Here she is. I recently took a picture of her sleeping and she is still sleeping right now. She is almost 2 weeks old. We have been enjoying the time relaxing and getting used to a new little baby in our home. She has a little cold right now, so we are hoping that will go away soon. Story about her birth (this is a little graphic but not too bad):
On February 1, 2010 I was having contractions somewhat irregularly at around 10:00 am in the morning. I didn't think very much about them, but I knew they were coming so I continued doing housework such as laundry. My husband, my son and my self all ate dinner around 1:00 and I continued with the laundry and put it away while I was still having some contractions. I hadn't informed my husband that the contractions were coming yet. By about 2:00 I lay down for a little nap with my son running around the bed room and getting into stuff like he usually likes to do while I am sleeping. My husband went to the library to study but I hadn't yet informed him that I was having the contractions.
By about 4:00 in the afternoon, I realized that the contractions were coming really strong and that I was truely in labor. I called my husband at the library. He took his time arriving home. I had previously packed all the birth supply into a small tote, an old suitcase and a diaper bag so that we could easily move the supply as needed to a hotel. I started moving the home birth supply out to our vehicle.....still having contractions. By about 4:30, he arrived home. I quickly moved into the car and told my husband to inform his grandmother that she would need to watch our son for a while. We did not inform her that I was in labor however....as she has been somewhat apprehensive about our decision to have a home birth.
My husband returned to the car and we drove to the nearest hotel with a jacuzzi, thinking labor would still last a long time and I would be able to relax in the jacuzzi. We were definitely wrong. As soon as we arrived in the parking lot, contractions were coming really strong. I stood out in the parking lot, hoping not to draw too much attention while my husband registered the room. He came back, I immediately took the key and practically ran to the hotel room (thankfully no steps or elevator). When I entered the room contractions were coming really fast, and there was no time to think. My husband somehow had the time to bring in the tote and suitcase, while I was laboring in the bathroom.
After a little time in the bathroom, labor pangs were real and there was no turning back. We were in for a show. I had some bloodiness before the water broke and this concerned me and my husband a little bit but the labor pains were so strong, there was no way we could ask for help from any other source than from up above. The pangs kept comming and then the water broke. That was it. I could feel baby descending and I let my body relax........ It was happening so fast. I took a little breather and came down on all fours. I let my body do the work and her head appeared. I arose to my feet and my husband caught her during one final contraction. She came out pink and cried after a little pat on the back or two. It was a pretty amazing sight. Her arrival time was about 5:15 pm. The placenta came after about 20 minutes and it felt so good to get that out. I didn't need any of the shepherd's purse or any such thing to control bleeding. Although I did take a few cinnamon tablets.
After the labor, I was still pretty energized. I could walk around and such without difficulty. I was a little sore from stretched tissues but that healed very well with out major recuperation.
My husband cleaned up the mess with a few cleaning supplies we picked up at Wal-Mart. By about 8:30 pm or so family started to visit us at the hotel room. The weather wasn't the greatest, so some folks decided not to visit on that day. We actually were thankful for that, because we could all get the rest we needed. That night we all slept in a king size bed (Momma, Daddy and baby) Aliyah slept so peacefully. She really had no need to cry (no nurses around to poke and prod her) Her loudest cry came a few days later when we went to the doctor to get a "required" PKU test. That was to ensure that we would be able to get a birth certificate for her. We did encounter some difficulty with that, since there was no midwife present, but we have now filled out the paper work and hope it will all go smoothly from here on out.
To anyone else who is having difficulty finding a way to have a safe birth (outside of hospital environment), without relying on the government assistance if finances are short, a DIY birth is the way to go. It can be scary and there are some spiritual battles one must face, but it is worth it in the long run. There are many resources out there if you know where to look. I may also write a little e-book to help some folks get started on such a simple and joyful process.
