Let me first start off with a disclaimer- doulas do not catch babies. We do labor support but not any medical support… so catching babies is outside of our scope of practice. Have I caught babies before- well yea… if you have been labor support for the number of years I have been- and doula’d for as many babies as I have- it happens! I have been at 476 births and this one is the story of my 472nd birth. It will go down in my claim to fame column!
I caught a baby once that was being born quickly just after the mom emptied her bladder- she was on her way from the toilet to the bed when I kept the baby from hitting the floor. This was at a hospital. I caught a baby once that was being born quickly in the tub after the mom had just been declared to be 7cm. The nurses were in the doorway and told me I was doing a great job since the baby’s head was already resting in my hands in the tub. I caught a baby once that was planned- it was my youngest grand daughter. The midwife stood next to me as I gently guided her out of my daughter’s body and into her hands. But this birth was beyond my wildest imagination!
I received a call from Guina. She was the “on call” doula. My repeat client who thought I was headed out of town already, was in active labor. She said that the night before she had felt a bit constipated but no contractions to alert her at all. That morning around 8am she awoke and realized she was contracting. Her husband is a general manager of a restaurant and needed to go open the restaurant. She thought she had plenty of time for him to get there- get switched out with another manager and head home before things got rocking and rolling. She called Guina at 9:15am and was beginning to really rock and roll. She had dropped her oldest child off at day care and headed back home. Guina alerted me to go and told me she thought this mom was in advanced labor already.
I called the mom and decided that since her husband had not arrived home yet, I would head to her home instead of going to the hospital to meet them. I chatted with her and indeed agreed with Guina. She wanted to call her husband to get his ETA and I in turn texted my friend a local home birth midwife. I also called her hospital midwife and told her I was thinking this mom was not going to make the 45 minute drive to the hospital and my concern was this may be a “Good Samaritan” catch on my part.
By the time I reached her home, pulling in the driveway I could hear her beginning the early stages of pushing in her voice. I suggested she go to the bathroom and I could figure out if the baby’s head was almost crowning and assess what we should do next. Now, I had a sterile pair of gloves in my birth bag. I have never done a vaginal exam- so what I thought I was going to do next is beyond me! I slipped on a glove and looked as she sat on the toilet. For some reason I made a decision after asking the mom to insert a finger and see if I could feel a head. Indeed I could- but it was about four inches inside. I thought, we have plenty of time to get to the closest hospital. Then I remembered this was not her first baby- well duh- I had been at that birth! I then asked her to push gently while I inserted my finger again and sure enough, two inches up was a head. I knew this baby would be here very soon.
About that time her husband arrived and met us in the doorway of the bathroom. I explained the three options as I could see them….#1 we could call 911 and the ambulance would come and take her to the closest hospital. #2 we could drive to the closest hospital which was only 5 miles or so away. #3 we could attempt to drive the 45 minutes to the hospital she had planned to go to but I did tell him I was doubtful she would make it there. After each option the mom yelled,”No!” I then said or you could fill up the tub and she can have a baby here. The mom immediately yelled to her husband to fill the tub!
She had selected the smaller hall bathroom earlier. He began to fill up this small tub but then asked as it was obvious she was going to be quite uncomfortable, that she should move to the master bedroom with the garden tub. She later told me she chose the smaller bathroom cause she knew her bathroom was not clean! But we moved to the larger garden tub. I called the homebirth midwife friend and told her quickly the situation and she said she could be there in 20 minutes. I was unsure if she would make it to the birth, but knew she would be there shortly after. It was good she trusted me in not putting her in an unsafe situation- so she trusted me enough to come.
Within only a few minutes of being in the tub, I had to encourage the mom from her hands and knees to her side since the water level was not going to allow for the baby to be born in the tub if she did not move, the baby’s head started to press against the perineum and created a bulge. I asked the dad if he was going to move into position to catch and he said he was very comfortable where he was. I soon put my hand in position to support her perineum and the baby boy’s head emerged. His body slipped out on the next push and I lifted him out of the water and onto his mom’s chest where she greeted him with open arms!
I got a towel and laid it across the two of them and he pinked up and cried. Within a few minutes as the shock of what had just happened hit me, my friend the midwife stepped into the doorway and introduced herself. She was welcomed in. Soon the placenta arrived and we moved the mom to the shower and then into her warm bed. Her son was assessed, weighed and measured. The mom’s bottom was assessed and needed no repair. I offered to call her pediatrician- also a friend of mine and past doula client. They had an appointment for the next day. And her hospital midwife lives not so far from her and offered to come by and check on her the next day.
The dad was delighted that they would not need to head to the hospital at all. They snuggled in as a family, awaiting the arrival of her mom from out of town and her daughter from day care. The dad ordered a pizza and soon the midwife and I bid them goodbye.
I was on a high for days- perhaps for weeks! It actually has been five weeks and I still break out in goose bumps as I type this story. Amazing. I never was afraid. I always felt calmly that this was going to unfold perfectly. The mom says the same thing. It was certainly not planned by anyone. But I feel blessed to have been there to catch this little boy. AJ will forever be in my memory of fabulous birth stories!
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