Sadie Rose Birth Story
My labor started around 1:00a.m. amidst a lightning storm. I awakened David to tell him. We were both pretty excited. We got up and reread the information on "true labor vs. false labor," and were pretty sure it was for real. I told David to go back to sleep, because I thought it would be good for him to be rested. I was too excited to sleep much, and so I played some of my favorite music, listened to the storm, and breathed with the early contractions. At 6:00a.m. I woke David up, and we called Michelle. Contractions were 5 minutes apart, and Michelle said she'd come over in an hour. I showered to help myself relax, and continued to breathe deeply with each contraction.
At around 7:00 a.m., Michelle arrived, and Sam and Kristin came shortly after that. We filled our jacuzzi tub, and I started laboring in the tub. This was great! When Michelle checked me at about 8 a.m. I was 4 cm. I was surprised at the intensity of the contractions, but I felt like I was coping well. David was with me, making sure I drank water and applying pressure to my low back. It was so relaxing and comforting being at home, and having everyone come to us. I repeated the word "Open" with each contraction, and repeated a lot of mantra to help calm my mind. I was dialating steadily, and by around 11 a.m. I was fully dialated (except for a tiny lip), and Michelle said I could start pushing if I felt like it. Things seemed to be moving along.
sPushing was a whole new level of intense sensation. During the pushing phase, I squatted beside the bed. In between contractions, I walked around (often with my arms around Michelle or David's shoulders) . Everyone was encouraging me and supporting me with their energy. At first, the midwives thought the pushing phase would go pretty quickly. Michelle said she thought I'd have the baby by noon, and around that time she told David to wash his hands and get ready to catch his baby. 12:00 came and went, as did 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00! The baby wasn't descending as expected despite a lot of pushing and efforts to strengthen the contractions (herbs, castor oil, breast pump - the works). This part of the labor was by far the hardest, and it was really difficult to cope at times. My mind went through all kinds of gymnastics (wanting to give up, fear for the baby, anger, you name it...at one point I started to think...surely we're going to the hospital soon! Although, I was also conscious that this would not really be a solution since I was way beyond being able to get medication or a C-section for that matter). I really had to work to get past the expectation that it should be over by now. Several times when I pushed and made significant progress, the baby's heart rate declined, causing concern. When this happened, Michelle directed me to get on my side and stop pushing. It felt like all the forces of nature were telling my body to push while I was trying not to. For me, this was the most painful part. It became a relief to push.
REPEATEDLY Michelle said, "ok, one more push and you're going to see your baby!" I was experiencing so much at once: excitement, exhaustion, determination, fear, anger. At one point, I felt this overwhelming sense of responsibility to the life that was trying to emerge. Over and over I surrendered to the process, deciding that I would push as long as it took. I visualized a divine energy in the form of white light assisting the baby down and out through the birth canal. Michelle also told me to open my eyes and look at her during some contractions. Connecting with her energy really helped me to go beyond my limits. All the while, David was right there supporting me emotionally and with his touch. Sam and Kristin were encouraging me and supporting me all along the way. Everyone gave 100% of their energy to assist me.
Finally, after more than 5 hours of pushing, I reached down and felt the baby's head! The decision was made to perform an episiotomy to avoid any further distress in the baby. This was easy to accept. I felt like I was conscious of every detail of the birth. It was a deeply profound state of mind to experience. Once I pushed the baby's head out, Michelle reached in and removed her cord from her shoulder (This was the reason for her slow descent and, at times, lowered heart rate. 
She'd been bungee jumping!) Eventually, I pushed for the truly final time, and out slid a beautiful baby girl into everyone's hands, including David's! Michelle let the cord pulse, as we watched. The baby was so beautiful; I gazed in awe. David cut the cord. Little Sadie Rose was laid beside me while Michelle cleaned her and checked her out. I sang her a beautiful sanskrit chant, then I held her for the first time. My heart felt so open, beyond words. I feel so grateful for my birth experience. I wouldn't have chosen to do it any other way.