One by one, the women in the childbirth class began having their babies. The first one to give birth did so on New Year's Day 2009. When the rest of us in the class heard the story of her birth, we were shocked. She delivered her baby at home in a blow up tub of water. It was her third home birth, and I believe it was her second water birth. She and her husband planned to not cut the umbilical cord too. This is known as a Lotus Birth. In a Lotus Birth, the cord is left in tact. A special bag is made so that the placenta can be carried around with the baby until the baby gets rid of the cord on its own. The idea behind this is that the child is choosing to be a part of this world after leaving its familiar world of the womb. Lotus birth is practiced in a variety of cultures all over the world and poses no threat to the mother or child. When it's all said and done, it's better to let the umbilical cord stop pulsing completely before cutting it. This gives the child all the last bit of antibiotics, nutrients and blood it needs to stay healthy during its first few weeks. The Lotus Birth just takes that a step further and lets the umbilical cord fall off naturally. It's just like having the cord stump except there's a placenta attached to it.
Anyway, this woman did not get to do her Lotus birth as planned. Her baby needed resuscitation from the midwife and as a precaution, the midwife called 911. The baby was just fine and breathing normally on its own when the paramedics arrived. They kind of bullied the midwife and mama into letting them take the baby to the nearest hospital. And, since it was a matter of the baby breathing, they decided that the baby needed to be air-lifted to Flagstaff. Mind you, the baby was breathing perfectly when they told her this. They said, "Do you want to be responsible if anything happens to the child?" So, as a precaution, they allowed the baby to be air-lifted. So, instead of a peaceful time at home, with its umbilical cord still attached, the baby was with its mom in a helicopter for no good reason. They ended up having to pay for it too. When they took the baby to the doctor at the hospital, the doctor looked at him and said, "Why is this child here?"
This story freaked Corey out. He was beside himself with worry. "What if that happens to us?" he asked me one day. " We won't be able to afford that!" I reassured him that he would not have to pay for an air-vac because it just won't happen. That was a freak thing that happened. The chances of us having a similar situation was so slim I told him to put it out of his mind.
Meanwhile...My midwife was on maternity leave and I had to go down to Phoenix to see her supervising midwife for a month or so for my prenatal visits. I went to one the week after the exciting news of the helicopter birth. The midwife told me that my baby was in "perfect position" to be born. She hoped that the baby would stay that way until time to deliver, some two-plus months away.
Also in early January, the second of the babies from the childbirth class was born. She had been receiving pregnancy massage from Katie as well and only had 6 hours of labor. She also gave birth at home in a pool of water, only this was her very first child. She was brave and calm, working with her body. Everything went well for her until the very end. She just wanted to get the baby out so badly, that she gave a push and as her son came out, she tore. She had actually done the massage of the perineum, but only had her husband massage the area close to the anus. She ended up tearing up the front, instead of downward. She had stitches and was fine. However, after hearing that story, I was determined that Corey would so the massage right and cover all the bases, front and back, up and down. I was so scared to tear.
A few more weeks passed and I was due for another prenatal visit. I was in my third trimester and starting to get pretty big. I was also still involved at the massage school as a teacher trainer. One day in mid January, I went to the bathroom and when I came back, one of the students asked me if I'd had my baby. I laughed. "What do you mean?" I asked her.
"Oh, nothing. When you came back into the classroom, the light hit you just right so that you didn't look pregnant. I knew you did have your baby in the bathroom..." It was kinda funny and I just shrugged it off.
The very next day, I was leaving the massage school when a prospective student I was friends with came in. His wife was expecting their third child and we actually had the same due date. He asked me, "Still pregnant?" I almost choked on my water. "What? Of course I'm still pregnant. I'm not due until late March. Why do you ask?"
"Because Jessica has been put on bed rest and some medications to keep the baby in. She was starting premature labor last week. Just wondering how you were doing." Strange....wierd....okay....
The last straw happened the next day (Saturday) at work. After clocking out for the night, my boss asked to have a word with me. He said, "How's your health?"
"Fine. I feel great."
"No, goofy, I mean how are you doing with hostessing and expecting?"
"I feel awesome. No problems. I plan to work through February then take off in March before the baby is born."
"Good. Glad to hear it. If you need anything, let me know."
"How's your health? Are you still pregnant? Did you just have your baby? What is up with the universe?" I thought. "The baby hasn't been moving around as much. It still wiggles, but not like it used to, and not as frequently. Maybe I should schedule another ultrasound." I decided that the on Monday I was going to call to make another appointment to make sure the baby was okay. I didn't feel right about something and I wanted to make sure my baby was not in trouble.
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