It’s a boy: The birth of Roland
"My plan was to get into the water before needing to push this time, so I waited until I was just at the point of unawareness that I wouldn't care about being nearly naked in front of everyone."
Team effort: The birth of Topher
"With each push I had to bear down, hold my breath and send all of my energy down low to a sustained push for as long as I could. Then, I'd take a quick breath and do it all over again."
Through fire and water: The birth of Aaron James
"I kept telling Dan not to get excited because I was so convinced that it was a false alarm. I had been reading on baby forums about women having contractions for days—even weeks—who weren’t dilated or effaced at all, so I thought I needed a go at false labor before the real thing would happen."
Home remedy: The birth of Fanon
"Having my baby at home was everything I had hoped birthing would be. Liberating. Empowering. Simple. Calm. Mine. I was not made to do anything I didn't want to; I was where I was most comfortable, around people I was most comfortable with."
A feverish week: The birth of Wayne Norman
"Your body is going to do it whether you like it or not."
