Written for us by Anna

The birth of my first baby, Aiden, happened in my 38th week of pregnancy in the hospital.  Aiden is now 18 months old. Boy was I surprised  this time to go 4 days past my due date before I started having contractions! Nothing intense, just regularly spaced, slowly progressing over the next 2 days from 20 minutes apart, down to 4.  Six  days overdue I woke up at 7:00 am knowing that it would be the day I finally get to meet my little girl. This time we planned and prepared to birth at home by ourselves and it felt totally right.  We live in James' parents home, so they were there, too.  We also invited a doula, Heather, to help clean up and  provide comfort measures.

My husband, James, left for work at 8:30 am, giving me instructions to call when I needed him.  Shortly after 9:00 I called Heather, my doula, to alert her. She arrived at my house a little after 10:00, and we decided to try walking to speed things up. We headed up to the local mall, which is normally a 15 minute walk from my house. This day it took us over an hour, with me barely managing to shuffle my feet along as each  contraction came and my lower body froze. By the time we made it upstairs in the mall, we bumped into James, who had been sent home from work, and came to the mall to meet us. We made a trip to the store to pick up some last minute things, and then headed back home to wait out the day.

Aiden went down for a nap when we got home, and I started making tea. I spent months researching herbs that might be useful during labor, to help calm me down and give me energy. I had enough herbs prepared to make gallons, and it was my plan to spend as much of labor as possible drinking my herb tea to keep me hydrated. By this time, it was close to 3:00 pm, and I figured I'd better eat something while I still felt like it, so I sent my husband out for lunch.

By about 4:00 pm, I was exhausted. The contractions were still just minor, barely annoying. During pregnancy I  got  used to taking naps with Aiden everyday.  So I decided to try laying down and resting, while  I still could. I got back up around 5:00, getting pretty annoyed that the contractions weren't speeding up. What on earth had I wasted the last 10 hours having contractions for, if it was going to take another 10 to get this baby out? I used natural family planning for about 4 years, so I was familiar with the normal feel of my cervix.  I had to get up to use the bathroom anyway, so I decided to go ahead and see if anything was happening. I was horribly afraid that I wouldn't be dilating, and it would be another 24+ hour labor like Aiden's was. When I checked, I was easily 6 centimeters. Not only that, but I could feel my water bag bulging! Holy cow, the baby really was going to come out today! I just couldn't believe that I was dilated so far! With my son, I was sent to the hospital immediately, so I spent the entire time in bed, because the attending doctor thought it was too risky to let me up to walk. I spent a good 12 hours in pain before I had even dilated
to a fingertip. I knew that a homebirth was supposed to be different, because there is less stress, but I truly couldn't believe it had been this  simple so far. All I needed to do until this point was to pause in a doorway during a contraction, so that I could press my back into the doorframe. Although it hurt to sit down, the contractions were perfectly manageable and didn't hurt at all so long as I was standing.

I told Heather how  dilated I was, and she pointed out that we'd better get my birth supplies set up, because it wouldn't be long before I was unable to.  Once I got back up and started moving around, the contractions started picking up again. Heather and I gathered up old towels, and plastic tablecloths and a sheet for the bed. My plan was to put the tablecloths down over the bed, then the sheet, and then towels, so that cleanup would be quick, and I would still have a clean sheet below to lay down on afterwards. We also gathered some towels to put in the dryer to warm the baby after. Heather and I braided some embroidery floss to use as a cord tie, while my mother- in-law, Kathy, sterilized scissors, and made dinner for us. By the time dinner was ready around 6:30 PM, I didn't feel like eating, so I took a bath instead. The bath water just didn't feel warm enough to me, so I soon got out. I decided to check myself again, but as soon as I neared my cervix, my water burst. I waddled to my bedroom, and spent the next several hours laboring there.

I knew that labor would speed up now, so we quickly finished setting up for the coming birth.  It seemed only a couple of minutes before contractions were so strong that I couldn't walk through them. I directed Heather and James in locating clothes for the baby, and in packing a hospital bag, just in case I needed to go to the hospital. They also laid out tablecloths and towels between the bedroom and bathroom, so our carpet would be protected. A little after 7:00 pm, James brought Aiden to me for goodnight kisses. Aiden just looked at me funny, and didn't want anything to do with me.

By the time James got back to me, leaning in doorways just wasn't doing it anymore. I needed to lean against someone. My feet were exhausted from standing almost all day, and it was nice to let someone else help support my body weight. Once James got back, I was able to lean on him, freeing Heather to put counter-pressure and a heated rice sock on my back.

By 8:00 pm, I was ready to try a hot bath again, hoping the water would help my back. My back was hurting enough by this point that I couldn't even feel contractions in the front. Once I got in the bath, I just couldn't get comfortable. It hurt to sit, so I ended up kneeling against the edge of the tub. The water felt cold to me, but James pointed out that it was so hot that it was steaming.  As the next contraction hit, the water felt burning hot.  My body overheated, and I got lightheaded. Thankfully James and Heather were on the ball, it only took them about 2 seconds to have me out of the tub from the time I yelled, "Get me out!"  I was in mid-contraction then, so they literally had to lift me out of the tub.  They helped me back to the bedroom.  Once I stood up, I felt better.  I had no idea what position I needed to be in, but my body told me what I distinctly did NOT need.  I ended up laboring standing up, with James supporting my weight, with one leg propped on the bed.

About 8:30 pm, I knew I was in transition. The light in the bedroom annoyed me, and I couldn't tolerate James and Heather talking, the sounds just echoed in my head. Everything was magnified ~ light was brighter, sounds louder.  All I wanted was peace and quiet. Heather couldn't help anymore by pushing on my back, it just amplified the pain. Heat felt really good on my back, though, and light touch. My body temperature kept fluctuating, and I would get hot instantly, and need cold water on my head.

At one point I needed to change my position, and it had to be right then, that very second. As a contraction intensified, I shoved James onto the bed so I could lay across him and prop my leg up. I needed to kneel, but one leg had to be higher than the other. By laying on him, I was able to let him support my weight so my arms didn't have to. I had the overwhelming urge to bite, and I think I got James pretty hard several times. When the urge to bite ended, I was in a at-the-top-of-your-lungs scream. Granted, the pain was strong, but the urge to scream and growl was more primal than that ~ just the pure instinct to let out the energy building.

After what felt like forever, the contractions eased. I was able to just lay on James with my upper body while I was still kneeling, and rest. I was completely content, and at peace in my own little world. I was too tired even to talk, James told me later he thought I fainted. After about 15 minutes, I needed to pee. James and Heather helped me get up, and James went into the bathroom with me. Almost immediately after I sat down on the toilet, I felt a strong urge to have a bowel movement, but there was just too much pressure, it felt like I was going to give myself hemorrhoids if I relaxed. James told me just to relax and not worry about it. When I allowed myself to relax, my body started pushing, and I had to push, too. One push, and I felt a stretching. I was stunned when I felt stretching. It couldn't possibly be so quick, I still had at least several more hours of hard labor left! I put my hand down to see what the stretching was, and there was a head! I could feel the entire top of her head. I told James that the baby was coming. He told me that I had to get off the toilet. As another contraction started, I kept my hand over her head so she wouldn't just fall into the toilet. Apparently Kathy was walking by the doorway, because she barged in screaming "Not on the toilet!"  Heather followed after her. As another contraction hit, I was completely unable to move. James and Heather lifted me off the toilet, and into a standing position, with James holding me up. Another  contraction, and I felt the urge to push again. Her whole head came out. Another couple of contractions, and Kathy yelled at me that I needed to push. I had no urge to do so, so I just ignored her. The next time the urge to push hit, Heather talked me through it, directing me to make low noises. The baby slid out with the third push, and Kathy caught her behind me.

Almost instantly after she was out, I felt better. Absolutely spectacular in fact, completely on an adrenaline high. I heard Kathy saying "breathe, baby, breathe" so I turned around to see. Since Kathy held her body, I held her hand. The baby responded by squeezing my finger. Since her umbilical cord was still attached and pumping, and she was responding, I wasn't worried about her. Kathy directed James to get a bulb syringe to suction her, since she sounded very congested once she started breathing. James suctioned her, and they passed the baby back between my legs so I could finally hold her. We wrapped her in a towel, and I dried her off. Heather and James helped me back into  the bedroom. I eased onto a recliner with towels on it.  James wrapped a blanket around both of us.   James and I cuddled and oogled our new baby until I started having contractions again after what seemed like 15 minutes. Once the contractions started again, Heather helped me by tying off the umbilical cord, and I cut it. James carried  the baby to meet his father since he didn't really want to be around while the placenta was delivered. I barely had time to stand up, as Heather grasped the bucket we had ready for the placenta. Squatting over the bucket, the placenta was delivered, and Heather helped me wash my legs. I changed into some dry pajama pants, and helped with the after-birth cleanup.

Anna and James cuddling their new little Kiera