Welcome to our Family, Ally Mae!

From the moment I found out I was pregnant (really the moment Eric and I decided to expand our family), I knew I wanted to at least try to have a natural birth. Logically, I know that a lot of woman say that, but not a lot get the chance to do so. With a lot of research, a lot of push back from others, and even more prayer, Eric and I agreed that we wanted to go to a birth center instead of a hospital. Many people disagreed with our choice, and we understood completely. In the end, we followed through with what we felt was best for us. I could spend all day defending my choice, but that is a post for another time.

Writing Allison's birth story makes me laugh to myself. As much as Eric and I prepared, we could not completely be prepared, and we very much lucked out. I had my 39 week appointment on Tuesday, and since I hadn't really had any significant Braxton Hicks, I didn't get checked to see if I was dilated at all. We left, expecting not to come back for a week, but within a  few minutes of leaving I started feeling a little weird. I asked Eric to drop me off at his Aunt Michelle's house, so he could run errands in town, and I could sit down. I started having occasional, short contractions that I chalked up to be Braxton Hicks. Michelle bet that I wouldn't make it to the weekend without having this baby, and Eric asked the baby to "come tonight, because [he didn't] want to go to work." I was in serious denial, Allison was NOT allowed to come until my due date. I wanted my mom near by in case Eric needed back up. With your first, it is expected that you go past your due date, and that you will be in labor a long time. I went to bed that night, hoping everyone else was wrong.

Well, at 2:00 in the morning I woke up to go to the bathroom (I am so grateful to be done with middle of the night bathroom runs!), and when I climbed back in bed, my water broke. Still in denial, I woke Eric up to debate whether or not my water had really broken. I was nervous and confused. Eric called the midwife, and we decided that is most likely was my water. She told me to get as much rest as I could to prepare for labor. I was able to sleep until about 4:45ish, but contractions didn't really get intense until 6:00. I let Eric sleep though, expecting to be in labor at least until lunch... if not dinner time. About 7:00, I woke Eric up so he could support me, and keep the midwives up to date on my progress. By 8:00, things got intense enough that I wanted to know when we could go to the birthing center. The shower was nice, but I really wanted to get into the tub. They told Eric to time my contractions. I think we were all expecting things to move slower than they did. At 8:30, though, I informed Eric that it was time for us to go. For a brief moment, I wondered if I could make it until afternoon without an epidural. I pushed the thought out of my mind; I couldn't focus of the big picture and needed to just take it one contraction at a time.

A little after 9:00, we made it to the birthing center. I was already 7 or 8 cm dilated, and so glad that I was right that things were moving quickly. I was soo very grateful to be able to slip into the tub. The water helped me relax, and forget about time. Every time I had a contraction, I would try and kind of... have an almost out of body experience. It is hard to explain, but I would sink down so my ears were under water and I didn't have any outside stimulus to pull me back. Sorry, that is the best I can explain it. Eric was wonderful through the entire process. He would feed me apples and peanut butter or give me something to drink in between contractions. During contractions, he would stay on the side of the tub and let me squeeze his hands. There was very little talking down, and I was glad Eric seemed in tune to what I wanted. This whole time, the midwives were checking my vitals and the baby's vitals regularly. They had me drink as much as I could to try and lower my temperature, but at about 11:00, they asked me to get out of the tub. They weren't overly concerned, but they wanted to see if that would help my temperature and the baby's heart rate. Eric helped me to the bed where I laid on my side. He got on the bed behind me for support. I don't know how comfortable he was, but he wasn't there long. Allison was born 18 minutes later, where they immediately put her on my chest.

She was beautiful. I know everyone thinks their newborn is beautiful, but she truly was beautiful. She continues to get more beautiful everyday. We feel so blessed to have this sweet baby in our family, and to have so many people in our lives who love her too.