Introducing Miss Adalyn MaKaye!! **tmi alert**

Let me preface this by saying, I know not everyone agrees with my choices, and I respect that. Please read this knowing that Woody and I made the decision to birth the way we did with the guidance of The Lord....And.....It is over and done with, so it is obviously not up for debate! ;)
In January, when I was about 36 1/2 weeks pregnant, I woke up at about midnight feeling pretty gross. My stomach hurt. I could not get comfortable. I was miserable!! At about 2 a.m. I went to the bathroom, and passed a glob of blood. (No cervical check, no intimacy....) I continued trying to sleep, but couldn't. I wasn't contracting but I still didn't feel well. At 7, I called K (my midwife) explained what had happened. She said to call Woody and have him head home. When she got to my house to check me, I was dilated to a 3. Woody was already on the mad dash home. A little later (still very few VERY mild contractions.) I was dilated to a 4. We thought that I could be headed into labor....... Well, I wasn't. All of a sudden everything halted. No more dilation. Not so much as a twinge!! I had mixed feelings about it. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be meeting my sweet baby girl but I was kind of relieved as 36 1/2 weeks is kind of early.
We spent the next few weeks waiting... Sure that it was "any minute now"... A friend described this kind of waiting as "waking up each morning thinking it is Christmas, only to find out it has been cancelled." I cried often. My guess date came and went. I cried more. Another friend described this as "running a marathon only to find out there are still 2 more miles." I knew 42 weeks was a possibility,but I thought dilating to a 4 in one day kinda lessened that possibility. Nope. Woody was home through all of this, and let me tell you, he totally deserves a medal for putting up with me. One day I would wake up happy and chipper...The next I would wake up mean as could be! And those moods could vary often throughout the day.
At 40 weeks, we started trying some 'natural' induction techniques, all to no avail. Since my midwife can only legally deliver until 42 weeks, I was running out of time. I was likely looking at a c-section again.  My hopes for a home birth were slipping away. I had a large range of emotions regarding this. I was definitely sad.  Slowly, begrudgingly, I came to accept that I cannot control everything. At my final check up (41 weeks 4 days) we discussed the possibility of K inducing me by artificial rupture of membranes (breaking my water). She felt the risk of cord prolapse was very low because Addy's head was low. We decided to try it. The other risk with AROM is that it puts you 'on the clock' if it doesn't do something within 24 hours, medical care is transferred to the hospital. I was facing that, and almost surely a repeat c-section  on Monday anyway, so that was a very minimal concern. We planned on K and J (my doula) being at the house at 10 a.m. The following morning. When K showed up, she broke my water, and went about setting up for the birth. At first, there was nothing. Not a single contraction. We went for a ride on a bumpy road. Came home and ordered pizza for lunch, ate and visited. I had a few contractions, but nothing significant. J gave me a nice foot massage, and we were visiting when a strong contraction hit. I stood up and made it through it. Before I knew it, another one hit... Then another. I went from nothing to strong, intense, 2 minutes apart contractions. All I studied in Hypnobabies went out the window. All I wanted was to stand leaning against Woody. Everyone was amazing and helpful. After about 35 minutes (I learned later, at the time I had no idea how long it had been) we moved from the living room to the bedroom where K checked me. I was 9 cm. K told me I had to wait for a few more contractions to start pushing. All of the typical things happened. I cried. I yelled. I decided I could NOT  do it. I stripped off every thing but my sports bra. And I made it through 2 more contractions. Then The urge to push overwhelmed me. I was scared beforehand that I wouldn't know. Oh. I knew. There is no mistaking it. I pushed through 2 contractions and her head was out. Then we realized she still wasn't coming. K thought she may have a shoulder stuck. However, it ended up that she had her arms crossed over her chest, making it hard for her to get out. Once K manipulated her a bit, it was one more push and she was out. What a feeling. I birthed her in a squatting position. I honestly could not have ever done any of it laying down. The one time I did lay down for a check, I wanted to die when a contraction hit. The whole thing took 1 hour and 5 minutes. She was born at 3:05 p.m. The first thing I asked was if she was a girl. K didn't even check, she handed her to me to let me check and announce it. (I had planned on catching her, but since she came out while K was manipulating her arms, she caught her) I cannot describe the feelings I had. All I could say was how perfect she was and that I had "actually done it!" K, J and Woody helped me onto the bed and I immediately nursed. She stayed latched for about an hour. Then K cut the cord, and Woody weighed and measured her. To everyone's surprise, she was 9 pounds 2 oz, 20.5 inches long, and her head was 14.5 inches around. K made Woody weigh her twice. She had figured she would be a bit bigger, but seeing the amount of amniotic fluid I had, she thought she wouldn't be quite that big. The only sorta-problem I had was that my placenta wouldn't deliver itself. Even after 2 nursing sessions, a shower and some pressure from K. Them she told me that if I didn't deliver it in the next 20 minutes, I would have to go to the hospital and a physician would deliver it. There was NO way I was going to the hospital after all I had gone through! The placenta was delivered within 5 minutes. Adalyn MaKaye Rachell Merrell is perfect. She has fabulous coloring, nurses like a champ and even has rH negative blood saving Mommy an extra shot! Home birthing my baby girl was the most intense, amazing experience of my life. I loved being able to "sleep" (Addy has her days and nights confused.) in my bed last night. I love not being away from my older kids at night. And I love how empowered I feel when I look at my 9 pound 2 ounce, perfect baby girl, and know that yes, I did it!