I have exciting news to share! I became an aunt, again, to another beautiful nephew yesterday afternoon! My dear sister in law gave birth to a beautiful baby boy after roughly 11 1/2 hrs of labor! (A huge improvement from her 1st labor, which lasted a whopping 57 hrs!). She had planned on having her baby at home, just as she did with her first, but when she called her midwife, she was told to go to the hospital because there were also 3 other women giving birth under their care. I was not her doula, but had planned on being at the birth, along with my sister, who does birth photography, and my grandmother. The hospital she was sent to had very strict guidelines about how many people were allowed to be in her room, so my grandma and sister kept trading places, and I was stuck out in the waiting room way down the hall! Sitting there for 5 hours not knowing how things were going just about killed me! It made me think about how hard it must have been for fathers back in the day, who werent allowed to be in the room while they’re wives’ birthed alone. I was just the sister in law, and it drove me nuts! I cant imagine being a man and not being able to be a part of my childs’ birth! I am so happy with how birth has changed over the years! How great is it that men are now able to be fully involved, and are even sometimes able to be the ones to deliver their baby!
There is nothing better than to see a woman being supported and taking charge of her birth!
-Carrie-
Pickles and Ice Cream Doulas 