I am not even sure where to start. The last 2 weeks I kept waking up almost nightly with contractions... regular, painful contractions. I had called my doulas (Palmer and Susan) twice to come over... and both times as soon as they got here my contractions piddled out. I also had a few dry runs without calling them or my midwife.... but it seemed like I was never going to have the baby... i kept getting teased.

From the beginning of the pregnancy, I told people my due date was aroudn the 10th of Nov. This was our fourth child.... we already had 3 boys... and really longed for a daughter. Shawn got accepted to Officer Training School early in the pregnancy, and he has to leave for school on 11/27 - and will be gone for 3mos. This is part of the reason I was apprehensive about having the baby.

Friday, Nov 9, I took 2 oz castor oil at 1:30 in the afternoon. I laid down with my son, Nate, and took a nap. Woke up around 3 and nothing was happening. Sigh... Around 4 I did have a mild case of the runs, but it was nothing. We decided to go out for something to eat, so we went on base to the pizza place and went into the BX to get a little hat for the baby. We ate our pizza.... nothing was going on. We visited with another family.... nothing happening. Sigh.... so we walked aroudn the BX for a while, and I was finally starting to have some contractions.

We went home and got the boys ready for bed and finished filling the birth pool. I called my doula, Palmer, and told her I may be needing her later. From around 8 - 9:30 the contractions were close and painful. Then they started to peter out... YET AGAIN! I called my mw, and she told me to just go to bed... and get some rest. Looks like baby isn't ready. I agreed with her... if the castor oil was going to work, it would have done more than that... and they wouldn't have fizzled out... for like the 10th time. This on again, off again labor was really wearing me out. Emotionally I was soooo ready... and I wanted my husband to have as much time as possible with the baby as he could before he leaves.

I slept until 1:30, when YET AGAIN... I woke up. I had been having a dream I was having contractions - and they hurt. I got up, figuring if it was real and not a dream they would continue. Nothing. I was extremely HUNGRY. I went downstairs and got a banana, a couple of oranges and a glass of Recharge. I sat down and ate it all... had to yell up to Shawn to go put Adam back to sleep - because he woke up.

Right after Shawn went back to bed, I tried to call him downstairs again... because all of a sudden I was in pain... every 2 minutes. And it was hurting to sit. I finally found the phone around 2:30 and called Palmer, and all I could say was, "I need you"... she answered, "ok, I am on my way". More contractions.... I went upstairs to get my husband... he had to go to the gate to sign in whoever was coming on base (no longer can call the visitor center - have to physically sign in guests). Sooo... I woke up Shawn.... and he saw me go through a couple of contractions... and then realized he neded to hurry. He was concerned about leaving me to get Palmer... to have to leave me to deal with the contractions on my own. I told him I would be ok... so when Palmer got to the gate, around 3, he left to get her. I had also called my midwife, and was hoping they would all just meet at the gate so he wouldnt' have to go back and sign in the midwife and her student.

Right after Shawn left to get Palmer at the gate, I had to go to the bathroom... and as I sat on the toilet, the contrction felt too good - sitting on the toilet. (I had had a nightmare about being left alone in labor and then pushign the baby out in the bathroom with my kids all crying aroudn me). So, I got up and went into our extra bedroom (set up with birth pool, birth ball, rocking chairs, etc). I sat on the birth ball... and during the contractions I wasn't able ot actually sit... I was moving my bottom off of the ball.

At 3:26 Palmer walked in and up the stairs to my birth room.... and I sent Shawn back out the door to sign in the mw. I told Palmer I needed to get inthe tub - still afraid that I would have to send them all home. I got in the birth pool , and had a contraction. Palmer stroked my arms and told me "do what your body is telling you to do" "do what feels right".... The next contraction came and I foudn myself bearing down.... WHAT?!?!?! Then WHOOSH... my water BURST. I felt down... and RIGHT THERE.... there was a HEAD! I told Palmer... she asked if I could blow through... no way! So, we went with it. She and I. Alone in the birth room, not *ready* with camera. No dh. No mw. No kids. ext thing I knew there was a head all the way out. Palmer made sure there was no cord, and on the next contraction I nudged out her body. Palmer gently lifted her towards me and I cradled her in my arms. Palmer got a recieving blanket and put it aroudn my new baby (we didn't look at the sex yet, because I at least needed to save that for Shawn!).

After a couple of minutes, when we could see everything was just fine, I had Palmer get Austin (my 5 year old). He then woke up his other brother Nate. They came in and watched me hold the new baby... and they caressed this new baby's head.

Shawn and hte mw and her student walked in around 3:50... Austin met them saying, "THE BABY'S HERE!!!"

Everyone came in the room, and we could see the baby unfold in the water. She was looking around, and her arms were opening....

I delivered the placenta, and was amzed that we could still see the bottom of the birth pool - easily! There was barely any blood. I was glad, because I had terrible varicosities (labial and vaginal) and had been concerned about one popping... which had happened in my last birth.

Austin was ready to cut the cord, so we pulled back the blanket that was covering this new being and keeping her warm. We still hadn't looked to see what sex the baby was. I prepared myself to see a penis... but when i looked... there was NO PENIS!!!! Shawn was elated... WE HAVE A DAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone in the room was exstatic for us... we had SO wanted a daughter. Austin and Shawn cut the cord.

So, our daughter was born into the hands of her doula and mom on Nov 10 around 3:30 am. She weighed an amazing 9# 1 oz (I am only 5' tall!) and was 21" long. Her head was an outstanding 14.5 inches around! She is my largest baby by over 1/2 a pound... and her head was an inch and a half bigger than any of the others. NO TEARS!

She is very much loved.... I can't wait to get to know her. So far, she is nursing VERY well... the strongest suck I could have imagined. My milk is already filling my breasts... less than 2 days later.

I LOVE HAVING A PINK BABY!!!!!! :-)



Heather Mitchell