One Night, Two Births

Last night I had the extreme privilege of doing something that only rarely happens to midwives and, I don't believe, has ever happened to me... I went to two births, 3 hours and 12 minutes apart. Both were early girls, born very quickly (one in water, one on land), who latched on and nursed within 15 minutes of their births. These simple, no-nonsense births are the kind that I dream about for each of my clients, but that can also find me sitting around wondering what to do next (knitting is very helpful in this situation). I mean, you can only take a mom's blood pressure, or put the sheets in the wash, or ask the mom if she wants something to eat so many times. After all, I wouldn't want to be known as the "bugging" midwife. I think one of my most important jobs at a birth is to get out of the way after the birth so the mom, baby, and family can "oogle" at and love on each other. Both of these mamas and babies got lots of time for loving and oogling, and for that I am extremely grateful. May these babies have lives filled with Blessings.