My Birth Story - Part 1

My son, Nolan, just turned one - and it seems like finally the appropriate time to start the "Birth Story" part of my blog. I have so much to share on this subject, so it will be divided up into several parts.

 Pre-Pregnancy: Avery and I started talking about having a baby right after our honeymoon. Some would say that we rushed into having a baby, but remember, we have been together for over 10 years, had bought a house and were living together for about 2 years. We were ready! After our Hawaiian Honeymoon in June 2008, we started trying. From this time on, I focused all of my free time into studying about pregnancy and childbirth. My sister, Sarah, is a Nurse Practitioner and had landed a job with my hero, Dr. Denise Punger. Sarah gave me Dr. Punger's book, Permission to Mother: Going Beyond the Standard-of-Care to Nurture Our Children. I read it and it totally open my eyes. I had never understood the benefits to mother and baby of a natural childbirth, nor did I consider the negative effects of a hospital birth. At school, Avery was learning about the same thing. Through his pediatric professor, we we exposed to the harsh reality of hospital births and the the "business" of it all. Two other eye-opening movies are: The Business of Being Born and Pregnant in America. I highly recommend every parent watch these movies before deciding where to give birth. It did not take me long to realize that I wanted a natural childbirth at home with a midwife. I wanted to be in charge of my birth and let my child be born when and how they wanted - the way Nature intended it! I continued to read everything on the subject and talk with mothers who had gone through the same experience.

On October 20, 2008, I found out I was about 8 weeks pregnant!