Born: April 5, 2001 at 7:36 PM
Weighing 7lbs, 0 ounces and 19 inches long

On April 5 (39 weeks, 3 days), I was woken up at 2AM with what seemed to
be real contractions. They weren't extremely regular, but I had been
having braxton-hicks contractions for the past few months and these
definitely felt different. I tried to go back to sleep, but wasn't able
to - I did decide to let Larry (my husband) sleep though. After a while, they
settled into a 6 min apart pattern, and then by 4:30 they were 5 minutes
apart. I knew my mother-in-law left for the train to work at 5AM so I
wanted to call before she left so she would be prepared (my in-laws
would be meeting us at the birth center to watch my other kids). So, I woke
Larry up to call her "just-in-case" and then I decided to take a shower
to see what would happen.

While in the shower the contractions pretty much completely stopped,
they came back a bit when I got out, but not terribly, so I decided that
it was a false alarm, and I was glad that I had not called the midwife
yet. I did have an appointment with her already scheduled for 8:30 AM,
which I kept. She checked me and said that I was 2 cm dilated and about
10% effaced - both the baby and I checked out fine. We both agreed that
it could be anytime, but I was sure that today was the day.

At about 1PM I put my daughter down for a nap, and decided that I could use
one as well (having been up since 2AM). About an hour later I got up
and realized that the contractions were back. They were not extremely
horrible and were definitely not regular though. I was supposed to
bring my son to Hebrew School (for 2:30), but decided that I didn't really
feel like going out right then, so I decided to call him in sick. I
then remembered that Larry had an appointment after work that night at
6PM, so I called him at work and asked that he cancel it. I told him
that he didn't need to come home yet, but that he should come home right
after work. I was really hesitant to say I was in labor, since they
were so irregular (anywhere from 3-9 minutes apart). He decided to come
home anyway, and it turned out that was a smart move.

He got home at 3:30 and I decided to get back in the shower. While I
was in there I realized that the contractions were becoming more
regular, so I got out and we started timing them and they were mostly 4
mins apart. So I called my in-laws and told them to meet us at the
birth center after work. I then called my midwife who said I could come
in then, but I still didn't feel like I needed to. The contractions
were painful, and I needed to breathe through them, but were still very
manageable. I think I was in some sort of denial (I had never gone into
labor without my water breaking first). The midwife said to call her
back whenever I was ready.

I got back in the shower and wasn't in there for very long when like a
flash of lightening it came to me - it was time to go to the center!
We got to the center around 5:30 PM. The contractions were still not
that awful, and we weren't timing them but there were definite breaks in
between them. My midwife Valeree checked my bp - it was a good 110/68
and listened to the baby on the doppler and she sounded fine. I then
had an internal exam (the only one I had). She said I was 3cm but 100%
effaced. I was a little discouraged since I had been in labor for over
3 hours and had only progressed 1 cm since the exam that morning, but
she pointed out that I had gone from 10% to 100% effacement so progress
was definitely being made. We did agree though, that it was too soon
for me to get into the tub (which she had gotten all ready for me).

For the next 1-1/2 hours I walked around the birth center. When I had a
contraction I would lean against a wall, or a door frame or whatever and
just breathe through it. Just telling myself to
"Release...relax...open". Everytime I breathed out I imagined I was
breathing my cervix open. I sat on the toilet for a little while, or a
birthing ball or rocked, but I really felt most comfortable standing up
leaning against something and rolling my hips like a belly dancer. In
between contractions, I felt totally fine and would play with the kids
and drink ginger ale or eat spoonfuls of honey.

Finally at around 7PM, Valeree said that my contractions "sounded" like
they were getting more intense, and I could get in the tub. I wanted to
kiss her feet. I got in and turned the jets on and let them pound into
my back and legs. It felt so wonderful. The contractions also felt so
much less intense.

At around 7:15 (there was a clock right over the tub), Larry reminded me
that I hadn't used the toilet in a while and I should probably try. I
agreed and got out of the tub and onto the toilet. I couldn't go, which
Valeree said was normal, but I had a couple of contractions while there,
and I realized how BAD they were. After one of them, I jokingly asked
"anyone think I am in transition yet?" Valeree said "maybe" in a way I
knew she didn't really think so, but honestly neither did I. I was
still having breaks in between contractions and was really quite calm
about the whole thing - not at all like my previous transitions
(afterwards Mandy - the CNM assistant - told me she would have never
thought that I was in transition. I was way too jovial, and still
insisted that DH hold me through the contractions). When I was on the
toilet, I started having small urges to push, but really didn't think I
could be anywhere near that close yet. I thought it was my bag of water
just bulging and getting ready to burst.

I got back into the tub at around 7:25 and Larry joined me. I sat in
between his knees in a semi-recline and he really helped me through the
contractions. I don't know how I would have done it without him. But
the contrast in the intensity of the contractions in the tub was
incredible. Although they still hurt, they were so much easier in the
tub. Valeree checked my blood pressure again and said I was fine, she
also used the doppler on the baby and said that she was doing perfect
also. I then asked her if and when she would break my water. She said
it was up to me. She didn't feel that it was necessary, but that if I
wanted it done she would do it. We agreed to see where we were at in
another half hour.

Mandy then came in and told me that my in-laws had ordered some pizza
and that if I wanted any while it was still hot, I better get moving. I
just joked that that wasn't going to happen.

On the next contraction, I again felt a mild urge to push. I really
wasn't taking it seriously, but Valeree and Mandy were. They put on
their gloves and sat by the tub expectantly. Good thing they did! On
the next contraction, I felt this huge bursting inside me. I was
completely unable to breathe through it, relax, push, or anything else.
I just arched my back and screamed. I really thought that Val was doing
an internal during a contraction and had broken my water (which I felt
burst). Larry was able to bring me right back though. When the
contraction ended, I asked Valeree why she would do an internal exam
DURING a contraction. She said, "I didn't touch you. Look down." So I
looked down and in between my legs was the head floating very peacefully
in the water cradled in Valeree's hands. I was in complete shock. I
still say that Abby gave birth to herself, because I did not push that
head out.

I reached down and felt her head, and as soon as I felt the downy hair,
I started to push the rest of her out - even though I wasn't even having
a contraction. Larry says that this remarkable peaceful expression just
came over my face as I touched her head. She was just so beautiful,
floating in the water. It was completely incredible.

I don't know if I ever did have another contraction or not - if I did I
never felt it. With my hands still on her I pushed her out and caught
her myself, pulling her right up onto my chest. It was 7:36 PM (the
pizza arrived 10 mins later - and I did get to have some while it was
still hot).

I delivered the placenta about 10 mins later while I was still in the
tub, and with Abby still on my chest. After the placenta was delivered
Larry cut the cord and we got out of the tub. Larry and I got into the
bed, to bond with Abby for a little while. Valeree did a cursory exam
of Abby and I and gave me a pitocin shot in the thigh (because of my
history of post-partum hemorrhage). She also checked me for tears, and
said that I just had a small nick, but didn't need any stitches. They
then left us alone for a while.

At about 9 o'clock Mandy came in and did a more thorough exam. She gave
Abby the Vitamin K shot, but we refused the eye drops (and I am so glad
we did! It is amazing how much more focused she was than my other
kids). She asked us if we wanted to spend the night but I turned her
down. If it had been during the day, I might have stayed longer. But
the kids were still up and were showing no signs of going to sleep
there, and I didn't want to keep my in-laws too late. So I told her
that we just wanted to go home and sleep in our own bed. She said their
license requires us to stay for a minimum of 4 hours after birth, which
would be 11:36 PM. So that is when we left, and we were home by
midnight.

I am so glad we did it this way. It was so nice the following morning
when Larry brought me breakfast in bed and the kids crawled into bed
with me and we all got to bond with our new addition together at home.

So that is the story - and a glorious one it is. I never want to give
birth in a hospital again. As we pulled away from the birth center, I
turned to Larry and said "when can we do that again?"