|
19/4/2004 2:38
|
Ilana Shemesh, natural midwife
|
מאת:
|
A test of Faith and Trust in Birth
|
כותרת:
|
Once again as a midwife,--the guardian of natural birth--I am put to a test of trust and faith in the birth process and the woman's ability to birth normally. I meet this wonderful couple midway during their pregnancy, and they choose me to be their homebirth midwife. They prepare well for this birth. They choose an excellent homebirth childbirth preparation class and read my book. They meet with me for monthly prenatal checkups. She eats well, is very healthy, and does yoga. They are very in tune with nature, study and teach permaculture and decide not to use any disposables during the birth, and begin to collect and sew rags and old towells for the blood. I so admire their idealism and spirit. They are calm and confident and I love meeting with them. Despite our age differences, I feel so close to them and am looking forward to their birth. I feel very optimistic and know she will have a great birth. He will be a great partner for her. On her due date, they call to say that she lost her plug. Great. I'm expecting to hear from them in a day or two. Next day, she calls to say that her water broke and there are mild contractions. The water is clear and movements are good, and they are careful of hygiene. I expect to hear from them later on in heavy labor. That evening at 10 PM they call to say things have slowed down. I am awakened next morning at around 6 that the contractions are strong and every 4 minutes and they want to come to my clinic. They decided to birth here since their house is not quite finished. They are also far from any hospital. When I see her she looks great and I am pleased that she is 4 centimeters. Later on in the day, she is only 5 centimeters, and the contractions are just not that strong or close together. She is getting really tired. We try nipple stimulation, and I do some acupucture for her, and she goes on a long walk. Nothing seems to dramatically help. She is strong and they are handling the labor very well. Her father calls me to remind me that he is a doctor and is very worried and has called a few of his colleagues and are waiting to handle any emergencies. He asks if I don't want an ambulance on standby just in case. I feel very uneasy. He tries to be nice but I sense his distrust of me and my medical abilities. I understand where he is coming from and that he is worried about his daughter, but feel still that it is not appropriate and feel threatened. He wants me to keep him posted and gives me his number. I think that if his children wanted this they would be doing it. I don't call him. He calls later on while I am with the couple, and they are embarassed and annoyed. I am sorry for the stress that this is causing. He calls again and wants more answers, like how long I will let her push and what are my limits and when will I transfer her. I feel like I am being boxed in and remember all the time those feelings in the hospital when I was protecting my women from being invaded. I feel like the pressure is on and I must perform NOW! I keep going back and telling them that they must keep doing nipple massage. I tell the husband that the father is pressuring me and that he must call him and tell him that I won't answer the phone anymore and that he mustn't call anymore. He does this but still the phones are ringing and now his parents have begun. We all close our phones. I am getting desperate. I tell her to take castor oil. She is getting exhausted. She is now only 7 centimeters but she feels rectal pressure and it is late evening. Finally I say to myself--this girl needs a rest and stop pressuring her. Stop worrying about yourself Ilana and your being pressured by her father the doctor, and protect her. I tell her to forget all the stimulation and just lie down and try to rest and let's just give it the time it needs. I come back in an hour and she says that she has reached her limit and she wants to go to the hospital. She is giving up. I give her a hug and tell her that I understand, but I must check her first. Something happended in that hour, and she looks like a woman before birth to me. I am so happy to find that she is fully dilated. She is overjoyed. The head is not sitting exactly straight and I know it will take some time but once again I am optimistic. I go back to the house to take the bread out of the oven and I am ambushed by her mother and mother-in-law, who tracked me down. Her mother treats me like I am a criminal and going to kill her daughter and grandchild. She reminds me that it is her daughter whom I am "playing with" and her soon to be grandchild. They demand to see them. I refuse to let them and tell them they must trust me that this is why I was chosen to be their midwife and this is the birth they want and I am concerned and looking after their safety. My committment is to the couple and not to the parents. I feel pressured and abused and worried for my professional future and very threatened. I feel like saying to her'it's time for you to transfer to hospital" just to make it easier on myself. But the heartbeat is fine, there are no signs of any infection, and she is soooo close to that promised end and the birth is so close I can hear the baby crying. I cannot betray her. She is so brave and so willing to sacrifice to feel that peak birthing experience. I cannot deny her this rite of passage, this basic feminine right. I tell the mothers to go home and sit tight and they will hear good news soon enough. I return with new faith and courage and together we try all different pushing positions, standing, kneeling, side, squat, back, birth stool. Her man is there totally for her. Cool and strong with incredible love. She pushes like a lioness and the birth sounds begin. The head is visable and slowly emerges and then takes a sudden turn and begins to come quickly and is born. Great apgar, and he is at her breast and the air is thick with emotion and joy and we have reached the peak of the Everest! It was a hard birth, a long birth, a trying ordeal and a true test of all of our strongest beliefs in trust in nature and in the birth process and the woman's body. They feel wonderful and spent the night. In the morning they went to Kaplan to register to get the money of the maanak lida. They treated them with great respect and consideration and were very pleased with the welcome reception at Kaplan Hospital. They left after a few hours and a baby check. The family seems happy also. My question is: should children of doctors now be considered "high-risk" for homebirth because of the possible mental damage to the midwife??? .
|
תוכן ההודעה:
|
תגובות נוספות
|
