In which my puppy attends her first homebirth

... not counting her own, of course!



Yes, Maizey attended a homebirth yesterday. I was so focused on finding a sitter for the kids that I didn't even think about Maizey. My older dogs can handle being crated all day -- once in a while -- but Maizey is just barely 12 weeks. Also, I thought the birth would go quickly, so I just dropped the kids at Emily's neighbor's house and drove to the birth. The kids were at Emily's neighbor's house because their usual sitter was at the hospital with her daughter, who was also in labor! Oh life, you are so ironic. Anyway, a few hours after I got there, while the mom was laboring with her husband and I was trying to teach Leigh how to play some card games, I realized that Maizey might be on her own for approximately 8 hours, which is way too long for a puppy. So Maizey came to the birth. She was very good. However, I learned that I need to put a spare key somewhere near my house so a neighbor can let her out. I'm sure not every client will be as cool and dog-loving as this one.

Also, I learned that (1) I'm not much help to Leigh yet, however (2) that's in my job description, so (3) we need to practice. Suffice it to say the birth didn't go as easily as the last one we attended, and the mom needed some assistance. Leigh and I had touched briefly on some procedures, but we hadn't practiced anything. So when push came to shove, I didn't know how to help.

I was whining to my friend/midwife for Sydney's birth, Charlotte, who told me that it's okay that I'm not much help yet; that I'm not going to be much help for a while, til I have more experience. I am somewhat of a help because I have two hands and I can take bp, pulse, temp, and find fetal heart tones. And I can write! (And I think my writing is beautiful! Leigh totally disagrees!) I can chart. Leigh and I are going to do some drills on procedures so that if she ever comes across a situation like this, I can actually help.

I really look forward to the birth center opening. I think I'm going to get more experience on a regular basis -- before this, Leigh and I hadn't attended a birth together since late March, I think? -- so things will be more cohesive in my mind. Right now it's new AND it's infrequent. Fabulous!