New doula client

I met my new doula client this morning. She is such a sweet woman! Very cute, articulate and together. She seems to be very well-grounded and open to this labor and birth. Granted, it's her second baby, but she's really a breath of fresh air. After having so many doula clients that were usually very over-educated, control freaks having their firsts babies, this woman is awesome.
I think working with them will be a lot of fun. What a relief. I really wasn't looking forward to taking on new doula clients. Maybe I just have to not take first-timers. :) Maybe I can be a complete crab and not take on any first-timers if they have more than 2 years of college.

I think I'm just overly traumatized from the woman who screamed at me while she pushed. saying things like: "How can you expect me to do this?! This is not fair! Why are you making me do this?!" This woman was on an epidural. And she still screamed at me because she could feel a little bit (so she could work with contractions and push). I still think she must have had some history of abuse. She became the victim and I was made to feel like some creepy perp. who was torturing her. She was fine with the nurses and doctor who were screaming at her to push. She just chose me to scream at and cry to, accusing me of hurting her. This woman was very wealthy. She and her husband were very well educated, high society (fancy dinner party having people, the type who go to $500 a plate charity dinners) folks. They waited til they were in their early 40s to have kids. I still shiver to think of that birth. I had to do a lot of processing with more experienced midwives and doulas to get over that one.
So today when I drove to my new client's house, I was a wee bit nervous. Their address was in a nice, big-house neighborhood. However, they were very down to earth. Sweet and honest. No putting on airs. Good stuff.

My mom seems to be doing all right. She watched the kids for me this morning. Her husband still doesn't know, or hasn't bothered to ask if they're divorced. One would think he'd put two and two together. And how my mom can stand not telling him is beyond me. Apparently when she came home Wednesday all he asked was if she went to court. She said yes. That was it.
No more questions and she's not telling him anything. She's just waiting for him to get the settlement papers and divorce paper in the mail. Now, he was supposed to have already received a copy of the settlement before the court date. If he did, he never said anything about it. Bizarre. Crazy guy.
My mom has kind of re-dedicated herself to helping me with child care, especially the middle of the night stuff. Greg and I had a big once-a-year discussion about finances and job stuff on Tuesday (the full moon was that night and I'm hearing a lot of people were arguing that night). We came to the conclusion that I can't rush off and get clients if I have no childcare for the middle of the night stuff. He doesn't really have the option to change shifts. Well, not without taking on a way more phyically demanding job. And he says he's too old for that shift. This makes me feel awful. And I know that once I start bringing in decent money, it will alleviate some of the burden he feels and maybe even possibly open up the chance for him to look for another job. At any rate, I was telling my mom about this and she said she'd help out. Be available for night time care.
Who ever heard of a midwife who can't leave her kids at 2am? Blech.

All right. I need to go. I'm supposed to make some Irish soda bread to bring to Donn and Kate's day after St. Patty's corned beef and cabbage dinner. Greg isn't coming because it's at 5pm, and he got all of 4 hours sleep last night and he's got to get up again at 2am tonight/tomorrow morning. Married single mom night.
Just kidding. I don't mind this time. Sometimes I do, but this is no big deal.

Sarah and I made yarn pictures with Elmers glue and cardboard. She made a unicorn and I made Sarah and Eamon out of yarn. It was fun. I'm feeling all crafty these days. I'm in the process of shrinking some second hand wool sweaters to hopefully try and make some felted bags (minus the pain-in-the-ass knitting for ever and ever).