I always enjoy reading other people's birth stories, but I know not everyone feels the same way as me.  So, feel free to skip this post if you would like to.  If you are like me and you missed the birth stories of the rest of my kids, here are the links...David, Julia, Joshua, Susanna, and Samuel. 

We moved to our current (and hopefully final) home about 6 weeks before Sammy was born.  At that point, we'd heard about home birth, but never considered it because of the home we lived in...it was just not conducive, in my mind, for a home birth...I rather liked leaving there for a couple of days every now and then.  Don't get me wrong, it was a good house and we loved our 8 years there...we had just grown out of it and since it was built in the 1930's, it only had one teensy, tiny bathroom.

So, anyway...after the ordeal that was Samuel's birth and the hassle everyone endured to come visit me in the hospital for 2 or 3 days...40 minutes away and the loneliness that I experienced in the hospital...40 minutes away from my family for several days... we I began dreaming of having the next one at home.    David was pretty easy to persuade...or even if he wasn't persuaded, he was at least agreeable...or resigned, perhaps...

We decided to have a waterbirth b/c I enjoyed the 3 minutes of relief the bathtub gave me at the hospital with Sammy...

So, the following is Becca's very short birth story...

I was up most of the night on Sunday night...just not comfortable, but nothing to get excited about.  David stayed home for a couple of hours on Monday morning just in case...but by 10am, he went to work and we went about our day as usual.  My midwife came for my regular appt. on Monday afternoon.  She assured me that, yes, I would, indeed, eventually go into labor...nobody stays pregnant forever .  David got home from work at about 6:15pm.  Everyone sat down to dinner...pasta and meatballs...as I was walking to the table to join everyone, I had my first contraction...it was right around 6:30 or so.  I never did sit down to dinner.  David saw my face and said..."I'll fill the pool..."  About 5 minutes later, I had the second one, so I called my midwife to just let her know.  She said, "Call me back in an hour or if things change."  I called her back in about 6 minutes and 3 contractions later.  She said she was on her way. 

Just before everyone had sat down to dinner, David told some friends he'd come over in a few minutes to unload a big stove from a truck...he almost called and told them he couldn't, but since they only live 6 minutes away, I told him to go and get back quick...he was back by about 7:15.  About that time I headed upstairs to our room.  The kids went outside to await our midwife's arrival as well as for Nana and Papaw who were on their way as well...

I think my midwife got here around 7:30...and about that time I asked if I could get in the pool...as I was headed that way, my water broke.  As soon as I got in the pool I felt like I would already need to push soon...it didn't seem like everyone was quite ready for that, though...my midwife was still getting set up and the second midwife was still on her way.  The next 30-45 minutes are really a blur...a very painful blur...the second midwife arrived just as I had to start pushing.  Long story short, our precious baby was born underwater at 8:34 pm.  She didn't cry when she was born, but she was very alert and looking around...she was so peaceful.  We didn't even look to see if she was a girl or a boy for several minutes.

The idea behind having a baby in the water, or at least laboring in the water, is that the water takes some of the pressure away and makes the pain more bearable.  I'm not sure if it works quite as well on lightening fast labors..., but it is definitely preferable to a "land delivery". 

We praise God for His guidance and protection during and after Becca's birth.  I didn't have any of the complications I had with Samuel and for that we are so thankful!  In thinking through everything, I'm particularly thankful that God led us to have this baby here at home...given the speed of the labor, I most likely would not have made it into a room at the hospital if that had been our plan...and nobody wants to have a baby in a waiting room...or in a car...

Here are some of my favorite parts of having Becca at home:

• hearing the kids running around and hearing the praise music blaring downstairs during the delivery
• being able to bring all of the kids in just a few minutes after she was born to meet their baby sister
• taking a shower in my own shower just minutes after she was born
• sleeping in my own bed
• not being woken up every 30 minutes for someone to check my temperature and my blood pressure and to push on my belly
• not being woken up and told I needed to nurse my baby
• waking up to the sight of goats grazing in their pasture with the sun shining in my window...not to the sight of a parking lot outside the window
• Eating good home-cooking rather than perfectly portioned hospital food with no taste
• Hearing my 2yo wake up and start yelling..."Momma, Baby, Momma, Baby"
• Having my kids all come in and climb on the bed to see their new baby sister in the light of day
• Spending the day enjoying my entire family, not missing them.

I have no idea what God has in store for us, or even if He plans to bless us with more children, but I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to have this precious child at home...it is a memory I will cherish forever.  Thank you, Jesus!