The mom was induced early this morning, and her water broke just as I was getting to the hospital. She did end up getting an epidural, so I had to sit in the waiting room for about 15 minutes while she had that done, then I went into the room with Jon to check up on her and see how dilated she was. I could tell watching the dad as he sat on the coach with his hands on top of his head looking down that he was nervous and wanted it all to be over. While we were in the room with her, Erin (the midwifery student) arrived and started helping Jon. After that, the mom wanted to get some rest and take a nap if she could, so we left her and her husband alone.
It was very cool being with Jon and Erin because I got a behind the scenes look at the hospital. Jon told me all of the codes for the nurses' offices and took me through all of the back doors, the ones that say, "This is not an entrance." While the mom was resting, I decided to get some reading done, so Jon took my up to the 8th floor where the midwives have a couple rooms with beds where they sometimes sleep over night. I stayed in there reading until about 4:20 since nothing major was happening with the baby yet, then Jon and Erin came back up to relax for a bit. At about 4:35, Jon said that she had a little voice in her head telling her it was time to check on the mom, so I went down with her, not expecting anything major to happen anytime soon. I was so wrong.
Once we were in the room, Jon checked her and said that she was fully ready to deliver. Before I knew it, she was asking the mom to push. Jon was on one side, and Erin was on the other. I could see the baby come so far with every push. Within five minutes of entering the room, I could see the baby's head, and I couldn't believe it was happening that fast! The mom kept pushing, and as soon as the shoulders were clear no more than two minutes later, the baby came out so fast Erin and Jon barely caught her–a girl!. The nurse stated that their baby was born at 4:48. They immediately put her up on the mom's chest. The smile on the dad's face was so big, and I could tell he was extremely happy and relieved.
The mom asked me if I would take pictures as the dad cut the cord, and I did so gladly. One of the nurses then took the baby to be weighed and wrapped in a blanket: 7 pounds, 8 ounces. Meanwhile, Jon and Erin worked to get the placenta out. Once it was out, Jon examined it and determined it was extremely healthy. She showed me all of the different parts of it and explained the corresponding functions. Although many people would probably see it as gross, I thought it was extremely fascinating. I asked permission to take a few pictures of it, and she didn't mind. Here is a picture of the fetal side of the placenta with the umbilical cord:
The mom had a slight (first degree) tear because of how fast the delivery went, so I watched as Erin put in two dissolvable stitches. They cleaned her up, and I helped by bringing wet towels, then the dad brought the baby back to her so she could nurse it for the first time. I thanked the mom for being so open and willing with everything she let me see, and she said she was very glad I could be there.
I have now accomplished my second goal! This was the goal I was most worried I wouldn't accomplish but also the most excited about if it did happen, and it was every bit as exciting as I thought it would be.
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