My last blog post, Waiting For Babies, was written when many babies, my Blizzard Babies, were due.

Now, a week later, I have:

Attended five births in three different counties

Rescheduled office visits

Done 7 post partum home visits (my assistant did a bunch too)

Washed my work gear several times

Sterilized one round of instruments (have another round to go)

Put out three baby blog posts (two to go)

Turned in one birth certificate (four to go)

Returned a multitude of texts, emails and phone calls

Somehow, I also had time to:

Attend a Bris

Pick up the Dennison Farm CSA share

Get a hair cut

Weed my garden

Sleep

Last night, after attending birth number five of the week, I climbed into bed at 10:30 PM, the same bed I’d been called out of at 4:30 AM yesterday, 1:30 AM on Sunday, and 10:30 PM Friday.

This morning, after sleeping for eight hours in my own bed without a single phone-call or text, I woke up at 6:30 AM. I felt like I had been run over by a truck. Groaning, I hobbled to the bathroom, drank water, swallowed ibuprofen (cursing myself for not taking before bed), stretched, drank more water and felt immediately better. I think my body was just not used to being in one place, doing just one thing for such a long time.

I learned a long time ago that midwifery is hard work; over the years, I’ve watched a lot of midwives burn-out. Having a successful small business is also hard work; half  of new businesses do not make it to their second year. Since I want to do this work for a long time to come, I carefully plan and execute the care-taking of my business, my clients and my self.

Today will be filled with both client and self-care:

Nice, long shower

Drinking water

Sterilizing instruments

Restocking the car and office cupboards

A couple of home visits (in several counties)

Refilling the gas tank

Two birth certificates to be signed and turned in

Clothes to be washed and folded

Acupuncture appointment for me

Drinking more water

A nice dinner with my husband and our grown-up, moving-to-NYC daughter

Getting to bed early

Images fill my head from this week: brave, strong women, their loving and protective partners, sweet and cooperative babies, Stewart’s gas pumps, Route 40 outside Schaghticoke, when it rises out of Rensselaer, the wide, slate-grey Hudson beneath the steep hills of Columbia County (viewed from the Rip Van Winkle bridge), my husband’s smile when I walk in the door…

This week, like always, each labor had its own sensibility, lessons and timing. Birth is never boring!

Some of this week’s lessons for me were:

Preparation, rest, relaxation and hydration are good (both for client and midwife)

I can ask a near-stranger to massage my butt-cheek

Safety First is a handy motto

Human babies can be excellent marsupials

Singing along with Linda Ronstadt (Love is a Rose) may cause me to miss exit 21 on The NorthWay, and, it’s a long way to exit 22

A week ago, I wrote a succinct, sweet post about waiting for babies. When writing that post, I could feel myself crafting phrases, images became words easily. This week, I am rambling more than writing. I’m ok with that (and hope you are too).

Here are some of the images that my words are not capturing but that my camera did:

Michelle
May all babies be born into loving hands