Birth

Thoughts on the birth:

• Eileen in denial that she was actually in labor despite being 9 days overdue
  
• Fast labor, 4.5 hours from when contractions got intense to baby's birth
  
• Going through transition at home
  
• Felt the urge to push before I left the house
  
• Didn't know if we'd make it to the birth center in time
  
• Rich speeding 80 & 90mph, thank goodness it was the middle of the night and no traffic (we even passed some police cars on the bridge, but we were stuck behind law abiding citizens at the time so no getting pulled over)
  
• Fully dilated when I arrived at the birth center to my waiting midwife, Cindie
  
• Our doula, Jane, arrived within minutes of us
  
• I calmed way down once I heard encouragement from Cindie and Jane
  
• Pushing was overwhelmingly painful and intense, but I was able to relax completely in between contractions thanks to hypnosis
  
• Claire born at 3:30AM, only 40 minutes after we got to the birth center
  
• Rich caught her, placed her on my stomach, & later cringed as he was forced to cut the cord
  
• We held her for 2.5 hours, I breastfed, she pooped all over me, I didn't even notice
  
• Glorious soak in the big tub while Cindie weighed & measured Claire (no time to fill the tub when I arrived, which, by the way, was all I could think about the whole drive over)
• Went home 5 hrs. after the birth (Rich's family jokes that we had a drive-thru delivery)
• Spent the day sleeping, eating, and getting to know our new baby
  
• God has made Mother's Day happy again
  
• Powerful, amazing, I did it
  
• We are so in love