Birth Announcement!

by jared gardner

Hilary and I recently experienced the birth of our son Dillon. It was Mother’s Day, precisely, much to the delight of our mothers. Dillon’s arrival date shouldn’t have come as a surprise with so many births in Hilary’s immediate family occurring on holidays (President’s Day, Christmas, Halloween, and Labor Day). Thus, on May 11, 2008 Dillon Quinn Gardner breathed his first breath in the comfort of our home. I am told that birth stats are essential, so for those of you who understand this, here you go: 2:37 pm after 10hrs, 8lb 8oz, and 18 1 /2 inches.

Deep into our pregnancy my mother, an unconditional and faithful supporter of myself and family, energetically recommended we watch “The Business of Being Born.” Remember, we had already spent months preparing with our midwives Catherine and Nora of A Gentle Beginning so to receive a politicized documentary by Ricki Lake contrasting the extremes of hospital births with the idealized experience of a home birth felt a little unnecessary though highly encouraging as a sign of support.

People often ask how the birth went, and I reply, acknowledging this was my first and Hilary’s second, that as far as dramatic life events go, it was pretty relaxed. Yes, of course, I was merely in the supporting role and do not claim to have any sense of how difficult it really was, but generally speaking, our home birth came off smoothly and left us feeling empowered, cared for, and respected. In the end, perhaps, Lake’s perspective really does resonate with our birthing experience. What would have been characterized within a hospital perspective as a complicated and serious situation was handled by a team of professionals who swiftly acted with a high degree of focus and calmness, reassuring us during and afterward in an empowering way as opposed to drawing attention to their role or specialized training necessary for a successful delivery.

All in all, we are exuberant in awe, enjoying every moment of Dillon’s existence, though still largely sleep deprived

About this entry

You’re currently reading “Birth Announcement!,” an entry on Equity Design.

Author:
jared gardner
Published:
2am on 05/16/08
Category:
Community Lives, Equity Design Team

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