Birthing Again

The last time I tried this, things could have gone better.  This time was nothing short of a dream come true.
This time, I went to Austin Area Birthing Center instead of a hospital.  My checkups were comfortable and laid back.  They never kept me waiting, never required me to wear a paper gown, and didn't routinely perform unnecessary tests.  They didn't accidentally reveal the gender of our baby, and they didn't lie to us about what would and would not be allowed during labor.  At the birthing center, I met all the midwives and attended no fewer than three prenatal yoga classes every week.  I scheduled five prenatal massages with my amazing doula, Lacreshia Laningham, and towards the end of the pregnancy, I started going to a wonderful acupuncturist, Melissa Light.  I was as pampered and happy as a pregnant lady could possibly be.
At 12:50 on Monday night, my water broke as I was sleeping.  I started having mild contractions, which quickly progressed to 90-second contractions every 15 minutes.  I slept in between them until morning.  We texted Lacreshia at daybreak and called the birthing center around 9:30.  Unsure of how labor would progress, we set up an appointment to test the amniotic fluid a few hours later.  By 11:00, contractions were every 10 minutes, and by 11:30, they were every 4.
When I arrived to the birthing center at noon, Midwife Meg Rodenbusch admitted me into the art studio birthing suite.  I had dilated to 6 cm, and I got into an enormous beautiful tub right away.  Contractions continued to progress fairly rapidly.  Lacreshia was by my side pressing cold cloths onto my forehead and keeping a floatation device in place as I passed out between contractions.  George was in the tub with me.  When I opened my eyes, I only saw the faces of people I trusted.
Before very long, I was ready to push.  The midwives checked me, and although I wasn't fully dilated, they encouraged me to push if it felt right.  It wasn't long before Drakeson and Mom entered the room to welcome my sweet daughter.  She arrived facing up, blinking at all of us from under the water before the final push.  George caught her, and she was placed on my skin with a towel around her little body at 1:54 pm.  In these moments of joy, George and I forgot to check her gender.  It was the most magical birthing experience I could possibly imagine.

Newborn

My Angels