Birth Story

APRIL 18, 2007
THE BIRTH

Having never been in labor, I was not sure, but becoming quite suspicious of some odd sensations the night of the 17th. They were not regular contractions, but seemed to continue in the morning and afternoon of the 18th. We had chosen to have our baby at The Birth Center, and I had been seeing two midwives there for all my prenatal care. Around 3pm, we decided to go have things checked out. The midwife, Jeanne said I was 2 cm dilated, and thought with luck the baby would come before midnight, or sometime the next day. We decided to go home, to rest more, since it appeared that it may be a bit of time. By 4:45, things had picked up, and at 5:15 we were back at The Birth Center. I was almost 4 cm. In the soothing home-like environment, I began to prepare for the birth. Jeanne put me in the whirlpool tub which was very relaxing. We had meditation music on, lights off, candles lit and the evening light coming through the cracked blinds. Rob, my mom, and Jeanne all worked hard to keep me comfortable and relaxed. Just after 9, I could tell that it was time to start pushing. With calm, supportive guidance and a lot of hard work, the baby descended perfectly, and arrived at 10:08 pm.
She was immediately put on my chest, and Rob and I were in love with our new daughter. She was found to be in perfect health and very alert. She was 6 lbs, 13.5 oz and stretched to 19 3/4 inches. Dad, Sam and Michael came in to meet her and thus baby Lydia met just a few of the many people who will love her.
Rob and I spent the night with her curled between us, the fire place warming our little baby girl. What an amazing day. Nothing could have prepared me for how wonderful everything would be. We were home by 8:30 the next morning, ready to begin our life as parents.