The Hose Wrangler

Now, I know that some of you may be thinking/wondering what type of hose I refer to. Well, let me just clarify that I mean hose in the literal, water your garden sense of the word. Working at a birth center has many, many benefits...I get to offer the type of midwifery care that I am passionate about, I get to build relationships with our families, my midwife sisters are fantastic and our whole staff is like a second family to me. However, like life and labor, it is not all a bed of roses. There is a lot of hands on, intensive cleaning work to be done....scrubbing floors and walls and birth stools, doing laundry, folding laundry, cleaning instruments and of course, hose wrangling.

I love water birth. The amazing look of relief that seeps into a woman's face as she sinks down into the warm water. The calm, alert babies opening up to their new world. I do not, however, enjoy the draining and filling of birth pools, particularly when it comes to the management of the hoses. They are heavy, cumbersome and always kinked or kinking. (Inevitably, this task is taking place at 3 am which does not help.) Recently, while knee deep in this process, I somehow, very gracefully I'm sure, managed to get all caught up in the hose and trip flat on my face. Luckily, no one was present to witness my injury, I guess now the secret is out.

I must admit that when the birth bug first bit me, I was caught up in the romance of it all. Now, some years down the line, I am still a devout "birth junkie" but the romance has worn off and evolved, much like a new relationship, into a deeper understanding and respect for all that being "with woman" entails.

Vacation

It should come as no surprise that this profession is hard...sometimes very hard. It can be exhausting both emotionally and physically. I am basically a baby midwife, and am comfortable saying that. One of my continual lessons, is how to maintain this path while still maintaining my personal health and the well being of my family. Balance is always an issue. If you have read this blog, you will know that it is a topic I often write about....it seems to be one of my "things". So, last week I had vacation. Unfortunately, it was not an exciting one, more like a stay-cation and let's get the kids ready to start school. But, I was away from the birth center for the week....and I actually stayed away...which was pretty hard for me! It was good to be away and spend good time with my family and I am now glad to be back with the Mama's...