Yesterday, one of my dear grandsons, Kyle Cotterman (who has illustrated all my RPS sheets for me) and his wife Jessica, welcomed their new daughter Sophia Rose at the same hospital where I was born 8 decades ago. But the family legends will be SO DIFFERENT! (Voice raised in celebration;-) 


Jessica is a quiet but determined young lady, and together, they did the whole nine yards: a water birth with a midwife in attendance at our local birthing center, inside of Miami Valley hospital, with him in the water too, supporting her wholeheartedly, immediate skin to skin leading to spontaneous breast feeding. He called me shortly afterward and in his voice I could hear the awe and the overwhelming feelings of love and joy he was experiencing. 


Flash back to the family legend of my mother's "confinement" in 1930. She had been "swallowed up alone" into the labor and delivery floor of that same hospital,, no family allowed, to receive twilight sleep (probably), general anesthetic, epesiotomy and forceps delivery, and routine 24 hour delayed, 4 hourly breastfeeding. My grandmother chose to "stand vigil" in solidarity in the hospital lobby. My dad, never really liking my grandmother very much anyway, and in who knows what mental state, chose to take my aunt out dancing that night! Eavesdropping, I heard the story many times from mom and grandma.


Perhaps their influence might be part of why I "ended up" choosing nursing for a profession, and eventually why I "ended up" as an OB nurse. (In my student rotation at the wise old age of 18, I had decided that postpartum was where the dumb lazy nurses chose to work, and I aspired to more exciting things!!!) Four years later,  "under the influence" of the hormones of pregnancy while my sailor husband was overseas, I found that my mind had "ended up" being changed. I spent 23 years in hospital OB and 20 years in Public Health prenatal clinics before I retired from employment.


63 years of added experience since my student impression plus six of my own children and 11 grandchildren later, I have a warm sense of fulfillment. I like to imagine that my "radical days" in the OB department (of a "competing hospital across the river") and involvement with so many supportive friends in the local childbirth and lactation education communities helped to change these conditions here in this city for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. Congratulations to this hospital and all our local OB departments who have attained or are working to attain Baby Friendly status.


And great granny is smiling, giving lots of "thumbs up", knitting pretty baby things and not offering a word of advice (to family, at least) until or unless she is asked;-) It's a whole new role in life.


K. Jean Cotterman RNC-E, IBCLC
WIC Volunteer LC, great granny, former childbirth educator, lactosaurus and octogenarian;-) in Dayton OH, USA

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