At 11pm on Sunday April 12th, I asked Mary our midwife "how much longer till this is all over?!" Mary rubbed my back and sweetly said, "Yes, giving birth is work"… 11 1/2 hours later at 10:25am Monday April 13th, our amazing baby girl was born into the world! The ABC staff were like angels to me while I did the “work” of labor. Even though I was focused inward and unresponsive for most of the 17hrs of labor, I remember vividly the attentiveness, kindness and gentle strength of each nurse. Thank you Dee, Mary, and Judith for being amazing nurses! And thank you SO MUCH to Mary Gadbaw Davis for loving life and the women in your care. ABC allowed me the opportunity to give birth exactly the way I had imagined it since being a young girl, with my husband, mother, 3 sisters, and supportive staff by my side. Thank you for creating an environment where women are empowered during birth. You are all heroes to me!

On Thursday March 26th in the morning at 2:15 am (I was 37 wks- 2 days) I started having contractions and they continued all night. They ranged from 6 mins to 12 mins and were non-stop. My husband Greg woke at 4 am and saw me on my birth ball listening to my hypnobabies scripts on my ipod and asked what I was doing and i told him I think I'm having contractions and she might be coming early. I had my 37 wk appt scheduled for that afternoon. I called my midwife Mary at 8 am and told her how my night went and she said to come in and get checked. I took a shower to relax- still having contractions and then had to pack some things for me and Greg and the baby. We didn't even have the car seat put in the car yet. So I did the packing, and Greg put the car seat and base in the car, ran to get gas cuz the tank was empty, and then packed the car. We both really thought I would go to 41-42 weeks before the baby would enter the world so neither of us did what we should have. So we drove to my Mary's office and i had to be wheel chaired in. I was only dilated to a 1 but i was 100% effaced and she said if I went to the birth center and labored in the tub for a bit I'd go fast. So we drove to the Alternative Birth Center in Southfield about 30 minutes away and the contractions were then about 6 mins apart. I couldn't sit still in the car and was sitting on my knees hugging my body pillow, listening to my Hypnobabies Easy First Stage Labor script, and moaning through every contraction. We got to the birth center at 1030 am. The first nurse there we met was Dee and she was so sweet and wonderful!! First Dee had me labor in the shower and then birth tub then the contrax were coming very fast and hard. I had some back labor and in my thighs and butt. I was in the tub for about an hour or so and I felt urges to push. Dee often checked for the baby's heartbeat. The nurses had me get out and checked me and said that it was very close. I had to breathe through the contractions and wanted to push but Dee said not yet. During one contraction I had it was so strong and my water bag popped. It was an interesting feeling. I pushed in a few positions, squatting on the bed, side laying on the bed, and leaning back against the back rail of the bed holding and pulling against Greg and my doula Megan. It was so intense. The crowning was amazing, not as painful as I imagined. It was awkward when I would push and her head was coming out, then it would go back in and I would have to push it out again. I couldn't get the energy to hold her head there, I was so tired after being up all night with the contractions. I pushed for a total of an hour and a half. Alexa was born at 3:03 pm and she was posterior! Her cord was wrapped around her foot and it was hard to push her out cuz her foot was being pulled in by the placenta still attached to me and the short cord. And because of this I had a lot of abdomen pain. During the final pushes the nurses and my doula Megan were putting warm towels on my abdomen which did make it feel better. My midwife Mary put hot oil on me which helped me stretch to avoid tearing. Greg was wonderful at helping me relax and massaging my back and neck. I did it all with no IV, and no drugs. And I had no tearing!! It was amazing and the most wonderful experience ever. She came out alert and nursed right away. Shortly after my placenta came out without any issues. Alexa stayed attached to the placenta for about 30 minutes after she was born to absorb all the nutrients from it. She weighed 6 lbs 7 oz and was 19 1/2 inches. She is sooo wonderful and Greg and I are sooo overjoyed!!! I cant believe how good it feels to be a mom!!!!

I dreamed for so long of a natural birth with no drugs, and no other interventions such as constant fetal monitoring. I wanted to be able to walk around during labor, labor in a birth tub and shower, eat and drink freely, all without having an IV in my arm. And I successfully did it with the great team I had that helped me--- my husband Greg and my wonderful midwife Mary and my nurse Dee and the other nurses. I could not have done it with out them. It was the best thing I have ever experienced, granted it was the hardest thing I've ever endured, but SOOOO worth it! I hope my next baby can be delivered by Mary at the birth center and without drugs or interventions as was this first birth!!! You helped me achieve what was the most special experience of my life!!! I could not have done it without you!!! From the bottom of my heart thank you!!!