To Iris. Your Birth Story.
By Jill and Ernie

Jill: "As your due date passed us, your father and I were getting more and more excited to meet you. The night before your birth, I was tired and went to bed early. Your father was in the bed on his laptop when I woke up about 2:30am. I had felt something new in my belly, something besides your constant, comforting movement. It was my first contraction. A second came just a few minutes later. They weren't painful, but I definitely could not sleep through them. I told your father he'd better get some sleep, because this might be early labor.

I went downstairs and laid on the couch for a few hours, experiencing one contraction after another, each about 2-3 minutes apart. I was resting but could not sleep. I wasn't sure if they'd stop, or get stronger. I started to moan and sway my bottom a bit with each one. Your father heard my sounds and came down to check on me. He timed the contractions for a little while, and we watched a live Bonnie Raitt concert from 1977 on TV as the sun came up. Strange shakes transiently overtook me. Still the moaning and swaying felt good. I felt comfortable with the new process my body was experiencing."

Ernie: "We weren't absolutely sure it was the real thing until the morning around 8 when the contractions started growing with intensity."

Jill: "About 8:30, I called my midwife, Aszani, who suggested we come into the birth center. We gathered food from the fridge and packed our bags and your little car seat into the car.

The car ride was difficult. I struggled with the seatbelt strap across my abdomen as the contractions continued in waves. I really wanted to be free to move. When we got to the birth center at about 10am, the contractions skyrocketed in strength. Aszani took us back to one of the birth rooms and checked my dilation. I was already 6 cm dilated and completely thinned out. The midwives gave me some herbs which stopped the nausea I was experiencing.

The large tub was filled as I continued to feel the contractions grow in intensity. When I slipped into the warm water, I finally felt settled and relaxed. Your father was so wonderful, right there with me through every contraction. He sprayed warm water on my back and put cool cloths on my forehead as I moved around in the water. Labor had gotten to the point where it was no longer possible to find a comfortable position.

About 10:30am my water broke and I immediately had the urge to push. My body totally took over at this point. My conscious mind went into the background, and I obeyed my body's unfolding commands. I was on my back now deep in the water. Your father was right there with us. I squeezed his hands so hard with each episode of primal pushing. I could feel the descent of your head. Throughout pushing, I could feel you wiggle around inside me, and I could also feel you use your legs to push your head down the birth canal. I could tell you were excited to be born. What a privilege in this culture to be able to feel every little thing during this amazing process. What a privilege to be in such a place, surrounded by people who allowed me to trust my body and follow my instincts.

I trusted what my body was telling me to do and backed off on the pushing when it seemed things were stretching too far. Your head came out very slowly and gently. I kept reaching down with a shaky hand and stroking your hair in anticipation. (I still love to stroke your hair while you nurse.)

At 1:04pm your head came out, and the rest of your body rushed into the water, and into Aszani's hands. She lifted you out and placed you onto my chest. Your father and I looked into your little face for the first time. You were so beautiful. We were overwhelmed with joy, love, and tears. "What do we have, Daddy?" We looked in between your legs to discover that you were our daughter, Iris Lucille.

Immediately you mouthed for the breast and I put you to it, where you began to nurse. About 20 minutes later, the placenta came out. Your father then cut the cord, officially separating you from your tree of life. We got out of the tub and Kymm Ann tucked the 3 of us into a big bed together.

Ernie: The birth was amazing . . . Afterwards, all three of us moved to the bed where we stayed for the remainder of the day just watching our new baby girl and doting on her. The midwives periodically came in to check on us and Iris, and it was just an amazingly beautiful experience.

Jill: We couldn't nap, because we were too busy falling in love with you. You nursed and slept for hours, while we looked over every little bit of you. We ate a couple of meals and went home that night to our family bed.

Iris Lucille, everyday with you is a blessing. Thank you for coming into our lives. Thanks to all the birth center staff for everything you did to make this experience beautiful and empowering.