it's a girl!!!

 

This little sweetie entered our lives on February 29th, 2012.

birth story:
Tuesday night I took the kids to piano lessons and then went to visit my friend Emily.  While I was there I told her I felt like my stomach was tightening and that maybe they were contractions but they didn't hurt.  Em felt my stomach and told me those were definitely contractions!
Went home and went to bed still feeling the tightening sensation but unsure if it was the beginning of labor.  With our first 3 kids the contractions always started in my back and these were all in the front.  I woke up at 2:30 feeling the tightening again and tried to watch some tv.  I checked my phone and had just received an email from my dad so called him since he was up late.  I still didn't think it was labor because there was no pain, just a little cramping.  My contractions were about 45 seconds long and 4 minutes apart!  I took a bath and then called again around 4am to let my mom know that she should start driving over.  I called my midwives to give them a heads up and then called Sis.  By the time Sis arrived at 5:15am they were definitely feeling like real contractions and had moved to my back.  I was starving and ate some leftover lasagna but then almost threw it all up.  By 6:15 the contractions were hard to talk through and the pain was definitely intensifying.  Sis suggested I sit on the birthing ball for a while and that helped for a bit.  Sis texted Sarah and Dawn (my midwives) to make sure they were on their way.  At about 7 we moved to Sydney's bed to try lay down through the pain.  Sis pulled out a girl and a boy outfit from the closet to give me something to focus on.

just contracting over here...

 At 7:30 Sarah and Dawn arrived and the kids woke up.  Sarah took my vitals and everything looked good.  I had no idea that at this point the baby would be here in an hour so I suggested to Mike that he start getting the kids ready for school.  Sydney had expressed interest in being home for the birth and we were planning on letting her be there for the birth.  But at that point I thought it best for her to go to school and then we could pull all the kids out for a half day once the baby was born.  So Mike starts getting kids ready for school and meanwhile I am having heavy, hard contractions. 

Sarah suggested I move to the birthing tub (set up in our living room) and I got in at about 8am.  By this point the contractions were very hard but I still had no idea that the baby was coming soon.  I thought I had another couple of hours of intense labor and I was preparing for a long morning of pain!  We sent the kids downstairs to watch a movie since school didn't start for another hour.  I had 2 or 3 intense contractions in the tub and then knew it was time to start pushing.  I had bought some pool  noodles at Target the day before to act as buoys to keep me afloat in the water.

literally about 20 minutes before birth

 My mom still wasn't there and I even asked "Where's Mom!!!"  I really wanted her to be there for the birth but the snowy pass and the 4+ hour drive didn't allow for that. 
Sarah suggested I move to my knees and grip the edge of the tub with my hands.  This position seemed to work better and I did 2 or 3 hard pushes and the baby was out!
Dawn wrapped the babe (still in the water) in a swaddling blanket while I moved back to sitting and then she placed her in my arms.  We still didn't know if it was a boy or a girl.  I was finally able to pull away the blanket and check the sex and discovered it was a GIRL!!!

This is right after I looked down and discovered she was a "she"

 I said "I'm so happy it's a girl!"  (I would have been extremely happy had she been a boy, but there was definitely the hope for a sister for Syd and all things girly).  We called the kids up and Sydney got to cut the cord.  Such a neat experience for her!

I was so glad that Carter, Sydney and Damian could meet her when she was just minutes old!

I'm still amazed at how quickly everything progressed and how fast she came.  I feel so blessed that I was able to have her naturally in my home with no intervention, in the water, with Mike and Sis there (mom arrived about an hour later). 

my midwife Sarah, who is quite excellent by the way...

Sis was such an AMAZING birthcoach! Seriously, don't know what I would have done without her!

we love her

8 hours old

She was perfectly healthy and my body was able to bring her into this world rather quickly and with no complications.  I am in awe at how perfectly our bodies were designed and created by our loving Heavenly Father. 

Nora Pearl Dunn

February 29, 2012 

8:29am

7 pounds, 4 oz

20 inches long

perfection