I was due on December 29, 1999 to give birth to my sixth baby. I decided before even conceiving that I would have a homebirth, as I have always longed for one.

Braxton-Hicks contractions became more frequent and more intense during the last few weeks of my pregnancy. Pre-labor began with frequent contractions on Monday evening, December 20. Throughout the day on Tuesday, December 21, they remained consistent no matter what activity I was doing. I began timing them at 15 to 20 minutes apart, lasting only 30 seconds and mild feeling. We had planned to go grocery shopping on Wednesday the 22nd at the same time I had my 39th week check-up with my midwife but I decided we should go to the local market to get the items I needed before labor intensified. I didn't want to have to make a trip to the store too soon after birth and I need to have some things for the midwives to eat and drink as well as for our upcoming Christmas dinner.

Contractions became somewhat stronger at 2:00 p.m. when I decided to call the midwife just to let her know what was happening. She advised me to wait until they were more frequent and stronger and then call her back and she would come over. Meanwhile, my husband Ron set up the birthing pool, since I was planning to have a waterbirth, and I put the supplies for the midwife and baby out on the table. During the day, I drank four cups of Red Raspberry Leaf tea (two double strong ones) and ate as I wanted. I took two warm tub baths, rested, walked on the treadmill and tried to wait patiently. I timed the baby's heartbeat, which was 156 while moving and 132 while resting. I took my blood pressure, which was 112/76. I urinated frequently and passed two bowel movements. I lost my mucous plug at around 5:00 p.m.

I was beginning to feel that the baby might not arrive until the next day and even sometimes I expected the contractions to stop since I still could not convince myself that this was really it. The contractions were staying about the same in duration and intensity as they had been all day.

The children went to bed and I laid down to try to get some sleep. I was awakened by a strong contraction and I got up. Ron was still up watching TV. It was 10:00 p.m. Contractions were coming at seven to nine minutes apart and moderate in intensity. Some would last 45 seconds while others lasted only 30 seconds and were much milder. I began my pacing routine to walk through the contractions, as I had done during all of my labors.

I decided to call the midwife at midnight. I had already decided that I would call her at the same time that I normally would have headed for the hospital, if I were not birthing at home. Contractions were five minutes apart, 45 seconds in length and moderate in intensity. My back was also beginning to hurt and I felt a lot of pressure in my lower abdomen as well as cramping. The midwife and her assistant were on their way. Ron filled the birthing pool with warm water and I finished getting others things ready.

The midwife, Heather, arrived at about 1:00 a.m. with her assistant, Donna, arriving a few minutes later. Heather brought in her supplies and organized them. Our youngest, Kira, was now awake and watching Christmas cartoons with Ron. The other children remained asleep. I had wanted them to watch the birth (and they wanted to watch too) but I decided to let them sleep so I could concentrate on what I was doing. The camcorder and cameras were set up and ready to roll.

Heather asked if I wanted her to check my dilation and I eagerly agreed, curious to know the results. She was able to feel the cervix open to 4 to 5 centimeters during a contraction. I was 100% effaced, the baby's head was deeply engaged and the bag of waters were bulging. She gently stretched my cervix. This was the only exam I had and the only time I was on my back (which I chose...I could have sat or squatted). She checked the baby's heartbeat, which was 140 even through a contraction, and remained consistent throughout the labor. She periodically checked the heartbeat while I sat or stood and took my blood pressure once. Those were the only exams and monitoring I had.

I paced most of the time, working with the contractions. I sat at the kitchen table briefly with the midwives to talk but then got on with my business of pacing and dealing with labor. Heather made me a protein shake to keep my energy up. The midwives quietly talked to themselves in the kitchen and let me do my thing, which I am grateful for. The contractions slowly intensified. I sat on the edge of the couch and found this nearly squatting position comfortable and easier to work with the contractions than standing.

I got into the tub for a few minutes but got out to go to the bathroom. When the contractions became very frequent and intense, I felt best just sitting on the edge of the couch. I was in transition. Heather rubbed my back and told me I should get into whatever position I planned to give birth in. I got back into the pool in a semi-reclining position. The warm water felt good. The heating pad under the pool was turned up and the midwives heated water on the stove to add to the pool. Heather placed wash cloths that had been warmed in our crock-pot on my abdomen. The contractions were intense and I could feel my cervix opening and widening. I used slow, deep breathing as well as concentration and focus to work with the contractions. Heather and Donna were readying the supplies. Heather told me to just let anything out that wanted to come out. I felt free to do this in the pool and relaxed as much as possible during the contractions, though my legs still stiffened. After a few minutes, the contractions were very strong and one on top of the other. I could feel the baby begin to descend through the cervix and I calmly announced "The baby is descending."

I told Ron to turn on the camcorder, which was propped up on the counter. He wanted to take a picture of me laboring but I asked him not to (now I wish he had). Kira was patiently staying out of the way but watching with interest. Ron got on one side of the pool and the midwife was on the other side. During the next contraction, I felt the strong and undeniable urge to push. I could feel the baby moving down the birth canal. It was awesome! It was not painful. I gave another push with a contraction and the head crowned. The bag of waters were still intact and bulging. Then they popped open when I pushed. Heather was calmly telling everyone what was happening ("The head is crowning", etc.) There was very little burning sensation...nothing like what I had felt when my other babies crowned. I gave another push and the head came out. Heather said the cord was wrapped tightly around the neck. I blew through the next contraction so she could unwrap it but she asked me to push if I had the urge so I did (later, she told me that the baby's cord was so tight she would have had to either cut it then or the rest of the baby had to come out so she could unwrap it...she opted to have me push the baby's body out rather than shock the baby by cutting the cord). As soon as the baby's body was delivered, she quickly unwrapped the cord, which was around the neck twice, and then placed the baby on my chest (I had a tee-shirt on and pulled it up so the baby could be skin-to-skin with me). It was 4:42 a.m. Donna placed warm receiving blankets over the baby. The baby was moving but not breathing yet. Heather said the cord was very tight and wanted to give the baby some oxygen. She assured me the baby was o.k. since the cord was still attached. As she got the oxygen mask, I rubbed the baby's back and the baby started to cry and pinked up quickly. She decided the oxygen wasn't needed afterall. The baby had some mucous in the mouth and nose, which Heather gently suctioned out. There was some fluid in her lungs but she was doing fine clearing them with the crying. I peeked through the legs and saw what I thought was the scrotum and announced "It's a boy!" The cord was in the middle so I looked again and realized my mistake. We had a girl! Her swollen genitals gave the appearance of a boy's scrotum and I couldn't see a penis with the cord in the way, which is why I looked again. I felt so silly announcing it was a boy when it was not. She was definitely a girl. I was given some cinnamon tincture in water to help detach the placenta and help with bleeding and afterbirth contractions. Ron held the baby under the water (all except her face) while I began to deliver the placenta. The cord was short so the midwife clamped it and Ron cut it (while Donna held the baby in the water). Donna and Ron took the baby out of the water and wrapped her in warm receiving blankets, put her hat on and checked her vital signs. I stood up to get out of the tub but felt strong contractions and began to push the placenta out. Both midwives held the bowl and caught the placenta as I stood. It came out fully intact and bleeding was normal. I then laid on the couch, where the first pictures were taken.

We named our daughter Kimberly Frances Cook. She cried for several minutes after the birth, we presume she was traumatized by the tight cord around her neck. The midwife gave her a homeopathic remedy to help and I nursed her. She latched on like a pro! Kira quietly watched everything and wasn't shocked or scared at all. We prepared her well before the birth and it helped. She was talking and pointing at the new baby.

Kimberly looks a lot like her brother Cameron did when he was born...lots of dark hair and a perfectly round head. When she stopped nursing, I said it would be a good time to check her weight and measurements. Heather placed her in a sling-type scale. She weighed 8 pounds. Ron held her as Heather measured her length, chest and head. She was 22 inches long, though when I measured her later I only got 19 inches so I'm going to have her checked again when the midwife arrives for our check-up (update: we re-measured her on 12/27 and changed the length to 20 inches). She passed some meconium while in the sling scale so we knew that was working o.k. I declined the vitamin K shot and eye ointment. Heather gave her a quick exam and we put her first diaper on (cloth, of course). She was then put back skin-to-skin with me and covered with blankets. I felt great! Tired, but great. Kira fell asleep leaning up against me as I laid on the couch while the baby was being measured. Ron carried her down to bed and she stayed asleep.

Kimberly nursed again on the other side then Ron held her while Heather checked me for tearing. No tears at all, a first for me. I feel the water helped with this. The delivery was fast and there wasn't much time for slow stretching but I still didn't tear. My uterus was firming up fine and bleeding was normal. I resumed nursing again since Kimberly was rooting and sucking on her hands and fingers.

Ron and the midwives emptied the birthing pool as I nursed and rested. Before I knew it, all was cleaned up and the midwives were packed and ready to go. Heather checked my bleeding again and saw some membranes left over from the amniotic sac still being expelled. It wasn't attached to me, just stuck to my tightening cervix. Rather than just pull it out, she suggested I tried to urinate to help flush it out. I peed fine but the piece of membrane stayed so she suggested I get into a warm shower. Once in, I almost instantly felt faint, dizzy and light headed. I was barely bleeding so I wasn't worried about blood loss. It was the heat and steam from the shower that was bothering me. I leaned over and let the water splash on my back. Heather told me I could gently pull on the membranes and help it come out. I did and slowly it came out and I got out of the shower and laid back on the couch. My blood pressure was 90/50 and I was reminded not to get up too fast and to just take the time to rest. Heather showed us the placenta. It was perfectly round with no signs of any defects. The cord was only about a foot long, which is why it tightened so much around Kimberly's neck as she was being born. Even with that, Heather said I could have handled this birth unassisted but I was very glad they were there. They completed the birth certificate and some paperwork and then left. It was 8:00 a.m. - - 3 1/2 hours after the birth. Heather would call and return for a check-up the next morning.

Soon after they left, one by one the children awakened and were surprised to see the baby. No one was upset that the baby was a girl and not a boy, as they had all guessed it was. I let my 4 year old son Cameron discover the sex himself. He said, "Let me see if it has a penis." So I took off her diaper and he saw that she was a girl. I asked Ron to take some pictures. We used our Polaroid camera so I could instantly scan it into the computer and send it to my friends and family on-line. Some of the children said they had wanted to watch the birth and I explained that I had thought about waking them up but decided to let them sleep...and that we had videotaped it so they could watch. They were all eager to see it so we put it in the VCR and all sat down to watch. Ron called some of his family members and I sent my E-mail announcements out and then laid back on the couch and nursed.

The kids were all anxious to hold Kimberly. She has been in someone's arms since being born...never being left to lie alone. This will help her overcome the trauma she experienced with the cord.

She is nursing very frequently - - every hour or so and my milk has begun to come in, which is a relief because she had been acting hungry a lot and is much more content now. I put some clothes on her and took more pictures and video. We are all bonding well with her and falling in love. She is a beautiful little girl and I am so glad I chose to have her at home. It is an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Kimberly Frances Cook

5 hours old

8lbs.

Born at home on December 22, 1999 at 4:42 a.m.

Kimberly Frances Cook ~ 48 hours old

December 24, 1999

Kimberly's footprints taken on December 27, 1999

5 days old