Christmas Baby!

Oh my, what a Christmas. On Christmas Eve, I spoke to my backup on my way to my parents' house, which is 200 miles away from where I live. She knew that we had a client due 1/2/08 -- first time mom, C. So off Mr Sweetie, Chim Chim, and Baby Badger and I go.

Christmas morning comes and every thing is fun and festive. The kids had a blast. We're getting ready for my mom's Christmas Day buffet dinner and then... the phone rings around 1:30pm. It's my client C. She's been having contractions since 630 that morning. C. is pretty sure this is the real thing. We decide that she will give me a call when she decides to go to triage to be evaluated. I call my backup to let her know that she may be needed. No response. SO frustrating.

We devise a plan that we'll take the carseats out of my car, I'll head out, do my job, and return the next day to collect my husband and kids and see my brothers and their kids some more. If the birth goes very long, my dad can drive folks back. I hit the turnpike by 2:30 and FLY across the most beautiful state in the Union. I get a call around 400pm -- they've already gone to the hospital and are being admitted... she's SIX cm. Holy mackerel. I increase my speed and call my backup; again, no response. I get to the hospital at 5:15 -- 2 hr. 45 min. from door to door, 200 miles.

C. and her husband R. are doing better than they think. Around 7cm C. is scared that the pain is going to be increasing and that she can't handle it. She considers getting an epidural and we discuss the pros and cons. She has a fantastic family doc attending her birth, and I've never seen a doctor be so supportive or knowledgeable of natural birth or spend so much time with a woman in labor. We spend time on the birth ball and Dr. gives C. some paced breathing to keep her in the driver's seat, and this helps so much. I wish I had thought of it but I'm thankful to have been able to learn from him. The nurses thought she was bonkers for going natural. I was irritated with them for not being respectful of her choices.

C. makes it through to 10cm and takes a while feeling the urge to push. She was afraid of the pain but it helped her labor down to the point that she really let her body do a lot of the work for her. When she got down to pushing she did fantastic. She was strong and determined. C. has her baby in her arms 45 minutes later, at 9:05 on Christmas Night. No name for the little guy when I left but the family was happy, content, and adoring of each other.

I crashed out in my big bed all by myself, woke at 5am, drove a bit more slowly across the most beautiful state in the union, and had a nice after-Christmas Day. We drove home last night and had a good night sleep, everyone in his or her own bed, and woke up to just the 4 of us at home for the first time since MIL came to visit on 12/11.

Hope everyone had wonderful December Holidays and that 2008 brings wonderful things for all!