25 weeks pregnant

Sam 25weeks, originally uploaded by stephalie1977.

I shared a photo of this beautiful bump a few weeks ago. The lovely lady it belongs to is a very special person who has also played a part in my journey to becoming a midwife.

I first met Sam at a breastfeeding support group that we both attended. I didn't know much about her other than she had a little girl who didn't seem too much younger than my own. Over time we got to know each other better and I discovered that her daughter was in fact her second child, and that she'd also had a son. Malachi should be 5 now but in very tragic circumstances, Sam lost her precious baby boy when he was just weeks old.

Sam now has two beautiful daughters and a fourth baby on the way. She is a passionate, loving mother with very strong beliefs. She's not afraid to speak her mind and knows exactly what is right for her and her children. She is hoping for a second boy this time, but I have no doubts at all, whether boy or girl, this baby is truly lucky to be blessed by Sam as a mother.

During Sam's third pregnancy, she attended the same antenatal group that I did, run by two midwives. And as with me, she was lucky to have these very same midwives present for the home birth of her third child. They'd known Sam since the birth of Malachi and it's hard to put into words exactly how much they mean to Sam. So for them to be there for that birth was truly magical.

When I listened to Sam talk about the support, encouragement and love from these two inspirational women; it again affirmed exactly what I wanted to do. To be able to comfort someone in the depths of so much pain is truly a gift and both Sam and I have been so lucky to not only know these women, but to also have had them empower our labour and birth experiences.

I shall devote a blog post to these two midwives soon, to try and give you an inkling of why they are so special....but for now you'll just have to take my word for it.

Also Sam has recently started her own blog to share with you her journey...please do read and follow...
http://mummyspam1985.blogspot.com/