Full moons & baby booms: The birth of Penelope
"At my weekly OB appointment the Friday before, I was already a solid 4 to 5 centimeters dilated. With my contractions becoming more intense pressure-wise, the last thing I was looking to do was walk into the hospital with a baby on the way out. After speaking with the on-call doctor a little while later, we decided to go to the hospital just to play it safe."
A happy haze: The birth of David
"Around midnight I felt the contractions become a little more intense, and they were getting closer together. I woke up my partner, and we timed them. They were coming every five minutes, just like the doctor said."
The fast lane: The birth of Magnus
"They shuttled me up the the delivery room, and I was pushing as soon as they had me set up. I thought the contractions leading up to this were bad, (and was swearing at myself for deciding on a natural birth) but they were nothing compared to the pushing."
A gut feeling: The birth of Clarence
"The dispatcher said, 'Don't push the baby out until they come!' This sounds crazy, but when she said that, I began panicking. The baby was coming?! I guess their experience taught them that my voice was telling."
Guts and glory: The birth of Jill and Diane
"I had a decision to make as far as medication, and I wasn’t sure yet what to choose."
