Ours isn’t the busiest practice out there, but we pour our hearts and souls into it and every life we serve becomes inexpressibly precious to us as our relationship and the experience unfolds.
From August 4th, 2020 through March 4th, 2022, I was blessed with the opportunity to be part of 438 prenatal visits, 139 postpartum visits, and 41 births, raising my totals to 5,316 prenatals, 2,185 postpartums, and 641 births.
Six moms were first-time birthers. One of those mothers gave birth by cesarean in the hospital.
Seven moms were between the ages of 35 and 41. Three of those moms were 41. Two of those moms gave birth to their sixth babies and one gave birth to her eighth.
We rejoiced to support three mothers as they birthed their babies vaginally after having birthed by cesarean section previously. Two of those mothers were first-time vaginal birthers!
37 births occurred as planned at home ♥
25 babies were received by their own moms and daddies ♥
We missed one birth—a one-hour, five-minute labor—for our first Colorado miss in eight years! We missed the birth of the placenta, too, which has only happened one other time I can immediately think of in all my almost 29 years attending births. Fortunately, the family had free-birthed three times previously and were completely unruffled by the experience. Ten minutes into our drive to their house we received a text that read, “Baby girl here!” with a thumbs-up emoji. Ten minutes prior to our arrival at their house we received a text that read, “Placenta here!” with another thumbs-up emoji.
Four births occurred in the hospital. All moms were transferred to the hospital in their labors. One mother planned to birth there by cesarean section for a persistent breech presentation, if her baby persisted breech. The baby remained breech and the mom gave birth by cesarean. We transferred one mother to the hospital at the start of her active labor per non-reassuring fetal heart tones. She also gave birth by cesarean. We transferred another mother (one of the VBAC moms) to the hospital by ambulance for variably non-reassuring fetal heart tones. She gave birth vaginally! We transferred yet another mother to the hospital in preterm labor at 31 weeks. It was discovered upon her arrival that the baby had already departed life. Despite Covid-19 restrictions, I was allowed to come. The baby slipped earthside in a warm tub of water and was bathed in a profusion of our tears.
One baby was born with his placenta tucked between his feet! His umbilical cord was wrapped twice around his neck and had actually popped right off of his placenta at its point of attachment! Needless to say, he needed an enormous amount of help upon his exit. We began resuscitative efforts immediately and called for emergency help. The EMS team who responded was thoroughly amazing! They were well-versed in Neonatal Resuscitation and able to shift our efforts to the next level—a level well-beyond our equipping and equipment as homebirth midwives. We worked on the baby together for 75 minutes while waiting for a helicopter to make it to us—we were in Woodland Park. A 72-hour cooling therapy protocol was initiated upon his arrival at UC Health’s Children’s Hospital’s NICU and, thankfully—truly, miraculously—he made a complete recovery and was back in his home with his family by his ninth day of life!
Five babies were less than six pounds at their births—a difference from Michigan babies I’m still getting used to—two were 5 pounds, 15 ounces; one was 5 pounds, 14 ounces; one was 5 pounds, 10 ounces; and one was 5 pounds, 8 ounces!
Three babies were more than nine pounds at their births—I haven’t attended the birth of a baby even ten pounds here in Colorado yet! One wintry afternoon a handsome 9-pound, 8-ounce baby boy was born, and somewhere in the wake of him his mama said, “Kim! Is that your Colorado record?” I said, “It is!” Then nine hours and ten minutes later—at bedtime of the very same day—a glorious 9-pound, 11-ounce baby girl was born!
Three babies pressed up hard against 42-weeks gestation while two others barely made the 37-week gestation mark.
17 babies were born with their umbilical cords wrapped around their necks—two of those had their cords wrapped around their necks twice.
One baby was born with a true knot in her cord.
Two babies required resuscitation.
Five babies were born with their arms beside their heads.
Three babies were born fully within their amniotic sacs.
One placenta took greater than an hour to be born.
The placenta at one of the hospital births had to be manually removed, marking the first time in my practice anyone has required a manual removal of her placenta.
No mothers suffered hemorrhages.
Eight moms required tear repairs after their births. I performed five of those repairs and Hannah performed three.
Click here for a full accounting of my statistics!
Kim Woodard Osterholzer, Colorado Springs Homebirth Midwife and Author. And Grandma ♥
Books by Kim:
Homebirth: Commonly Asked Questions
A Midwife in Amish Country: Celebrating God’s Gift of Life
Nourish + Thrive: Happy, Healthy Childbearing
One Little Life at a Time: Recommendations + Record Keeping for Aspiring Homebirth Midwives
What an adventure! What’s with MI babies being bigger than CO babies ? I’m so curious!
It seems to be a combination of altitude and lifestyle ♥
Wow, this is remarkable! Thank you for sharing the range of “normal” as well as those truly one in a million cases. <3
♥