Happy Valentine’s, Birthday, & Birthing Day

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone.  I wish you all love and happiness. 

Joe had to travel for the day, for work, so we are going to go out on Friday night to celebrate.  His sister, and her 6 year-old daughter are coming up to his parent’s house, and they are going to baby-sit the boys for us, and Ryan is going to spend the night there with his cousin.  He is very excited.  He spent the night once before with his grandparents, the night Cole was born, but that has been it.  I think he is ready, and we are only ten minutes away if for some reason he decides he wants to come home.  But with his grandparents, aunt, and cousin, he should be fine. 

I want to wish one of my younger sisters a Happy Birthday as well.  Her birthday is today, and while I won’t give her age away, she is two years younger than me- we are both 30-somethings.  🙂 She is also expecting her first child, a girl, in April, so she has an exciting year ahead of her.

Finally, I want to wish my mom, a Happy Birthing Day.  She has 4 children, and the last two, (my two younger sisters) she had at home.  Even though I was only 2, and a few months, I do remember my sister being born at home.  I remember seeing my mom in labor in her bedroom, surrounded by some of her friends, and the mid-wife.  I remember going in and out of the bedroom, and I remember standing at the side of the bed, and hearing my sister being born, and hearing her first cries.  I remember one of the friends holding me up, so I could see the baby, and I remember seeing my baby sister lying on the bed, next to my mom.

I think home-birth would be an amazing experience.  I have even more memories of my youngest sister’s birth, since I was 6 at the time.  I never thought of it much growing up, but it is really neat to think back and remember being there when your siblings were born.  That is an experience and bond that we are fortunate to have.  I would love to have a baby at home, but because I have had a prior c-section, I have a higher than normal risk of a uterine rupture, so it is a little more complicated.  My doula with Cole though, had a c-section with her first child, and then had a home birth with her second, so I know it is possible.  I would have to do a lot more research and find a mid-wife who was experienced in home-births with a prior c-section.

 Maybe if I am very lucky one day, I will be able to experience a home birth, and Ryan and Cole will be able to share that with us as well.   I am in awe by my mother, and all the mother’s out there, who choose or can have a home-birth.  The confidence you have in yourselves to trust your body and be able to do what it is meant to do, is inspiring.  What a very special and intimate way to bring a new member of the family into the world.