My baby sister is a mum (long)

[Jackie Kitschke]

Dear all, I wish you all a belated Christmas. I have been a bit preoccupied throughout Christmas this year as my baby sister (she is 14 years younger than me. I remember the day she was born!!) was expecting her first baby. She was due on the 19th and young Harrison James Burton Smith met us all this morning at 0927. It was magnificent!! What a cool character his mum is!! She is 22 and so wise. She booked to come to the birthing centre where I work and wanted me to be her midwife. She had a bit of trouble getting pregnant but had the best pregnancy. She was so relaxed and confident about the whole process, trusting in her ability to birth. I gave her some books to read, we would talk a lot, she picked up on the philosophy of natural birth from my colleagues at the BC and she gained a lot from the antenatal classes she went to often quoting in her labour tips that Tina gave her. Her baby was in the LOP position at her last visit last week and only 2fifths palpable. She had a show on Sunday night and rang me on Monday with 10-20 minutely tightenings. She and Michael (her wonderful husband) just stayed at home on their own and did their own thing. She was determined not to come in too early as she thought "it might be off putting for me to tell her that she was not dilating yet". I was on a night shift Monday night and they rang at 0600 to say she had had a sleep and now the contractions were 5 minutes apart. I was so excited. I handed all of this information over to Christine who was on the day shift and as equally as excited as me and I then went home and had a couple of hours sleep. We went to my in laws for lunch and my Mum's for the afternoon. I found it hard to concentrate on much at all. I was back for night duty Tuesday night at 7pm and Christine and Gerry were excited as I was. All of the birthing centre midwives have been which has been wonderful  throughout offering to cover me if Mary-Ellen laboured at a time that made it hard for me to cover my shifts. by now all of the midwives at the WCH knew things were afoot and were getting excited as well. I rang Mary-Ellen and Michael at 2000 and she was still happy at home with 5 minute contractions and baby moving well. She sounded in good form, eating and drinking well. My Mum had sent with me a roast turkey lunch for Michael as he had 2 minute noodles for his Christmas lunch because they elected not to go anywhere for Christmas as she wanted to concentrate on her body and didn't want to be watched. They live in the Adelaide hills about 30 minutes from the city which added to their privacy. Then at 0100 26/12/01 Michael rang me at the BC and said she couldn't handle it anymore. He said they are still only 5 minutes apart but stronger and she doesn't know what to do with herself. I said come down. They arrived at 0230 and she was 3-4 centimetres. We were all so excited. she was in good form. Michael had done a good job keeping her eating, drinking and voiding for the last few days. I was expecting a baby this afternoon as the baby was LOP coming around to LOT. Now she was contracting 3 minutely and by the time Jan came on at 0700 she was really cracking on. The shape of her tummy had changed to that lovely round shape from that OP shape. She was in the bath by now and got out to go to the toilet and said she felt like pushing at times and wanted to get back in the bath. She pranged her membranes (lovely and clear) at 0900 and I said did she want to get out of the bath and she looked at me as she gripped the bath and said "NO WAY". She pushed like a charm. We saw some black hair at 0915, a head at 0925 and a beautiful baby boy at 0927. We were all crying as he rested on Mary-Ellen's tummy to check out his mum and dad. She got out of the bath and birthed her placenta as Harrison played around at the breast and then tucked them both up into bed to rest and feed. My mum, sister and brother all popped in later to check our "baby" and the new baby out and I finally left to come home to bed at 1200. Thankyou to all of my colleagues and friends at work who have been as excited, nervous and expectant as I have been. It is a special privilege to be at a birth and especially for your sister to ask you. I was at my other sister's births as well and the bond I share with her two children is unexplainable. Mary-Ellen is just so proud of herself as she wanted no interference and she didn't have any. She couldn't imagine doing what she did in a room with the lights on (which she found so annoying), on her back with a monitor on. Michael her husband was just magnificent. So supportive at home for two days which was so vital and so involved with her birth. What a wonderful job we have. Thank you for allowing me to share this with you, I can't stop dancing. I think now I've had some sleep I'll have a glass of champagne and toast all of those magnificent birthing women who teach us something new each day. Peace to you all Jackie (sorry its so long but the more excited I am the more verbose I become!!)