Thoughts on unhindered birth

So, I had a birth this weekend (which was wonderful). I'll post the story soon.

After the Mom gave birth she was all happy and blissful. She looked at me with an amazed look and said, "I just gave birth and you didn't put your hand in my vagina once!". I smiled and said, "yep. Amazing how that works, huh?"

I really feel like the vagina is a sacred place. A place of power and it deserves to be treated as such. I do not take vaginal exams lightly and I do not touch a woman's vagina unless she asks me too. I really don't think that a woman needs to be told when it's ok to push, she knows when she needs to push. So, I don't routinely do vaginal exams to check for full dilation either. Often, when a woman says she has the urge to push I will tell her to listen to her body and to let her uterus do the work. This helps the baby come out gently and I have seen that woman are much more present when they just let birth happen rather than trying to "push push push!"

I am totally convinced that routine vaginal exams are unnecessary. How many other things do we do that we really don't NEED to do? And by doing these unnecessary things are we unconsciously taking power and control away from the mother?

I aim to empower women not to dehumanize them through intervention. As a midwife I want to continue to explore how little I can do!

Up and running

One of my friends just got done working on Kitty and she is running for now. It really is a mantra to keep a bus running. I have been considering buying an air cooled VW because I could learn to work on it myself. But, for now we have to keep Kitty going. So, thanks for all the good thoughts that have been sent in my direction for Kitty's healing!

Very very tired

Well, I haven't posted in a while because I have been very busy and extremely tired. I got a job baking at a coffee house in the early early mornings. I love the job but, getting adjusted to the new hours has been pretty hard on me. I am naturally a night owl...

I have a Mama due tomorrow with her second baby. I am hoping she will give birth before next weekend so that I can go to the Community Peace Festival. I am desperate for a swim in the river! And a rockin drum circle!

My VW bus is sick. She is over heating and we are crossing our fingers that the head is not cracked. We already know that a piece that connects the radiator hoses busted. But, it is possible that the head cracked while I tried to hurry home with it overheating. It makes me very sad to think that she could need a new engine. So, please keep my sweet bus Kitty in your prayers :)

Well, hope to see you at the river this weekend with another wonderful birth story!