My sister-in-law Jessica had a beautiful baby girl this morning. They named her Aftyn Clarissa. (I was going to name Eleanor- Clarissa right up until I held her in my arms for the first time.) Jessica allowed me to come to the hospital and be her DOULA. There is not much in this world that is better than being a part of a natural birth. Jessica did beautifully. She had had a lot of contractions for a few weeks and thought she was in labor a few times. Last night we did a little surprise shower for her and she looked so ready. Today was her due date and she woke up this morning and her water broke at about 4:30am. They called me and we all arrived at the hospital at about 5:20. She labored with complete focus and relaxation. She birthed Aftyn at 6:05am. She was 7 pounds 13.2 ounces and 21 inches long. I love to see women that want to do natural birth and learn the right way to do it and then carry it out with such perfection. It is not possible for everyone but when it is it feels so right. It is how our bodies are meant to birth. I was actually a little jealous of her and would have stepped in her shoes in a second if I could have. I love to give birth.
Aftyn cried out quite a bit as if she was telling us how hard her journey just was and how much hard work it was to make. She finally settled down and nursed beautifully after about 20 minutes. She was the perfect pink color and has big beautiful lips and the Petersen nose. What a joy it was to be a part of. Thank you Andrew and Jessica for letting me be a part of this sacred experience.
I will post a picture soon.
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4 comments:
That is so cool that you got to do that. I was my sisters DOULA when she had her son at my moms house. I only did my first 3 that way. What an awesome experience and what great timing little Aftyn had. Can't wait to see her. Hugs, Bobbi Jo
I.Am.Jealous.
And baby hungry now. What is with that?
Pass on my congratulations to Andrew and Jessica!! Please post a picture when you can!!
amy- you talk about birth different than anyone i have ever listened to. wow. when i read this it sounds like the greatest experience ever. not ever having had the experience myself- the more i hear about it the more scary it sounds to me, and the more i feel that adoption is the only thing i ever want to do (thought it has it's own kind of labor too. thank you for a new perspective!
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