FIRST BIRTH BACK IN THE STATES!!!
It was around 11am and I was at work (cutting away at skin cancer and making slides) when my preceptor midwife called me and said that our client, a young, client, G-1, P-0, (first pregnancy) was in active labor and I needed to head over to her apartment as soon as possible. The midwife and I had talked about the fact that because I can’t leave work early, for any reason because I am helping in assisting surgeries, that there was a chance that if she could not find another birth assistant at that time, then she would be attending this birth alone. This can be a little scary for a midwife because after birth, you now have TWO clients and lives in your hands with only one pair of hands to attend the both of them. So, almost never do midwives attends births by themselves unless there is no other way….
The midwife said she had told the Lord, “Lord, please send someone, I don’t want to do this alone.” And just then a friend midwife of hers called her and said, “Don’t worry, if the Lord wants someone there, someone will be there.”
Just then I called her and told her that I had gotten my next work shift covered (which is normally not easy) and that I was on my way!! She cried with joy and amazement at God’s faithfulness.
I arrived to the apartment excited and nervous as this was going to be my very first birth in California since I had arrived home from the Philippines (months ago) and my first time attending a homebirth! Even though I was only assisting with this birth, my heart was racing with anticipation for what was about to unfold.
I felt a little rusty even though I had attended many births before and caught a few babies just a few months ago in the clinic in Davao and with an OB/GYN here in the States.
This was NEW; in the complete privacy of a young couples home that I had never met before. And here I was, parked outside of their place, frantically changing out of my work scrubs into some more casual jeans and top that I had put in my car just in case, and praying that no one would walk outside!
I walked up to the door and could hear from the window our mama in labor, moaning away, sounding very active. I walked into the tiny, one bedroom apartment and the smell of incense was overwhelming. The sounds of Bob Marley softly played in the background, filling the place. The place was dimly lit only by candlelight and I noticed chuck pads laid out on the floor in the TV room, covered in birth supplies…gauze, sterile gloves, bulb syringe, umbilical cord clamp, you name it. This wave of a familiar, peaceful feeling came over me…”Thank You Jesus.”
The midwife came out of the dark bedroom where our mom was laboring and we talked a little before I went in to go meet this new family.
After discussing where the oxygen, pitocin, and other emergency supplies where kept, she led me into the bedroom where the birth was to take place.
There she was. A young, beautiful, very pregnant woman, lying in the birthing pool, eyes closed, breathing heavily during her contractions. She had a few tattoos and a nose ring that would every once in a while, in the right angle, would reflect the light of the candle that sat on a small table beside the pool. Her boyfriend sat beside her, next to the edge of the pool, breathing with her with every contraction.
It was so dark I could hardly see where I was going. I was terrified that I was going to trip over a cord or bottle of massage oil and fall into the warm pool of water, landing head first next to this woman.
I introduced myself to her and shortly after she started pushing! She pushed hard and good and after about 5 pushes with little progress in the pool, we got her out and had her try different positions to see if we could get the baby to come down more. After moving around, she somehow ended up on her back on the floor and wanted to stay there, with her boyfriend at her head, talking to her and pushing with her. Shortly after, head was 3cm visible with pushing!! Heart tones stayed beautiful and strong. With a few more pushes, some perineal pressure, and one strong mom…..tiny baby Pheonix’s head was out! Then one more push and his whole, 8lb body came tumbling out! Oh the joy of new life!! He took his first breath of air and cried. Welcome baby boy. He pinked up right away, while his mama cried, “look! Look! Our baby! Our baby! Look! Ohhhh my baby boy!” We all cried with joy at this new little life!
…….And there is was again, the same familiar feeling of unbelievable joy and peace when a baby is born into the world. When the presence of the living God fills the entire house and wonder and love somehow takes on an entirely new meaning. Praise You Lord for the life that you have breathed into us.
For so long, since I had come home from the Philippines, I thought my dream had died. I thought that the Lord would just have to find something else for me to do, that it was just not possible to start all over again and live still completely in the will of the Father and what I knew He had called me to do. And yet, it wasn’t true! Our God is still the same God here at home as He is all over the world! Even on the mission field. He is still the same! What joy that even when we are convinced that something is impossible, He says, “Nope. Not impossible. Never impossible” ……and there is was, watching this woman, nurse her newborn baby, staring at him in awe and wonder, and his father, watching, learning, like a child himself, and now falling in love with his very own son…….I never thought I would really be in this place again. At least not for a long, long time. And yet, there I was, and there it was, the evidence that God is still alive, still cares, still knows us, still loves us, still keeps His promises, still is the Great I AM. The fact that He never gives up on us, whether or not we know what He is asking of us, what He is saying, even in our disobedience and doubts…He is BIGGER. He is a GOOD GOD. I don’t know how I even got back into midwifery, well, no, I do…HIM. And the fact that He is FAITHFUL. His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts…and Thank God for that!! …….It was about this time, when I realized that God wants you to have it ALL. The joys on earth, the joys of your heart!! Its all YOURS!!! And its all FROM HIM!! You can be in love, follow God, and follow your calling!!! What Joy!!!
A few minutes following, her placenta plopped out and we were happy. She recovered very well and immediately after we got her tucked away with her baby in bed, she asked for some In-n-Out Burger, so that’s exactly what she got! We left the house that evening two very tired midwives. Two very JOY FILLED, tired midwives. Welcome baby Pheonix, child and servant of the living God who loves you beyond measure.
