09/24/2025
Pull up a chair & grab a coffee & I’ll share with you my favorite birth of the year so far.
About 5 years ago, I had new office neighbors move in next to our former Barefoot office. This chiropractor & his wife talked about maybe someday having a baby at home with a midwife. They asked questions & we chatted often in the hallways.
Fast forward, and let me tell you about this birth.
Grit, sheer undeniable grit. After several days of on and off prodromal labor {and iykyk}.... with the help of exercises, chiropractic adjustments & some herbal tinctures, labor finally transitioned into an established & productive active labor pattern. Mom swayed, dad held her hips. They worked as a team, going from the birth ball to standing to pacing to resting and back again rotating through it all. It was a beautiful dance to witness. Then as transition was starting, into the warm birth pool. And the tub helped through transition, but pushing wasn’t as effective in the tub as we had hoped. So out to try a variety of positions until the birth stool was the magic trick to get this baby born.
Was it the graceful, easing out that so many curated & heavily edited Instagram pictures & social media videos show? Nope. It was sweating, and raw, and mom had to dig so deep and pull out every bit of strength and determination. Her husband was the best support, with constant positive support, loving her through every contraction. Telling her how strong she was & how proud he was of her.
And then, once baby was ready to be born, dad had the honor of catching his baby in his hands (with me only stepping in to help unwind this girl who had tangled herself up a little with a cord around her body) and dad lifted baby up to mom as she reached down to embrace her daughter.
Many tears were shed. Relief, joy, pride, and love.
Congratulations.
