Hilary was so excited it was a girl, she kept looking again and again. Isaac wasn't very excited and said, "The baby came out!" Then he left to go play with his cousin who was downstairs. Benjamin started dancing around and saying "It's a girl!" over and over.
Kevin came up to my side and held me and our new daughter. I was crying tears of joy and relief. I felt great and excited, but also tired.
The placenta followed a bit later as I sat there holding her. A neighbor called about 10 minutes after she was born, she had seen the cars and wondered if we had a new baby? It was pretty funny.
Benjamin got to cut the cord. Kevin wanted me to nurse the baby, I had actually forgotten. She didn't seem too interested but finally did latch on. She just stared into our eyes. I felt very complete.
Everyone left Kevin and I alone to greet our new baby for a bit. We cried all over her, I'm proud to say. He took off his shirt and held her softly skin to skin, talking to her and telling her just how much she was loved.
The midwives all came in and finished helping me clean up and ensuring that I didn't have any tears and doing her newborn exam. We called our families who had missed the birth and a party was begun downstairs. After a bit the baby and I joined everyone for a few minutes and then retreated back upstairs. Kevin brought me something to eat and most of the rest of the day and evening were spent in sheer awe.
Her name wasn't decided for a few days, so we just called her baby for awhile. As long as she got to nurse she didn't care.
So far, life with four children isn't bad. In fact, I'm pretty happy with everything.
While I technically got everything I wanted from the birth (unmedicated, homebirth, Kevin, the kids, my midwife and friends), it was a totally different experience. I learned a lot about myself and about the people I surrounded myself with. Their quiet and diligent support really helped me when the going got rough and they never abandoned me. Lilah was born into a room full of loving, supportive friends, greeted by the hands of her father and welcomed to the breast of her mother. What a great way to enter the world...
