The last baby due this month finally arrived and we had a lovely birth. I’ve asked my client to write her own birth story, so I won’t try to tell the whole story here. I’d much rather have her tell the details from her perspective. We had another little boy. We started the year with bunch of boys in a row, and then we had a bunch of girls in a row. So maybe now we’re back to catching boys for a while.

My client has given me permission to tell about one funny thing that happened at her birth. She was laboring in a birth pool in her living room. She had been doing an amazing job of working with her labor. Except for checking heart tones and watching closely, our jobs were pretty easy because everything was going so well. Her mother was there and so was her husband. We all were waiting for that urge to push because we expected it any minute.

My client was laboring on her tummy. This is one of the most favored positions in a birth pool, because you can actually lie on your tummy in the water, which of course is impossible anywhere else. Suddenly, we started seeing little bubbles coming up between her legs. Initially, I thought nothing of this; I assumed (as no doubt you have as you’re reading this) that it was something quite natural. But this was different; the bubbles kept coming in a perfect steady stream. My mind was racing to think what in the world it could be. I reached in to examine the mother and the bubbles only increased. I was concerned but didn’t want to show it. I did not want to alarm my client’s husband or her mother. I could tell they were already concerned. In fact, both of them were looking to me for answers as well as Jessica and Mercy. I didn’t have a clue what was happening. None of us did.

So, as much as I didn’t want to disturb my client’s labor, I asked her to roll over so I could check her from a better position. When she did the source of the bubbles became obvious. A small hole had formed in the air-cushioned bottom of the birth pool. We all laughed…well, all except the mother! She didn’t have a clue what was tickling us because she was in her own little world. Of course, the bubbles didn’t stop, so we had to occasionally stifle our snickers as they reminded us of all the crazy thoughts we had had. How silly we all felt that we had not figured out what should have been so obvious.

The baby arrived safely and I got home around 10:30 that evening. Jessica provided my client’s postpartum care. So, Larry and I were able to leave on our vacation the next morning just as we had hoped we would. We had a wonderful trip. Now I’m back home and feeling completely refreshed and eager to get back to work.