At this point the contractions were starting to get even stronger and I had to shut my eyes and concentrate to get through them. I had NO idea how not intense these early contractions were… or what was to come within a few hours! Still, they were strong enough to prevent any further sleep, so I got up and went to relax on the couch and watch some TV to occupy my time. We decided now would be a good time to call our birth assistant to give her a heads up that she would probably be attending a birth today! From the three birth assistants we had been working with, Pam was the one on-call. She said to let her know when the midwife said it was a good idea for her to show up and she’d be on her way! Until then, we were waiting patiently (sort of) for things to pick up.

My mom arrived around 8:30. Right as she walked in the door, I got a call from Regina, another midwife. It turned out that Alice was going to another birth, and Regina would be attending mine! I talked to her for a bit, told her contractions were getting a little closer together and stronger. It was becoming difficult to talk during them—I had two during our 7 minute conversation and had to pause our conversation to breathe and concentrate. Regina said she was going to do a postpartum visit and then she’d be over to see how I was doing, so I should expect her to be here around 10. Until then, my husband (Isaac), my mom and I relaxed (ha!) and watched a movie. My choice! What did I choose? Anger Management! How appropriate, right? I didn’t watch most of it, as by this time, contractions were about 3 minutes apart, lasting over a minute, and really painful. Isaac was my support—literally! Some contractions were so strong that I was hanging off of him, eyes shut, groaning to get through them.

Then, of all days to show up, the heating oil truck pulled into our driveway to refill our tank. Isaac ran out there to explain what was going on and find out how long it was going to take. 5 minutes, apparently, so we said that would be fine. Who knew they could fill it that quickly?! Crisis averted…

My dad showed up around 9:15 to pick up our puppy, and Regina arrived a little after 10:30 a.m. She examined me—100% effaced, 2 cm dilated and the baby was at -2 station. I was ecstatic at the 100% effaced part! Regina said it took a lot of work to get to that point. I was a little disappointed at the 2cm—I thought (hoped) I’d be further along at that point. But I wasn’t discouraged! All in due time… I’d rather go through it gradually and let my body adjust to all the changes it was going through.

While Regina was examining me, she got a call from Lori, another of our birth assistants. It turned out Pam had to go to the emergency room, so Lori would be attending our birth. Regina told her how my labor was progressing, and said she’d be in touch when it was time for Lori to get on the road. She left at 11 a.m. to do another postpartum visit and said she’d be back in the afternoon, but to give her a call if anything significant happened. Well, that is, she TRIED to leave… the UPS truck pulled in behind her car to deliver six huge boxes… the suitcases we’d ordered that weren’t supposed to be here until Thursday. Again, of all days! So Isaac left me to help the UPS guy get the boxes inside quickly, and I quickly retreated to the bedroom so as not to be seen by the UPS guy. I was in no mood to see anyone I didn’t know, especially while I was having a contraction.

I was a little uncomfortable at being left alone by the midwife for so long, especially since the postpartum visit she was doing was in Baltimore—a good hour away when there’s no traffic. Lori’s drive would be an hour and a half in good traffic. It was Monday in D.C.—there was no such thing as good traffic… I was praying that at least one would be here in time for me to give birth!

The next 4 hours are a bit of a blur. My mom and Isaac tried to get me to eat a sandwich—I got one bite down, and that was a struggle. I was drinking water & juice constantly (or so it seemed to me!) My dad returned around noon, and by this time I was moaning (or howling, as he put it) through my contractions. My parents were talking during them, which was rather distracting and at the time really pissed me off. Then, during one particularly painful contraction, I could hear my dad trying REALLY hard not to snicker at my “howling”, so I retreated to my bedroom. Ah, peace at last! I was happy they were there, but I didn’t need to be in the same room with them at that moment. I needed to be free to be as loud as I wanted without feeling ridiculous.

Shortly after going to my bedroom, I got really nauseous and had the sudden urge to vomit. My husband wasn’t quick enough, and before he could grab me the trash can, the floor got it instead. Recalling that this was a sign of transition, I had Isaac call Regina. She wasn’t answering her phone (later we learned this was because we’d been calling her home phone and not her cell phone… oops!), so we called Lori. She could hear me moaning in the background and decided she needed to get on the road. Apparently I was progressing a little more quickly than they thought I was going to! She assured us that vomiting was not necessarily a sign of transition, but definitely a sign that labor was active! To get ahold of Regina, we called the practice and they got ahold of her and had her call us back. She said she would be on her way back shortly, and should be there in an hour or an hour and a half. It was about 1 p.m. at this point-- I really hoped one of them would make it!

Meanwhile, I tried various positions to “get comfortable”. Regina had suggested lying down to try to rest, but lying down was NOT an option—it was so much more painful than standing or using the birthing ball, or even sitting. Most of the time, I hung off of Isaac and let the contractions pass. I took a shower at Regina's suggestion, but it didn't really help. The time between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. (when Regina and Lori arrived) is a complete blur. I was in transition, there was no doubt. I remember sitting on the edge of my bed, clutching Isaac's hand (or arm or shoulder) in a death grip, and struggling through what seemed like one long extremely painful contraction-- one that lasted for two ridiculously long hours. I also remember hearing the TV in the living room gradually get louder as I gradually got louder. At this point, I was literally howling to get through contractions, and apparently was louder than the movie my parents were watching (Office Space, as it turned out). Sometime during these two hours, all modesty was lost and the clothes came off. I put on a light robe just to keep a little warm. Isaac was not allowed to leave my side! He was so wonderful, the best support system I could have ever hoped or asked for! Later, he told me this was the hardest part for him, as I was in so much pain and he couldn't take it away. I was so out of it, concentrating fully on what my body was doing and breathing/groaning through contractions. Now, looking back, I'm glad it's all a blur! I think it's the body's way of keeping the species going. If women remembered this part, they would never have more than one child!! :) (I do remember telling Isaac during this time that Isabella was going to be an only child! Haha...)

At 3 p.m. Regina and Lori arrived, and shortly after, Katie, the student midwife, arrived also. They checked my vitals and the baby's heartbeat. They asked if my water had broken. At that point, I thought it might have, but wasn't sure. About 30 minutes later I knew I was wrong, because my water really did break! It didn't just break, it gushed. There was no mistaking that! 45 minutes later, at 4:15 p.m. I got the sudden urge to push/poop. And when I say sudden, I mean sudden! One second I was sitting there, moaning & shivering through the same contractions I'd been having for the past few hours. The next second, it was like all the lights came back on! I was out of my deep state of concentration and incredibly aware of the intense pressure I was feeling. Isaac and Lori walked me to the toilet and while sitting there, I could actually feel the baby's head moving down. What a strange (and uncomfortable) feeling!

After a few minutes, I made my way back to the bed. I had to push!! I wanted this baby out of me! My mom came into the room at this point, to be there for the actual birth. My dad sat patiently out in the living room. :)

Regina suggested laying down on my right side on the bed. Getting into that position was incredibly uncomfortable, but once in it, I felt much better. And then I started to push. And yell. And push some more. And yell some more. This was the cycle that seemed neverending, but only lasted 29 minutes. After a few more pushes, her head came out! It was the strangest feeling I have ever felt. You literally feel like you are shitting out a baby, and then when she finally came out, it was like I was emptied (but in a good way!) Incredible relief!!!

After one last push to get the rest of her out, Isaac caught her and they immediately put her on my stomach/chest. She was bluish purple and not breathing, but amazingly alert! Her eyes were open, and she was just taking everything in. They suctioned out her nose & mouth, and tried to stimulate her breathing by rubbing her with blankets and talking to her. I was talking to her at this point, too. They had the oxygen tank all ready and had to stimulate her with oxygen for a couple minutes, but then she was breathing beautifully. I was told the reason she wasn't breathing at birth was because she came out so quickly and didn't have the time to adjust to her new environment. But even after she started breathing, she didn't cry! She was so calm, and just looked around, and stared at me. Isaac cried, and I was in a state of awe. I couldn't believe she was actually here, and so absolutely gorgeous! Full head of hair, huge beautiful eyes. It was amazing. She was amazing! :)

After a few minutes, when the umbilical cord stopped pulsing, Regina clamped the cord and Isaac cut it. Now she was a completely independent human being! After 30 minutes or so, they weighed and measured her. 5 lbs 14 oz. Her head measured 12 7/8 inches. Such a tiny human being! They footprinted her, and then everyone left the room for a bit. Isaac, Isabella & I just laid there, talking and bonding. My mom had taken a bunch of pictures during the whole birth process, and I'm so glad she did! We looked at some of the pictures on the camera. The pictures of her head emerging were incredible for me to see. (The look on my face at that point was pretty priceless too!)

A little while later, Regina, Lori & Katie came back in. Isaac took Isabella out to see her grandpa while they checked me over for damage and helped me clean up. Amazingly, I had the tiniest of tears! It wasn't even enough to need stitches. I was astounded, because I thought for sure that I had torn badly. I think that was my biggest fear going into labor-- I was worried about tearing a lot. So I was relieved when they told me my perineum was still intact and that I just had a small tear. Lori helped me up and into the shower where I rinsed off. Never has a shower felt so damn good! I didn't want to leave it! While I was in the shower, Regina and Katie cleaned everything up so when I got out, I just hopped into some comfy clothes and climbed into a clean bed. It was wonderful. :)

All in all, I couldn't ask for a better experience! Sure, it was hard work, but totally worth it. Giving birth in the comfort of my own home was amazing, and I'm so thankful that I didn't have to go to the hospital. People keep telling me I'm so brave to give birth at home, but I think it takes so much more courage to leave your comfort zone and go through that whole process in an unfamiliar environment!

So, welcome to Isabella Jade, born on 1/28/2008 at 4:46 p.m., weighing in at 5 lbs 14 oz and measuring 17.5 inches!! :)