Around midnight on the morning of the 13th, I started having regular cramping every ten minutes following a tiny bit of pink show. Since it was the middle of the night, I tried to get some rest (actually managed a few hours of sleep) and let Keith sleep all night (I waited until he got up for work to tell him). We made a plan to be in touch throughout the day, and he would come home whenever I thought contractions were strong enough for me to need him as my labor coach.

My parents arrived in town on Wednesday evening to help with Henry just in case I went into labor in advance of my due date since Tom and Margo had other extenuating circumstances this past week and couldn’t help as planned. Thank goodness they were here because I don’t know how I would have taken care of Henry otherwise. Henry and my dad set off on a bike ride to the park for the morning, and I ate breakfast and watched the season finale of Scandal with my mom. My contractions were regular throughout the morning, ranging from 7 to 11 minutes apart, with light intensity. 


Around lunchtime, it was becoming more difficult to calmly breathe and speak through each contraction so I told Keith he needed to prepare to come home. I spoke with Midwife Vikki at the Birth Center around 1:55pm to let her know I was in early labor with contractions around 7 minutes apart and lasting for about 45 seconds each. We made a plan for me to call back when I was ready to come into the Birth Center once contractions were 4 minutes apart, lasting for a minute each. Keith came home immediately after I finished speaking with Vikki and I could finally let the contractions intensify. I think I was fighting them to a certain extent until he was ready, too (he had a sermon to write, after all).

I had an hour of intense contractions, lost my mucus plug, and followed by the loud pop of my water breaking around 2:50pm, which was when it got real. I thought all the contractions I had up to that point were hard and increasingly painful, but I didn’t know they would feel like nothing compared to the ones after my water broke. I immediately felt the worst pain of my life and felt the urge to push (something that never happened with Henry since I had an epidural). I told (maybe yelled at) Keith to load the car and call the Birth Center for me – the baby was coming. I don’t know who I spoke with at the Birth Center, but I pretty much just said my name, labor had intensified, my water broke, and I was coming in immediately.
Keith calmly put everything into the car, including the uninstalled car seat, and then looked around to see if we were forgetting anything. My dad told him to hurry up and go because it looked like I could have had the baby at home. Keith’s driving skills were definitely put to the test during our twenty minute or so car ride to the Birth Center. I’m sure there’s nothing like your wife having incredibly intense contractions every two minutes and trying not to push out a baby while telling you what lane you should be in to more efficiently get to the Birth Center. At one point, I ended up straight up biting my seatbelt during a contraction while waiting at a light for what felt like eternity (Ulmerton and Starkey, you suck). A super buff tattooed dude in a giant truck next to us saw me, and Keith said his reaction was hilarious. I wouldn’t know, but it felt like the right move to make at the time.
Once we arrived at Breath of Life, I waited in the car to complete a contraction, and Vikki met me in the parking lot to escort me inside. I had another contraction in the hallway and stopped to breathe through it. I made sure to warn Vikki there would be cursing during my labor process – I felt it was that important. We made it into the room, where she checked the heartbeat of our baby (sounded good) and then asked if I wanted to get into the tub. I said yes, of course, stripped, and climbed in at the start of another contraction. 
Two pushes later, Elliot was born. Like Henry, he had the cord wrapped around his neck, but unlike the doctor who cut the cord immediately to unravel it, the midwives had me stand up so they could unwrap it and place Elliot on my chest. He had a hearty yell once the cord was removed and spent the first few hours of his life on either my or Keith’s chest, skin to skin. We did delayed cord clamping, and the placenta came out without incident. We stayed at the Birth Center until 10:30pm or so, stopped to get Twistee Treat (because I needed ice cream), and spent our first night as a family of four in our own home. 

I am just so happy we decided to birth with the midwives at Breath of Life. They were such a calming presence and empowered me to make my own decisions about the birthing process, all while knowing my body was built to withstand and succeed at unmedicated, natural childbirth.



Total labor time: 15 1/2 hours.

Total time spent in labor prior to delivery at the Birth Center: 3 minutes.  

Total recovery time spent at the Birth Center: 7 hours.

I feel like a champion.