Thursday, June 3, 2010

Oh, Baby!

SOOOO.... I SAW MY FIRST BABY BORN!!!! YAY!!! Basically I decided when the head came out that this is most definitely what God has called me to do for the rest of my life. What a relief, right? haha.
We had our first birth for the summer yesterday around 3. Her name is Jezevie. She was so beautiful. Melissa and I were like anxious sisters waiting in the next room for the bang on the wall that said it was time. You should have seen us jump when we heard it. So we filed into the delivery room and took in the whole scene. Mommy was in pain, that was obvious. Hilary and the other midwives were suiting up, and one of them was motioning for us to come to the front and center seat. We walked over...well, more like hopped... and waited for the next contraction. All the sudden there was hair and Melissa goes "What's that?" I was like..."The head!!!!" HAHA. It was just a surprise for a baby to have that much hair! Then the head came out and we heard the first sound from the mom. On a side note- Philippinos are amazing at labor. They sit there all quietly and do their breathing. It's...strange. I wonder if we American's knew there wasn't an option for pain relief if we would take it like champs too. Anyways. The head came out and the midwife starts saying that the cord is tight. "Tight cord! Tight cord!" And then we got over the shock of what we just saw and realized that this baby was very, very blue. The next contraction was a mere 30 seconds later and the little girls body came out of the mommy. No cry, cord tied twice around her neck. The cord was quickly removed, the baby was being rubbed and suctioned, and then we finally heard that little miracle's voice- the first cry. Honestly I almost started crying. She was so perfect. A little confused. But perfect. And the mommy did wonderful. It was such an amazing thing to see.
So at this point Melissa and I have huge smiles on our faces because we were told that we could clamp and cut the cord. So Mel goes and stands by the baby, clamps the cord, and cuts it with a huge grin on her face. I, meanwhile, am standing by the mom just marveling at what just happened. Then I hear Hilary say "Molly, do you want to deliver the placenta?" Uhhhhhh.....sure? haha. That's all I could really manage. I mean, I didn't really know what I was doing. So I waited there with a midwife for the next contraction. When she had it, I got to gently tug on the cord and deliver the placenta. You know, placentas are weird. I'm not going to lie. Kind of gross. But needless to say, Jesus is amazing. The fact that this gross blob kept the little girl alive was a miracle in itself. And to all you pregos out there- the placenta was probably over 3 pounds- so don't blame yourself for those extra few. :)
Once the placenta was delivered (and I was pretty much making camp on cloud nine) I hear the next piece of news...She tore. :( So they pulled out the suture kit and started suturing her up. I'm watching this and wishing that I had ever learned to sew. Then the midwife asks me...well, more like tells me... "You want to suture." Kind of a question. But with the implication of "I'm about to hand this needle to you so get ready." So she tells me what I'm going to do and hands me the hemostat and the suture kit. It was so much fun being able to fix the tear. And apparently I have very steady hands (something I've never had before. I shook the whole time during my clinical clearance exam and that was just giving a shot. Another sign from God that this is the plan He has for me). It really was the best day of my life thus far. I'm so so so happy.
So this was the first birth. Melissa and I were talking about how we've done more in 2 days here than we'll do in our entire Mother-Baby semester at school. We're so so so thankful for this amazing experience that we get to have. And really, we want to thank all of you for making it happen. Everyone who's been praying for us and supporting us- we love you. You have, in a very real way, supported us on the journey that has decided the rest of our lives (Yup! Melissa wants to stay in this field too! ). God has already blessed this adventure so much and this is only day 3! We're so ready to see what else is coming and we will keep you posted on this beautiful journey. Oh yes! There are pictures to come as well! It takes forever and a day to upload them onto this sight so please go visit my facebook in about an hour. They will be there! If you can't find my facebook, try looking for it under my e-mail address which is posted as mollyw@nmsu.edu. Thank you all so much and I shall definitely keep you posted!
Molly Walker, 0730 (5:30 pm for you), Overton HQ

2 comments:

  1. BAMF? I can't believe you! I love the birth story! You really got to suture? They trusted you? Wow! Pretty amazing! Can't wait to hear more!

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  2. Yes. BAMF. :D And yeah! They let me suture! It was great! And it looked very pretty when I was done. :D It was awesome!

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