W's Birth Story, Tuesday, June 16, 2015, 2:45pm
Background:
July 16, 2007: Our first daughter, C, was delivered via scheduled c-section with EXIT procedure due to a condition with her neck (we were both put to sleep and she was half delivered, intubated, and then fully delivered). She was 8lbs 2oz 21 ¾ inches long at 38 weeks gestation and had to spend a week in the NICU at Scottish Rite. My husband was not allowed in the room during delivery though there were many med students and staff present to witness the “rare procedure,” this made me feel a bit on display and is something I’ve still had to work through in subsequent births.
July 18, 2008: Our son, J, was delivered via scheduled c-section at 38 weeks 2 days, weighing 8lbs 4oz 20 1/2 inches long, due to my doctor at the time not wanting to do VBACs with only 12 months between and because he was going on vacation the following week. The doctor also said during surgery I had almost no scar tissue and probably could have VBAC-ed after all. This revelation was what inspired us to begin researching VBAC, and finding out the true facts about it for our next delivery.
September 15, 2010: When I found out I was expecting our third (at 9 weeks along) I began planning for a VBA2C. I switched to the best OB available in my area for VBA2C at the time, Dr. Tate, at 15 weeks along. At 40weeks 3days E arrived weighing 8lbs 11oz 20inches long (story here) via unmedicated spontaneous VBA2C and things progressed so quickly at the hospital Dr. Tate was not able to make the delivery. However, he did direct the resident Catherine Kress from the phone on his way and I know without him my VBA2C probably wouldn’t have been possible and I am eternally grateful.
October 22, 2011: Our fourth child, third daughter surprised us and was due 13 months after our 3rd. Over the course of that pregnancy we decided that the best choice for our family this time around was a home birth. We chose Brenda Parrish of Traditional Birth Services as our midwife, or felt more God chose her for us. At 40weeks 1day K arrived at home after about 6 hours of labor at home, suprisingly in our tiny bath tub despite beforehand my never imagining I would have a water birth. That story is here
June 19, 2013: Our fifth child, fourth daughter, L, arrived at 40w2d, at home with Traditional Birth Services again, almost 20 months after our fourth. Story here
Baby #6
Our sixth baby’s story started a little differently than our others, and very much the same in some ways too. I’ll start with the disclaimer that all of our children were planned, however they weren’t all “scheduled.” It seems our “Baker Babies” like jump the gun at times on our plans to try to conceive them. So anyway, as silly as it sounds, #6 was the first baby we officially started our trying to conceive plans for before her arrival.
After our fifth child turned one we started thinking about if/when we wanted to have another. My midwife from my previous two pregnancies announced that she was planning to go on vacation late May through early June 2015, so any clients who wanted to be with her then needed to plan accordingly. Although we trusted that things would work out the way they needed to, with the care team we needed, we planned to start trying to conceive in order that a due date would be after this time. Plus our fifth’s birthday is June 19th so we figured being due after her 2nd birthday would be best. My cycle was still strange with nursing and we began our trying to conceive journey a couple weeks after my chart said I had ovulated, assuming we couldn’t conceive for a couple weeks yet. Those couple weeks were exciting but my chart seemed to be even stranger suddenly, which worried me for ovulation time coming up. Was I even ovulating? I took ovulation and pregnancy tests (just in case) but neither gave any answers.
Even though we planned to wait to try to conceive (ttc) so we could use Brenda again as our midwife, I started wondering if we should check out some other midwife practices and felt drawn to check out Birthing Way, where Paige worked, and who several friends had used in the past or were planning to use for the future.
My friends, Lindsey and Rachael both found out they were pregnant and due in May. At church on Sunday Lindsey announced and another member mentioned how babies come in threes so there was one yet to come. I hoped she was right though bit my tongue.
After church I told Lindsey how we had officially began trying to conceive but my crazy cycles were making me nervous already and we had barely started. I asked her to pray for us that all would work out the way it was meant to.
I will never doubt the power of a pastor’s wife’s/Lindsey’s prayers (which I’ve seen in action before and since). The next morning I found myself staring at a positive pregnancy test.
So the trying to conceive was official, but I’ll admit this little one was obviously still in a rush at the beginning too maybe. With my crazy breastfeeding cycles I wasn’t sure on dates so had an early dating ultrasound. Michael was working crazy hours and I wanted to get in as soon as possible so I went to a private place instead of SeeBaby so I could get a weekend appointment. At first the ultrasound tech said I was 6 weeks 4 days along then on length got up to 7 weeks 2 days along with a due date of June 6th. We went with latter because my early first positive pregnancy tests, but looking back I think the lower estimate was more accurate. At the time it was nice being told I was further along though so I was a little less worried.With the estimated due date of June 6th, that also put me due on my dad's birthday, which also happened to be exactly in the middle of the time Brenda said she wasn’t taking clients. This fact began what I called my pregnancy of changes, and a giant trust exercise.
When I told Brenda my due date she was supportive and said she’d still take me as a client but I would have to prepare for possibly having a backup midwife for the delivery. The backup midwife sounded like a nice person, but I wouldn’t be able to meet her until my home visit. I already have issues feeling comfortable with people on my birth team I’ve met several times, Michael and I just couldn’t see it working for us to only potentially meet her once or twice before birth so we began considering switching care again. As I mentioned before, I had heard lots of good things about Birthing Way so I decided to check them out and after meeting the midwives decided to begin my prenatal care with them.
My next big change was my doula. My doula with babies 3-5, Talitha, began foster parenting so was no longer taking doula clients. She recommended Que Brown, who many friends loved as their doula and I felt really comfortable with because she was the assistant midwife at my 5th’s birth. Every time I talked with Que I felt this was right but I was still really nervous about another big change. She also told me she had a wedding she had to attend when I would be 42 weeks along (according to the estimated due date). I figured since my three previous babies came at 40 weeks 3 days, 40 weeks 2 days, and 40 weeks 1 day I wouldn’t need to worry about that at least (lol).
With these big changes in my birth team I was happy that I was able to hire Sarah Taege/Bella Birth as my birth photographer again. My kids love her and she was so wonderful at my previous birth, but she had a few other commitments come up and I was afraid she might miss the birth too.
With all the change plus the fact I usually wait to call till I’m pretty far along in labor I started to have one big worry: that I would go unassisted (birth without anyone in my birth team there). I told my husband this often and he said we wouldn’t because he would call and I don’t go very fast usually till the end. I tried to focus on this but still worried and talked about it with my therapist as well.
I knew logically that the births that go too fast for everyone to get there in time usually go without complications too but I really didn’t want to test that. I loved Birthing Way Midwifery, and felt in great hands with the midwives there, Rachel and Beth, but felt like something was missing and when I tried to visualize my birth, as silly as it sounds, I couldn’t imagine either of them as my primary but saw them more in the background. It came up that Paige, their apprentice, was beginning to take primary clients under Rachel’s supervision. Imagining Paige as my midwife just felt right to Michael and I and brought me the peace I was looking for on this. We knew her from ICAN and church and she had come to our house before our 5th was born to give the other kids a homebirth class, and it all just felt right. I asked her if she would be my primary and she said yes and that was that.
My pregnancy was pretty straight forward from then on. I had an anterior placenta, which was new for me. I felt early flutters around 12 weeks, just like with 3-5 but didn’t feel big movements until closer to 20 weeks and they were still never as frequent as with my others until the third trimester.
Though our 5th baby was a surprise sex we decided to find out the sex this time. I didn’t have too much intuition either way and had no preference but my symptoms were a lot like my son’s so I wanted to make sure we didn’t need to search out the boy stuff, just in case. We waited till 16 weeks to tell the kids we were expecting because we wanted to be able to tell them boy or girl from the start too versus letting them get too attached to either idea. We had Sarah come to take pics at Lake Acworth when we told them. We wrapped a present with lots of baby items in it to tell them and a banner that said “Baby Makes 6” for them to hold.
We were all excited about another baby girl, who our 7 year old, C, nicknamed “Birdie.” C also asked if she could help with the birth. She read some of my Birth Partner book and told me she would be my labor helper and “mini midwife.”
Sarah also took my maternity pictures later at Lake Acworth. I joked about how my fourth baby, who I had water maternity pics taken with, had the shortest and easiest birth so far so maybe this baby would follow suit.
Overall pregnancy went very quickly and I felt really well. I kept expecting to have a baby right around the same gestation I’d had my others, and in a similar 6-12 hour labor that would start around 2 am, just like the others. I hoped maybe baby would surprise me a little early but wasn’t counting on it. Everyone who knew my history seemed to agree and said there was no way I’d be going early.
They were luckily right.
39 weeks
I felt so good during the third trimester we decided to sign our eldest two children up for soccer camp when I was 39 weeks. It ended the day before my estimated due date. Paige also went out of town that same week.
Even though I didn’t want to have the baby early, and was worried I’d go into labor while Paige was away or the kids were in camp during the day I focused on trusting who was meant to be there would be there, and started instead worrying that I felt too good. I had no prodromal labor, no Braxton hicks, etc. and worried if I had broken something. Had I taken the wrong supplement? Not enough of this? Too much that?
On Thursday I had a major emotional episode after a police officer pulled us over on the way to soccer. That night, at 39 weeks 5 days (based on the estimate) I had some contractions while nursing L and my stomach was upset. I was excited my body seemed to be working but also really didn't want kids to miss last day of camp and wasn’t sure if Paige was back yet. I feel like all those worries helped things calm back down and postpone the possibility.
The kids finished camp and we made it to supposedly 40 weeks on Saturday. Suddenly we switched from “Can’t have a baby now” Mode to “We’re ready, where’s the baby?”
My mom, our childcare, came down to visit for the weekend. Although no one was rushing me, Michael and my mom made it clear they were ready for the baby and having her on the weekend would be “very convenient.”
Due Date? 40 weeks? 41?
The “due date” came and went though. I had a couple more bouts of contractions while nursing L but nothing more. We joked with my dad that of course a baby due on his birthday would be stubborn. I passed the gestations I had my others, I think, and just started questioning how far along I was maybe after all. My measurements lined up with gestation and went further, but my babies usually measure ahead anyway, so who knows.
I felt ready to have my baby but not miserable, and not really as overdue as the dates said, again making me think the earlier gestation estimate at the beginning as probably more likely.
Another Weekend came and went. Supposedly 41 weeks? Maybe. More importantly for us it was Michael's birthday. I wondered if I would make it to the 19th (my 5th child’s 2nd birthday). My mom (Ami, as the kids call her) came down to visit again and still no baby. Michael and Ami both mentioned how they’d rather not go to work on Monday. I told them this pretty much guaranteed nothing would happen Sunday or Monday.
I was right.
Monday, June 15, 2015
I quit counting my gestation though kept worrying something was wrong. Nothing was happening that I could tell except that the kids were beyond stir crazy.
My 7 year old, C, got mad about something and said the baby was never coming out. She later apologized and said she was just really ready for the baby to be here. I told her “Me too.”
I wished I’d scheduled some camps not just for 39 weeks but for 40 too, but really didn’t expect to wait so long.
When Michael got home from work I ran out for a chiropractor visit. Afterward I stopped by the book store for some distraction books and a decaf blended coffee. I found a book of Mindfulness quotes on sale too.
That night as I read book on mindfulness, one quote stood out and brought a lot of peace:
“Whatever happens, we always have a fundamental positive quality about our experience of life. Such faith could be said to be the source of an almost magical performance. If a person relies on that confidence, it is almost as though she is going to perform a miracle, and she is taking quite a chance that that miracle might not happen. However…she does what she has to do, and the miracle does happen.” -Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Focusing on that thought and faith I slept really well other than the regular late pregnancy bathroom trips.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Michael went to work as normal, but for a change the kids and I slept in. I was potentially 41 weeks 3 days (1 week over my previous longest gestation) but at this point thinking it was more likely 40 weeks 4-6 days. So, still further along than ever before but not as far as I originally thought.
Because all my other labors started at 2am and woke me in the middle of the night, every morning I woke up at a normal time I pretty much counted the day out. So when I woke I just thought once again this was obviously not a baby day.
Around 9:30am I nursed Lea but nothing really happened and we all had breakfast as normal.
A bit after 10 I had the first "maybe" contraction. It wasn’t 2am so I shrugged it off as a BH. I talked to my mom on the phone at 10:37 and felt fine and that nothing was happening.
While the kids played and watched Pete’s Dragon and Quest for Camelot, I wasted time on ICAN and Facebook, playing group games. I bounced on the birth ball hoping things might happen but had been doing this for days so didn’t expect anything to pick up still.
After 11 I noticed a couple more contractions and figured I might as well time them to see if anything happened. I still didn’t feel like they were the real thing though.
The contractions didn’t stop but they were all over the place. From 3 to 8 minutes apart. The kids had lunch as usual but I wasn’t really hungry. At 12:39pm I called Michael to give him the heads up they’d been going for over an hour, though I still didn’t think they were going to result in a baby any time soon. He didn’t answer at first then called back at 12:42. I told him, though I thought it was nothing, I'd appreciate if he could maybe work from home the rest of the day. I told him it was fine if he waited till later to leave work though. I was still nervous I’d end up having an unassisted birth, though I didn’t think this was the time. So I called him back at 12:54 and said I really didn’t want to be home alone with kids if things did pick up. He agreed better safe than sorry and he’d head home anyway.
I stopped timing the contractions since they were so irregular anyway.
After 1, while waiting on Michael, I continued having the irregular contractions and I started needing to walk and stand during them occasionally. The contractions weren’t painful as this point but being on the ball during them was uncomfortable, and the computer was becoming annoying.
I finished my chatting on FB etc. but still expected everything to stop soon.
Michael called me at 1:29pm to say he was 6 minutes from the house. The contractions were finally beginning to hurt so I told him not to go to store or get haircut just come home.
I suddenly really wanted to get in the shower and that thought was the first tip that made me begin to believe this might be the real thing after all. I kept my sports bra on during this too, just in case.
I called Paige at 1:31 pm and said if this wasn't real I'd be annoyed because it was starting to hurt. While talking to her I had to breathe through a contraction. Since I had stopped timing though I couldn’t tell her how frequent they were. With my third my contractions were 2 minutes apart for the entire 12 hour labor so I really don’t put much in timing anyway, but she asked me to get Michael to time when he got there and let her know. I told her I would have him do it and not tell me because I didn't want to know time between them since I expected it would just be discouraging.
Since Michael was so close by I turned on the shower, and told my older kids to watch younger ones while they watched the movie, and to watch for daddy to arrive.
Michael arrived right around 1:45 and started timing. At 1:59 I got out of the shower to call my doula, Que and give her the heads up. I told her I’d like her to come soon but, when she asked, said I was sure she had time to shower first. I was thinking, this isn’t the real thing, but in case I’m wrong it would be nice to have Que there with her midwifery experience too to tell me so
.Michael called Paige to check in with the contraction times at 2:03. Things were picking up again and she could hear me vocalizing in the background.
I told Michael again not to tell me (though later found out the contractions were 2 minutes apart and Paige and Rachel were heading over). I was still in denial a bit, but I told Michael he could go ahead and call my mom and tell her she could come down.
Laboring in the water helped as always. I stayed in the shower because our master bath tub had a leak. The contractions were getting more intense but I had no clue as to their frequency still and figured I had lots of time. I started changing my position more while Michael was playing with the kids. He told me he thought it was real at this point but figured we still had a lot of time ahead.
Michael started setting up the birth tub on our deck. The kids were running in and out of the master bathroom to check on me and C was pretty sure I was in labor and wanted to play her mini-midwife role.
Suddenly at 2:16 my water broke. I was squatting in the shower leaning forward out of the water a little and the splash as the water went back into the shower was fairly dramatic. It was also obvious there was some slight meconium in it. I yelled for Michael to call Paige immediately and tell her.
I was nervous from seeing the mec. and the fact that, even though my other labors were so different than this one, breaking water always equaled transition for me and baby soon after.
Michael called Paige to let her know. He was calm and great during and she told him just not to let me have the baby alone.
I told him to call Sarah afterward. Sorry Sarah, it seems I always wait till my water breaks to get on this one oops. He called her at 2:24 but accidently used the wrong number and left a message with her husband instead (since we had this number as back up if we couldn’t get her on the other one from #5’s birth.
After my water broke transition definitely got started. I had lots of pain in shower, was vocalizing, and was cursing.
Michael got the pool inflated but didn't get to fill it (third home birth and this has happened 3 times now). I was worried and told him not to leave me.
During the height of transition I told him never to let me do this again, he laughed. Hip squeeze didn't help relieve any pain. But for a change, I had no back labor either. All my contractions seemed to stay in front in my lower abdomen. I figured at least this baby didn’t seem to be posterior like my others were in labor at that point.
I couldn’t find much relief and remembered the pressure point between my thumb and pointer that had helped me relieve migraine pain in the past. I couldn't press it but bit it instead. I bruised myself doing so but it did help. I stayed on my hands and knees more during this. Michael kept giving pressure on my back. With the contractions in the front it really didn’t help but at least it was a distraction and he wasn’t leaving me alone.
The kids kept coming in and out to check on us and Michael kept distracting them (thankfully). C wanted to help and said again how she was my "mini-midwife.” In transition I was not in the best place for allowing her to help though. Michael was great at finding other tasks for her, outside the room.
I started noticing some more pushy contractions and said I thought I was starting to push some. Michael told me I couldn't have a baby in the shower, and I replied "Wanna bet?! Just watch me!" I couldn’t imagine walking or moving from the water in transition.
Michael asked C to fill up the kids' tub to distract her and hopes he could get me over there.
With my 3rd and 5th babies there was no difference in transition and pushing. I expected this to be the case this time too in that moment but luckily suddenly things became a lot like my 4th’s birth (the other water maternity pictures baby).
I had no idea how much time had passed, hours or minutes, but out of nowhere transition passed and I was pushing through one contraction and then actually had time to breathe before another came on. Michael convinced me to go to other bathroom for the tub. He helped me stagger, wet and dripping, down the hallway. We slipped once on the way but he caught me.
And I found myself climbing into another tiny tub (similar to the one I gave birth to my 4th in, but without the glass doors thankfully. And I was definitely pushing.
I don’t remember any point where I accepted I was having a baby but at this point I was definitely sure I couldn’t stop it. I lived it but it felt like a dream in many ways and that I was just going along with it waiting to wake up.
It was still only us there so the kids came in and wanted to know what was happening. They asked about pains, the blood etc. and Michael narrated a bit that this was what was supposed to happen when babies were born. He answered J(6)'s questions and mentioned “Aren’t you glad you don’t have to do that.” The kids were all pretty relaxed and more curious than scared thankfully.
C(7) still wanted to help and kept asking what she could do. Michael asked her to keep watching the front door for anyone to arrive then later let her take pictures with his phone
K(3) said she thought Baby Birdie was coming today.
E(4) said she thought Baby Birdie was coming tomorrow, I told her “No! Today!” Michael laughed and said calmly, “No she's definitely coming today.”
L (almost 2) repeated saying "Mommy hurt? I love Mommy! Baby coming? I love Baby Birdie! I love Baby! Baby in belly"
At 2:40 pm maybe 5 minutes after I made it to the tub, the kids said a red car was here and they thought it was Ami. Thankfully it was Paige as I was pushing and baby was crowning.
The kids let her in and she came upstairs. Michael was at my shoulders holding me and reassuring me and the kids, we were doing it. He updated her on what had been happening and Paige tried to get heart tones and I said "No, just wait" and hit the doppler away saying "She's coming out!" I felt the very wrinkled head and figured it would waste more time trying to get the heartbeat on the Doppler (and freak me out if she couldn’t) versus waiting for baby to be outside to get it (though I know had things taken longer we would’ve had to check it).
Rachel called and Paige updated her that I was having the baby right now. I mentioned I had hemorrhaged with a couple of my other babies and they wanted to be ready for that too. Paige suggested I lean back more in the tub and open my legs wider, I did. Baby emerged more. I could feel ring of fire all over as she emerged. I asked Paige to help with counter pressure and catching.
I pushed and held it and felt the head pass out and just prayed her shoulders weren't big. But as her head emerged the rest of her just slipped out easily and Paige helped catch and guide her to my chest.
And at 2:45pm, 4 hours from first “maybe”contraction, 30 minutes from my water breaking, only an hour from my husband arriving home, and 5 minutes from my midwife walking through the door, with all my kids watching over Daddy and our midwife’s shoulders, Baby Birdie was born.
After Birth
I said "She's finally here!" (meaning more gestation than labor length for sure) and Paige said she was complete OP (face up) too. I had one small tear but didn't need stitches. I was in love but also definitely in shock.
There was lots of blood in the tub so with my history of hemorrhage we drained the tub and Paige massaged my lower abdomen while we waited for placenta to pass.
Because she was born so fast, after the mec scare (though there was barely any on her and it was light not sticky thankfully), baby needed lots of suction at first. I tried to hold her head down some, as suggested, to help drainage pass. Birdie nursed a little at 2:55 but it wasn't as vigorously as my other babies at first.
Rachel arrived and checked everything too and helped out.
At 2:59pm the placenta passed.
At 3:05pm we moved to bed for my exam. I was still in shock and kept looking over at my baby reassuring myself she was actually here and all was good and it all really happened, that I wasn’t going to wake up from this dream.
At 3:10pm the rest of my membranes passed.
Sarah arrived and I told her I wanted a bath (in my labor outfit) in the birth tub on the deck still to calm down and relax and celebrate more and for me to let everything become real. Looking back I am still really proud of myself for this decision and taking that time which I really needed emotionally.
At some point Michael called my mom/Ami to tell her baby had arrived and not to rush. When she came in the door the kids ran to her yelling “Baby Birdie came today! She’s out!”
At 3:20 I got my much needed baby snuggles and pictures to capture the “Birth Day.” Around 4:00 I took my flower bath on the deck. It was beautiful and a lot of fun with the kids leaning over the sides taking in the baby (in their matching outfits I had bought for the occasion). It was perfect, but so hot and humid just during that short time that I’m glad I didn't birth out there maybe, or more that I didn't make my birth team sit in that heat too long
Que arrived during this time too (after riding her bike 4 miles to get a rental car then being caught in traffic!) The kids loved seeing her and playing with her making masks. Even though she didn't get to be there till after I'm so glad she was there for the "Birth Day" with us still.
At almost 5 we did the Newborn exam, she was 9lbs 8oz, 20 in. And we announced Baby Birdie’s ‘real’ name: Willa Selena Baker. Willa for my paternal grandmother, Selena another family name and Michael's favorite.
Slowly everyone left and we settled into our new normal as a family of 8 <3 br="">
I’m sad everyone didn’t get to be at the actual birth but at the same time feel that all worked out the way it was meant to. Looking back at my fears of going unassisted and my feelings that something was missing until Paige became my primary I do think mother’s intuition was a play. With how this birth went I feel the choice to have Paige as my primary was even more right. I am so happy she and Michael were there, and the kids got to witness the birth, then we still got the time afterward with my whole birth team supporting and loving us too. I think it was the best of both worlds there. I am still in disbelief often that it really happened but also very thankful all worked out the way it was meant to for this amazing little girl to join the world.
Postpartum Thoughts
At first Willa was very congested and she didn't nurse as well because she was working up gunk. The midwives and pediatrician told us this is normal for babies who come out fast and don’t get squeezed as much, plus for bigger babies. Early the morning of the 17th she spit up a lot of water and after that was like a different baby.
After that she nursed great, was more alert, and generally happier and we were able to bond a lot more and get to know one another more.
6 weeks later I can honestly say I think this was my best postpartum experience. Michael was awesome, taking care of me though it all, not letting me overdo it and just supporting us and providing the time for Willa and I to rest and take one another in.
I call this my hurricane birth. It was a very different and very overwhelming birth for me. I didn't get time to accept what was happening, that I was in labor, until after. During it just had to deal with it as it hit. I am very happy it worked out though and again that I took the time afterward to accept everything.
*Knock on wood* but overall Willa has made up for her rougher birth (from my perspective) with a pretty straight forward newborn time, after that first night. I hope that this balance continues.
Michael says it was his favorite birth and he thinks the easiest overall. His birth story summary is he "worked half a day, came home, got yelled at for an hour then had a baby"
Seriously though he was amazing as always so I’m okay with this and
seeing how in love he is with this little girl and how much her big
sisters and brothers love her already too, I’m okay if their view is a
little simpler on it than mine. For me it was a storm. Surprising, out of nowhere, fast and challenging, not easy but perfect and how it was meant to be. She’s worth it all though and it’s her story and how it was supposed to be. I’m excited to continue her story as I watch the person Willa Selena becomes.
Thanks again to my friends, family, and to ICAN of Atlanta for all the support through my pregnancy and birth. This makes my third home birth, fourth VBA2C this group has helped me through. I’m so glad to have found this place and to be able to share this story here as well. It’s so crazy still to look back and think had I not come here I probably wouldn’t have our 5th or 6th children (because of repeat c-sections). I am eternally grateful for the knowledge, friendships, inspiration, and general support I have found here.
