She arrived yesterday, April 21 at 11:57 am after only 5.5 hours of labor and no pushing. I had a completely perfect, natural, birth center birth surrounded by family and assisted by a WONDERFUL beyond words doula (and a fellow MDC mama!). Autumn is 7lbs 9oz and 19inches. Pictures and birth story to come soon, but I just wanted to post our announcement- mom, dad and big sis are over the moon!!!!!!!! 
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Sorry it took so long to add the pics and birthstory... I've been having PPD again. Even the placenta didn't help. Good news is that I was able to get HRT patches and it seems to be helping me through the really bad spots.
Autumn Amelia’s birthstory
Again with this pregnancy, I experienced prodromal labor for several days and was beginning to think that I wouldn’t ever sustain labor! Every time I would go into the bathroom, I would obsessively check and find pieces of the uterine seal and check for amniotic fluid.
Finally, on Thursday night (4/20), I decided that we needed to more to help the labor sustain instead of fizzling out. Up until now, I had only been taking EPO and drinking Red Raspberry leaf tea. So, Hal did the Hoku points on my hands after adjusting my pelvis to hopefully help as well.
Initially, nothing much changed. My surges continued to be irregular and tolerable. I went to bed, uncomfortable but not sure that labor was in progress. I slept well until Madeline came into nurse the next morning (4/21) at 6:30 am.
The moment she latched on my surges changed. Hal began to time them and then we found they were coming at regular intervals. I could begin to feel the incredible pressure of the baby moving and my cervix changing.
Still unconvinced that this was “it”, I got up to take a shower and told Hal to get things ready in case they maintained. They did! I became certain that we were going to have a baby today! Hal called his parents and I called the birth center, Noelia (our doula) and my dad.
After loading up the car, we made our way to the birth center. At first, it was easy, but it soon became nearly impossible to relax on the bumpy road. My surges were getting stronger and the HypnoBirthing CD just wasn’t cutting it for me. I asked Hal to tell me that we were almost there… we weren’t halfway yet! After what felt like forever, we arrived and got settled into our room.
I ate a little and hung out with Hal and Madeline and Noelia. Pretty soon I needed to lay down with my body pillow to relax through the surges which were coming closer together and stronger. Eventually, I started to need the bathroom at the end of each surge and would have secondary ones when in the bathroom. I could tell things were progressing when I started getting the shakes.
Madeline would come in the room and help Noelia comfort me with light touch massage and just being cute in general. What an amazing experience to have her there with us!
Finally, I decided I was ready to get into the tub… talk about a comedy of errors! First, we couldn’t find the plug. Then, there wasn’t any hot water… during this my surges got very intense and close together. After using the bathroom following a particularly strong one I suddenly felt different and hurried back to the bed calling “Something’s happening!”
A moment later, I felt a pop, my water breaking, and I distinctly felt the baby’s head slide down.
I laid back, moaning with each set of surges that worked the baby further and further down. I was feeling pretty good in between, but it still felt like forever until the baby’s head crowned. Finally it did and I was able to reach down and feel it. After only a few minutes and a tiny push to get her body out, Autumn Amelia was born at 11:59 am after only about 5.5 hours of labor! Hal held her out to me and we discovered that we had a baby girl!!!
Madeline joined us (it went so fast that she missed the actual birth) and the three of us snuggled together while the cord finished pulsing and the placenta was delivered. A while later we found Autumn’s stats were 7 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches. Right from the start, she nurses like a champ and sleeps like an angel.
Autumn's first pictures
************************************************** ****
Sorry it took so long to add the pics and birthstory... I've been having PPD again. Even the placenta didn't help. Good news is that I was able to get HRT patches and it seems to be helping me through the really bad spots.
Autumn Amelia’s birthstory
Again with this pregnancy, I experienced prodromal labor for several days and was beginning to think that I wouldn’t ever sustain labor! Every time I would go into the bathroom, I would obsessively check and find pieces of the uterine seal and check for amniotic fluid.
Finally, on Thursday night (4/20), I decided that we needed to more to help the labor sustain instead of fizzling out. Up until now, I had only been taking EPO and drinking Red Raspberry leaf tea. So, Hal did the Hoku points on my hands after adjusting my pelvis to hopefully help as well.
Initially, nothing much changed. My surges continued to be irregular and tolerable. I went to bed, uncomfortable but not sure that labor was in progress. I slept well until Madeline came into nurse the next morning (4/21) at 6:30 am.
The moment she latched on my surges changed. Hal began to time them and then we found they were coming at regular intervals. I could begin to feel the incredible pressure of the baby moving and my cervix changing.
Still unconvinced that this was “it”, I got up to take a shower and told Hal to get things ready in case they maintained. They did! I became certain that we were going to have a baby today! Hal called his parents and I called the birth center, Noelia (our doula) and my dad.
After loading up the car, we made our way to the birth center. At first, it was easy, but it soon became nearly impossible to relax on the bumpy road. My surges were getting stronger and the HypnoBirthing CD just wasn’t cutting it for me. I asked Hal to tell me that we were almost there… we weren’t halfway yet! After what felt like forever, we arrived and got settled into our room.
I ate a little and hung out with Hal and Madeline and Noelia. Pretty soon I needed to lay down with my body pillow to relax through the surges which were coming closer together and stronger. Eventually, I started to need the bathroom at the end of each surge and would have secondary ones when in the bathroom. I could tell things were progressing when I started getting the shakes.
Madeline would come in the room and help Noelia comfort me with light touch massage and just being cute in general. What an amazing experience to have her there with us!
Finally, I decided I was ready to get into the tub… talk about a comedy of errors! First, we couldn’t find the plug. Then, there wasn’t any hot water… during this my surges got very intense and close together. After using the bathroom following a particularly strong one I suddenly felt different and hurried back to the bed calling “Something’s happening!”
A moment later, I felt a pop, my water breaking, and I distinctly felt the baby’s head slide down.
I laid back, moaning with each set of surges that worked the baby further and further down. I was feeling pretty good in between, but it still felt like forever until the baby’s head crowned. Finally it did and I was able to reach down and feel it. After only a few minutes and a tiny push to get her body out, Autumn Amelia was born at 11:59 am after only about 5.5 hours of labor! Hal held her out to me and we discovered that we had a baby girl!!!
Madeline joined us (it went so fast that she missed the actual birth) and the three of us snuggled together while the cord finished pulsing and the placenta was delivered. A while later we found Autumn’s stats were 7 lbs 9 oz and 19 inches. Right from the start, she nurses like a champ and sleeps like an angel.
Autumn's first pictures
: Congratulations 
Autumn Amelia!
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