From Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE,
Your Guide to Pregnancy & Childbirth.
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October 8, 1998
10:45 a.m.
8 pounds 3 ounces

My husband, Charles, and I got married in August of 1996 and started trying right away to have children. It took us until January of 1998 to FINALLY get pregnant. Once we were pregnant we decided that we were going to do everything possible to make this the most wonderful experience ever! We did some research on natural childbirth vs. medicated childbirth and being that I don't even like to take an aspirin for a headache and he is a chiropractor we decided it would be best if we went with the natural childbirth. We had a mutual friend that used the Birth & Women's Center and had only good things to say, so I naturally had to check it out. I absolutely fell in love with old house! I also thought the staff there was more than friendly. I knew right away that that would be were we would be giving birth to our child. We went ahead and went to a prenatal apt. with my regular ob/gyn (I was having some spotting) it felt very cold and creepy being in the dr.'s office. Again, we just knew. We asked the doctor about natural childbirth and the Bradley Method and he laughed and said that I was more than welcome to try to have an unmedicated birth but most first time mom's go ahead with the drugs. Tell me what is wrong with that statement! Needless to say I have not been back to that office!

I started having my apts. at the midwife and started to get to know everyone there really well. I felt like part of the family. My pregnancy was going great! The midwife suggested that we take a Bradley class and gave us the name of a lady that they recommend. We started going to classes and learned so many things we had no idea about. When I started talking to my girlfriends (who were also pregnant - 5 of us in all) they had never heard of the things I was telling them. They were also going to Lamaze classes at the end of their pregnancies instead of starting classes early in their pregnancies. I was VERY confident that I could and would have a natural delivery. So many people tried to get me down and tell me that I was crazy and I would be begging for an epidural before it was over. I don't know if I was determined to have a natural birth for me or to prove them wrong. Either way - they were wrong!!!

On Wednesday October 7, 1998 I was doing a little shopping with my mother - in - law and felt a little crampy and I just knew time was coming near. Afterall, I had been dilated to a 3 and 50 % effaced for about a week and my due date was on the 8th. I drove back to the house and just sat around and tried to stay relaxed. I didn't start having any contractions until 9:20 that night. It was different than a Braxton Hicks. I had a second one at 9:40 and a third one at 10:00. I thought to myself - Okay this is it let's get ready! I went in the kitchen and got my strawberries washed and ready to take to the birthing center and made sure we had orange juice to take too. I went in the computer room and told Charles (now about 10:30) what was going on. I told him I was going to try to go to bed and get some sleep and that he should come to bed soon that he need his sleep too. He just giggled and said that if comes to bed now everything will surly stop and he would be in there soon. I got little sleep yet don't remember being awake. Charles came to bed sometime during the night only to be woken up at 3:42 a.m. I told him - OKAY - IT'S YOUR TURN TO TIME THESE CONTRACTIONS!