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En Caul
It is rare to assist
with the birth of a baby in the Caul. It has only happened to me four
times in my entire 17 year career as a midwife. It is
even more rare
to have two so close together in the same geographic location, although
there have been accounts of clusters of Caulbearers
born in certain
locations or at certain times.
George and Amanda nearly done!
A very special bond. | 
Amanda gave birth unassisted, Fran
stepped in to help remove the caul.
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Gloria stands by with a bulb syringe
in case it was needed. It wasn't.
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Eve went right to the breast. A very satisfied family.
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# 1) Amanda labored through the day. Things picked up after the kids went to bed. She & George were working well together so Gloria and I stayed in the background and watched them calmly and lovingly move through the last minutes of labor. Amanda began to bear down spontaneously, so we moved nearby in case we were needed. Eve came through the birth canal into mom's waiting hands. Fran gently removed the caul from her face. After the placenta was expelled, Amanda moved from the tub to the chair and Eve took the breast easily. Amanda's sister, who is also pregnant, was so impressed with the way Amanda coped with the birth! Amanda has since dried the caul and it will be attached inside the belly cast. See Eve's picture in the Rosebud Club 2008.
# 2) Crystal had one of those labors that start and stop for several days before the baby is born. By the time I got to her house, it was pretty obviously the real deal. She was working with her contractions and had called her doula. I chatted with Crystal and her husband, Carl, for about 20 minutes observing her contracting regularly, going inside herself to pull up the strength she would need to complete this job. When I checked her dilation, I was happy to find her nearly ready to give birth. I called Gloria, Erin got there, and Carl started filling the birth tub. He had just done this in 2007, so it went smoothly and quickly. Carl and Erin worked with Crystal while I got my equipment from the car. Gloria arrived in time to help me set up for the birth. The baby had been a little high, so we just encouraged Crystal to breath the baby down rather than use up her energy pushing. Suddenly she said she felt him coming out! I grabbed a pair of gloves and did a quick exam to find the bag of waters had funneled through the cervix. The babies head was right behind. Rex Rider Rivera was born in the next contraction. It all took just about the length of time that it took his Grandma to take big brother Avery out for ice cream. They returned to find a brand new baby. You can see pics of Crystal, Carl, brother Avery and baby Siris in the Rosebud Club 2007 and above with the waterbirth pics.
Why Water?Soaking in a tub of water to ease labor pain sounds inviting to many women. Laboring in water actually has been shown to facilitate progress when you are in active labor, while helping you to relax and decrease the crampy contractions of prodromal labor. When a laboring woman is relaxing in warm water, her body is encouraged to produce "endorphins," the natural pain relieving hormones that compliment labor. Some women that find water soothing during labor want to remain in the water for the birth. Staying in the water for the birth is definitely an option at home. There are several types of tubs available for waterbirth. You can purchase several types of inflatable tubs through http://www.yourwaterbirth.org These tubs are deeper than most inflatable "kiddie pools," which is important for the deep submersion necessary to provide maximum comfort. I provide an FDA approved drinking water safe hose and other accessories useful for the birth tub, including an electric pump for emptying the pool. Debra also has a number of DVD's and videos, as well as a very informative website. Seyvlor males a really nice deep inflatable pool that you can purchase online for about $56 plus shipping http://www.shipstore.com , also available on Debra's site. There are also soft sided tubs that can be rented from http://www.yourwaterbirth.org , another very informative site for those considering waterbirth. These have the advantage of a heater, which is nice if your labor ends up being longer than you expect. I will provide a either a La Bassine tub ($30 liner fee) or a deep plastic stock watering trough tub ($20 liner fee). The plastic stock tub has the advantage of rigid sides that can be used for squatting and support. Your deep garden tub is fine if it is accessible. Normal home bathtubs are not deep enough to provide much relief.
There is a place for listing your waterborn baby on the Waterbirth International website if you are so inclined. http://www.yourwaterbirth.org
The pictures below are three of the Arangure sisters, all giving birth in their parents garden tub!
For this family, birth is truly a family affair! (Sorry for the picture of my back, but it helped to provide a
little more modesty than the other pictures we had!)
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