Miss Emma Jane

I wish so badly I had 600 pictures of Emma's labor and delivery. But the truth is, we showed up and I was 9 cm dilated. There was no time for pictures, no time for me to put my cute cozy socks on, and no time for my husband to call our family (actually while I was pushing he said "Can I call your dad and my mom?" NO YOU JERK WAD). 

Seriously. 

Okay, so this story begins 1 day before my due date and 2 days before Emma's birthday-- Friday, October 18. 

I had an appointment that morning. They usually don't check me but I asked to be checked since I felt like she had dropped a bit. Wrong. 0 station, 0 cm dilated, nothing exciting. 

After our appointment we went to the mall and had Panera, found me some sweat pants to wear home from the hospital, and grabbed some groceries at Harris Teeter. 

I ran my husband to work immediately after our errands, came home and cleaned up the house. I made lots of work calls and was a little bit crampy. I thought I was on my feet too much. That night I ran to the mall to get my rings inspected and my nails done (nobody wants an ugly mama!). I walked the length of the entire mall and even got a cinnamon Auntie Anne's pretzel. :) 

All throughout my pedicure I was having "cramps". Nothing painful, just annoying. I texted my husband and he started to get nervous. 

Picked up hubby from work and of course had to run to Target. I wanted something to help me sleep because I was up the night before and I was still having "cramps". (Looking back, these cramps were timeable and about 6-7 minutes apart lasting 30 seconds). I couldn't take anything so we went home empty handed. 

Friday night I slept pretty crappy..a little bit crampy and just annoyed that I couldn't sleep. 

Saturday, October 19th (my due date) I felt a bit better-- had some breakfast, walked the neighbor's dog, hung out with my husband, and got some stuff done around the house. Still crampy, but manageable (Looking back I was in total denial). My husband had to work so I watched a few Lifetime movies and texted my friends throughout the day. 

Keeping myself busy on my due date.

My husband came home Saturday night and wanted to watch Scandal. I kind of felt bad so I agreed. I ate a handful of yogurt covered raisins and couldn't make it through 10 minutes of Scandal. I was tired and wanted to go to bed now. 

Woke up around 2 with really bad cramps. I let my husband sleep and hopped in the bathtub. By now I had gotten the "Full Term" app and was timing my cramps. They were 5-6 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds to 1 minute. 

Again, I honestly thought these were just stupid cramps! They were not that painful, just a bit annoying. Our plan was that we would call our families when we knew we were in "real" labor, so we just waited this out. 

The bath actually helped a lot. I felt OK. I knew Emma wasn't going to come for a long time so I was excited I could go back to bed and get some sleep. 

Ha!

I managed to get out of the tub but I couldn't walk to get my clothes comfortably. I got my husband and said "I think we're going to have a baby today". By now it was 3ish. He helped me get dressed and I laid in bed for a bit. By now my contractions were getting painful and I had to breathe deeply through them. I could still talk through them but I was uncomfortable. They were coming every 5 minutes and lasting a minute. 

To be honest I don't remember what happened next. My husband called the nurses and they said not to rush-- that I could come in if I felt I needed to or I could labor at home for a bit. I wanted to stay at home for a bit longer. My husband helped me tidy up the house and I straightened my hair. By this point I had to stop, lean over, and groan through each contraction. 

By 6AM I was feeling nauseated and threw up a few times. This is when I knew I was in "transition" (basically heading to the end point of labor) and my husband started to panic. He threw me in the car around 7:30 and off we went. 

I wish I could say we drove quickly and got there in record time. Wrong. Wasn't there a 10 mile run that day and roads were closed? I was in the back seat praying out loud and my husband was in the front seat cursing and throwing our GPS (we still can't find it).. GAH. 

We finally arrived around 8:15. I yacked in the parking lot (awkward) and all my husband could say was that I looked pretty. Poor guy. 

What happened next is such a blur..basically we walked in and literally had a baby. It was so perfect/fast/fun/exciting/crazy.  All I really remember was asking to be checked and she said "Oh sweetie, you're 9 centimeters!". 

After Emma was born I was so out of it. It felt good to be done but I was just staring into space. They had to say "HOLD YOUR BABY!" because I think they were afraid she was just going to slide off my chest. My husband took her for a while and once I got some water I felt much more coherent, LOL. 

Looking back, Emma's birthday was the best day of our lives. I wouldn't have it any other way! We are so blessed and thankful to God for her. 

Heading to first Dr. appt

Homebirth of Lily Belle

Lily Belle

12/15/15 home water birth 

I was certain you would come about a week early. But the 11th passed and then the 12th and the 13th...I was getting antsy. I was having plenty of light contractions on the 13th and by the 14th they started to feel a little more "real." By the evening I started timing because waves were coming more consistently; about 8 minutes apart for 30 seconds but it definitely wasn't intensely painful. I was still in disbelief that I was in labor. We went out for a delicious meal with mawmaw, daddy and Mason. Steak and duck lollipops, our bellies were content. After dinner we took a detour to see Christmas lights. It was a peaceful evening, 70 degrees and windy with salty ocean air. Once we were home I started cleaning and texted the midwife (Galena). She told us to get some sleep. We went to bed and I awoke around 2 am with stronger contractions. I was relieved to not have the back labor I had with Madon; I could have laid down and rested but I decided to get up so gravity could do its work. I called Galena at 3 am and said maybe you should come? Maybe? Yes! I felt the desire to get in our bathtub so I did and labored for about one more hour when I started to feel something new: it felt better to bear down. The midwives arrived around 4:15. I asked Galena to fill her tub because it was bigger and soft. She heard me bearing down and told daddy we didn't have time. I knew I was close but not that close! I asked daddy to wake up mawmaw-hurry! I reached down and could feel your little head right there, about to transition earth side. I've never been more focused and determined. I was ready to "push" you out but Galena reminded me to breathe. My body was going to do this in its own and didn't need my extra assistance. Galena tried to get me to change positions and move so I could receive you safely but there was no way I was moving, you were right there, so close, in between worlds! I said daddy had to get in the tub to help. He climbed in and it seemed like he got in just in time to catch your you were here! 4:57 am, 7 lbs. 1 oz., 20 inches long. Covered, absolutely covered, in thick sticky beautiful vernix, adorable dark curls poking through. Our perfect little Lily Belle

. 

Happy Birthday, Ryder!

Happy Birthday Ryder!

Saturday March 24:

Apparently I was in pre-labor all day...! Since this was my first pregnancy/birth and I hadn't had really any "pre-labor" signs up until this point, I had no idea I was in the beginning stages! My girlfriend Ana arrived from Spain the night prior, so we had plans to hang out and catch up all day. We took a 2 mile walk in the morning, went to the pool for a few hours, showered and rested. In the late afternoon we took a drive up to a local health food store to grab some items, including 2 homeopathic liquid supplements my midwife had recommended to help "nudge" me into labor. I figured why not?!  Next, we grabbed a chai tea, then dinner, and finally made it home around 10pm. All day I had been feeling a little crampy,  but I didn't really think anything of it because the sensation wasn't intense and had no pattern, which is what I thought I should be paying attention to if I was starting labor. Around 11pm I felt the cramps getting a little stronger and I texted my doula Dawna to let her know what was up. She said usually cramping is a sign of the cervix thinning, and when contractions begin, the cervix dilates. She said, you may wake up in the middle of the night with contractions. Wow- this is really happening! I went to bed at 11:30pm with many emotions and anticipation, having a strong feeling the baby was on his way.

Sunday March 25:

I woke up at 12:30am to pee (of course) and as I got back into bed, my water broke. I called Dawna, who asked me to try to describe what happened. Once I did, she told me to call the birth center so they could connect me to my midwife Becky, who was on call. She called me back about 10-15 minutes later, and as I was describing what happened and she was discussing my options for coming in later that morning to get checked, I had my first contraction. It wasn't what I expected... everyone said I'd feel a tightening across the top of the belly that may radiate into my back. Instead, I felt a wave of cramps across the lower abdomen that lasted maybe 30 seconds and then subsided. Once I was off the phone with her, I called Danny, who was on his way home from work (he is usually home much earlier but it had been a particularly busy night and he had to stay late). I told him not to freak out but my water broke and I just had my first contraction. He still had about a half hour drive to get home, so I said please not to speed and to be careful, and I was going to get back into bed. He got home a little after 1 am and after checking on me and giving me his cell phone to start monitoring the contractions on the "contraction app" he had downloaded a few weeks prior (!!), he ran around the house getting bags together and jumped in the shower after a 15 hour work day. Poor guy!

By the time he got out of the shower, I asked him to take over the contraction monitoring because I was getting more uncomfortable. By 2am we had been monitoring the contractions for an hour and the app told us the contractions were lasting 50-70 seconds and were already about 3-4 minutes apart. I really couldn't believe it! Danny thought MAYBE we should call Dawna back and have her come over, and contact Becky to let her know we should be heading over to the birth center. Once we talked to everyone, Dawna said she'd be on her way in a couple of minutes and then we would head out. I finally had Danny wake up Ana because I felt bad waking her up earlier- she was still jet lagged and I wanted her to rest! I got out of bed and labored on an big exercise ball for another 20-25 minutes as the contractions intensified to about a 7-8 out of 10 on a pain scale of 1-10 (haha, chiro's you'll appreciate that description!). I did my best to allow myself to ease into the contractions and to let my body relax as much as possible so that I was working with it instead of against it. I used the breathing techniques I learned and feel they did help me relax. When I did this, I felt the most intense part of the contraction only lasted a small amount of time before it slowly subsided. I did spew out a few curse words at this point but overall, I felt I handled each contraction pretty well! When Dawna arrived she talked to me for a few minutes and then we headed to the birth center (about a 20 minute drive from our home).

Having contractions in the car is not very comfortable, and with each one, Danny sped up a little faster. He flew by a police car, which suprisingly didn't stop us! We arrived at the birth center around 2:45 am and Becky was still setting up the room for me and filling the tub with water. I laid down in between contractions for them to check me and I was already 9.5 centimeters dilated! THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING! Within a few minutes, I was in the tub, which felt really great. At this point the contractions were very close together and definitely a 10 out of 10 for pain and intensity, but the support from Danny, Dawna, Ana, and my midwife assistant Elizabeth helped me get through each one as calmly as possible (still a little cursing going on, but I didn't care!). After about 20 minutes in the tub, Becky checked me again and I was at 10 centimeters. I could not believe how fast this was all happening! I didn't really have time to prepare myself for the speed in which this labor progressed, but I think it was better this way because I just went with it, what else could I do?! Throughout the progression, baby's heart rate was checked with the fetal heart rate monitor and everything was perfect each time. Becky told me if I felt like I wanted to push, I could start pushing with each contraction. This is when some of the uncontrollable screaming started.... right around the time that my parents and in-laws arrived at the birth center and were sitting in the extremely quiet waiting room. I felt so bad screaming as I pushed but I couldn't help it! Ana was there waiting with them, and soothed my mom, who was upset hearing me in pain. Over the course of the next 30 minutes or so (who knows at this point?!), I pushed baby down with each contraction. At one point I think I said (screamed?!) "I WANT HIM OUT!" and Becky and Elizabeth said they could see his head and he was almost here! Within a few minutes and with a few more pushes, baby arrived into the water, and onto my chest at 4:36am ! What an amazing feeling to FINALLY meet my son!

It was extremely surreal how everything happened so quickly, but I don't think I would've changed anything about the experience. I had truly incredible support from wonderful people, and Danny was absolutely amazing. Once I got out of the tub, and baby and I were checked, we tried to get baby to latch on to breast feed. When the cord stopped pulsating, Danny was able to cut the cord and then he got to hold his son for the first time and it was a beautiful moment for the three of us. He then brought Ryder out to the waiting room to meet the Grandma's and Grandpa's and reveal his name! Daddy and Ryder came back in so Becky could weigh and measure baby (8 lbs, 9 oz, 21 inches, healthy, and perfect in every way!).

I am so happy that I trusted my body to know what to do. Of course I believe it helped to be in good physical health before and during the pregnancy, and baby was very healthy throughout the pregnancy as well. It also helped that I am extremely laid back and low anxiety, which obviously is important when you are planning on a labor and delivery that is unlike what most people are "doing these days."  Taking the hypnobirthing class, having a doula, a supportive birth center team and most importantly a husband who backed me 150% was exactly what I needed to remain confident and strong through the entire process. We are so happy to finally have Ryder in our lives and thank everyone for their love and well-wishes! Life is good :)

Pretty awesome pictures captured by Dawna...  <3

Who needs the midwife?

I was due on June 25, 2015.  On June 28, 2015, my baby moved into a position where I was unable to feel her kick so I panicked and went to the hospital. They did an ultrasound and she passed all tests so they sent me home but I still couldn't feel her the whole next day and was so upset not knowing if she was ok. My dr and I decided that inducing me the next night was the best option since I was 4 days overdue anyway and couldn't feel the baby move to monitor how she was doing. I was nervous about being induced, because I wanted to have an all natural, unmedicated birth without an epidural, but I decided this was the best option based on the circumstances.  I had a pill inserted at 9:00 p.m.   They told me to lie down and not move much for two hours.  Strong contractions started at about 10 and it was a struggle to lie still, but I managed until 11 pm.  The nurse checked me before I stood and I was already dilated to 4 cm!  Once they let me stand, I couldn't sit or lie down the rest of my labor until I started pushing!  No position was comfortable because of the intense pain and pressure-- I couldn't sit on the birthing ball or lie down-- everything was excruciating except standing.  I would stand and hold my husband's hand between contractions and kneel down on a pillow during contractions.  The nurse checked me at about 12:15 and I was already dilated to 7cm, so the nurse left to call my doctor to have him come to the hospital!   At about 12;30, i was exhausted and so tired from standing, so my doula suggested positioning the bed so that I could hold the back of the bed but kneel on it.  I tried this through one contraction and that was all it took for my water to break!  At about 12:40,  I started to feel the urge to push during contractions.  It was such a weird feeling, it was like my body had taken over and knew what to do and pushing was out of my control.  The nurse told me I had better lie down or I might have the baby standing up!  She checked me again at about 12:45 and I was fully dilated!  Once I was lying down, the nurses tried to get me to stop pushing because my doctor wasn't there yet.  I tried through 2 contractions to breathe away the contraction, but I just couldn't stop my body from pushing!  On the next contraction, I pushed and the nurse said she could see the baby's head and yelled for them to get the on-call midwife to the room, but on the next contraction I pushed and the baby was out!  The nurses delivered her, even the midwife didn't get there in time. Samantha Ariel was born at 12:53 a.m. on June 30, 2015.  She was 7 lbs, 6 oz and 20.25 inches long!  She was perfect and scored the highest possible on all tests!  Though I got through it with no pain meds because of my awesome doula, I was caught off guard by just how painful it was! I only asked for an epidural once right before the pushing sensation began, and of course it was too late at that point anyway!  I needed some stitches, but all was minor considering what could have gone wrong without a doctor or midwife there for the birth!  Everything was perfect and I ended up with exactly the kind of unmedicated birth that I wanted. 

                    Hello, baby girl! 💜

Denise's Story: Part 2

April 17, 2015 

My second pregnancy was completely the opposite of my first. I was sick a lot (with colds, strep throat, coughs...). I had 4 days left of teaching when I gave birth unexpectantly to my daughter. 

I had been sleeping over at my friends house with my toddler because my husband had caught a terrible stomach bug. I also had just gotten a boot on my right foot after going to a podiatrist because I had suffered from a stress fracture. I was extremely stressed out, trying to do the last minute things with my 3rd grade students before I left on leave. I needed to prepare for my baby and I had 30 sick days to take, luckily. 

Well, on Friday morning, April 17, I woke up from the pull out sofa bed with some light cramping. I thought maybe I was dehydrated so I went to drink some water and watched "Meet the Fockers" while I drank some. 45 minutes later, I fell back asleep. My alarm woke me up at 6 am and I still had cramping, but took Gatorade with me, and drove to work. I had to go to Publix by my school (which is in Hialeah and my friend lives in Kendall) because I had had no food at my friend's house for me to make lunch. As I'm standing in the line to pay, I felt weak and faint. I started drinking the water bottle I had bought. Even the cashier asked if I was feeling well and if I was ready to give birth. "No, I'm still 35 weeks only" (I got that all the time because I was huge). And she just said "feel better". I drove to school, drank about 2 whole bottles of water in my classroom, ate some brownies and my bagel, and at 7:45, called my work best friend. I normally went to her class every morning before picking up our students. I told her I wasn't feeling well. She called the AP. She told her I had to either get my husband to come get me or she was calling rescue. I told her it wasn't that serious but to come help me walk to the office because the cramping was getting worse. I had no idea I was in labor at this point because I had been induced with my son the first time. 

As I'm walking, the teachers were gathering around me saying I had "labor face" and asking if I was okay. I started crying when I got to the office. I was so overwhelmed. They gave me more water and told me to rest my feet and got a sub for my class. I kept going to the bathroom thinking I would just get my period right there, because it felt like period cramps that were getting worse. At 9 am, I called the doctor and they said to go to the hospital to see if I was having contractions. I called my friend who I was sleeping over at her house. She arrived around 9:45 and I was in unbearable pain. She joked that "your water better not break in my leased car!" 

We got to south Miami (I chugged go ties after that horrific experience the first time) and my husband was on his way. I got to triage and I suddenly felt better. Of course, I thought, I'm being so silly. The nurse sees me after about 10 minutes and hooks up the monitor to see my contractions. She leaves and comes back and says "your contractions are one minute apart. I cannot stop your labor at this point and you're going to deliver it now". I freaked out and cried. I had NOTHING at all ready. My husband got there just as I received the news. They started prepping me for yet another emergency c section. My friend was texting our other friends for me. My sister was on her way, too. 

After 2 hours, my daughter arrived at 12:24 pm (the exact opposite of my son!) and she was born at 6 pounds, 1 ounce. I was fully aware this time of what was happening. I was again shivering from the spinal tap and so nervous. Would she be in the Nicu? No skin to skin yet again and again she was also taken to the nursery. About 30 minutes later, they told us she was going to the Nicu after all. I was devastated. I cried. I was wondering what had happened that I went into labor so suddenly. No one knew the answer. 

She stayed in the Nicu for 6 days. I was discharged on Monday and she stayed until Thursday night. It was very scary and overwhelming. 

Now both my children are very healthy. Even though they were both traumatic in their own way, I feel like a stronger person because of them. 

Denise's Story: Part 1

www.bocabirthservices.com

August 12, 2013 - it was one day past my due date and I was at the OB office. I was very swollen and my blood pressure was high but not too concerning yet, when they stripped my membranes and asked if I was ready to "have this baby today." I was about to cry of joy because I was 40 weeks, it was summer, and I was so ready to be done! So my husband and I go home, get out things together, I eat a soup (silly food at the time but was too excited to eat a real meal) and drove to Baptist. We called my mom and my sister and texted our friends. Because I had strep B, they wanted me to have the antibiotic early, so they were giving me the antibiotic when I arrived. They said I was about 2 cm dilated. It was 6 pm when I was in the hospital bed. During the course of the night, they gave me 2 vaginal suppositories to soften my cervix. I hated that part, and still cringe at the thought. The nurse even told me, "if you can't handle this, you might as well have a c section". I swear she jinxed me. 

The next morning at 8 am, they started pitocin. My blood pressure was not getting much better and they kept warning me to relax or I was going to end up with a c section. Throughout the day, I was slowly starting to dilate more and have a softer cervix. At 2 pm, one NP from my doctors office came to break my water. She almost gave up, until I sat up and broke it myself. It was very painful. Then after that, I got the epidural - which I had agreed to get from the start. I should've said to give that to me first, but as a first time laborer, I had no idea. Fast forward to 11 pm Tuesday night. I have now been sitting in the hospital for 29 hours and was finally at 10 cm dilated. My stomach hunger pains were worse than my contractions. I was so hungry - all I wanted was a vanilla milkshake. I was not allowed to eat or drink anything this entire time. At 11, I start pushing. I did 1 push, and the nurses told me, "stop! I can see the head! The doctor is still in a c section!" So I stopped. It was awful. After that, I lost all my energy and could not push correctly anymore. By 11:45, I was screaming, "Just help me please! Just give me a c section! Just get him out!" And I was crying and on the verge of passing out. They wheeled me quickly to the operating room. It was freezing in there. I was barely aware of what was happening. Finally, my son was born at 12:25 am on August 14, 2013 - a Wednesday morning. I was so tired and shivering from the epidural. My husband had to calm me down. I didn't get skin to skin with my baby. I didn't really even see him. The first words out of the doctors mouth were, "He did caca," and I was terrified he swallowed the meconium.  Luckily, he didn't. They wheeled him into the nursery right after a quick picture with my husband and I. He apparently was in a side position in my belly - which was why I couldn't push him out, and he was under distress. His blood sugar was low and they said he was breathing too quickly. They didn't let me breastfeed him. I was so tired I had no idea what was going on at that point. 

10 hours later, at 10 am, they finally wheeled him into our room. I cried when I first held him. It seemed so surreal. I was there almost a week. I got discharged on Saturday afternoon. 

A week then went by. I was at the doctor for my postpartum visit. I was still very swollen. My blood pressure was concerning. After they had me leave a urine sample, they told me I had to go back to the hospital. I cried. They said I had post-pre-eclampsia. I had no idea that could happen. I was there a couple hours and my blood pressure would not go down. They finally sent me home with a prescription for medicine and I had to take it for 6 weeks. Luckily it did not stop me from nursing. I was able to get off the meds and recover from the traumatic birth experience. 

*to have your birth story featured on Boca Birth, email it to bocabirth@gmail.com

The Birth Story of Matthew Jospeh

...aka why I suck at identifying labor. :)



Tuesday night Justin had left to go to RCIA class. Avé had a late nap and woke up around 5; I took her for a walk to kill some time before dinner and since I had a little feeling that labor might be possibly starting. The day before I noticed that my contractions, while still not painful, had gotten very hard & stronger than usual. I figured my body was at least gearing up.. or that I just had more Braxton Hicks. That kind of continued all day Thursday, so I had taken a walk earlier with Avé as well. We headed out for our second walk of the night, and the sun was getting ready to set. I was struck by the beauty of it all; the blue sky with its pink and yellow streaks, soft white clouds, and the low light of the fading sun. Avé was very quiet watching it all as well, and I looked at her, still so small, sitting there in the stroller and I felt this overwhelming sadness that soon she would not be an only child anymore; soon there would be another baby. She looked so little and young and I wondered how it would be when the new baby showed up. I wondered how she would react, I thought back to her own infancy and all of the things that changed when I found out I was pregnant again. I was kind of sad, and hoped it wasn't robbing her of any part of her babyhood. I knew it would be ok, but I had this strong sense of nostalgia as we walked along.

We got home and I fixed us dinner; after dinner we played and she wanted to get up on my bed. She sat on the edge, legs dangling off, and I got down and looked her in the eye and told her that she would always be my baby - my first baby - and I would always love her the same. Then we went and I gave her a bath and she went to bed at 7 as usual. I cleaned up from dinner, and noticed that those strong Braxton Hicks were still there, threading in and out as I washed dishes and sorted bills and straightened up the kitchen. Around 8 I decided to lay down and time them, since it couldn't hurt. They were starting to maybe kind of feel like there was some type of cramping along with the intensity, so I thought if I laid down they might go away and then I could be reassured that it was false labor, and I would be heading to the doctor's tomorrow for my check-up.

I laid down in my bed and opened the contraction master window as I checked through e-mails. Every now and again I would have a contraction, and I timed them for about 30 minutes. They were 10 mins, then 8 mins, then 9 mins, then 10 again. That got kind of boring, so I decided to hop in the shower (the night before was when Avé woke up puking, and I was pretty sure my hair still smelled like throw up. Ugh). I got in the shower and stayed in there for a loooong time - as long as the hot water lasted (I love hot showers, esp. while pregnant). I did keep having those strange contractions, and they were definitely more like cramping now. I would lean over and let the water run down my back, or bend down and support myself on my knees during them and that took the pain away. I figured since I could make the pain stop by shifting positions and getting comfortable in the hot water, this couldn't be real labor. I was a little disappointed, but whatever - it was what I expected, anyway.

I got out of the shower and saw a basket of clean clothes sitting there; I decided to put them all away and then when I was finished I thought that I might as well change the bed sheets. I kept having the contractions while I was putting the clothes away, and I would squat down during the ones that felt a little more uncomfortable. I could still 'talk' through them and everything, but I was like Hmmm, well, I guess this could be false labor.. may as well practice. I put all of the clothes away and changed the bed sheets figuring if we did end up in the hospital (unlikely) it would be nice to come home to fresh sheets. Then I decided to go out in the living room and bounce on the yoga ball/time some more contractions since they were still crampy and maybe felt more frequent. I got on the yoga ball and put my computer on the couch and bounced around for maybe 30 minutes and then I heard the garage door open and Justin was home. I had timed some contractions, but I hadn't bothered looking to see if there was a pattern yet - I was busy replying to some facebook messages or something. I got up and talked to Justin; he told me all about RCIA and showed me the things they had given him for Christmas. I mentioned that I had been having some contractions that were actually slightly uncomfortable, but I didn't really think they were real labor. He was like... well are you ok? and I said yes, it wasn't really painful or anything. He went to sit down and watch some tv, and when he did I was standing holding the counter and I had a very strong contraction. During it I was like 'ok, this MUST be labor b/c these feel different.' but then in between contractions I felt so good and normal that I was having a hard time convincing myself. I decided to go blowdry/straighten my hair in case it was labor.

I headed off to the bedroom where I did my hair; I did some stretches while I was blow drying, haha, and squatted during a couple of the more painful contractions. I finally finished straightening my hair around 10, and threw a few last minute things 'just in case' in my hospital bag (deoderant, makeup..) I headed back out to the living room to lay down on my left side and time them. I figured if they fizzled out while I was laying down, then it was definitely fake labor. I laid down and started timing.. 5 minutes.. 5 minutes... 5 minutes.. and then nothing. 10 minutes went by and STILL nothing. 15 minutes went by and Justin announced he was going to bed, and I was totally bummed b/c they had stopped so I was like ok well, I am just going to bed, too. I went to get up from the couch and had a pretty painful contraction, but I was mostly just frustrated that this didn't seem to be real labor, just that 'prodromal' labor or whatever that people talk about. O THE JOYS OF PREGNANCY! That is when I made the LJ post before I went to sleep.

Justin and I got in bed, and I told him that the contractions had kept up, but then they had stopped on the couch. I told him that they felt different from the Braxton Hicks, but not really PAINful, just uncomfortable. He felt my belly and said that it felt the same. I told him I'd let him know if I had any more, but I wasn't expecting to since they had stopped on the couch. We laid there and laid there until about 10:45 just talking, and then all of a sudden I could feel one. He put his hand on my belly and felt the tightness. He checked the time for me and we waited, still talking, and 4 minutes later I had another one. This one was not very painful at all, but hey.. they were back to the 5 min apart thing. We waited.. 4 minutes went by, then 5.. then 6. I was like, see, they aren't consistent. :( and then at 7 minutes I felt one starting and this one was actually pretty painful. I shifted around so I was on my knees hugging a pillow for the next one as well, and suggested he grab his laptop so we could time them on there. He did and we started timing again with contraction master. This was at 11p.m. I got up to pee and had a pretty uncomfortable one in the bathroom. The first couple were 5 minutes apart, and they were getting progressively more uncomfortable and I started breathing through them. Then Justin was like, "Hey, why don't we try some of those positions they taught us in Lamaze?" He was leaning back against the pillows and told me to come sit between his legs and lean back onto his chest. I didn't want to at first because squatting/leaning forward felt pretty good, but then I remembered that you are supposed to switch positions frequently so I figured it couldn't hurt to try. I sat in front of him indian style, and he sat behind me and ran his fingers through my hair every time I would have a contraction. We could hear the waves on Avé's sound machine over the monitor, and he reminded me to breathe, in and out, with the waves. He rubbed my back and I held his knees and breathed through them. They were 5 minutes.. 5 minutes.. 4 minutes.. then I had 2 on top of each other. Then 4 minutes.. 2 minutes.. 2 minutes.. 2 minutes.. 1 minute.. 2 minutes. Quickly they were starting to get pretty painful. I had to lift myself up off of the bed and kind of squat when they would start. Then I turned around to face him and just leaned into his chest while he held me. That felt so good and relaxing. At this point he said, "Maybe we should call your mom." I looked at the clock and it was only 11:15. We had only started timing the contractions at 10:45. "I don't know," I said. "I think they are supposed to be consistently coming at least 5 minutes apart for an hour. Its only been half an hour. We should wait until 11:45".  

I was thinking that I didn't want to get to the hospital and have them fizzle out/them send me home. I wanted to stay and home and BE SURE that this was labor not get there too early. I had like 1 or 2 more though and I was like "Ok, call my mom.. these hurt." He got on the phone to her and she didn't answer! He started leaving a message and another contraction hit and I said, "Hang up - call my dad, call Sara, SOMEONE will answer, we don't have time for a message." My parents live 25 minutes away so I knew they would have to hurry and leave now to stay with Avé. He called Sara and she answered, and she said she would leave in a minute. They hung up and I had another one. "Do you think we should just bring Avé there?" Justin asked. I didn't know. Hmm.. another contraction hit. "Call them back, we're bringing her there - lets get in the car NOW!"

Justin jumped up, grabbed the bag, and started heading towards the bathroom. "Do you have your toothbrush? Toothpaste? What about mine?" I was like, "No, I packed it, its all in there". He started heading toward the closet. "What about clothes for me? I need clothes.." I was like "IT IS PACKED! YOUR CLOTHES TOO! GET IT IN THE CARRR!" They were starting to get very intense and painful, like I couldn't move through them. The feeling started at my sides and radiated around my whole abdomen, stretching down into the tops of my thighs. As he rushed getting the bag, the boppy, and the car seat cushion into the car, I sat on the bed and wondered HOW I was going to get dressed. I was wearing a black nightgown and that was it - no bra or anything. I was like OMG I have to get pants and a bra and a shirt on. That seemed like an insurmountable task. I finally got out of the bed (it took me two tries) between contractions and just thought, screw it - I grabbed some pink capri pj pants and put those on under my nightgown. I grabbed my cell phone charger and wallet from the night stand, and then started out toward the car, then went back for my black hoodie so I wasn't totally inappropriate. Justin had gotten Avé, her sound machine, and Pink Pony & Pooh out and into the car, and I headed over to the car to meet them. Oh, I also grabbed a baby changing pad thing b/c as he was getting the stuff from our room and the first time I tried to get up, he looked at me and said in a worried tone "Um, you're bleeding - is that normal?" There was a tiny spot of blood on the sheet where I had been sitting. I was like, "yes, its fine! Lets GO!" That was the last bit of confirmation that I had that was like This Is It.

We got in the car and started the loooong drive to the hospital - it is 30 mins away, all highway (luckily) plus it was 11:40 at night so there were no cars on the road. As soon as I sat down I said, "Um, I think I might throw up" because I had started feeling nauseous. I had my bed pillow and a body pillow in the seat to help make me comfortable - ha! Justin was doing about 80, and I kept doing my best to breathe through the contractions that were getting MUCH worse. He offered me his hand to hold - I was like, "I can't.. not right now" then he offered to rub my arm/shoulder and I was like, "DON"T TOUCH ME!" He tried to talk me through the contractions like he did when we were in the bedroom and I said, "PLEEEASE JUST BE QUIET!" and then he was. Haha, poor guy! But the talking/touching distracted me from the pain and I needed everything I had to focus on the pain which had become excruciating.  

Somewhere about halfway the pain got so bad that I started moaning and saying OW OW OW OW during the peaks. Once they started to subside I would say "Its ok its ok I'm ok I'm ok" and that (kind of) helped. My sister called and said they were just going to meet us at the hospital so we didn't have to drop off Avé. Poor Avé started crying when I was doing my OW OW OWWWW, and Justin was trying to reassure her and I was kind of trying to in between contractions as well. I held out for as long as I could, I tried to turn around and face the back of the seat and that SUCKED, then I settled for leaning sideways against the seat facing out toward the window. I had turned on Christmas music and in between contractions I could actually hear the music; it was all Gloria in Excelsias Deo and I was like AHHHHH. We got off the ramp of the exit FINALLY and right before we did I was like, "OH I HOPE I AM IN TIME FOR DRUGSSSS". Justin shot me an alarmed look and was like, "But what? I thought you didn't want an epidural?" And I said, "UM I CHANGED MY MIND". He was like, "Can I ask why? What is making you change from your plan?" And I said, "BECAUSE THESE HURT LIKE A MOFO!!!!!!" He didn't really say anything else (probably because I started again with my OW OW OWWWW OH GOD OH GOD).

We pulled into the parking garage of the hospital, and went up to the third floor parking (which felt like forever) and I was like PLEASE LET ME OUT. Justin pulled right in front of the sliding doors where we had to go inside, and I flung the door open and pretty much rolled out into a squatting position. Another contraction had hit and I was feeling A LOT of pressure. At the exit I had started feeling like the baby was smashing against my tailbone - either the urge to push or some other random new pain. I squatted there while my mom and sister pulled up and Justin wheeled a wheelchair up to me. "here, get in!" He said "Oh no - there is NO WAY I am getting in that!" I said. The contraction ended and I practically jumped up and went power walking through the sliding glass doors. Justin was pushing the wheelchair along beside me - "Are you sure you don't want to get in?" He asked. I had had ENOUGH of sitting in the car - no way was I getting in a wheelchair! My mom waved at me from the car where she was getting Avé. "GOD BLESS YoU!" She yelled. I was like, THANK YOU BYE! We walked across the corridor from the garage to the hospital, and everytime I had a contraction I had to stop and lean against the wall/say OW OW OW OUCH!! and then when it ended I was like, "ok, lets go!" I still felt fine in between them. We practically sprinted to the elevators, and in the elevator I had another contraction and I was like, "I can't do this anymore." The doors opened and Justin was like, "its ok - we're here" and I saw the sign that said The Baby Place and we got out.  

Justin walked up to the nurses' desk and the shades were drawn. He went around to the second window and tapped on it. "Excuse me," he said, "I think we're having a baby". The nurse smiled politely, and wheeled her chair around, "ok sir, here, let me get you some paperwork.." meanwhile I had power walked past him into the waiting room, where there was a nice pregnant blonde woman and her husband sitting. "Hmm," I thought. "I better walk around the corner so I don't freak them out". I spun around and headed back past Justin and then a contraction hit. I grabbed a chair and leaned over, swaying my hips saying, "OW OW OW.. um.. I *think* I need to push". Justin heard me and said to the nurse, "Um, she is saying that she needs to push." The nurse was like, "When was she due?" "4 days ago, Friday". Then she asked, "First or second baby?" He said, "Second" and they were like "OMG GET BACK HERE NOWWWW".

As soon as the contraction was over I waddled/power walked into the Triage room, where the nurse handed me a cup and asked if I could pee in it. I was like um.. I can TRY. I went into the bathroom and stripped off my pants which were at this point covered in blood. I was bleeding a lot. I wiped with the little wipey thing and just felt a lot of blood and then I had another contraction. I was like "I think.. I need.. to push" again, just loud enough so they could hear me between the OWWWWs. The nurse was like "Oh no, come here, let me check you." I got on the little chair in between contractions (which again hurt like crazy b/c I was basically sitting/lying back) and she saw the blood - it was running down my leg - and she goes "Oh.. you are bleeding. A lot. This changes what I am going to do." She checked me and didn't say anything about how dialated I was; instead she started asking me questions about the placenta - if they had said anything about it at my ultrasound, if there was previa, etc. I was like "No, its just bloody show, there is nothing wrong with my placenta" and she kept insisting that it was a LOT of bleeding. She then got the speculum thing and said, "I'm just going to make sure that there is only a baby's head in there.." and checked really quick - and she said, "Yup, ok, good.. only a head". At this point I was looking at her going, "Please, can you give me drugs? PLEASE?! I don't care what, just give me something, just some kind of DRUGS!" and she just kind of smiled at me and ignored me; another contraction hit and I was off moaning again, and she just looked at Justin, shook her head and whispered, "too late!"

The next thing I knew a nurse had wheeled a wheelchair into our room and I heard her on the phone with the doctor; she was like, "Dr, I have your patient here.. yes.. she is complete, we need you here NOW." As soon as I heard that I thought two things - #1 was CRAP NO TIME FOR DRUGSSSS and #2 was OMG ITS GOING TO BE OVER SOON!!! It confirmed that the sensation that I was feeling WAS the need to push, and then I was like OK! TIME TO PUSH!! The nurse was like, "NO! This is Triage! THIS IS NOT LABOR AND DELIVERY!!" And I was basically like, screw you I don't care! I gotta push now!!!! Anyway they somehow convinced me to get in a wheelchair and I waited until between contractions and then I was like, "OK GO GO GO GO!" They ran me down the hallway, during which I was commenting on how WONDERFUL the cold air felt on my face, and apologizing to the nurses. I was like, "I'm so sorry, I should have come sooner, I just didn't know..!" They got me into the L&D room and there were 3 nurses there all running around freaking out. One was like, "We need to start an IV!" and the other one was like, "There is no time!" The first one replied, "BUT WE HAVEEE TOOOOO" and the other nurse looked at her and was like, "Ok, then YOU do it.. I'm not". Meanwhile I am writhing and moaning through contractions on the bed. The Triage nurse, who I thought had been so mean, came up to me and put her arm around me and held me tight whenever a contraction would start. It would end and I'd say, "Ok, its over, I'm ok," and she'd let go, and then a minute or two later I could feel it starting and I'd say, "Here comes another one!" and she would go, "Ok I'm right here!" and she put her arms around me and squeezed me to her chest. That helped soooo much, even though I had said I didn't want to be touched. It felt very calming.

At that point I kept insisting on pushing, and one of the nurses came up and PUT HER HAND ON THE BABY'S HEAD. I totally freaked out, I was like OW DOOOON'T DO THAT! I yelled it. She was like, "I am just trying to control the baby coming out!" I was like WTF WOMAN GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME. I CAN CONTROL THE BABY - Here, I will BLOW! so I started blowing instead of pushing, which felt fine to me, nothing was taking the pain away anyway and I wasn't pushing hard at that point. She moved her hand and I did some baby pushes and then the door popped open and in came my doctor, the SAME one who had delivered Avé, who out of all 6 doctor's at my practice is my favorite, I see him the most b/c he is just all kinds of awesome. I was like "OH THANK GOD YOU ARE HERE!" and he was like "Yup, here I am!" I said, "I need to push!" and he was like, "Push away!!" That was music to my ears. I started pushing, and I felt his head coming out.. and then it started to hurt, so I freaked a little and stopped and he slid right back in. Justin was holding my right leg and he kind of laughed and said, "Peekaboo!" I pushed again but with less force, and it didn't feel right. I stopped and asked the doctor if I was doing it right. He paused and looked at me and said, "You are pushing well but he needs more to come out. You need to push from your back, loosen your shoulders and use your stomach muscles." I don't exactly know how he described it but it suddenly made sense to me. I said ok, waited for the next contraction, and then pushed... and pushed... and pushed. I could feel him coming out and it hurt, I was saying OW OW OW, I can't do this! But everyone was saying "Well you ARE doing it! Come on!" and encouraging me. I gave another push, and then the doctor said, "Ok Lynn, 2 more pushes and you're done." I was excited to hear that. I pushed once, and he said, "Ok, one more" and I thought he was lying. I did one more big one, and I was using my legs to push against Justin's arms and I felt my thigh cramping and it hurt so bad, and then suddenly everyone was yelling "Look down! Look down!" and I released my grip on the handrail and opened my eyes and there he was, big and dark haired and beautiful. I was like, "It IS a boy!" and then in that instant I was hit with the realization that I felt fine - no not fine, GOOD! I was like, "I FEEL AMAZING!! Oh my gosh!! I feel SO GOOD!" The nurses started laughing and the doctor put him on my chest and I just stared and stared at him. Justin and I both said, "He looks like Ave!!" (and he does, just with dark hair and dark eyes instead of white hair and blue eyes. Their little faces are so the same). We just kept smiling and laughing.  

The nurses took him to the warmer to weigh him and everything, and they asked me if I was ok with the Vitamin K stuff in the eyes, and offered me a shot of pitocin for my placenta or whatever (I had already delivered it sometime in between staring at him). I asked my doctor if I tore and said, "I don't think so, let me double check.. nope!" No tear, no nothing. The nurses were congratulating me on having so much control over the pushing (I think it was because I was so afraid of pushing too fast & tearing. I remembered much more than I thought I would in the midst of all the pain.)  

So basically, we started timing contractions at 10:45, left the house at 11:40, were admitted to the hospital at 12:22a.m. and he was born at 12:36a.m. If you count the contractions that I noticed at 8p.m., it was a 4.5 hour labor. SO much different than the 48 hour + labor w/Avé. I am so glad that I was able to do it naturally, Justin was so wonderful and it really was an overwhelmingly awesome birth experience. The nurses said I was only the second patient they had ever seen that didn't even have time for an IV. We stayed in the hospital 2 nights and went home Friday afternoon. Matthew weighed 7lb 8oz and was 20 inches long. My milk came in at 2 days PP and he left the hospital at 6lb 15oz; at his one week check up he already weighed 8lbs!! Breastfeeding is going really well. Things seem so much easier the second time around *knock on wood*. He is up every 2ish hours at night and sleeps cuddled in my arms all night long. He is a beautiful, sweet, snuggly baby and I love him so much!

Pictures:


Avé & Matthew home from the hospital. She loves her new brother :)



Matthew & I picking up Avé from Grandma's on the way home.



He has long eyelashes for a new baby.



Sweet sleepy baby boy.

To have your birth story featured, send it to bocabirth@gmail.com

The Birth of Eleanor Louise

The Birth of Eleanor Louise: Conquering Fears

It was just past midnight, and here we were, walking through the empty grand entrance to Broward Health. The lights were dimmed, the kiosk was deserted, and the ornate decorations on the walls seemed to be beautifully illuminated. "It's a fancy hotel, right?" I joking whispered to my husband. He smiled and squeezed my hand and we kept walking. I couldn't do anything to stop it now. I wanted to turn and run, but onward we went. 

It seems dramatic, but I am terrified of hospitals. I had always dreamed of a beautiful, peaceful home birth to welcome our sweet baby girl into the world. I pictured her being handed right to me, and being left alone in complete bliss in the comfort of our home, and snuggling in our bed as a family for her first few hours of life. It was going to be amazing. 

It all started Friday morning at 5:30 am. My waters had broken, but instead of going into labor, my body decided--well--not to do that. I had spent the entire day walking, squatting, taking herbs, trying anything and everything to get my body to keep it moving. After 18 hours of futile attempts, my wonderful home birth midwife informed us we had to go to the hospital. With broken waters, I was no longer considered "low risk" because of a possible infection. 

I am probably the only person in the world who has ever prayed to give birth in the car before we got to the hospital. Tommy talked me through some different scenarios, and I gave him as much information as I could on hospital interventions I wanted to avoid at all costs as we drove down south to the hospital. 

"It's just a fancy hotel," I kept thinking as Tommy and I followed the signs to "Labor and Delivery." When we got there, I sat down in the waiting room and he ran back downstairs to grab some food (again, 18 hours so far). I chose a chair and looked across the room. 

This picture was hanging across from me. 

That little girl in the picture summed up my emotions at the moment perfectly. I imagined her clinging to the Blessed Mother, and closed my eyes, repeating the Hail Mary. The expression on this girl's face still brings me right back to what I was feeling in that waiting room. I was no longer in perfect control of my circumstances, and I had to grasp onto someone else and trust them. Who better to trust than Mary, Our Mother? They called me to triage, and when I asked the nurse if I could wait for my husband to come back, she answered, "No, he'll be here." Somewhere between choking back tears and being confident I followed her back to triage.

He did eventually come, but it took us nearly 3 hours to get assigned a room. The whole time I sat on the bed, feeling waves of emotions, and just trying with all my might not to cry or run out. When I finally got to my room, I started to feel more comfortable. I found the birth ball they had and grabbed it first. 

"Do you have a birth plan?" One of the nurses asked me. 

"I just want it to be as much like my home birth as it can be," I answered straightly. 

I had to get pitocin, which I knew, which meant I was hooked to the heartbeat monitor and was not allowed in or near any water. I focused on what I could do; I needed a nap if I was going to get this baby out. Tommy and I curled up for as long as we could until the pressure waves I had been dying for finally started coming strong and steady. Tommy jumped to action with counter pressure and rubbing my back--a skill every daddy should know! He was my saving grace, staying right with me the whole time. He learned the monitor quickly and would anticipate what I would need and when. We got into a rhythm of swaying on the birth ball, me moaning through contractions and him squeezing my hips. At one point, he even propped behind me on the bed and used his feet for counter pressure--one of his favorite memories of the birth, I think. 

"I don't want you to think I'm being mean by not offering anything for your pain, but I see you don't want anything, so let me know if you change your mind," the nurse told me at one point. I nodded and told her I appreciated her not asking. I never even thought about pain the rest of the day. 

The heart rate monitor kept slipping off the baby during contractions. I knew she was okay, and that the monitor was just off. The nurses kept flitting in and out of the room and trying to adjust the monitor, but as my belly contracted and squeezed baby down, the location of her heart moved and we would "lose" it. The nurses and I had a little silent war between laying on the bed vs. sitting on the birth ball, but I just tried to keep focused. I knew she was okay, I heard that little heart pounding away in between and could catch glimpses of it during each pressure wave. 

Finally, I was at 7-8 and the doctor arrived at the hospital. It was early evening, the nurses switched again, and I felt a shift--my birth team was there. Dr. Skeete came in and looked at me trying to lean back to keep the heart monitor in one place as the nurse had told me. "Why are you sitting like that? Let's get you up!" Well, she didn't have to tell me twice. She threw the birth ball on the bed and had me get on my knees and lean forward. Tommy kept squeezing my hips, and I felt renewed energy. My new nurse came in and took the belt off my belly and used the doppler to find baby's heartbeat during a contraction and sat next to me and listened to baby during a few contractions. 

"She sounds good," she whispered. 

"You're a genius," I sighed and smiled at her.

They discussed my preferences, and Dr. Skeete reassured me that mother-led pushing, delayed cord clamping, and an hour of skin to skin with mommy before any tests are done, were all part of her standard protocol. We would delay her first bath to preserve the sweet vernix on her new skin and I signed a waiver to not get the eye ointment. I should have known my midwife sent me to a great OB, but I had been so nervous. 

I started moaning through my contractions which were coming close and strong now and Dr. Skeete calmly told me, "It's okay breathe your baby down, do your breathing." That's right! Breathe her down. I started to breathe her down and knew in my head it wouldn't be long now. 

The nurse smiled and wrote "Welcome, Baby Girl Eleanor!" on the shift board. "She needs some encouragement!" she announced as she dropped the dry erase marker. I don't know if I actually smiled or just smiled in my head but it felt good to see that on the board. She's so close! 

I crawled around on the bed a little longer in my own little labor zone until I felt myself starting to push. Dr. Skeete was right there ready. I remember thinking, "I don't know if I'm going to be able to get her out." Tommy was standing on the other side of the room behind the doctor and the nurse (he is not a stand in one place kind of guy by any means). I pushed through one contraction and I remember seeing his eyes grow wide. He looked at me and nodded his head and motioned that he could see her. It was that moment that shifted my perspective again. He can see her, and she is coming out now. 

We waited patiently for the next contraction to come. It felt like it was an eternity for some reason. But, when it came it came intensely and the next one was right after that and she was out. I remember watching Tommy across the room bury his head in his hands with a sense of relief and joy I think only a daddy can feel as I felt her enter the world. "Take your baby!" Dr. Skeete directed me, and I let my eyes fall from Tommy to this tiny little girl, eyes wide open, being passed to me. All my emotions released. She was here. We did it. She's in my arms. And she's staying here. Tommy came over and gave me the sweetest kiss while our baby girl laid on my chest. Such a relief. What a journey! 

Eleanor Louise was born at 9:34 pm weighing 6 lbs. 14 oz. and 19 inches long. 40 hours after ROM. But, I had done it. After she was born, we stayed in the labor room for 3 hours before being brought to the maternity ward. Tommy left again to get us food and I just sat in awe and silence holding and nursing our new baby. 

When they finally came to move us to our next room where we would stay for a couple days, it was after midnight, and the hallways were empty again. We stayed in our room for two days. It was decorated like a fancy hotel room. It had a fancy full size bed with an elegant bedspread for Tommy to sleep in. The bathroom was even nice! I took a shower and changed into my own comfy clothes. My family and Ellie's Godfather, Larry, came to visit us the next day. It was Super Bowl Sunday, so we toasted a glass of champagne and enjoyed the game. Icing on the cake--the Patriots won. 

It wasn't until the next day as I was wheeled out to go home that I saw the hospital alive. That quiet grand lonely entrance was bustling with people. "Don't let anyone near her," Tommy instructed quietly as we maneuvered the crowd. There were a couple of surgeons standing and having a conversation off to the side wearing their green scrubs and surgical hats. There were white doctor coats and sick patients closing in around us. I flashed to when we had walked into that building--it had been so quiet at the time. I knew if I had seen it like this, I probably never would have made it. But here I was, leaving, with baby Ellie clutched in my arms. I did it! We strapped her into her car seat and pulled away and the tears just started falling. Tommy looked at me in the rearview mirror and laughed, "Now it hits you?" I shrugged and giggled through my tears. I don't know what it was, but I have never been so happy and relieved to go home. :) We survived our hospital birth!

Skin to skin with mommy after birth!

Again--40. Hours.

 Nurse's encouragement to come out!

Daddy's first cuddle

Relaxing on the last day of our "fancy hotel stay"

Homebirth Midwife: Gelena Hinkley

Doctor: Dr. Skeete

*To have your birth story featured on the blog, send it to bocabirthservices@gmail.com