this never gets old

i witnessed a baby being born this morning. time of birth, 5:14 am.

jeremy & i were up already, debating whether we'd face the cold and snow & go to the gym. we rolled back over into our cozy bed when my cellphone rang. it was my boss letting me know our most 'ready' mom was at 9cm.

needless to say, i hurried to get dressed, bundled up and ran up to the Birth Center (a block away), sucking in freezing air, lungs burning, in hopes that i would not miss anything.

when i got there i dropped everything on the floor and ran up the 2 flights of stairs, heading towards the groaning. mom was in the hot tub, laying back & resting in between her contractions.

i was assigned camera duty which i like at some births because it gives me something to do.

mom was already in pushing stage and progressing pretty quickly. she was fully dialated now. carey suggested that she begin squatting to help the contractions push the head down more effectively. she did this about 4 more times over the next 12ish minutes and out peaked the head. she pushed 2 more good times and out came baby girl, into the water. mom did not tear at all. (first time mommy, by the way)

i asked carey, the midwife, how many births did you witness before they stopped making you cry? she had no answer.

birth the way the Lord intended is a magical event.

mom is a powerhouse, full of strength and beauty and just like life presents unavoidable struggle and pain and builds character, birth seems to be the ultimate example of this. my husband added quite wisely, birth also takes character.

some women think they have it and find that it's a test of perserverance and strength to draw on it. some think they do not have it, and find that they were given it, just when it counts most.

and when you push through, determined to get to the 'other side', whatever it takes, (there is NO going back) it seems like most women realize that this trial too 'shall pass'. coming out the other side a totally changed human being.

and with a new life, to boot.