Once, in a heated tone, Heather told me not to underestimate
her. I have kept this advice close. Heather is my elder by 3 years. When we
were younger she was “in charge.” She was a self declared president, vice president,
secretary, cashier, detective, librarian etc. We often played games she
invented and she was the leader. I was her devoted playmate and follower.
Somewhere in the midst of our growing up, I became my own and occasionally even
led her. Helping Heather have a natural birth was one of the rare and special
times that I was able to lead and assist Heather in her own story.
Heather was quite reserved about her choice to have Claire
(her 4th baby) un-medicated. She had great experiences with her
previous births. But little sister Stacie is a huge empowered birth advocate
and wouldn’t stop talking about birth options, showing video clips, and
encouraging Heather to go natural. *empowered birth: women choosing how they
want to give birth and being supported by care providers- not necessarily
natural birth.
I wasn’t sure what Heather would choose to do, but I knew
that I was going to support her and slightly push for a natural birth J
She did go past her estimated due date and was feeling more than ready. So
Mother’s Day 2011 she got induced. I got to the hospital to find Heather
smiling and relaxing on the bed. Her very nice and experienced nurse was ever
so accommodating. She supported Heather to have intermittent monitoring and
pretty well left the laboring up to us with little interference. Brandon
was there. He had a nervous excited energy. He didn’t know what to expect as
their previous kids were born with Heather lying in bed with an epidural. It’s
always entertaining to observe husbands while mom is laboring.
I came in and took charge. I felt more confident than ever
before. I started with some essential oils on acupressure points to encourage
regular contractions. The effect was almost immediate. Heather and I went
walking around the halls of the hospital. We circled a few times then came back
around for some monitoring then walked some more etc. I remember walking near
this area of big windows with natural light, chairs, and waiting room toys. Heather
asked if we could stop here and rest through her next contraction. We had to
stop and she had about 2 or 3 contractions in this beautiful sacred space. I
knew right away that we must hurry back to the hospital room because she was
entering into transition, but I didn’t want to alarm her so I kept this to
myself.
On the walk back we stopped several times. Heather would
lean on me while I was leaning on the wall. After holding her for several
minutes, several different times I said a specific prayer asking for angels to
hold me up while I held Heather up. As I kept calm, I noted Heather’s poise.
She was totally calm. She visualized her way through several rainbow mediation
techniques. She’s a natural mediator, but she doesn’t know it J
There was a specific contraction when we both knew that there would be no more
walking. While in the hallway, the thought crossed my mind that Heather could
have this baby in here and now, but she didn’t. I helped her into the room and
onto the bed then basically ran to get the nurse.
It seemed like minutes. The doctor came and Heather pushed.
While pushing Heather would go back in these awesome birth warrior trances. She
was so concentrated. My voice was her grounding tool. I told her to relax her
forehead and her pelvic floor and to breathe. She obeyed. I don’t know that her
eyes were open until her beautiful Claire was out of her body. Claire’s
shoulder got stuck and this can be quite painful but Heather handled it
perfectly. When Claire came out we were all so surprised. Heather birthed an
almost 10 lb baby!
Claire was huge. Claire brought with her a special joy.
Since her arrival, Claire has always been joyful and
beautiful. I feel like Claire is an expert telepath. She is great at
communicating. She is the light of everyone’s life. I can’t put into words how
much I love Claire.
This birth was one of the most cherished births that I’ve
attended. There is a special bond and trust between sisters. Heather was so
vulnerable and put so much trust and faith in her body. She totally opened up
to me in a way that has never before happened. She owned her body and this
birth. Thank you Heather for sharing this day with me and for teaching me once
again to never underestimate you!
The love and experiences we share are eternal. The link of
sharing birth experiences with women is unmatched by any other joy in my life. Thank
you to all of the wonderful women who invite me to support them in their
beautiful birth experiences.
