After doing lots of research, my husband and I concluded that a home birth with little to no intervention was the best and safest route to go. We could find no midwives willing to participate, as they had certain legal standards to meet, so we began our preparation for an unassisted home birth.

We opted out on learning the gender of the baby until it was born. The pregnancy went smoothly and quickly. My EDD was July 23, 2008, according to a 28-day cycle so when labor began on the 13th, I declared it was preparation for the main event!

The contractions varied between three and 10 minutes as well as in intensity and lasted about two hours. I knew it wasn't "it" but trusted that it was working to take away from the main event.

As July 19 came, so did more contractions. I had several hours of them between four and 11 minutes apart, then as the afternoon came they went to seven and 15 minutes apart until 6 p.m. when they subsided. Again I believed it was prepping me for the delivery of my baby in God's perfect timing.

More contractions came on the 21st, then the EDD came and went and I realized it was based on the wrong date and so we prepared ourselves for at least the 30th. The 26th came with more prep and the 29th brought bloody show. August 2 brought more progress and left me at 2 to 3 centimeters dilated.

As August 5 came and went, even more prep occurred: a quick progression from 3 centimeters to 5 or 6 centimeters and a smaller gap between contractions but all this ceased to continue by evening. This left me joking on August 6 that I'd never have this baby and the Lord put Isaiah 66:9 on my heart, to which it reads: "'Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?'" says the Lord. 'Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?' says your God." I chuckled at myself and again trusted in His perfect timing.

As I labored all day on the 6th, contractions varying between four and 20 minutes apart, I talked with my sister all throughout it to keep myself distracted (and to laugh – she's great for that ... my reminder of the fun in it all and my accountability to continue to trust God's plan).

At around 5 p.m. the contractions were getting quite uncomfortable and achy. I was still able to talk through the second half of it after the peak passed and we'd enjoy conversing and preparing for delivery (that would someday happen) until sometime after 6 p.m. We talked about videotaping it, perhaps using the tub, things to keep in mind after Baby came, considering emergency situations and the like.

Following 6 p.m., the contractions, initially lasting a minute or so, began lasting closer to a minute and a half and I could no longer talk through any of it. But they were still between four and 11 minutes apart and I decided that when they were more regular (around five and six minutes apart) that I would fill the tub.

Nearly 7 p.m. came and I had a couple of "great" contractions that left me wondering if I should try to go to the bathroom, but they were still seven minutes apart. Then another came that left me claiming the promises of God for a pain-free birth. I asked God to use His strength and wisdom in all of it, that I demanded the pain to go away in Jesus' name because I knew that our relationship has been restored to its pre-cursed state through the power of His Holy Spirit.

I then let my sister go and went to the bathroom to have a bowel movement (I planned to check my cervix so I had a glove on and ready to do so for after I did). As my hand rested there and waited I felt trickling warmth. "Is that my water?" I thought. I had the urge to push and have another bowel movement and so I went with it (because it hurt when I held back) and more fluid pushed its way through.

I hollered for my husband down the hallway to tell him that my water had broken! He said, "Wow, that's convenient!" (seeing as I was on the toilet when it happened). I had him call my sister back (seeing as I was busy and all) to let her know that my water broke and I wouldn't be calling her back right away. I continued to feel the urge to push and as long as I was, I felt no pain.

I began to realize it was not to go to the bathroom! So I hollered him back in to let him know that I was feeling pushy and asked him to get the shower curtains that were earlier prepared onto the floor so I could transition from the toilet to the daybed. I checked my cervix and before my mind's eye, I dilated from 5 centimeters to 10 in a matter of moments and effaced as each push came. I again hollered for him to come back in.

Neither of us knew it would be just moments before our baby would be born! I said, "I'm pushing and I think I'm just going to stay here." He laughed and joked how his baby's first experience would be a swirly. I laughed and shook my head at his silliness. "On the floor, goober!" So we laughed and he came to help me to the daybed, but the contractions were on top of each other and moving my legs was out of the question (they were propped up on stools, keeping me in a squatted position and when I put them down and stopped the pushing, it hurt).

I explained to him that I was waiting for the contraction to end but it wasn't happening. He exclaimed how fast that was as he rushed to keep our 2- and 4-year-old daughters in their room (as they were in there for bedtime – wondering what the commotion was, I'm sure).

Suddenly my water burst and all of a sudden the baby's head was fully engaged and it was time for him or her to come out! I hollered for my husband to come back, that the head was right there. I got up to sit on the floor, and my husband came running in and helped me and asked if I wanted a pillow. He ran back out to get a pillow, only for me to holler that the baby's head was coming out! He ran back in and threw the pillow behind me. Propped up on one hand, I was in tears and laughter at all this coming together.

I felt the baby's head bulging through and I was tense against it in a moment of fear and then reminded myself to relax. As I did, the head started coming out and as my husband was telling me how great I was doing, my body gently eased the baby out and the head came through. My husband was in utter shock at how easy that was for me! I propped myself up with both hands and I again relaxed and felt the rest of the baby slide out like jiggly Jell-o. I heard my husband exclaim how much faster that was than my first daughter's birth (my second was posterior and far from easy). Our sweet baby's soft cry permeated the air around us.

We rested the baby on the floor (that was covered in a sheet and a puppy pad) and we looked at each other at the craziness of what had just happened. It was all in a matter of 30 minutes (but felt like five), and we were holding our baby in just five to 10 minutes after we knew it was time.

I reached down and said, "It's a boy!" and we both cried and laughed at the amazement and awe of all of what had just happened. I held him close as my husband got the girls up to meet their brother. We were all so excited and laughing and celebrating. I wiped him down and rubbed his back as his color got brighter and then massaged the vernix into his skin.

My husband then helped me to the daybed and we loved on our newest addition to the family. I then nursed him as my husband called to let all the grandparents know, as well as my sister, his brother, our cousin and his aunt, that we just delivered our son. About an hour later I delivered the placenta into a bowl in the toilet.

As I sat there with son in arms I called to my husband:

"Hon!" A "Yea" was his response. "I thought this was a good idea but now I think we'll have to put our baby through the toilet seat!" We both laughed at the thought of it but were happy to find that the bowl was in fact small enough to fit though the seat.

We got into bed and I nursed him again still in utter awe that God had blessed us with a son. When he was two hours old we cut the cord and I said, "I can no longer say 'the girls' when referring to my children!" We were nestled together for three hours after he was born before I laid him in his bed and he drifted into a quiet sleep.

It was a beautiful experience: raw, real, personal and fun. We were immediately made comfortable and got plenty of rest that night.

God is so glorious! He is steadfast and true to His promises and has proven Himself yet again! Thank you, Lord!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." -Romans 8:28-30

...your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. -Psalm 128

Our God is an awesome God.