Observers of Birth

This is one of my most favorite pictures at a birth.  I am a student midwife here.  This is the picture that my Preceptor showed me and said….”There!  That’s the picture of you being a midwife.  Not a student…a midwife.”  Watching….Waiting…Observing. This was the first time I truly saw myself as a midwife.
This was a first time mother. It was a long birth. It was a lot of work to get to this point. This mother worked so hard to get what she needed for this birth. She was a former addict. Her baby had turned breech, and then she had to go to the hospital to get an ECV (turn the baby). She fought hard for what she wanted and knew she needed in this birth. And me… I was able to give her the space she needed to do it all while supporting her. I didn’t need to be the one holding her up, I needed to be the observer and encourager. She needed to see her own strength. She needed to do it on her own. She needed to know that no matter what she would fight for this beautiful blessing and for her own autonomy. She would look over occasionally, needing reassurance that she was doing well and encouragement to keep going. A slight head nod, a smile, an almost silent, “You’ve got this”, that’s what she needed. It was a long night, as labor often is… but oh what joy in the morning when this little fella finally made his way earth-side. A baby born.. an mother born….. Such a beautiful thing to behold!

If you would like to hear more about this mother’s story, listen to the Healing Trauma Mamas Podcast Episode #66