On September 1st I went into labor at around 8pm at night. It was the perfect timing because this also happened to be me and my families first night in our new place.

 

We had been staying with family for the pass 2 months and knowing we would be birthing alone and all the fear circulated around that we knew we could not birth in that space. The universe works in mysterious ways and for that we walked by faith this whole pregnancy. It’s funny because towards my last couple weeks pregnant I kept telling my husband I’m ready to give birth, I just need my own space and I guess Journey heard me loud and clear!

 

So we had just got in from getting minor things for our new home, and I was cooking our favorite meal for the night! While cooking I felt the need to squat down and take some pressure off my back when I felt a gush of liquid come out. I went to the bathroom, changed my pants and went to my husband and let him know what just happened. I had been having a change in discharge all that week so I didn’t think to much, I honestly thought I would go into labor the following week. I had never experience my water natural breaking so at the time I didn’t think that’s what had happened. Shortly after I had the gush of water, I felt my first contraction and I knew at that point that this baby was coming tonight! I continued to cook and take breaks in between if I needed too.

 

My contractions were mild at this point and I would say 10 15 minutes apart. Once dinner was done, I didn’t have much of an appetite so I laid down while my family ate. After I decided to do my husbands hair, and I sat on my pregnancy ball while doing it. I felt another gush while doing his hair, along with contractions and got up to go change again. When I finished his hair it was around 12am, and we decided to go to sleep and wait til the contractions picked up.I slept for about an hour, feeling my contractions pick up and I wanted to get up.

 

My main objective for this birth was to be up and moving through my contractions since my other two births in hospitals I was restricted to a bed with an IV. So I got up and started going through boxes, because like I said we had just moved into our place that day so I figured I would just unpack somethings to keep busy. My husband heard me up and woke up as well to stay by my side. I ended up finding the movie box and popped in a movie. My contractions were picking up at this point and I went and sat on my pregnancy ball again for about 5 minutes, and then had my husband run my bath water. I was getting to the point where I wasn’t comfortable anymore, sitting wasn’t working, laying wasn’t working and I could only walk so much in our apartment. I hopped in the tub for about 10 minutes if that and did not want to sit on my butt during contractions so I got out.

 

I walked back to our bed and this is when I remember my contractions starting to come back to back. I laid down on our bed, closed my eyes and rode each wave as they came in. Throughout my whole labor I felt my baby moving and descending further and further down which I had never felt before, it was beautiful, I felt us working together. Finally it had got to the point where I felt like I had to poop, so my husband helped me up and helped me to the bathroom. We have this long hallway in our apartment that leads to the back of the house and man this hallway felt like it was taking forever to get down!

 

As I was walking to the bathroom I could feel my baby moving down. I got to the toilet and this is where I screamed about 3 good times waking up my oldest son. He comes in the bathroom and I tell him to get out, I yell for my husband because I did not want to push in our bathroom, it’s very small. He responds but I can’t see him and he tells me to go to the room. I walk to our room and he had put a tarp down for me to deliver on. That tarp was my best friend at that moment! I walked over to the tarp, bent down on all fours and felt myself opening. I got a rush of excitement, I couldn’t believe I was doing it and how quick it happened!

 

I took in a couple deep breaths and pushed when I felt the head crowning. Once the head was out I allowed my body's contractions to push her out the rest of the way. She came out with that last contraction and I swooped around and caught her! I had caught my own baby and it was so powerful! I never thought I would actually catch my own baby, I had pictured my husband catching her because I thought I wouldn’t be able to reach in time but instinctively I knew exactly what to do!

 

The birth of my daughter was different from my last two births which were in hospitals and involved interventions. I was so in tune with what was happening with my body and intuitively I knew exactly what to do each step of the way. I’m grateful I finally got to experience what birth truly is, undisturbed and with the support of my husband. Having my daughter only confirmed the power I hold as a women and for that I’m thankful.

 

~Stephanie