I came across this beautiful description of labor recently by a US midwife describing that in between stage some of our GentleBirth moms experience between full dilation and having that irresistible, uncontrollable urge to bear down as the fetal ejection reflex kicks in..…UK Midwife Mary Cronk calls it the “rest and be thankful stage”.  All a mom needs at this point is support and reassurance that she will be meeting her baby soon.

“I like to imagine this shift in labor as “the still pool.” Labor is like paddling in a one-person kayak; at first, your midwife and family run in the river up to their knees in water with you. Then, you reach a bend where the river narrows; you hear the rapids and a waterfall and you think, “Oooh no, I’m not going there.”

No one can go there with you, but you realize that the waterfall is going to whoosh you over to where your baby is, and as scared as you are, you really want to go. So, you do and it’s confusing and then, then you find yourself in that beautiful still pool at the base of the waterfall. You see your people all around the shores and it’s so lush and otherworldly. When you are ready, you grab your oar and paddle over to receive your baby, who is coming to the surface to meet you.”

Alison Bastien - Midwife