the vast range of normal

A week and a half or so ago I was with a friend. This was a special birth for a million reasons, but just one of those was that she was 42 weeks and a day over her date and labor magically began, finally. She was rolling through her waves, the way we do, and she said, "this is harder than other people's labor!"She was shocked that this is what it feels like. "This is how we do it," I said. For this mama, the surrenderings we commonly talk about were clear delineations of change. And we are not talking dialation here. The change was in her body and her breathing, the way she moved. We tackled some of the big misconceptions. If you are the same dialation at two exams, does that mean there is no change? There was clearly change. So no, totally different exams. The range of normal is so vast. And she brought it: her courage, will, patience, change. It was authentic and beautiful. She was incredible. And calling on her inner Amazonian, she caught her own baby while standing above the room of us. It was truly awesome. This one brought me to sobs.

...and then twenty minutes later my phone rang. Another babe was coming. 

I was pale and running on empty. This was nine at night, after being up all the night before for the earlier mama. I thank dear adrenaline here for pulling me together. I called a cab and ran. The mama was incredible. We walked into the hospital and she threw open the double doors, gave a hollering push in the hall, and bolted into the elevator. She knew what she needed to do: she needed to push her baby out. The energy coming from this woman was thunder and lightening. Her bag broke with such intensity that the nurse down the hall heard it. In spite of a shift change, a doula running on empty and an unfamiliar doctor, she was able to summon the power to have her birth with presence, grace and strength. In less than three hours this babe was born into his papa's waiting hands. Then quiet came into the room. Her placenta finished it's profusion. This babe was bright and beautiful. 

Then I went home and fell into bed, nearly too tired to believe it all. I have the greatest job in the world.