Leading up to Wilhelmina’s birth, we prayed every night in our family Rosary for a peaceful labor. Our first birth had been a terrifying and traumatic event. Our planned birth center birth had been transferred to the hospital where I was diagnosed with preeclampsia, and after three excruciating days of labor my daughter was rushed to the NICU. This experience prompted us to choose a home birth for our second pregnancy. The care we received from our home birth doctor was night

Our official due date was Christmas day. I fully expected he’d arrive a 1-2 weeks early or within 1-2 days before or after Christmas, as that was my previous pattern. Baby one came two days after her due date, baby two came one day before his due date, and baby three came two weeks before. So I truly expected this baby to come somewhere around 38 weeks through just a couple days past Christmas. When we made it through Christmas, I was actually relieved. We still had parties t

Prior to the birth of my sixth child, I had five hospital births. Three were unmedicated, two were medicated (rupture of membranes, pitocin, epidural), all vaginal deliveries with no complications. I've always loved and appreciated physiological labor and birth, so I had considered using a birth center before, but for some reason or another it never worked out. One thing I never really considered was a home birth. I think when you get into the groove with one kind of birth, y

THE BIRTH OF MY FIRST BABY: My first pregnancy was labeled “high-risk,” and for good medical reason. Around 35 weeks my blood pressure began climbing, and by 37 weeks I had all the classic signs of preeclampsia: severe swelling, rapid weight gain from fluid retention, protein in my urine, and hypertension. At the same time, my husband had just accepted a new job and we were moving three hours away at the last minute - without a new provider or birth plan in place in our new c

For a long time I have struggled with the fear that surrendering and entrusting something to God will always lead to more pain and...

“I need you to get out of the water.” I looked up at my midwife, cradling one fresh, wrinkled wet baby on my stomach above where the...