A Serendipitous Meeting with an IMBCI Gentle Birth Hospital
I’ve just finished an amazing doula workshop in Austria with my dear friend Angelika. The workshop was wonderful, and inspiring – and now I have a break before our next group of doulas arrive and I am able to spend some time working on other things. As Chair of the International Childbirth Organization (IMBCO), I get the opportunity to work with Doctors, Midwives and Facilities worldwide that are demonstration sites for the IMBCI 10 Steps of gentle hospital birth. Angelika has woken early to doula for a baby that is transverse and will have a planned cesarean birth. Since the site of the birth, Feldbach Hospital is one of the IMBCI Models, I’ve decided to come along. The Doctors and Midwives here have been a part of the IMBCI for many years, but being so busy caring for childbearing families they have not had as much time for meetings in the past- and were unable to book time with me this trip.
I decided to join Angelika feeling hoping that maybe this baby would create some magic and give me an opportunity to say hello to Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Huber – bringing us all together.
We arrive and Angelika goes into the birthing area as the woman is being prepared for a cesarean birth. I get my morning pleasure – a nice cup of coffee and sit in the waiting area in the hall. It’s not long at all and Dr. Hoffman comes by and sees me. He is surprised to see me and is quite busy, but is looking forward to meeting later when he has a moment break from caring for women and their babies. I am comfortable and waiting for a birth, as he is too, so we are all relaxed knowing it will come together. Soon after, Dr. Huber appears, also busy going to the morning meeting, we share big smiles of excitement and surprise seeing each other, and we plan to meet later after his meeting.
Before long Dr. Huber returns with another Doctor who is helping with the International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative. They have some free time as today they will do one less cesarean. I smile… it’s not long and I hear that this is Angelika’s client! Before the cesarean began, a scan was done to confirm the baby’s position and the baby’s head is now down – no cesarean for her! The mother will now wait for labor and have a VBAC. I smile with tears of joy, this baby has really done magic to create it’s birth and also to bring us all together as without the opportunity to come to the hospital today we might not have all met – the baby truly created time and space for us to meet. A little later Dr. Hoffman is also available, and all of us – the Doctors and two doulas have important conversations about their work implementing the IMBCI and gentle cesareans. This hospital has lowered their cesarean birth rate by 6% and are as excited as we are to keep improving and being an amazing model.
Angelika and I leave the hospital sparkling with oxytocin! What a special morning, much more than we could have imagined on our drive over – not knowing if we’d even have a moment to say hi to the doctors since they were so busy, and instead having a productive and incredible meeting.
Afterward, we had to stop at my favorite chocolate factory to get a big endorphin high in celebration! Finding pleasure each day is a choice – even on the most terrible of days I still enjoy and appreciate a moment of something pleasurable. Today it chocolate with rose and marzipan, and it’s truly Orgasmic!
We smile as we drive thru the beautiful Austrian countryside – seeing castles on the hills, the sun shining and getting ready tomorrow to welcome another group of doulas to our workshop beginning the next day.
Living in the moment allows the magic to happen. Waking today early with the sun has given us many blessing and time to feel our connection to nature and each other. Thank you baby – you truly have shifted not only your birth position and birth, but touched so many of us today creating a ripple effect. Your birth provided us the opportunity to meet with the doctors helping them enhance their dedication to the International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative – providing respectful, quality to care with compassion and heart, shining their light far and wide -which is so needed today. Baby- you are touching so many lives even before you are born, you are being felt and held with love as I am thinking of you and wishing you a safe, satisfying and pleasurable birth.
Knowing you will have Angelika’s doula wisdom with you and your family at your birth really makes me smile. Doulas make a difference, because we hold the space for the magic to happen!
Doulas make a difference, because we hold the space for the magic to happen!Click To Tweet
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