| We found out we were pregnant when our daughter was
18 months old.
Our natural family planning idea was that when Courtney was
ready for a sibling, she would slow down nursing enough for my cycles to return. We were ready, excited and very happy! When my first daughter was about a year old, I had read a home birth story and knew at that time that my next child would be born at home. My husband didn't need much convincing, we think alike. He talked to our daughters pediatrician, 3 of his 4 children were born at home. His fears answered, we called our midwives. My pregnancy was a wonderful and difficult time. I glowed on the outside and winced on the inside! Life was growing in me, a beautiful daughter we would name Jade. I managed raising a toddler while lying on the bathroom floor during my first trimester. I glowed during my second trimester and was sooo uncomfortable my third trimester. At 39 weeks pregnant, I woke from a nap at 3:30pm and my contractions started soon after. We called our midwives and went to the store for last minute provisions. Secretly in labor, we wandered the store playing with our toddler, enjoying our last hours with her as an only child. She went to bed at 8pm that night, very rare for her. We stayed up until 11pm, at which time Tosi, one of my midwives, told me to try and sleep and call her when the contractions woke me up. I fell asleep easily. I woke up at 2am and went to the bathroom. I dozed off to sleep and woke up 5 minutes later with a very strong, can't-sleep-through-that-one contraction! I got up and timed the contractions while emailing my friends with an update. They were four minutes apart, time to call my midwives, Tosi and Stacey and wake up James! James and I timed contractions and giggled sleepily until Tosi and Stacey arrived at 3:30am. I had Stacey check my dilation, I was at 5cm. We decided to watch a movie while I labored. My contractions were strong but only required my concentration during them, in between I watched the movie, joked with my midwives and worried about how hard it was gonna get. At 6am, my sweet Courtney woke up to join the party. The contractions were getting stronger and I was leaning on James through them. After a bit, this scared Courtney and every now and then she would cry. When she would cry, they would try distracting her during my contraction and I would talk with her right after it. Her being upset with me in pain was a little hard on my emotions only because there was truly nothing I could do, but I would not have had it any other way. I wanted her there to see her sister's birth and in hindsight I know we were right to have her there. My water burst all over James at 7:30am. Once my contraction ended, we all had a good laugh over that one! It was the one thing he didn't want to happen! After he got cleaned up, we couldn't distract Courtney so we opened the front door and she played right outside the door. I called James back right after he opened the door with a loud "the babies coming!" I was on my hands and knees leaning on the couch, pushing and crying out - I was more vocal than I ever expected to be. Courtney came back inside and got down on her hands and knees at my legs to watch all the action. Jade's head was coming out and fluid splashed on Courtney which scared her as it hit her right in the face! James picked her up to console her and together they watched Jade being born at 7:53am. Courtney was in awe - she had seen birth videos so she knew what to expect but it's different when it's your mom and it's happening right in front of you! I cuddled Jade Raven in my arms, skin to skin with Courtney right beside us, helping me welome her sister to the world. Jade weighed 7lbs 3oz and was 19 inches long. She latched on at 7 minutes old and stayed that way for 4 weeks non-stop! My little nurser girl! I'm actually tandem nursing Courtney and Jade, which is challenging at times but always worth the hardship on me when I see how much Courtney still needs that special relationship. Plus I just love seeing Courtney hold Jade's hand, rub her hair and pat her back while they nurse! I treasure the memory of having my baby born at home. I was in control of my environment and the things that were happening to me. I worked with my body without interruptions and asked for help from people who were there for the sole purpose of helping me bring our beautiful daughter into the world. After her birth, I held my daughter skin to skin which was very important to me. If I had been at a hospital I would never have taken off my shirt…er…hospital gown to hold her how she needed to be held. No one poked her, prodded her, shoved things up her nose, scrubbed her clean or put harsh materials against her little body. She was mine, all mine! My lucky, home-birthed baby! ~Carrie |