On the afternoon of Wednesday, August 5, my mother came to stay with us in anticipation of the full moon and hopefully, the birth. Doug and I wanted to go out on a date before the baby, so she babysat Noah, Claire, and Chloe while Doug and I were out. First we went by my midwife's house for a prenatal appointment. I had my first interesting contraction while there, around 6pm. Then we went to the Copper Cellar/Cappuccino's for supper. We had a nice dinner while my contractions continued at 5-6 minutes apart. At one point at the restaurant we heard Ray Charles singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" (from Oklahoma) which was just all wrong. Afterwards we went to Starbucks for a mocha (decaf for me, regular with a double shot of espresso for Doug) and then Earth Fare to pick up a few groceries. By now it was obvious to me this was real labor. I talked to Teresa (my midwife) on the phone and told her I would call her when we got home. I called home to tell my mom it was showtime. We got back around 9:30pm and told the children they would meet the new baby soon. After putting them to bed, my mom went to bed, and I worked on a few last minute chores and asked Teresa to start making her way here. Doug was feeling very antsy (from the caffeine and excitement of the impending birth) but eventually went upstairs to lie down. I stayed downstairs and tried to rest. I realized this was going faster than the previous births and that we were not going to get any sleep beforehand.

Teresa arrived around midnight (I had told her she didn't have to rush). By the time she arrived the contractions were such that I could not have slept even if I tried. Doug came downstairs and we woke up my mom a little while later. Teresa and Ouida (assistant midwife) put down pads and sheets and got the family room ready. I sat on a birthing ball with my back against the chair-and-a-half (small loveseat). We chatted between contractions until they got to where I wasn't smiling and just had to concentrate on relaxing. I felt a wee bit nauseous as well. Once I got to 8-9 centimeters dilated, I asked Teresa to break my water to get this over with. I knew that once that happened, the baby would be born pretty quickly. After a couple more contractions, she got ready to break my water and Doug went upstairs to wake up the children. He told them it was time for the baby to be born and that they needed to sit quietly. They came down and sat next to my mom on the couch. I never heard them at all except I think Claire or Chloe yawned at one point (this was around 2:20am). We have a great picture of them sitting with their hands over their ears because I was screaming moaning loudly. My water was clear with no meconium. I felt very hot (but not shaky like I did with the girls) and Doug ran to the basement to get a fan for me. After about 3 pushes, Daniel was born at 2:28am. He cried right away but calmed down quickly and seemed content to snuggle on my chest. Claire was assisted by Teresa in cutting the cord. Noah was very excited to have a brother, and they all wanted to hold him. He had very little vernix on him, mainly just in his ears. He peed on Ouida while she was weighing and measuring him (9 lb. 13 oz., 21 inches long). Like his siblings, he had lots of dark hair, though it is definitely lighter than the others'. I think we all finally got to bed around 4:30am. We were exhausted!

I'm not sure why the full moon affects me the way it does, but I think it's kinda neat being able to predict the baby's birthday months in advance.

With each baby I have been dreading labor more and more. At one point right before he was born I think I even said, "I hate labor!" with much feeling and emphasis. It was such a relief to be done and I remember thanking God over and over that he was out. Our church had prayed for peace for me and I know that helped in the weeks preceding the birth. I don't mind pregnancy (the last few weeks aren't much fun, of course), and I truly detest labor and delivery, but oh the joy of holding a newborn! Snuggling and nursing and feeling their soft skin and hair against my cheek makes it all truly worth it. I marvel every time at the handiwork of God when I hold a brand new baby.