It felt like a “true midwifery experience” – a celebration of how incredible birth is and how amazing women’s bodies are.
I’d been looking after this lady throughout her entire pregnancy as part of a continuity scheme. She phoned me to say she thought labour was starting, and if I could come and see her at home, which I did. Because of the continuity throughout the pregnancy, I knew this lady really well and felt that we had developed a trusting relationship. She was right; labour was clearly trying to start, but it was the early stages and she was doubting her ability to keep going.
So we dimmed the lights, put on some gentle music, and I used my aromatherapy oils to give her a massage and walk her through some deep breathing exercises. I was also able to use my rebozo and do some biomechanics with her as well, and as the hour passed she relaxed and settled into the experience. There was a calmness about her now and a renewed sense of understanding her own body. I left late in the afternoon, advising her to call when labour was established.
In the early hours of the morning, she phoned and I attended her at home with another midwife. Within an hour of our arrival, the woman birthed her baby in the bedroom – it was such a gentle, dignified birth, and equally a wonderfully powerful moment. And I had the privilege of catching the baby as he was born.
I felt so empowered being part of that experience – being with a woman birthing autonomously. And that’s what a midwife is – being “with woman”.
