More than a Midwife

I'm a little late posting this blog but I've had the words and thoughts swirling around in my mind for a while...

(Look at that gorgeous baby with our midwives, Daina and Genevieve. He's just a couple days old.)

I love my life. I love the place that I'm in right now. When everything around me is fading into winter, I feel as if my life is vibrant and blooming. My new son is a pure delight and I've been blessed to have some wonderful companions on the journey to welcoming him into the world. Midwives are more than just health care providers. They are companions, nurturers, encouragers. Words do not suffice in exemplifying them or thanking them.

For Mark & me, it truly was a journey... with a few ups and downs along the way. Jaden was a complete surprise to us, and it took me a while to adjust to the detour in the road... a most beautiful detour. Morning sickness was horrid, lasting into my 5th month, making it tough to be totally excited. We experienced loss along the way as well - Mark & I both lost one of our grandparents, and a wonderful friend finally succumed to cancer after battling it for 8 years. In the wake of all that, an ultrasound showed two cysts on our baby's brain... and although we were told that it's probably nothing, the possibility existed that it could indicate an issue that was "incompatible with life." Ahhh... but God is so good. Immediately, He spoke to me profoundly... it was as if the world slowed down and became distant... I was "in" but not "of"... and He said "This is not for you." And I knew that everything was going to be ok. And well, the proof is in the puddin! Just look at this wonderful baby!

Anyway...

The journey would not have been the same without Genevieve. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever met. Her quiet confidence is remarkable and her smile and sense of humour are absolutely contagious. She nurtured our family. With each visit, she spoke gently and kindly to my children, helping them feel more prepared the transition of welcoming a new baby, and during the birth, she was a calming influence. (Jordan said that she is more than our midwife... she is our friend. I agree.)

I once heard someone compare beautiful people to fruitful trees... how wonderful it is to be with them, as if sitting in the shade of a fragrant apple tree... how fulfilling to share in life with them, to share the fruit of their lives. This illustration came to mind as Genevieve told funny stories about her family's orchard not far from here... Kind of ironic.

I remember sitting on my bed during my first week, postpartum. I journaled while regaining my strength. I wanted to write down every detail of Jaden's birth before they started to slip away. In the course of a week, I saw the leaves turning colour and falling off the trees outside, beautiful and vibrant. My life was changing too, and full of beautiful, vibrant colours. Genevieve was one of them.

She shared with us the wonderful book, Welcome With Love... a homebirth story, parallel to ours. For us, Genevieve will always be an important part of our story... and we are so thankful, that even though the book has closed, its final words were not "The End." A new chapter awaits to be written...