The peach tree grows

I was looking today at the young peach tree beside our house. The trunk is thin and springy, its spotted leaves crescent shaped and the branches are dripping with small fruit. The pit-hard peaches are fuzzy and beginning to change their color from apple green to sunset orange. I love this tree. Its life and placement represents the connection between myself and my second child. Sitting here now I can close my eyes and envision the tree's roots just under the surface of the dirt, encircling our placenta.

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The girl was born during the evening hours following a brief hail storm. Her birth came much quicker than anyone anticipated due to an easy labor and peaceful atmosphere. My husband and I planned a home birth soon after finding out I was pregnant so all the elements necessary for a perfect event were in place...well, nearly everything. Our midwife wasn't present but that was due to no fault of her own. She arrived ten minutes after the girl's birth and was full of excitement and pride but in wonder just the same. Why didn't we call to ask that she hurry? She could have easily been present for the birth. Why not? Because my husband and I were doing fine. We were a great team and fed off each others confidence. My family, however, were dealing with altogether different emotions. I knew I wanted my family present to witness her arrival and had educated them about birth at home. They met our midwife, saw several videos, read books and asked all the right questions to quell their worries...they were ready. But they did not plan for an absent midwife. When the baby's head emerged my husband and I were alone in our bedroom; I on our bed, he ready at the business end. If my husband was scared he didn't reveal it to me. I was flooded with intense love for him, the baby and the miracle of the moment. My mother walked in expecting to see me laboring only to be met with a surprising scene. She ran out to tell everyone the baby was coming and to hurry. She returned with my father, son and mother-in-law and began recording with a video camera. I attempted a few pushes to help the rest of her body out but was met with resistance. I decided to wait for the next contraction. My father and mother-in-law abandoned the room to look for the midwife as my mother continued to record, suggesting that I push the baby out. I waited until the natural urge came and the baby was born within moments. One by one, my family came to my side to welcome the child into our home.

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This week has brought exceptionally warm weather. I worry the young peach tree won't be strong enough to fight the near 100* temperatures or the hungry insects sure to be eying its fruit. But these feelings of anxiety are familiar because they mirror how I felt about the girl during her first year of life. Would the child be strong enough to overcome life's challenges? I think so now- she has proven herself to be strong and wise. I hope the tree follows the same path.