At about 9:45 on Wednesday night we were laying in bed trying to get to sleep. I turned on my left side to settle into my body pillow when there was a big POP sound accompanied by what felt like something breaking inside me. The only thing it could be in my mind was my water breaking so I got up but there was no fluid so I just assumed it was just my pelvic bones or something preparing me for labor. No more than 5 minutes after I got back in bed fluid started gushing out, it felt like gallons. The adrenaline started pumping as soon as I told Josh my water had broken and he was in full daddy mode. He paged our midwife, called our parents, and got everything prepared to leave while I took a bath and shaved my legs. The contractions didn't start until around 10:15 and were only around 30 seconds long and 18-20 minutes apart. Josh was with me the whole time keeping track of them, and my little beagle, Tulip, did not leave my side. After my bath the contractions picked up in pace but were still very manageable and I breathed through them easily using my HypnoBirthing techniques and going back and forth between laboring on the toilet (my favorite position the entire time actually) and laboring in bed. We live about an hour from our birth center so we called and updated our midwife and she said she was already at the birth center so we should come when we feel we needed to, to listen to my body. The contractions steadily increased in frequency and were around 5-6 minutes apart and 45-60 seconds long by around 12:30am when all of a sudden WHAM I got hit with the contraction that changed my entire perspective of what "real" contractions were all about. Josh was holding me and rubbing my back when it happened and that was the turning point for him. He said "That's it, we are going NOW". I tried to bargain with him that I was going to take another bath and relax and get through some more contractions before leaving. He said no (as he learned from HypnoBirthing, you don't ask a laboring woman what she wants, you tell her and give her what she needs, nicely done Josh!) so I slowly packed up last minute items and we were on the road by 1am. Looking back I am glad we left when we did because I can't imagine making that drive with stronger contractions.

We got to the birth center around 2am and the Ocean Suite I had chosen ahead of time was all set up for us. My midwife checked my dilation and I was only 2 centimeters so she left us to labor in peace as she knew this was only the beginning. I was pretty much glued to the toilet as that was the position most confortable to work through the contractions. I was experiencing back labor and Josh had to do deep massage on my lower back to help me through each surge and about that time is when I asked that he start to fill the garden tub. About 5 hours had passed since my water had broken and when checked again I had progressed to 5 centimeters.

My mom and dad arrived at the birth center around 3am and not a minute too soon. My dad stayed in the waiting room (a comfy room with couches, pillows, and most important - - The Tennis Channel) and ran many errands throughout the labor for food, coffee (Josh's lifeline since we got zero sleep in 36 hours by the time we got our first family nap in), and to the airport to pick up Josh's mom. We called her when my water broke and she was able to hop on a plane from Michigan and arrive in time to see her first grandchild being born. My mom came to my side immediately and gave Josh a break so he could have some coffee and recharge. Fortunate for me this is my mom's third experience with natural birth; her instincts and assistance were invaluable to both Josh and I; they were the perfect team. Over the next hour or so, it's kind of a blur, I went back and forth between laboring in the tub and on the toilet. When I was checked again my midwife told me my cervix was starting to swell and I needed to avoid any positions which put additional pressure on it until it was time to push. She gave me some medicine to reduce the swelling and reminded me of the importance of breathing through my contractions and not to let my body push prematurely. Up until this point I had been using the HypnoBirthing breathing techniques but hadn't completely tapped into the practice I had done. I focused and went completely into myself and the room turned very very quiet. My contractions were 1-2 minutes apart and about a minute and a half long. I needed the water in the tub to be as hot as possible because the lower back massage wasn't enough to get through the contractions alone. Because the water was so hot I needed iced washcloths applied to my neck and face constantly to avoid overheating. Josh and my mom alternated as my birth companion, forcing me to drink water and Gatorade after each contraction, applying light touch massage, and kneading my lower back. Near the end of this period they were both attending to me at the same time. The only communication in this period was when I needed more pressure on certain body parts and my doula telling me when to change positions. It was as serene as it gets.

I was examined again and progress was being delayed slightly because Tegan was sucking her hand (which I find so adorable now when she does it) causing her head to be turned sideways and unable to enter the birth canal. I had to get in hands and knees position in the tub and sway my hips from side to side, and alternating lunging/squatting positions while swaying to get her to turn her head. Success! Her head was engaged but I still had a lip on my cervix. I had to get on the bed and bear down through 2 contractions while my midwife manually held down my cervix to get Tegan's head passed that point and hopefully be able to start pushing. It was mostly successful and I got back in the tub to push through more contractions while my midwife repeated the process of holding down on the cervix lip, it worked this time and I was given the green light to push when my body told me to. This was it! When each contraction started I let it build, took a deep breath in, and then pushed that breath downward while bearing down; repeat this two more times and then wait for the next contraction. I was mindful to keep my face relaxed while bearing down as taught in HypnoBirthing, and breath through everything. If I wasn't taking a deep breath in I was pushing it out. Always breathing. The room smelled like peppermint and lavender oils, the lighting was low, candles lit, my mom, Josh, my mother in law, doula, and assistant were patiently watching me get through one contraction at a time. The contractions became one long surge with peaks and waves. My doula was a constant source of encouragement. In the midst of pushing she would tell me to use my power and gave me the confidence that I was using every ounce of my being to delivery my baby the way I wanted to. There were a few moments when I doubted myself and my ability. I started having thoughts that she was never going to come, that she was stuck, and that if I had to experience one more peak I would die. As soon as these thoughts came into my mind I would force them out with the affirmations I had been listening to for months. "I am relaxed and happy that my baby is finally coming to me", "I trust in my baby and my body", "I feel confident, I feel safe, I feel secure". When my doula saw that I was coming out of my deepening she read me some visualizations and put me that much deeper and I regained my focus. I wasn't really present in my body. I could feel the pain and it wasn't easy but I was able to disconnect from everything and just focus on my breathing. Speaking to my mom and mother in law after the fact they thought I had completely lost all energy because when I wasn't in the midst of a surge I was basically catatonic. It wasn't that I was exhausted because really I didn't feel exhaustion at all, it was just that I was so limp and just let my body do what it needed to do while I focused on relaxing.

After 3 ½ hours had passed since I started pushing my midwife told me I needed to get on the bed. This frightened me for a moment but I reminded myself that it just means I am one step closer to seeing Tegan. Josh got behind me on the bed to support my body while my mom and a few of the others held my legs back and my midwife was at front and center. I continued the same pushing; three pushes per contraction. On the first push her head was visible but not yet crowning. It took about an hour of pushing for her to finally crown and it was MUCH more intense than I expected, even after the strenuous labor I had already gone through. It was more than just a "ring of fire", I felt like I was going to break in two. They put me on an oxygen tank to make sure that baby and I were getting enough and it also gave me a bit of energy to get through the last few contractions. My mother in law was holding a mirror so I could see her head and once I did I pushed and pushed that little one out.

53 Hours of labor. Sounds pretty intense, right? But it really wasn't. The first 43 were rather boring actually. I wasn't even uncomfortable. Stressed - definitely - but not uncomfortable. In fact, I got one very solid night of rest during that period! Though I didn't know it at the time, apparently I was defying all medical wisdom by allowing it to go that long. My waters released at 4am Thursday but nothing much really happened until 11:30pm Friday evening. I had walked several miles, started pumping to stimulate my body's natural secretion of oxytocin and been bouncing on the stupid birthing ball for hours. Nothing. My family had come into town, canceled plans and rearranged all work schedules just to be present and I had very little to show for all their efforts. After about 36 hours we went in for a NST - a non stress test - to check on the baby. He was fine. I didn't have a fever. My pelvis checked out as being fine for delivery. BUT I was only dilated 1 stinkin' centimeter after almost 2 days of labor and minor contractions! UGH!!

We went home and prayed. And prayed. And prayed. Oh, and I cried a ton. The midwife had been certain we should go to the hospital and I should be induced with pitocin to get things moving along. This news was devastating to this crunchy mommy! My dreams of giving birth to our son in a quiet, tranquil environment where his daddy and I could bond with him immediately afterward without the hustle and bustle of hospital staff was quickly disappearing into the night as we drove home from the birthing center. My husband, my greatest supporter and best friend who stayed by my side the entire time, graciously and selflessly took the lead. When I was utterly hopeless and ready to just give in and go to the hospital, we decided to wait until the 48 hour mark at 4am Saturday. I was instantly relieved. We had both had an indescribable peace about everything along the way. We felt no need to make it an emergency situation when the baby and I were doing fine. So we decided to follow our instincts and instead of making a decision out of fear, we decided to wait a bit longer so that we could exhaust all possible means of initiating contractions naturally. Our doula recommended many different natural inductions so my husband went to the natural food store and bought Caulophyllum, castor oil and black cohosh tincture. Every 30 minutes he gave me a dose of the caulophyllum with a cup of hot pregnancy tea from traditional medicinals and a dropperful of black cohosh tincture. Every hour, for 3 hours, he dosed me with castor oil mixed in orange juice followed by a hot shower. We prayed. I pumped with the borrowed breast pump from the birthing center. And after my final dose of castor oil and one final hot shower, we fell into bed around 11:30pm, exhausted from 2 days of trying to induce contractions. No sooner did his head hit the pillow than hubby fell into a deep sleep.

However, on my side of the bed something wonderful started to happen. I was contracting. FINALLY! Hard, long contractions started almost as soon as I lay down. I ignored them, so discouraged from the last 2 days, and decided I would try to sleep through them. I couldn't! They came harder and stronger until I had experienced 6 or so and thought I should maybe get up and time them. By 1:30 they were only 2-3 minutes apart and coming on nice and strong so I woke up the hubby and we headed to the birthing center. Those 2 hours in between I sat in the bathroom working through contractions and praising God for his faithfulness. It was miraculous how things literally went from nothing to contractions coming every 5 minutes or less instantly!

The time at the birthing center went by so quickly. I labored until 8:58am when Josiah was born, but the 7.5 hours went by so fast! I felt as though I was on another planet and time stood still. The room was dimly lit, the deep bath tub filled with warm water, quiet music from the Comfort Zone cd played in the background and my midwife, doula and husband were my companions. The atmosphere was perfect. Although Josiah was in the perfect position I experienced severe back labor, perhaps due to my rare genetic disorder called Nail Patella Syndrome which has caused a bit of scoliosis. The doula showed hubby how to put counter pressure on my back to help me through each surge and he rarely left my side:-) He was absolutely essential in helping me labor so smoothly. His presence, his quiet words of encouragement and his touch made everything easier. The water in the bath was delightful and eased my discomfort greatly at times. I was able to sleep a bit in the tub during longer pauses and I rested on the bed at one point too while the doula massaged my aching back. She also was essential as she offered me water and juice and the coconut pineapple banana ice cubes I had made for this time. She reminded me to breath, to practice my hypnobirthing techniques and to relax into each surge.

Things got more intense, and the water no longer felt good, so I got out of the tub and paced. I started vomiting on the most difficult surges and my body started contracting downward so hard that it was difficult to breath through them. But each time this happened I felt the baby moving down farther and this excited me so much that I wanted to keep going. When I felt I couldn't go on much longer and started seriously considering that epidural, I vomited a few more times and then said, "I think he's coming! I feel something between my legs...there's a slimy bulge between my legs!" I took a few more steps and it was difficult to walk about without my legs spread wide apart. I leaned over the tub to get in...drats! The water had been emptied because I had thrown up so much and they were trying to get me fresh water to birth in. But it had filled only inches and there was no way I could wait until it was full to birth. Standing by the tub I threw up one last time on a hard downward contraction and his little head slipped easily out. I said something to the effect of, "Someone needs to catch him!" and then saw my husband's hands there ready for him. I never pushed. I never needed to. I breathed 2 or 3 deep breaths and out he slipped into his daddy's hands. 53 hours of labor later my sweet baby boy was born into his daddy's strong loving hands and we held him together in shock and awe at what we had just done together. The midwife and doula stepped to the side and sat quietly on the bed while we marveled at the tiny life in our hands and inspected him. Wow what a feeling. Life and love at its fullest, brimming and spilling over into greater and greater depths of life and love. I can hardly explain it but it was one of the greatest moments of my life. A sense of relief, a sense of accomplishment and victory, and most of all a great sense of gratitude for this blessing swept over me.

All I can say when I look back on it is that God is Good ALL THE TIME. He is real. He answers our most desperate and specific prayers perfectly. He answered my prayers that my husband could be present at the birth despite all the odds that were stacked against us with my husband's job as a military officer. He answered my prayers that our baby would go to full term and be born healthy and whole. He answered my prayers for a comfortable, easy birth. He answered my prayers for the love and support that I so desperately needed in the days and weeks following Josiah's birth with family and friends. He continues to meet my needs daily since I became a new mommy. He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider.

I chose to believe when I first became pregnant that God designed our bodies perfectly. He designed the female body to give birth. Labor and birth, more often than not according to the facts and statistics, is a normal, natural process of life for a female. So if God designed our bodies for birth, and if he designed babies to be born, then I decided I would choose to live out my pregnancy as if nothing were wrong and nothing were going to go wrong unless proven otherwise. I decided to trust in my body's instincts and God's faithfulness. May God receive all the honor and praise from this new crunchy mommy for proving himself again that He is sovereign.
53 hours of labor forced me to wait upon the Lord and his timing. His timing is always perfect:-) My hope is that this can be a word of encouragement for other soon to be mommy's out there who are looking into an all natural birth. Let me encourage you that birth is not as scary as it's made out to be! It's a beautiful, wonderful passage of life that brings with it so many amazing feelings and changes. Trust your body and, most of all, trust God.

Ashley Jordan, http://the-crunchy-mommy.blogspot.com/2012/05/53-hours-of-labor.html

Copied from The Duffy Family Blog

On Wednesday, August 22, 2012 I woke up around 10am. The last few nights I had a hard time sleeping due to my hips being sore and waking up to go to the bathroom so often. This night I finally got some great rest and I am so thankful for it.

While laying in bed that morning I started to feel some cramps and what I thought were braxton hicks. Nothing to be concerned about since I knew it was just one of the things that prepares my body for the big event. My mom invited me to lunch and I told her at noon that I started timing my braxton hicks since they were coming so often. They were 2-3 minutes apart lasting for about a minute. I thought this just had to be braxtons since nobody starts labor at this rate. My mom even said it probably was pre-labor or false labor since they didn't start at the typical 10-15 minutes apart. Plus they really were not painful. So I just continued to watch TV. My mom arrived at my house to pick me up for lunch at about 12:30pm and I told her they were getting stronger. They still just felt like period cramps with my stomach tightening like a braxton hicks, but not painful enough to convince me that I was in labor. Since I wasn't feeling up to going out, my mom and I just went through the drive thru at McDonald's so I could get a smoothie and something to eat. When we got back to my house she convinced me to text Bryan to have him come home and skip the meeting he had after school. He had guessed she would come the following day. So we kept joking that maybe this meant he would be right. My mom then left around 1:30pm and Bryan got home about 2:30pm. When he got home I was bouncing on my yoga ball listening to the playlist of music I made for myself during labor. At this point I had to stop during a contraction and breath. I could still talk through them, but I had to focus a little more. We were not too concerned so I kept bouncing while Bryan made something to eat.

When my husband and I found out we were pregnant we knew right away that we wanted an all natural water birth. We had heard amazing things about water births and how they could ease the birthing process for both mother and child. I also wanted to be in a birthing center rather than a hospital. I felt it would give me a more personal and calm experience and fits more in line with my more holistic way of dealing with my body. It was important to me that my baby not come out affected by drugs and that I be 100% engaged in the experience of her birth and the time right after. I checked my health insurance and there was one birth center in the local area that they covered - the Baby Love Birth Center.

We fell in love with the people at BLBC! Every check-up felt like a meeting with friends (very knowledgeable friends!) and they provided care that was the perfect blend of holistic and traditional. I was prescribed vitamins, probiotics and chiropractic care for my problems while getting to hear my baby's heartbeat and still getting all the necessary medical tests. It was a bit of a drive for us at 45 minutes but well worth it for the phenomenal care we received.

In November we took the mandatory birthing class (and really, why wouldn't you want to take one?) at BLBC for a style of birthing called "Hypnobirthing". We had never heard of it before but quickly became fascinated by it. Basically it's a method that combines three breathing exercises for use depending on what part of your labor you are in and self hypnosis that allows you to potentially have a pain free birth. And yes, that is possible. We have met several people that have done it successfully. They don't deny that it's an intense experience - just not the uber painful one that people would have you convinced it has to be.

Jump ahead to January 16th, 2012:

I had been suffering from insomnia for the past few nights. This is not an uncommon occurrence for me. A few times every year ever since high school I will go for several days only getting 2 to 3 hours of sleep a night. Well, this had been going on for several days and I was sick of it so I decided that I would forgo my usual catnap in the afternoon in an effort to exhaust myself so that I would fall asleep at a decent hour that night. So instead I went out to lunch with a friend and then I went shopping. At 4pm, when my husband got off work, I met up with him and we spent the next couple of hours doing some more shopping. Around 6:30pm I started having very irregular contractions. Sometimes they were 10 minutes apart and then I wouldn't feel another for an hour. Forget going to sleep early! These contractions were annoying.

Two weeks ago, on the 14th, our Little Lady was born.  She is the most beautiful, precious little thing I could imagine. I mean... you read about it, or maybe see other folks with their kids... but she's our first baby, and that feeling when I hold her... it's amazing. I can't get enough of her cute little body and cute little snorfling baby noises.  She's already starting to smile at us, and it just melts my heart into a little puddle every time.

But how did she come to be?

Our due date was 11/11/11, which came and went.  The next day, we went to a park and took some awesome maternity photos (way to cut it to the end, I know!).  And then it was Sunday.  I was starting to suspect something, as I felt a little more... err... TMI, but more mucus on wiping, and thought maybe I had seen a tiny tint of blood.  Maybe it was the mucus plug. Maybe it was all in my head. But I finished packing the baby's bag and my own, and tried to get lots of rest.

The "getting a lot of rest" part didn't quite work out.  Sunday night, I went to bed at 10pm, like normal.  And woke up at midnight to use the bathroom, like normal. And I thought maybe there was a little more liquid there than normal... but figured, in my sleepy haze, to go back to sleep and see if it happened again.  So I put on a panty liner and went back to bed. So at 1am, when I got up to use the bathroom again (like normal), I was pretty sure that was my water breaking, as the panty liner was wet.  I put on a "real" pad, and crawled back into bed.  I debated in my head... do I wake up Jane (my wife)... knowing there's nothing she can do at this stage?  Then I thought... if I didn't, she'd surely be upset to find out I was halfway through labor while she was sleeping!  So I woke her up.  And she startled like I had zapped her with an electric rod, hehe.  I had this nice vision of us snuggling together all night as labor progressed.  She had this vision of potential disaster, and went off to get dressed, call our midwife Samantha and make coffee.  Grin.  I stayed in bed, and in another hour or so, was pretty sure I was actually starting to feel contractions.

They were light, like heavy cramps.  We had taken a hypnobirthing class several weeks back, which promotes relaxation throughout labor as the way to a peaceful and pain free labor.  So I listened to my Enya and Sarah McLachlan CDs, and relaxed. Jane came back in after about an hour, and bustled quietly around me, bringing me water and snuggling me.  Then the contractions started getting stronger, where I wasn't guessing anymore when I was having one, I was pretty sure. So we started timing them, and they were from 7-11 minutes apart, with no real consistency.  During a particularly strong one, Jane would snuggle up with me, and I could concentrate on having her nearby, instead of the tenseness.  They still didn't quite Hurt, like I'd thought they would. But my back ached like I'd been standing all day, and I needed her, or several pillows, behind me to make my back feel better.  We used the hot pad too. But here was something no one mentioned, nor did any books discuss... during a contraction, you get hot.  I mean REALLY hot, like a menopausal woman's hot flash.  So for 8-10 minutes between, I was cold and under blankets, and then I threw everything off and was dying of heat for a minute or two.  Weird, yes?

Reprinted from BIRTH WITHOUT FEAR

Zhandra gave birth to her daughter, without fear, in 2009. She might have been young, but she was fearless and very well supported and respected. A beautiful and inspiring birth! ~Mrs. BWF

Teen pregnancy is one of those "hot topics" nowadays, surrounded by controversy and viewed as "mistakes", "recklessness" and all kinds of other degrading things. This image is only amplified by reality TV. Well, not all mothers who happen to start their childbearing journey before legal age are juveniles with no sense of responsibility. Just as a baby is a baby, no matter how small- a mother is a mother, no matter how young.

I was 16 years old when my daughter was conceived. I had left high school a year prior, and was married that November. My husband, her father, turned out not to be very good at fulfilling either of those roles. But had I not had a child with him, I think my life would have played out very differently. Upon seeing that "+" sign on that stick... my entire perspective on life, on myself and on my priorities changed. Changed for good.

I had always distrusted doctors, and had a PTSD-type reaction to hospitals. The last time I had been hospitalized, my mother was afraid I was going to end up in the psych ward, because I just could not handle it and I freaked out. I did not even for a remote second consider having my baby in that environment.

Reprinted from http://wearpigment.com/post/9333153371/evah-is-born-part-1-of-3

A lot of friends of mine have been having babies lately. I'm guessing, I'm getting into that age when that tends to happen. One obvious trend I've noticed is they go missing for a while. Right after you see a few photos of the baby on facebook. To be honest, I'm left yearning to hear the full story while respectively allowing the space needed to the expanding family. So as a new father myself, I have tag teamed with my wife and made the time to at least write to you all about our wonderful experience, and to share life in one of its purest forms!

A slight tangent from Pigment occurred during this time which was tough because we just released our first shirt. It so happens, this tangent, worked out for the better as we plan to revisit the BOL design while we continue to develop our other designs. So on to the story...

Late night July 22nd on a Friday my wife, Carolina, began to have very minimal contractions which we kept an eye on as they increased through the night. We were at home having dinner and taking it pretty easy for the most part. A lot of this process we had preplanned having read books, watched videos, attended classes and had talks with our Midwife about what to expect. Early on we had decided to go the natural route. I think the documentary "The Business of Being Born" played a huge part in this decision having watched it long before we had even been married. Finding out we were pregnant sparked an urgency to get ourselves educated on the matter even further and to find a place that would respect our decisions as a couple in what we wanted for our birthing process. We chose to have our baby at the Baby Love Birthing Center over in Cape Coral. Yes about 35 minutes away from our home. Trust me when I say the benefits outweighed the drive and horrible toll bridge, haha.

by Erica Cooper

I sit here today next to my baby boy almost two months after the day of his birth. I can't believe that it has already been that long; the experience of the day is still so fresh in my mind. I get tears in my eyes and chills just thinking about what a wonderful day and experience his birth was.

When I was pregnant with my daughter almost five years ago I had never heard of waterbirth or birthing centers. I learned of it through some friends right before I started trying for another baby. After learning of it, I knew I had to do it.

The beginning of this pregnancy I started out in another mid-wife's care. I transferred to Baby Love Birth Center and Samantha McCormick, Nurse Midwife halfway through my pregnancy. I felt so welcomed there and loved the care I received throughout the rest of my journey.

Sunday, June 29th, 2008, I was being awakened in the early morning hours. I kept thinking it was just a backache and that I was sleeping wrong or something. Later around 6 am when I was more awake I realized...it's not a back ache it's contractions!!! They were still about ten minutes apart so I didn't wake my husband for another hour. I woke him and told him the news and he was so excited. We knew our baby would be here soon. When my daughter awoke we told her what was going on and she was super excited also.

By: His Mama, Nicole

I woke up Friday, February 29, 2008 – Leap Day – a little over 37 weeks pregnant and getting anxious and more and more uncomfortable. I was having some mild yet consistent contractions, ranging from as close as 3 minutes apart to 8 minutes.

I gave them an hour to fade, as they had done two days before, and called Samantha when they didn't. She told me to give it another half hour and to call her back. When the pattern continued, I called again we decided to meet at the birth center. We loaded up our bags and our almost 2 year old son up and started the 40 minute trip.

Upon arrival, an exam revealed I was around 5 centimeters dilated. I had been at 4 centimeters two days before at my appointment, so I was happy to get this show on the road. They started filling the corner Jacuzzi tub in the Ocean Room, my birthing suite of choice, and that's when it really hit me that I was going to have another baby!

We arranged for my next door neighbor to pick our older soon up after she got off work, so we wouldn't have to worry about him during the birth. She came and got him around 3 pm, the same time we decided to break my water to aid my progress. There was no way I would have felt comfortable going home that dilated with such a long drive to the birth center! I hopped in the tub right after and got settled in with my iPod and husband at my side.

by Kyle Doty

Kyle's daugher, Sariye, was born December 2, 2007 at the birth center

The contractions had been getting steadily stronger all day long and I noticed that my wife had been acting dissimilar all day; she had taken on a more pale appearance and was very tired, quiet. It was 10:00 P.M. when we decided that we would begin to time the contractions. I took her phone and placed the setting on the "stopwatch" setting and started timing. One contraction would start and the clock would start running. That contraction would end, lasting one minute or more and I'd type it into the excel spreadsheet that I had going. I had already named it appropriately, "Contractions" and dated it. I had four columns: Start Time, End Time, Time Between Contractions and Notes. At first they were nine minutes apart, nothing to get too excited about, but still enough to time them.

It was around 11:45 when I noticed that for a while they had been about five minutes apart and showing somewhat of a pattern. I called Samantha, feeling badly about the time of night, but also knowing that this is exactly what she lives for everyday. Samantha kindly told me that once the contractions are steadily under five minutes apart to call her back. My wife and I, for the next several hours sat in our condo getting ready for the big moment when we could call Samantha back so we could go to Baby Love. I timed contractions while my wife labored in the shower sitting on a kitchen chair. I read to her from the bible, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I massaged her back and kissed her forehead holding her close telling her, "You can do this. Are you alright?"

Finally, at 2:00 in the morning the contractions took a more calculated turn more towards the four minute thirty second route and getting shorter, I made the call. Samantha answered the phone as though she had been expecting my call and said, "Cool, come on in and I'll be waiting."

I remember when I called Baby Love for the first time back in the late spring of 2007, at their Fort Myers location. I didn't have health insurance at the time and was trying to get approved for pregnancy medicaid. I had called around that day to different medical centers, trying to find one that would give me a pregnancy test and provide me with the results to give to Medicaid for proof of pregnancy. Everywhere I called, I was turned down because I wasn't seeing a doctor at that time. I was 20 years old and didn't know what to do..was scared out of my wits! My last call was to the Birth Center and they invited me to come by and they would help me.

When I went in, it was a small crowded space, but felt homey and lived in...comfortable, even for the little space. After the test, Sam had asked me if I had a birth plan. I didn't know what she was talking about. When she explained to me what that was, I simply answered, "I have NO idea." She asked if I had heard about water birth, which I had not, and offered for me to come back for a full tour of the center. I came back and got to sit down and find out what it was all about. I have always been uncomfortable at hospitals and seeing doctors, so when she opened up my eyes to water birth at the Birth Center, I was amazed and excited that it was an option out there and had decided right then that it was exactly how I wanted to have my son Wyatt. As time went on, I grew to really appreciate Sam and what she offered for moms to be.

Toward the end of my pregnancy, she was in the process of having her new location in Cape Coral constructed. I was looking forward to it mainly because it was closer to where I lived, but time was cutting close to whether or not it would be ready for when it was time. On November 10, 2007, Wyatt's was the first official birth at the Birth Center in Cape Coral, after they just got their certificate of occupancy. Talk about close call! I was planning on having him in the Garden Room, but the tub wasn't ready. His name is the very first that we signed on the bathroom door of the Angel Room.

I will never forget my first experience there. While I was in labor, I kept thinking, 'Where is Sam?!' expecting her to be at my side for the entire event. Later I realized why and appreciated her distance. She was there when I needed her (resting while I didn't) and that is ALL that mattered.

I have people ask me, "How is it different than a hospital birth? Is it better?" I tell them, first off, I don't know the difference, never had a hospital birth to compare, and I chuckle at myself. What I do know is that I don't have to worry about being hooked up to medical equipment, getting drugged up so I don't even experience the amazing venture of natural birth, or having strangers in and out of the room while I'm at my most vulnerable state. So when I think of it that way, I answer, "yes, it is better" for those who are able to birth naturally (some women may not be able to because of health concerns). Think of it this way, women have been having babies since the existence of man at a time when there were no hospitals. We are born with the ability to reproduce and if we can have our babies the natural way, then we should.

After 9 years in Ft Myers, we moved to Cape Coral in October, 2007

The new birth center is specially designed for waterbirth, with hospital-grade waterbirth tubs

Wyatt Eaves Maxwell

First Baby born in the Birth Center

The most blessed time in my life was bringing my children into the world.

I first learned of Baby Love Birth Center from our family chiropractor, whose wife delivered both of their daughters there. The concept sounded perfect for my husband and me, and when we found out we were going to have a baby, Baby Love was my first phone call. I remember sitting on the couch with a few other expectant mothers and fathers during our first visit thinking, 'This is going to be like delivering at home!' which was a good thing for us.

As the visits and check-ups began to take place, I was made to feel more and more at ease by Sam, Ivy, and everyone on staff at Baby Love. This was our first baby, and being 39 years old, I was rather nervous at first. Samantha and Ivy always listened to my questions and concerns, and I truly felt we were able to relate to each other. My wishes were always heard without judgment and honored~ what a gift! Before I knew it, I was in my third trimester; my pregnancy had been pretty much a dream. My husband and I were reviewing Hypnobirthing, imagining our daughter's arrival in my personal choice, the Angel Room.

I remember going in for my 37 week appointment, my husband was with me. It was at that time when Sam noticed some issues with my blood work that concerned her. She ordered some further testing, immediately that afternoon. I also remember crying on her couch when I learned there was a chance I would not be able to have my baby in the water, at Baby Love. I know Sam understood how I felt. Long story short, I was diagnosed as being preeclampsia and was admitted into the Cape Coral Hospital at 37.5 weeks.

Here comes the beautiful part: although this was NOT my plan, I mean, the hospital was the last place I wanted to be~ Samantha, and then, Dr. George~ are right there with us. My 'plan' turned into Dr. George's perfect order of a Cesearean Section. Our daughter was breech. Also, some of my vitals weren't looking so hot. Dr. George explained to us about HELP Syndrome, and I was pretty much headed there. It was a professional decision that ended up helping our girl enter the world safely...because in delivery we learned about the umbilical cord being wrapped around her neck. Twice! This was absolutely the perfect place for me to be, we really saw that by this point.

I share those details just in an effort to illustrate how committed Sam and her team at Baby Love are; and how perfectly they all work with Dr. George if that ends up being your situation. What a wonderful experience~ all of it. If God blesses us with another child, I know who my first phone call will be to!

These pictures are of a baby girl's birth at the old FT Myers Family Birth Center. The family prefers to remain anonymous, but hopes you enjoy the pictures.

The birth took place in the Jacuzzi tub in the Angel Room. With each contraction, a little more of the baby comes out.

Born into water, at home

June 12, 2006 at 5:49 PM

8 lbs, 14 oz, 21 inches

In retrospect I think I knew that today was the day. I woke up around 12:30 AM having stronger surges then I had had yet. I had been having pretty strong contrations for a week or so, but nothing like these. So I went back to sleep, just in case. Woke again around 2:30 to strong surges, again. I had a feeling. I was so excited, but forced myself back to sleep for a bit, knowing I would need the energy. I woke about every hour or so after that, and every time the surges were still there.

Finally my husband's (Mike) alarm went off at 5 AM. I was wide awake at that point and he asked me how I was doing, and I remember saying, "I am in early labor!" Yippee! He said, "Awesome, should I go to work?" I told him to go and if things started to get crazy, I would call him. He decided to go in until about 8 when he had his other counter person coming in.

So, I got up and started running down my "birthday" list that I had been making for the past few weeks. Then I went to the computer andsat on my birth/ yoga ball for a bit and went through my emails and stuff, just trying to take it easy. I made sure all of our birth stuff was in order and tried to have a normal morning. Gabe (ds1) got up around 7:30 and we hung out. My mom called, as she does EVERY morning, and I told her she needed to be "on call" for the day. She was pretty excited, to say the least! It was really happening! Mike got home a little after 8 and the surges had picked up a bit – but still totally OK at that point. I made a nice cup of Red Raspberry Leaf tea and really, really tried to make myself stay calm!

We called my midwife, Samantha, around 10 a.m. to give her the heads up – the surges were about 6-8 minutes apart at that point and she said to call her when they were more 4-5. We got the birth pool inflated, changed our sheets, played with Gabe and did some hypnobirthing stuff. Around 1 or so, the surges had picked up, and I had my mom come and pick up Gabe. I didn't know it at the time, but he would not be there for his brother's birth, which was probably for the best for everyone, as I had been very vocal when I birthed Avery (LOUD!) It probably would have been too much for him. We called Samantha at 1 p.m., and I decided to take a shower.

Ahhhhh, that was one great shower. I probably wouldn't have gotten out except I wanted to make sure we had enough hot water for the birth pool. Everything at this point was so surreal and wonderful. After the shower we did some more relaxation stuff; I was really having to work through the surges now and after a bit I made him fill up the birth pool. I was really focused on how great the water would feel and I needed to be in that pool ASAP! I was in the pool when Samantha arrived – My surges had been coming on strong, about every 2 minutes or so. My midwife's assistant, Tabitha also arrived soon thereafter. It was about 2:30 p.m.. It was getting really intense for me. I was really using my hypnobirthing breathing which helped tremendously. I got out of the pool and had to immediately assume the "polar bear" position on my bed – I did this for quite awhile. This was the only position that was even remotely comfortable at that point.

Though it was a challenge, this birth was one of the most beautiful experiences in my whole life. I felt like I was surrounded by love and support from everyone in the room, especially from my husband. My husband was so great throughout my labor. While I was pushing, he encouraged me by holding me and whispering in my ear about how I could do this, and that he loved me. When Benedict came out, he became the most beautiful person in the room. Benedict was so calm in the water. He was talking and peeping right away.