I added two new bloopers.
12) At a homebirth, the mom was deep in her hypnosis. I was pressing a warm rice sock on her lower back. I looked down to see rice spilling all over the carpet. It seems my stitches were less than precise. I had to use two ponytail holders to twist up the split seam. Thankfully, I remembered to remove the ponytail holders with their metal attachments before microwaving the sock. Otherwise, this blooper would be more serious. If I’m going to continue sewing my own rice socks, perhaps I should add a sewing kit to my doula bag.
13) In my Hypnobabies class, we were discussing perineal counter-pressure. At the end of the class, I reminded them of the birth rehearsal we would be doing the next week. I mentioned we would practice positions, techniques, and counter-pressure. Never noticing their uncomfortable faces, I continued on until a doula who was auditing my class (and had taken Hypnobabies for her own birth) interrupted, “What Julie means is we’ll practice counter-pressure on your lower BACK; not your perineum.” There was a collective, “Whew!” Right. Different counter-pressure altogether.
At some point, I need to wonder if it is a savvy business move to admit to these blunders.