Two Birth Stories

Birth story day again!  I love reading the birth stories that women have submitted.  Each is so unique and special.  Today we have two birth stories from one mom.  What I love about these stories is that they show how each birth is special and different.  They also illustrate how we grow with each child and make different choices about birth each time.  I also love how big these babies are!  First time mamas can birth big babies!

Enjoy!

My name is Carrie and my husband and I are proud parents to 5 beautiful children. Each had a birth as unique and special as they are. Here is the birth story of my first born:

Although we were both still in college, we had been married 2 years and decided to start our family. We got pregnant after I returned from a trip (absence makes the heart grow fonder?) and we were estatic! Due date was August 22nd. I said from the beginning that the baby would be born while we were camping at the Iowa State Fair. When August rolled around, we set up our tent like normal and began our vacation. After one tiring day of walking and having to be pushed uphill to our campsite, it really wasn't too surprising that my water broke with a warm splash outside my grandparents camper after a trip to the bathroom. If the amniotic fluids had not released or we were not in a tent, we would have waited longer before making our trip to the hospital. To the hospital we went, excited that the time was finally here for us to meet our long expected baby. First babies take longer, we had heard, so we were prepared for the day. I had positive music and my husband was a wonderful comfort. We had a no nonsense nurse that had me in different positions and my beautiful baby boy entered our world on August 17th. 11:52 pm has always been a special time of night for me as that was the time he was born and I found that there was a new way to love someone. He weighed 9 lbs. 6.3 oz and was 21.5" long. He is now 10 years old and I have been with him every single day of his life.

This is the birth story of my second child...
Although my first birth was a nice experience, it lacked in personal service and I wanted something more, something better for my next child. We had moved to a new city and found that it had a privately owned birth clinic and a Certified Nurse Midwife. I became pregnant in June and the due date was March 28th. I had spotting early on and lost our baby on Labor Day. When my period failed to return, a test revealed that I was pregnant again, only 1 month since losing the first pregnancy. My midwife said that the baby was a determined little soul. So now my due date was July 8th. This pregnancy went so smoothly I didn't want it to end. I developed a personal relationship with the midwife and she became more than a midwife, she became our friend. At 9 pm on June 27th, my contractions began. We alerted the midwife and my mother and sister. They were going to attend the birth and watch our older child at the birthing center. We left for the birth center at 1 am and our midwife had a warm jacuzzi waiting for me. I labored in and out of sleep in the water and then moved to the toilet as my midwife found my uterus to be tipped to one side and I was not dilating evenly. This helped immensely. My second child, my daughter, was born just as the sun peaked over the horizon on June 28th. I felt a power that I never knew I could feel. Like I joined my grandmother's rank of having a truly natural childbirth. Our daughter weighed in at 8 lbs. 15.5 oz and was 21.5" long. She had the longest fingers and a face I couldn't stop staring at. Today, at age 7, she's still a beauty. She entered the world without screaming like my firstborn did and I believe it was because she was surrounded only by people who loved her.

~Carrie