May 16, 2017 | Doula Attended, Empowered, Exhaustion, First Birth, Home birth, Long Labor, Midwife Attended, Pain
It was the morning of Friday, October 7th, eight days past my “guess date” for our baby, and I was driving home after a night shift. On the drive, I saw the most breathtaking fall sunrise of pinks and oranges with clouds radiating the texture of the sky and the...
May 2, 2017 | Doula Attended, Hospital Birth, Partner Attended, Second birth, Vaginal Birth
My entire second pregnancy could be described as Overwhelmed with Anxiety. I had discovered I was pregnant (surprise!) right after accepting a new job and while struggling with sleep issues with my 13 month old. I was anxious about the reality of having two children...
Mar 30, 2015 | Breast feeding, Doula Attended, Empowered, Exhaustion, Home birth, Long Labor, Midwife Attended, Partner Attended, Ring of Fire
Early Labor It was roughly 2:30 AM that 23rd day of July 2014—a typical Wednesday I thought. At 41.3 weeks pregnant I was all too familiar with spontaneous contractions (false alarms) that colored various segments of my wobbly days and kept me awake at night. “Yup.” I...
Sep 16, 2013 | Doula Attended, Empowered, Epidural, Fast labor, Fear, Hospital Birth, Overdue, Partner Attended, Second birth, Vaginal Birth, Vocalizing
My second baby, due September 29, 2012, wasn’t born until October 13. My first child had been born a week and a half past his due date, but surely the second wouldn’t be even later than that, right? I assumed. I hoped. By the second week in October, I was desperate...
Apr 26, 2013 | Cesarean birth, Doula Attended, Epidural, Hospital Birth, Long Labor, Pain
I have two daughters, so have two stories, but they are so integrally related and my first story defines my second and my second defines my first so importantly that they have become one story. Annabel Wren was born June 23, 2007 and Emaline Iris was born 4 years...
Jun 24, 2011 | Afterpains, Doula Attended, Epidural, First Birth, Hospital Birth, Overdue, Pain, Partner Attended, Pitocin, Vaginal Birth
February 5, 2010, at 4pm, I sat on the end of my postpartum-room bed, cradling my hatted, swaddled, 8-hour-old baby, framed by a window filled with white light as the first flakes of twin record-breaking, city-paralyzing blizzards began twirling down the sky. February...
