Another successful VBAC

Woke up around 4:30 AM on Saturday morning, turned over and had just about nodded off when the phone rang just before 5 AM.  My last October mom calling to say she had been having contractions for a couple of hours.  She stopped during the conversation to breathe through one and listening to how long this contraction lasts and how mom is working through them usually indicates to me about how long we have to get there.

Hung up and called my apprentice to get her up and ready and I washed my face, put enough makeup on so I wouldn't scare anyone and got dressed.  Most of my equipment was already in the car ready to go except for one case, so I grabbed that and headed out the door.  This client doesn't live very far away, so I got there just shortly after 5:30.  She was about 8.5 and it was her 4th baby.  First two babies were cesarean births and her third was a hospital VBAC, so this was her first home birth, but second VBAC.

She had wanted to labor in the birth pool but deliver out of the pool.  The pool had no water in it when I got there and it was clear there was no time to get it filled.  I scurried to bring in the rest of my equipment and to get set up.  The funny thing was, the mom ended up just filling her regular sized bath tub and getting in it for comfort and she ended up giving birth there with very little room to maneuver for herself or those of us helping.  It was one of those tubs with the sliding glass door enclosures, so you can imagine.

The birth had it challenges.  A hemorrhage and weird placenta issues.  Retained and a possible extra lobe.  It just broke into pieces and I had to go get them.  Baby was an adorable 9 lb 6 oz girl who did beautifully and momma handled the blood loss really well.

Why do I have this funny feeling that now that I have an apprentice, we will get a variety of teaching type births?