I Attended a Home Water Birth, and All I Got Was This Wet T-Shirt

I've been wanting to start blogging again for some time now. However, through out the day I think of fun and interesting things to write, jot them down, and never post them. Then, some time later I think about them again, and realize they are not worthy of being posted.

This time is different. Also, I really am going to make an effort to post more from now one, not that anyone reads this anyway.

Last week, my good friend Alix gave birth to a squishy, broad shouldered boy. I had the honour of being present at the time. Originally the plan was to birth at a local birth center, my role was simply to be occupying the highly energetic 7.5 year old during the events. However, due to government regulations, the birth center is not allowed to be a delivery place for anyone over 42 weeks. Alix ended up being such a case. Thus, a homebirth.

I'll not post all the details, as Martin did a suprisingly good job of it over on his blog. What I will say is that the few weeks leading up to the birth I was very excited and nervious to be asked to help. On the one hand Mira, the 7.5 year old, and I get along superbly well, and it is always fun to spend time with her. On the other, I had never seen a birth, aside from the horrendious misery shown in the popular media. Though I was convinced it would be nothing liek that, I was unsure how unlike it it would be.

Let me say, it is as far from what the media shows as possible. Okay, maybe not quite that far, but definitely as different as egg salad is from pancakes. The environment was extremely calm, except for at the very moment of a contraction, often acompinied by a screaming Alix, and fearful Mira. Aside though, it was all very nice.

I wasn't in the room when the baby was actually born, as Mira had retreated to the basement, and though birthing was taking place at home, and I thus had additional functions of water-grabber and sometimes food-supplier, my main role of Mira-Wrangler was still in play. A few moments after he was born though, I was there and it really was amazing.

There was all of the sudden, a fully functional, fully formed human being, where there had not been one just a fraction of a moment before. Truly there is nothing more magnificent. It is a true miracle that such things happen. Even more so how the human body reacts.