Happy Day

Today at a local healthy living expo here in Leafy Corner, I joined our little group of childbirth professionals: midwives, doulas, childbirth educators and lactation consultants and we manned our little booth handing out cards and brochures and talking to women about pregnancy birth, breastfeeding and postpartum. We showed some wonderful waterbirth videos on a continuous loop which attracted many fascinated folks. Men, women, little kids. One little girl who couldn't have been more than 2 stood fixated on the images of woman after woman pushing their babies into the water. She must have stood there watching intently for close to 30 minutes, resisting her mother's attempts to distract her on to other things. This little girl's completely relaxed fascination made me wonder aloud if some part of her remembered her own birth. Over and over people were saying "what a miracle, how beautiful!", "There's almost no blood in the tub!" I didn't see a single person so much as wrinkle their nose. Young girls of 12 and 13 walking ever so slowly by in groups watching the videos but trying desperately to make it seem like they weren't. It was quite lovely.

Women of all ages spontaneously shared their birth stories with us. Including the story of a vaginal twin birth from a woman in her seventies, her husband smiling gently beside her. A couple from South America, old enough to be grandparents chatted excitedly in Spanish, the wife explaining to her husband the birth of a placenta. Another local caregiver thanked a midwife who attended her birth several years ago, for a comment she made. A single comment which this mother captured and was grateful for all those years later. The mother of the little girl so captivated by the birth videos spoke proudly of her two VBAC's. I'm reminded that women never, ever forget the day that they gave birth. Such a privilege and such enormous responsibility.

I stuck a "HOME BIRTH BABY :)" sticker on the belly of a client, and watched her revel in the love and attention which is showered on women when they are big with child, and felt (feel) so lucky that, Goddess willing I will be among the very first to welcome her new little soul to earth soon.

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I received a postcard yesterday from REACHE, a heads up on their 2008 Conference -
Fittingly it is on VBAC, as our local midwifery association's conference will be too. I'm a little perplexed that both conferences seem scheduled for the same day (hopefully this will change), but I'm grateful and energized by the forces mobilizing behind women and VBAC.

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Our local hospital to reports to an ICAN survey that they do offer VBAC. What they don't mention is that while (only) a couple of docs will accept VBAC clients, their partners will not, and given of the ever narrower parameters 'offered' to women who bear the scar(s) of a prior cesarean, the actual VBAC attempt at the facility is a rare, rare bird indeed.

This has to change.
Has to.