Her story

3 days before my due date, I was busy and nesty all day. I did lots of laundry. In the back of my mind, I noted that all my activity was causing more contractions than normal, but nothing consistent. But around dinner time, I noticed that they started to come every 6 minutes. I asked Jon to continue my BLT dinner making and laid down to see if that would calm things down. I wasn't in any rush to be in labor. 

We had been planning on another home birth all along, working with a stellar midwife that we had great confidence in. As I laid there, willing away the rymthmic tightening, I realized I wasn't ready for labor, mentally or emotionally. Just when I should be settling down for a night of focused relaxation, I could feel myself tensing and becoming more anxious. Any momma knows this is not an ideal way to head into labor. 

After a consult with our wonderful midwife and a few private pow-wows, we decided that heading to the hospital for pain relief was the way to go. 

I was immediately able to relax! Yes, this was the right thing for this labor. After roughly 12 hours of very comfortable labor with an epidural and 1 intense hour at the end when the epidural stopped working, our sweet Jubilee Joy entered the world. 

She was just as alert as all my previous natural babies, precious and perfect in every way. We stayed in the hospital for another night, taking in all of her unique details and marveling over her new life, then headed home to introduce her to her very eager fan club of sisters. 

She has us all in love all over again. Thank you, Lord! What a celebration our Jubilee Joy is!