Red Oak Shire: It's a Girl!

My last post was updated the night before my water broke. It's been a while! I went into labor on Tuesday, December 4th, in the evening. It was so surreal, looking back. The weather was warm and sunny for December, I felt great, and saw my midwife that afternoon. I remember telling her, "I don't think this baby is going to come for another two weeks". My due date was December 6th.

On my way home that evening, I decided to skip going to Sit and Knit in favor of going home to straighten up, you know, just in case the baby decided to come that night.
Well come she did! At 8:30 PM my water broke (while standing in my hallway doing laundry) and thus began the hardest 36 hours I have ever experienced in. my. life.

Half of my awesome duo of midwives, Aimee

The midwives arrive....

Aimee checks vitals...my nervousness is climbing

My last photo of Labor until my daughter arrived

So, here I am 16 hours after my water broke, with little to NO contractions. It was around 1 the next day that my midwives instructed me to induce the contractions as we were on the clock, so to speak. Once the water breaks, I needed to birth my baby within 24 - 36 hours otherwise there are risks.
To make a very long story short, my best laid plans for a home birth alas did not happen as I thought, but I will say at least 98 % of my labor was at home, and the entire labor WAS drug and intervention free!! Around 5 the morning of the 6th, my midwives made the wise judgement call to transfer me to the hospital. I was the most exhausted I have ever been in my life. Once we arrived at the hospital, I was in the birthing room in less than 5 minutes. The hospital staff was remarkably respectful of my desire to have a natural birth. (Even though in my delirium I was asking for anything to help the pain. Nope! Far past anything like that, I was on my own lol!)
After 6.5 hours of intense pushing, my beautiful little girl was born at 8:19 AM December 6th, 2012. On her due date, just like her cousin, Jeremiah.
I have never been so in awe in my life. Everything, just became worth it and then some.
I had an ironic laugh as I was laying in the hospital nursing Wren. When they asked me what I wanted to eat, I was starving so I ordered breakfast. After being so careful about what I ate, my baby's first meal was hospital food with high fructose corn syrup! Go figure. And, yet another lesson learned, pack a hospital go bag next time, just in case. I had no clothes for me OR my new baby, so the hospital provided her with her first outfit and Pampers. :-) Today she is 11 weeks old, and getting even more beautiful by the day.