Birth in South Africa

The Laughing Baby

Quinn three days after birth

Quinn swam into the world with porpoise-like agility after his Mum and Dad decided to give birth in their home. Their first baby had been born in hospital and Karen felt co-erced into medical interventions she had wished to avoid, like an epidural and a vacuum extraction. She felt disappointed and set about to ensure her second birth experience was different. Quinn, though, took matters into his own hands once the scene was set and arrived before the midwife even entered the front door.

Here Quinn tilts his head back to ‘check me out’, almost as if he wants to put a face to the voice he became familiar with during the pregnancy at our antenatal visits and classes, and the Aware Parenting Workshop, which Karen attended on the day she went into labour!

Quinn and the Kiss

 

Karen and Rob  had organised to hire a birth pool(www.birthworks.co.za ) so that Karen could have a waterbirth. Bella, their older daughter went to bed and karen laboured with Rob. When she phoned me, I notified the doula/birth assistant, Mandy, who went to the house right away and was present at the birth.

Here I am overcome with tenderness towards Quinn and I lift him up so that I can plant a little kiss on his cheek. He does not pull away and allows me to get close to him.

Quinn laughing

 

Karen was both taken by surprise and ecstatic that she had achieved her goals of a homebirth, a waterbirth, a virtually unnassisted birth and no separation from her baby after birth. Rob was ecstatic and relieved that  the birth had proceeded so smoothly.

Here Quinn and I are both happy, Quinn is laughing and I am smiling as he turns his cheek to nestle against mine. babies are remarkable and it felt to me as if Quinn was amused and playful with me – almost as if he had planned to ‘come by himself’, a way to tell us he didn’t need any help and was quite capable of making his appearance on earth in a self sufficient manner.

Time will tell,  as he grows and develops, whether these are qualities he will always possess!

Click here to have posts delivered to your email inbox

2 thoughts on “The Laughing Baby”

  1. Quinn is sych a content, easy going, happy and friendly baby. Am positive it is because he had a calm and blissful birth! x

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *