated. Thanks. :)