The beginning of the story...

Giving birth was the most difficult and most rewarding experience I've had in my entire life.

Labor and delivery went really well. I was in good, consistent labor for 15-16 hours before Kyle was born. Our doula was amazing and I'm not sure I would've coped so well without her! I labored at home for the first half, then when we arrived at the birth center I was already 5-6 centimeters and 100% effaced. I hopped in the whirlpool tub and finished up to 10 centimeters in there, in addition to having my water broken while I was in the tub. After that I got out of the tub because Kyle needed some help from gravity to descend a little bit. I continued to labor using a birth ball, sitting backwards on a toilet propped up with pillows, on a birthing stool, and eventually gave birth in the bed laying on my side.

There were a few harrowing moments, that I was pretty much unaware of until after the birth. I did notice that as I was learning/starting to push that the midwife seemed to be having trouble getting a good reading on Kyle's heartbeat. Then I heard her tell another midwife that there was meconium in the toilet I had been laboring on, even though my waters had been clear when she initially broke them. As I moved to the bed to continue pushing, the midwives were telling me that I had to push him out NOW! Then there was a lot of commotion and all of a sudden there are like 3 midwives and 3 nurses in the room and I have an oxygen mask being put over my face. Now the midwives are pretty much yelling at me that he has to come out NOW! I remember pushing 3 times before Kyle was out. Kevin says it was definitely less than 6 pushes before he was out and that my tone of voice changed immediately after he was born, "There you are baby!".

Kevin watches them un-wrap the cord from Kyle's neck (it was wrapped around twice). Then Kyle was thrown up on my chest and I realize I'm waving an oxygen tube in front of his face. He's crying! The sweetest sound I've ever heard were those cries. He pinks right up from the crying and a few minutes later Kevin cuts the cord.

To be continued... (Time to feed baby :)