Birthing energy builds.

When I became pregnant with my third child, I had been working as a labour assistant for just under three years. I had attended around eighty births and wasn't sure what it would be like to work while pregnant. As it happened, I was reading "Diary of a Midwife" by Juliana van Olphen-Fehr at the same time and had been reading about her adventures as a midwife. One adventure was when she worked through her pregnancy until she literally gave birth.

She had just finished a birth and had gone home to sleep. But she couldn't rest due to the annoying tightening of her belly over and over. She was in complete denial. Her husband had to point out that she was beginning labour. I smiled as I read this and thought how amazing that was. Little did I know how closely my own story would resemble it.

I felt it only fair that those who chose to hire me knew that I was pregnant. There would be small limitations to what I could provide in labour, but none of my clients ever flinched. In fact it was the opposite. Most of them thought it would bring positive energy to their experiences since we were going through the same thing at the same time.

My small limitations included needing to eat more frequently, not being able to hold the emesis (vomit) bucket for the first trimester and fatigue. These were all fairly easy to work through and I made sure that my needs never trumped those of my labouring client. I packed energy snacks in my bag and ate regularly. When my client slept between contractions, so did I. I would put my head on the ball or the bed or wherever she was and catch a thirty second or one minute nap. Partners were always helpful with the emesis basin. I think our co-operative attitude had a lot to do with making the arrangement work for all of us.

I had made a decision to work until I went into labour with my own baby. I knew that I would be more antsy waiting at home. Nonetheless, all of my clients knew my back-up doula and were prepared to work with her instead.

I normally give birth at thirty-eight weeks. When I reached the middle of my thirty seventh week, I had two clients yet to give birth. One was a first-time mother. The other was the second birth for a doula colleague in our practice. We were due a week apart. I had attended her first birth and didn't want to miss this one.

The first-time mother went into labour that weekend. It was a fifty-six hour natural birth. The nurses at the hospital were terrified that I was going to go into labour, too. It was funny when we came into triage, they wanted to know which one of us to admit. Then my client had another contraction and it became clear who was in labour. This mother's labour was one of my hardest and yet most rewarding births. I saw the power of a determined woman in a whole new way. I really was getting prepared for my own labour.

During that birth, her husband made me go lay down for about forty-five minutes during our second day. He promised that he would come get me if she really needed me. I reluctantly took the break and realized, boy did I need it. I woke up feeling great and ready to go again. The mother finally and triumphantly, in exhaustion and relief, pushed out her baby. Way to go! We were so proud of her. This was on a Sunday evening. I went home and slept for a day (or that's how it felt) and caught up on being a mommy and doing laundry.

On Thursday morning, after contracting on and off since Monday, I was paged by my last client. She was having regular contractions and wanted me to come. Her first birth had been very long and she was a little scared about this labour. She would be at home, not in the birth center like last time.

She felt that the baby was not in the right position and wanted some direction. I went over to her home and we worked in a knee chest position for a while. She felt the baby turn and knew immediately because her contractions became stronger. We called the midwife and she arrived about two hours later. By this time the mother was in active/transitional labour and was eight centimeters dilated. I had plans for the afternoon (a radio interview) and was sure I would be able to make it.

While the mother was pushing, I was doing counter pressure on her sacrum and then I felt a funny drip. I excused myself and went to the washroom. All seemed normal and I came back out. Again, it happened and then -gush! Everywhere went my water. (This was a first for me. In my other two labours my water broke near the end). I looked up in shock and said out loud, "I think my water just broke". My midwife laughed and said "no way". I said, "look at my pants" and sure enough, my buttocks and legs were completely soaked. What a mess! The labouring mom laughed and we all laughed that this was happening. Shortly afterwards, the mom pushed her baby out. I stayed to help with the first breastfeeding and then I left.

It was close to the time of the interview. I was not having contractions at all so I went home. Half way up the driveway, my husband called to me that they had moved up the time of my interview and they wanted me to call now. Huffing and puffing up the driveway, soaked to my knees, I did that interview about the risks of scheduled cesareans, never letting on about my condition.

For ten hours afterward I had no contractions so I went to get some sleep. My midwife felt strongly that I would be woken up with labour. She was right! Two hours after I went to bed, I was awakened with an unimaginable force. Everything happened very quickly after that. Two hours of labor, my shortest ever, and I caught my son with my own hands in a big tub and sank back down to officially meet him. He was born before my midwife arrived, with my husband and children watching. It was truly incredible.

Looking back, I wouldn't change anything. Those births were all preparing me for my own. I attribute his fast labour to all the births I had been at in the previous weeks. I had attended five births in the two months before mine and there was amazing energy at each of them.

I am currently pregnant with my fourth child. I have not attended a birth for the past two months due to other circumstances, but not pregnancy. I love what I do, and I couldn't imagine my pregnancy hampering my other passion: birth.

Sarah Watson lives with her family in both Ottawa and Windsor. Their fourth child is due in the new year. She has an active labor assistant practice called Rite of Passage Labour Support Service with five ALACE labor assistants working together. Sire can be reached at [e-mail]