I Birthed a Toddler!

When I arrived at Amanda's home I found her in her room and feeling unsure about her progress. As I helped her to get into better laboring positions and noticed that her pressure waves were consistently less than two minutes apart and were very intense I made a call to her midwife and we determined that we should make our way to the birth center. She was excited, yet experiencing a very intense labor. We arrived and they checked dilation, finding her at a 3. Kellie, her midwife, decided that instead of heading home, it may be a good idea for Amanda to labor for an hour in the birthing tub before making any other decisions. It was the right call. The water seemed to notch up the intensity even more. Every birthing mother finds her own rhythm and may sway, count, tap or do any number of normal or strange things during childbirth. Amanda's form of coping involved smacking the edge of the pool quite forcefully during each wave. I remembered she had mentioned that during running exercises she would count in order to reach her goals. I began counting in time with her smacking, "One, one, two, two, three, three" and so on, helping her to pace her breathing and giving her a reference point to where she was at in the birthing wave.

Amanda's amazing boyfriend and his mother remained by her side, pouring water onto her back and even forming a massage train. I was so impressed by how they worked together and how they provided Amanda with the emotional and physical support she needed. Their photographer Angela Minnick, moved about the room unnoticed, not once disturbing the birth and capturing the beautiful moments.

In less than two hours from the time we had arrived at the birth center Amanda was feeling the urge to push. Like many birthing mothers before her, she became fearful that she wasn't supposed to push, but we quickly reassured her that her body was doing exactly what it needed to deliver this baby. The midwife and her assistants prepared for the baby's arrival and even climbed into the tub at one point to assist. Holding my hand and with a great amount of strength and concentration, Amanda delivered a healthy baby boy. The look of pure surprise on her face was priceless. He was one chunky little man. The first thing Amanda said was, "I birthed a toddler!" Laughter filled the room and I watched as two people became parents in a matter of moments.

Amanda birthed a 10 lb baby in less than 2 hours and I think we all were more than impressed.

This wonderful family was a joy to work with and alongside.