I’ve been floating on that post-birth cloud that only the miracle of new life brings. Soon enough, or perhaps it is happening already, I will slowly float back to the ground as Holden and I navigate the fourth trimester together. The joy, pain, awe, intensity, shock, and gratitude of Holden’s birth are still so near to me. Andrew and I…
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From Braxton Hicks to Immediate Transition: Backseat Car Birth of Kenan John!
On Wednesday, January 27th at 2:30 pm I went to my birthing center for my weekly checkup. With me being 38 weeks and 4 days and having had consistent Braxton Hicks for the past couple weeks, my midwife decided to check me. She said I was at a 1 and my cervix was completely soft. While she was down there…
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A Blood Clot, Zika, and High Risk Natural Hospital Birth
Three years ago I was traumatized during my son’s birth and it took me a long time to be ready for another baby. When we found out we were pregnant again we were excited and ready to give natural birth another shot. When I was 21 weeks pregnant we moved to Tonga (in the South Pacific) to serve as missionaries…
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Blissful, Nearly Unattended Home Birth
I had been having false starts for about a week. Light contractions every night that went away when I slept, and didn’t start up again until the next night. Saturday I was 40 weeks 1 day. My midwife stripped my membranes after checking me to find I was 2 cm, long and thick, but somehow at a PLUS 2 station (yes,…
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A Moment of Clarity – Lucie’s Birth
I still had three weeks until my estimated due date but I was ready, I was so ready. However, in spite of the fact that I had been waiting and hoping for labor, it took me a really long time to believe I was actually in it when it finally started. And by a “really long time,” I mean 3…
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Pressure-Free Home Birth After 2 Weeks of Braxton Hicks Contractions
My first birth was fast. After three hours of non-timable contractions my water broke. An hour later I arrived at the hospital at 5cm, and an hour after that I was holding my son. He had to be delivered by a wandering pediatrician because no one thought a first time mom could push out her baby in under 15 minutes…
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Birth Of Elsie {Homebirth Story With Siblings}
We were just waiting for the Braxton Hicks contractions to turn into the real deal so we could get our daughter here. Sunday morning was spent with the church family and then the afternoon was spent with Greg’s family celebrating his mom’s 55th birthday. I was feeling pretty good and honestly didn’t feel like I’d see my daughter anytime in…
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A Surprisingly Quick Natural Birth
My little Rainbow baby is finally here and, between the chaos of the first few weeks and our soon-to-be relocation to Florida, things have been a whirlwind around here. No less a whirlwind than his birth though! From the beginning I decided to make this my most natural birth to date. I decided on no epidural, Pitocin, induction, or anything…
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A Simple Hospital Birth {Baby Waits for Daddy}
On October 17th around midnight, I began having what I thought were mild braxton hicks type contractions. I was able to sleep through them. Hours later as I waited for his father to return home from his family visit (not without complications of course), my contractions came and went as though they weren’t real. Daddy got on his plane at…