I watched this today, and could not hold the tears back. That's saying something, since I see a lot of beautiful births.
In addition to showing homebirth in a mainstream format (!), this commercial captures the miracle of every birth, every baby, every parent, and every family:
-meeting really interesting people with all different kinds of skills
-being privy to various birth announcments, pictures, videos, and general updates as the teeny little blob I met on that big day slowly becomes more and more of an actual person.
Earlier this week, those two perks came together, when one of my recent clients (who happen to be very clever filmmakers) sent me their video birth announcement. Published here with permission, of course:
Tuesday is my very last day at Metro Minis. My very last day fitting mamas and papas into baby carriers, explaining the ins and outs of cloth diapers (pun on poop? not on purpose...), and holding squirmy babies while mamas and papas try to understand baby carriers and cloth diapers. I'm really going to miss that place.
So why am I leaving? Well, I was recently presented with a new and very exciting opportunity that I simply cannot pass up. Drumroll please...
Clementine Midwifery! Homebirth midwife Stacey Rees has asked me to work as her assistant office manager and birth assistant. OH YEAH!
This job - working alongside a midwife - has actually been what I wanted to do since graduating. I became a doula (went to the training during senior week... I am a DORK) because I thought it would help me land a job with a midwife. Didn't happen that way. So I decided to use that training, began working as a doula, and found out I really loved it. But I also needed a part time job, so I found the truly wonderful Metro Minis. Then, a few months ago, it was time for my annual gyno check up. I was in the market for a new midwife and decided to see Stacey since she just relocated her office to my neighborhood. At the end of the appointment, I said, "If you ever need help, I'm around..." And the rest is history.
The lesson here is: if you want a job, get a pelvic exam. Is that funny, or weird? I think it's funny.
Anyway, I've already had a few days of work at her office. I've been restructuring the content of her website, inputting patient info into her electronic medical record system, and updating her phone system. And answering phones: "Hello, Clementine Midwifery, this is Leda"!
Stacey recently forwarded this video to me, and I am in love with it. It's a short and very clever animated depiction of a hospital midwife's shift. The graphics are amazing and the midwife is wonderful:
My favorite part: when the midwife answers the phone. Watch what the phone cord becomes...
As one of my clients has just successfully avoided an induction (mostly due to her doctor not wanting to attend her birth on Thanksgiving), the topic on my mind today is "full term" babies and unnecessary inductions. Then I saw this crazy video, and thought, now THAT baby is READY:
I recently passed my one-year anniversary as a doula! To celebrate it, I finally put up a bulletin board and stuck all my pictures of babies, mamas, thank you notes, and birth announcements:
The bottom section has gifts clients have given me that I need to use. Yeah, that's $40 of BamCash and a gift certificate for a 60 minute treatment at a spa. All those hours of massaging butts really do pay off.
On an unrelated note, I woke up today to a Facebook message from a previous client:
"Hey you! My sister said she saw you on TV yesterday. Were you interviewed at Metro Minis?"
Yes, yes I was. I did not think they (WPIX Channel 11) would air it, nor did I think ANYONE would see it. I'm a little embarrassed (do I really sound like that? why did I have to wear that shirt that day? and my hair!) But, posting it here is for a good cause (go Metro Minis!) and there's other good information (about Lactation Consultants and postpartum physical therapy) so go ahead, watch.
