With Gilliam’s delivery, things couldn’t have been more different.
First of all, reception doesn’t really exist except during normal business hours when the midwives are seeing patients for regular check-ups. So as soon as we walked directly into the birth unit a midwife was there to show us to our delivery room… which was beautiful.
The room was only lit by a single soft lamp and the light peeking in from around the ends of the drawn curtains. The smell of lavender was in the air, and all we could hear was the pleasant sound of water filling the birth tub.
There were no forms to fill out or questions to answer. Just a baby to deliver.
The midwife, who greeted us, actually stayed with us and ultimately delivered Gilliam… we only saw one face from arrival to delivery.
And as Grayson’s midwife behaved more like a doctor whose sole purpose was to catch the baby; Gilliam’s midwife behaved more like a doula or birthing couch… following Serena around the room on all fours as Serena crawled around finding comfort where she could; all the while encouraging her along the way.
She never once interrupted Serena’s laboring to check for progress or such nonsense. Simple armed with a mirror and a flashlight she would assess the situation on the fly… and when she sensed the birth was imminent, she pulled a sting which cued a second midwife to join us for the big show. And then Gilliam was born.
We all just lay there, on the floor, for a while: Me, Serena, Gilliam, both midwives and our doula Sarah
Then the midwives and the doula excused themselves… and we were left alone as a family for almost an hour and a half. No questions asked.
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