I woke up to a strong, but not painful contraction, on Friday, June 1^st at 1 am.  I had been having many braxton hick's contractions for a  couple of weeks.  But this was MUCH stronger.  The contractions were fluxuating between 4-20 minutes apart.  I stayed in bed with Barry and our 3 y.o. Cassidy, quietly breathing thru the contractions (and sleeping a little in between them) until about 4:30 am.  Barry woke up and I told him I thought I was in labor, but to go back to sleep because it was still fairly mild. 

About 5:30 am they became more regular, about 4 minutes apart and they were strong enough to where I had to start really concentrating and moaning a bit, so I went into the spare bedroom.  

At about 7:15 am I got up and called my midwife just as a “heads-up” that I was in labor, but not too serious yet.  She told me to call her back in an hour and let her know my progress.

I realized that I would be having company soon, so I started rushing around cleaning the house, running up and down the stairs, etc. between contractions.  That REALLY got things moving!  I called the midwife back at 8:15 and told her that things seemed to be really progressing fast.  So she notified her apprentice (who lives ½ hr. away, the midwife lives 1 hr. away) to get to my house as soon as she could and that she would also come right away. 

Barry and Cassidy got up around 8 am and realized I was in full blown labor.  Barry got busy setting up the birthing tub and getting the bed covered in plastic, etc.  

Cassidy was such an angel.  She started rubbing my back, bringing me stuffed animals “to hold for when you have to push hard”.  She kept saying, “you can do it, mama!  Keep going, you can do it!”    Barry once came in the room and said “remember to breathe” and Cassidy picked up on that and kept reminding me to breathe, which truly helped.

I got in our bathtub (the birthing tub was filling up soooo slowly) and labored there till 8:45 am.  Then the contractions started coming 1-2 minutes apart and coming so strong that I started feeling like I had to push.  I was getting out of the tub, around 9:30 am when the apprentice finally got there and realized it was going MUCH faster than any of us had expected.    That’s about when I hit transition, and man, was that stage a shock!  

The apprentice had to rush around trying to get everything set up.   As soon as Barry got the mattress covered and the plastic on the floor, he went downstairs to make a quick breakfast for Cassidy, not aware that I was so close!  

I was on our bed writhing around in pain and felt intense pressure like the baby was on her way out.  The apprentice checked me for the first time and said she could feel the baby's head already!  This whole time I kept thinking I was going to be in all that pain for another 5 hours, at least (recalling my labor with Cassidy).   I asked the apprentice if she could pleeeeeeease break my water.   She said she could.  But right then, I gave a really hard push and my water broke very explosively (sadly on Barry’s favorite pillow!  HA!)  But what relief… for a second anyway!  I realized I was completely miserable in the position I was in (laying on my side) so I jumped down on the floor in a squatting position and instantly felt the baby move down and start coming out.  The apprentice suddenly said she saw lots of dark hair. 

I tried to yell for Barry to get upstairs but had NO lung power, so the apprentice yelled and he came FLYING up the stairs.  But when he saw that I was giving birth, he got behind me and supported me under my arms.  I gave about 3 pushes and her head popped out.  

I tried to yell for Cassidy to get upstairs because she had been anticipating and preparing for this moment for 8 1/2 months, but again I had no voice (especially after all that screaming during transition!).  Barry yelled for her and she came running upstairs and got to see Carly’s head sticking out.  She looked so excited and amazed!  Then I was so tired and asked the apprentice “do I have to push again to get the body out?”  She sort of laughed and said yes, and that I needed to do it asap so the head wasn’t out by itself too long.  I mustered up the energy for a good strong push and out popped her little body!  

Barry gently rested me down on the floor, still supporting my back as the apprentice laid Carly on my tummy.   Carly looked up at me, then at Cassidy and was so beautiful with her big blue eyes and thick, dark brown hair!  Oh, my, the love that overwhelmed me at that instant.

Then, a few minutes later, I pushed once more and the placenta came out quite easily.  And in the cord was a true knot, apparently very rare.  We waited to cut the cord till it stopped pulsating.

Right after we cut the cord and rested for a few minutes, I got into our bathtub with Carly and just held her in the warm water and we stared at each other for about 15 minutes.  It was so relaxing and she loved the water around her.  She was wide eyed with wonder at her new world.

The midwife missed the birth.  She arrived about 20 minutes after Carly was born.  And we also never did get the birthing tub full enough for me to get in.  But the squatting position worked beautifully!

Our midwife and apprentice went downstairs and let our family bond for about an hour.  What a magical time!  All 4 of us, laying on our bed, just talking and praising God and holding the baby.  Cassidy was wearing her "I'm the big sister" t-shirt and was just in heaven holding her new baby sister (whom she instinctively KNEW was a girl from the beginning of my pregnancy and KNEW her name would be Carly).

Carly weighed 8 lbs., 6 oz. and was 21” long.   Everyone says she looks just like me.

We are feeling incredibly blessed and thankful for such a perfectly beautiful and quick home birth.  It was so awesome not to have to worry about packing and getting to the hospital on time.   If we have any more children, we plan to have them in the comfort and safety of our own home.  What a wonderful experience.