Yesterday I went in to The Rand after checking in by phone in the morning. I feel like the staff are finally understanding that I want to be called in, and want to be busy helping them. I doula-ed and then delivered a healthy little boy to an 18 year old first time mom in the back-up delivery room, as the main one was in use at the time by a private patient who was also delivering. I thought of my Midwifery Care instructor from SMS/Bastyr Suzy as the young girl said "The baby is coming". Indeed it was, so off to the smaller delivery room we went, her very shy partner in tow. She did beautifully of course and Nurse Dillett left me to my own devices to catch the baby. It's nice to know that they have enough confidence in me to just let me do my thing, and that is helping me to FEEL more confident. Yeah, actually I am starting to feel like I really do know what I'm doing :)
I'm still beyond frustrated with the immediate care practices here re "bonding time". They seem to think that a minute or two of mom and baby time is all that is needed, and then baby is whisked off to the nursery to "warm up and bathe" for a couple of hours... sigh. I've taken to grabbing a couple of towels (if there are any) to warm up in the delivery room so I have something to cover the baby while he/she is skin to skin with mom. There are no baby hats, and most of the time there are no towels, then in the small delivery room there is no baby warmer to put them or baby. Plus the A/C is always on (I suspect for the comfort of the staff - again, sigh...) so of course once I have used up the one paper towel baby cover thing and it is all wet and cold then I have no way to keep the baby warm... and of course the staff are by then wanting me to clamp and cut the cord and hand over the baby so "it doesn't get cold"... the first thing I will buy when I get home are some packets of cheap receiving blankets to send over here and some newborn hats that they use in the hospitals in Calgary.
Later in the day there was another mom in labour with her second. She was alone because her sister couldn't get a ride to the hospital to help her. I was in and out and helped her when I could, but was also busy helping new moms with breastfeeding in the postpartum ward. Whenever I went in to her I rubbed her back and encouraged her as much as I could. Around supper time I heard that familiar phrase again "The baby is coming" and sure enough it was! Into the main delivery room we went and I got my second birth of the day (the 5th in the last 2 days!). A doctor was watching over my shoulder but I didn't even care and just did my thing. I was surprised later when I tucked the mom into her bed and gave her a hug for a job well done - she thanked me for rubbing her back and "being nice to her". And that's the rub here - Jen and I have heard that several times from the people we have assisted. They seem so surprised and so incredibly grateful for the things that we take for granted, just giving tlc and encouragement... it feels good but at the same time makes us sad.
Funny story from the other day - a pregnant mom showed up with her Burger King dinner and Coke, her friend and her bags... no contractions, no issues. So why was she there you ask? It was "her time" she said. OK then. Apparently prenatal education here is lacking some basic information too...
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