My Boy

This is just a quick shout out to my amazing midwife Sarah Darby, accompanied of course by pictures of Ezekiel!  I've noticed that every time someone comes to visit us in the hospital, and asks about the whole birth experience, I find myself going on and on with praises about my midwife.

Sarah walked into the birthing room, shortly after I was taken there from the admittance room.  That is point number one on why she is awesome.  She wasn't the midwife on call, but put on my chart that she would be willing to come in, on her day off if she was available, to deliver my baby for me.  As soon as Sarah walked in I felt both a wave of excitement that she made it, and relief that she would be the one catching my baby...again!

Sarah has magic hands.  Weird way to say it I know, but every time Tyler and I describe the birthing process, we seem to bring up how magical Sarah is with her hands.  If I had a contraction coming on, and Tyler tried to touch me at all trying to help, I'd end up shooing his hand away, it just always seemed to make it worse.  However, Sarah would be able to walk up as I had a contraction coming on, put her hands on just the right spot on my hips or back, relieve pain through the contraction, and then just slip away as Tyler helped me and encouraged me in between contractions.  Magic hands.

I very purposefully created a baby birthing music play list on our i pod.  I picked songs that I could rock, sway and relax to during the whole birthing process.  Songs that would encourage me, and keep my spirits up, that I could sing along to...and Sarah is awesome enough to appreciate our music taste.  Such a silly little thing, but music means so much to us, to have her say something like "This is Devotchka right? I remember this when you were delivering Vi." was pretty much a reminder of how cool in all areas our midwife is.

My love language is words of affirmation.  Tyler does amazing at this I will say, especially through labor, but he admitted that she really helped him with knowing how to connect to me both physically and emotionally.  I thrive on being told anything little to "good job" or "you're awesome!".  Tyler and I noticed that I especially respond to Sarah, she speaks this language just right to me through the birthing process.  Just quiet confirmations through the entire ordeal of exactly what I need to hear, without even knowing it.  The perfect balance of strong guidance on what I need to or could do, with confirmations of pushing through and holding onto my endurance.  I'm not a screaming swearer or anything near that when in labor, but there were definitely times I just felt like I wanted to quit, or throw in the towel, or have him 'cut out', that were met with encouragement and absolutely no judgement.

All in all, labor is tough.  No, it's more than tough, it is by far the most difficult, painful, even agonizing experience I have ever gone through.  I don't paint a pretty picture for people of how beautiful birth is or how amazing it is, for some people it may be, for me, it is just a terrible ordeal that ends with the most beautiful, amazing reward of the miracle of a baby at the end.  I cannot imagine going through that process, regardless of the amazing reward, without Sarah.

So, Sarah, that letter I meant to write you...  hopefully you read this and understand and receive what a blessing it has been to have you in our lives, as our midwife, a mentor and our friend.  I thank God for you and pray He showers you with the love and blessing that you have showered us with.