I knew I wanted this birth to be different. I wanted to fulfill my longtime dream of a home birth, but financially a hospital birth was more reasonable. However, after being dissatisfied with my first two midwives, and then having little issues come up with my third midwife, who then told me she was not delivering after April, I decided it was time to listen to my heart and follow my desires. A chance conversation on MDC (Mothering Dot Commune) with a local woman inspired me to start searching again for homebirth midwives for the third time, this time I spoke to Jan Eklund, whom I could tell had a great passion for midwifery and was willing to work with us financially.

Once I was at ease with my decision I informed my family, who were very uncomfortable with my decision, however they were able to put their own feelings aside to support me. My mom even decided to fly in during my 40th week of pregnancy in hopes of being here for the birth.

My due date, May 30th, came and went without more than Braxton Hicks. The 31st my mom flew in from Washington. On the 1st, my husband, kids and I packed a large picnic and ate it at a local park. That night at 7 pm I started having contractions 8 minutes apart lasting 3 minutes long and needing to be concentrated through. They continued all through the night slowing around 2 am and stopping at 4 am.

I was frustrated and Bobby and I were both exhausted from lack of sleep, so he took the day off from work to stay home with me (June 2nd). Austin and Christopher were acting wild and we were all tired, so I sent them outside to play on their scooter and bike so they would burn off some energy while Bobby and I tried to recover ours. Shortly after leaving, Christopher came in crying, he had fallen off his scooter and we decided it probably needed x-rayed so my mom and I took him to urgent care to get it looked at, sure enough it was broken and he needed to see the orthopedic specialist the next day to see if it needed a cast.

Tuesday morning, I woke up at 7 am no longer able to ignore the contractions that had been waking me in the night. Before he left for work, Bobby told me I had been groaning all night and he would reach over and feel my stomach and it would be hard. I called my midwife Jan and my doula Candace to let them know I may be in pre-labor. The contractions were stronger than the ones on Sunday, but irregular. I took a nap after lunch and they really started to intensify, to the point where I sent my mom and son off to the Ortho with my insurance card and a note because I did not think I would do well at the appointment.

Around 8 pm, on the 3rd, Jan called me to ask how I was doing because she was getting ready for bed and wanted to know if she should expect a call in the night or not, and after talking we decided she would come over just to check on me since I had canceled our appointment earlier that day. When she checked my progress, she said I was 4-5 cm dilated and 95% effaced and wanted to camp out because she felt this was the real deal.

I went ahead and called Candace and she called Kim, who was going to be my second doula, and they arrived around 10 pm. Once everyone got here, my contractions responded and started getting much stronger; however, they were in my back and required a lot of rubbing and counter pressure. Candace and Kim helped me find different positions to labor in and helped me with stair walking activities to make sure my baby was in a good position.

They also rubbed my back with the contractions and my feet and shoulders between them. Around midnight, the pressure was getting more intense so I asked if I could get in the tub, so Jan checked me again and told me I had not made a lot of progress, but she could probably stretch me to 7cm and I was ok to try laboring in the tub.

Once she stretched me, the contractions started coming a lot faster so the water of the birthing tub was heavenly. My contractions slowed and I was able to rest between them, but when they came on they were extremely intense and in my back. I was trying very hard to remain calm, but inside I was starting to feel panicky. Halfway into each of the rushes, I started grunting and pushing a little, but I still was not feeling the urge to push, I just wanted to vocalize and express the sensations I was feeling.

I remember hearing one of my doulas ask Jan if I was complete, she was in the tub with me, and I heard her say “don’t worry; she will push when she is ready”. Hearing these words gave me hope that I may be near the end. The back labor was like nothing I have ever felt before, I did not have the urge to push, yet my body was pushing the baby down and my support team was telling me to push through the sensations and it would feel better. I was feeling frustrated that I was doing all this work and nothing was happening, and the power I was feeling was very intense. I was roaring like a lion with each surge and clinging to my mom and husband for support. Soon I felt the most amazing thing ever as I could feel her coming down into the birth canal, it felt like I had a bowling ball inside of me and I was feeling so powerful, I pushed again and I heard the midwife exclaim the head was out. The rest of her just seemed to slide out and my baby was here! At 1:43 am on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 my baby girl Sophia Elanna came into this world with open eyes and a very calm demeanor. She also was born with a nuchal hand (hand born next to her head) and I had a tiny “skid mark” which is a tiny abrasion, but not a single tear. I did not need any sort of repair.

The flood of emotions I was feeling was so intense, from trying to process the physical sensations I had felt, to having my baby there in my arms, to just feeling disbelief that I did it. I felt so powerful and even was able to climb out of the tub and onto my bed with little assistance while still holding my baby who had a very short cord. Not long after getting in bed, I delivered the placenta. This was amazing to me since I did not remember that part of my other deliveries, as they wasted no time in my hospital births and pulled it out almost immediately.

Everyone worked on cleaning up while I got a chance to bond and cuddle with my baby girl. She was so calm and wide eyed, and alert. She just took everything in, lifting her head to look around. Jan then did the newborn exam, her APGAR was 9, and she was 6 lbs 10 oz and 18 7/8th inches long.

When the cord stopped pulsating, and was ready to cut, my midwife asked Bobby if he wanted to do it and he declined, so I was about to cut it, but asked my mom to do it, since she was such a key element to my positive birth experience and I felt if anyone deserved the honor, it was her.

Around 3:30 am I took my shower, it was so wonderful, and by a little after 4 am, I was able to go to bed, however I do not think I slept at all until around 7 am when Bobby took her downstairs for a little while to get some cuddle time. Sophie is such a sweet, calm little baby; she is a cuddle bug and nursing like a champion. She does not really have a fussy time, but she does have times where she is active.

This birth, by far, was my most rewarding. Even though I had epidurals to take care of the physical pain in Christopher and Matthew’s hospital births, that could not take away the mental pain of regrets and dissatisfaction with all the interventions. Being in my own home, in my own comfort zone, with an amazing birth & support team, and the amazing techniques I learned from my Hypnobabies home study courses made the entire experience breathtakingly beautiful. I felt so calm, Zen-like during my birthing time, and I was able to handle each contraction as it came, and let it go when it left, and not think about the next one until it was upon me. My head space stayed clean and I never once felt like I could not handle it anymore and needed drugs. I cannot get over the feeling of accomplishment and pride I feel. I did it!

Special thanks to my doulas Candace (above) and Kim (below) who reminded me of my strength through the entire labor and birth, and who’s tireless hands comforted me through each contraction helping me keep my calm. And of course to my calm and collect midwife, Jan, who brought so much wisdom and experience to my birth, and for making it possible for me to fulfill my dream of a homebirth.

And I just had to include this picture, because it shows how tired my poor family is the morning of the birth.

And of course, thank you to my beautiful mother, who flew in to support me during my birth, even though she was uncomfortable with homebirth. She never once wavered in her unconditional love and support. She never once showed fear, even though she told me later she was scared when Sophie was taking a while to clear the mucous from her throat and we let her work it out without suction.

I hesitate to put this in writing as babies know how to read and then say - “Psych! I was just joking.”

I have been contracting every 4-8 minutes lasting over a minute for the last 2 hours. I was contracting every 5-15 minutes this morning starting at 7am and these are a LOT harder to focus through. Birth team is on standby and I am going to have Bobby take a walk with me when he gets home from work.

I had to send my mom to the ortho with Christopher to get his arm fixed, by herself, in a strange town, in a minivan (she has never driven a minivan) and the staff there were so nice when I called to explain why I could not make it.

Anyways, send me all the “for petes sake, let this FINALLY be the real thing” easy labor vibes and let’s hope I have a good update soon… mama wants this baby girl out NOW!

Between 3 days of appointments on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday thanks to the school Chris is on the waiting list for, weekly midwife visits, and then my mom flying in on Saturday I have been plenty busy. I almost feel like nature is trying to keep me going to keep my mind off being overdue.

Well, I guess they were all slacking because I apparently was not busy enough. Austin and Christopher were bored today, so I told them to go outside and play. Austin took his bike, Chris took his scooter. About 20 minutes later, Christopher comes in crying and holding his left arm. He fell off his scooter and caught himself with his wrist. I sent him to run cold water on it and took a shower, thinking he was just sore. Bobby comes in (more on why he was home in a little bit) and tells me it is pretty swollen so he thinks he should be seen. Ok, so I tell him to call urgent care and make an appointment and my mom and I will take him in.

So we get him to urgent care and he in bouncing off the walls, acting totally fine, putting pressure on his arms, making it look like a wasted trip. We actually tell him to settle down because we are worried they will send us home with ice and Motrin and not x-ray his arm. The PA comes in, she is super sweet, takes his history, notes the small amount of swelling and then sends us downstairs to radiology. Chris seems smitten by the cute x-ray tech, she is a pretty little thing though. A short while later, my mom hears someone say “buckle break, room 5″ in the hallway and my mom asks “are we room 5?” Crap. Sure enough, it was us. Christopher broke his arm. The PA tells us the buckle fracture is one of the most common childhood fractures and that he will need to see an orthopedic doctor, however he may or may not need a cast. He has a splint and a sling right now and it seems to be doing fine. Here is a picture of what a buckle break looks like (this is not Christopher’s x-ray, just one I found on the web).

I am keeping plenty busy, between urgent care today, and ortho tomorrow afternoon. I also see my midwife tomorrow for my 40w4d visit, and HOPEFULLY our last prenatal. Last night I was thinking I was going to be seeing her sooner as I had around 9 hours of strong contractions every 8 minutes lasting 3 minutes in length. Around 4am my body surrendered to exhaustion and that was the end of those. Since then I have been having irregular contractions. Sometimes minutes apart, sometimes hours, mostly in my back. I put the doula and midwife on alert, so I am sure I will get a long restful night of sleep tonight. *sigh* I did get a good nap in this evening hoping to keep well rested in case it started again at dinner time, but nothing significant. My mom leaves in 5 days, please cross your fingers we can get something going before she leaves!

I am due today, and apparently my baby did not get the memo. Time to come out little one! Mommy, daddy and your brothers want to spoil you rotten!s

I got an email from one of the gals in my homebirth support group of a couple interesting articles on a mainstream parenting website talking about the pros of home birth. I found them very interesting, especially after my prenatal massage with a gentleman who is also a birth doula. He told me that only 1-3% of all hospital deliveries are completely natural without epidurals or other pain drugs. We also talked about how our local hospitals have a 30+% cesarean rate, with homebirth only having about a 3% rate. Anyways, check out the links below, they are very interesting. I have posted the overviews below, they are quotes from the articles and not written by me.

Check out the full article here: Home Sweet Home Birth

Home births are not just for granola loving Earth mamas. There are plenty of advantages to giving birth in the comforts of your own home. It may surprise you to know that approximately 75% of women worldwide choose a home birth as their delivery method of choice. That is except for here in the United States where, according to Ricki Lake’s documentary “The Business of Being Born,” hospital deliveries are encouraged over home births because they’re more advantageous to doctors and insurance companies rather than mother and child. But now, more and more expectant American mothers are doing the unexpected and choosing home births over hospital deliveries.

And then better yet, check out this Q&A about the safety and pros of homebirth: Homebirth: Making it Happen

If you have thought about delivering your baby at home, you probably have a lot of questions! Are you wondering what exactly a midwife is, and whether midwifery care is right for you? What about homebirth — is it safe? Is it legal? Is it what you want? This article, an excerpt from “Homebirth: Making it Happen,” will help you find answers to these questions — and more.

My children have entitlement issues. They made a list of summer activities and on the list was visiting expensive arcades and Six Flags this summer. Ha! I told them summer is for riding bikes and playing outside.

Christopher has had three days worth of enrollment and testing for the charter school he is on the waiting list for. I was hoping that would prompt Sophie to make an appearance since babies are so anti-schedule, but she decided to be a good little sister and let him finish, darn it!

I just got home from a 90 minute prenatal massage. O.M.G. Was heavenly!! For good measure I made sure to hit every bump and pothole on the way home. I am contracting a bit, but what else is new. LOL I finally feel at peace with the world though, I hope this does not wear off anytime soon, I am loving this pregnancy zen.

My husband came home this morning to take care of some stuff he needed to do for work. He ended up making me a nice brunch of eggs and sausage. YUM!

My cats have lost their minds, I think they have all decided to put their differences aside so they can keep me under 24/7 surveillance. I cannot leave a room without at least 2 of the 3 furry beasties following me.

I know people mean well, but seriously, I am getting sick of people asking if I am still pregnant.

Rest assured, when Sophia arrives, I will let everyone know, I promise I will. Well, more thank likely you will get a phone call, text message or email from Bobby saying “she is here, mom and baby are resting, you will be updated later”.

I tend to bake my babies longer than the magical 40 week due date, so I am not particularly excited that I am due in a week, because, really, that just means it could still be another 2-3 weeks after that date before I have my little girl.

Yes, I feel huge, thanks for the reminder, it was not clear enough last night as I was trying to shave my legs that my belly prevents me from seeing any part of my body below my breasts, not without olympic type maneuvers of trying to flex my body in ways it is not meant to flex.

An yes, apparently I *AM* very bitchy… I think I have the right to be!

A while back on Good Morning America I heard about a restaurant in Georgia that had a recipe that sent women into labor. I filed the information in the back of my mind, and did not think about it again until a couple nights ago when I decided to google foods that are supposed to trigger labor.

I came across the article from GMA about the Eggplant Parmigiana in Georgia and almost drug Bobby to Olive Garden to see if their recipe did the same, but then I noticed they made the recipe available to the general public! I figured, if anything the recipe looks like it tastes good, so what would it hurt to try it? So today we went to Safeway, picked up the ingredients and I slaved over a hot stove to make it.

OMG! Labor or no labor, this recipe is SO worth it!! It turned out perfect, there is no way it could have tasted any better. My husband and kids devoured it also. I would have made a few changes though: I would have started cooking earlier, this took a long time to make. I would have halved the recipe, it made two HUGE pans of food, enough for our large family to have it as three full meals (thank goodness Italian food makes the BEST leftovers and anything in red sauce usually tastes better the next day). I also would have skipped the rich bread I served with it (the frozen, pre-buttered, garlic toast) and opted for a plain white french bread.

If you are looking for a GREAT recipe, make sure you check out Scalini’s Eggplant Parmigiana recipe. The legend is pretty cool and I guess we will know soon enough if it works for me. Also, if this recipe is any indication of their other meals, and you are in the Smyrna or Marietta Georgia area, you should check out Scalini’s Italian Restaurant; let me know if it is any good!

Oh yay, as if I don’t have enough to complain about… I am sick! The hacking cough that DH and the kids had last month finally made its way to me. So now I have this fun cough that sends me into tears each time because every time I hack up a lung it rockets a baby onto my cervix. OUCH!

I.AM.SO.DONE!

Ok, so it’s been a while since I did a belly pic, so I figured I would go ahead and update and share the ginormous belly.

So, I had my 36 week appointment on Tuesday, all is well, I am measuring right on schedule. Sophia is head down in my pelvis with a good strong heartbeat and a stronger stubborn streak. Blood pressure was 112/68, so perfect. I still weigh less than pre-pregnancy by 5 lbs, which is right where my midwife is guessing Sophie’s weight… around 5 1/2 lbs. Next Tuesday I have my home visit, which I am really looking forward to.

However, today’s milestone of 37 weeks is exciting, because by all medical textbooks, today I am considered “term”, meaning if I have the baby today, she would not be considered premature… do I see her coming today, tomorrow, or even next week?? No, but hopefully soon, and definately in the next 6 weeks!