My name is Brandie, and I am 27 years old. This is my first birth story. I have a slight case of cerebral palsy in my left leg, which causes me to limp and my pelvis to be slightly tilted. This slight handicap worried me as to how it would affect my ability to give birth. My friends and family were worried about my choice of going with a midwife because of this, but I am very glad. I wouldn't do it any other way. I can't believe how relatively painless (there was some pain, but nothing unbearable) and how quick everything was!

On Friday, February 22, 2002, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy little girl named Téa in the sanctuary of my bedroom at home. It was a beautiful experience, and it was all due to the confidence my midwives instilled in me with their wonderful care and non-intervention, non-medical approach to birth.

This is Daddy's version of the birth:

About 4:14 a.m., Brandie got up. I looked over and asked, Are you OK? In the dark, she looked over and replied, I think my water broke. You think? I queried. Of course I was kinda expecting this, but how could she not know? I decided to see what she was thinking. Do you think I should go to work today? I said, knowing full well that today was the day, and there was no way I was going to work. Maybe, she answered. I, of course, was in complete befuddlement. Not likely kiddo!

She went and checked, and yup, it broke, and she began to have mild contractions. Now, I always look on the positive side, and I'd been saying for the last nine months that she was going to have a really easy labor, but she liked to tell me how tough it would be. These contractions were so mild, it was downright scary. They were lasting 20 to 30 seconds and every five to seven minutes.

After about a half-hour, we decided to get a couple of things done, get a quick bite of food and prepare ourselves for the day. I wanted to toy with her again so I asked, So, wadda ya think? Should I get ready for work? Maybe, she said. Blood and ashes! What! I was now sure she was in complete denial. I went downstairs and whipped up a fruit shake for us, just to get the day going. I also started the coffee brewing. I'm a tad sluggish at waking up at a quarter to 5, so I need my caffeine. I came back up, and we took showers and got dressed for the day.

Now, just before we laid back down on the bed for an hour or so, we called the midwives to tell them that today would be the day and that the contractions at this point were really light and easy. They said no problem and to call them when things began to get serious.

We laid down on the bed and watched TV and a movie (Cruel Intentions) until about 7:30 a.m., and then Brandie decided the contractions were getting stronger, and by my watch, they were still only 30-40ish seconds and every two to three minutes. We got up, and she sat on the toilet, one of the better positions according to our Bradley Method instructor. At this time, I paged the midwives again.

Brandie's contractions were still only 30 to 35ish seconds and two to three minutes apart. By 8 a.m., the midwife, Joy, called us back. We chatted a bit, and she said she'd take a shower and do breakfast and come on over. Brandie's mood changed a bit here, and she was quite serious about the process. We tried a couple of positions in the large, marble bathtub, but she felt more comfortable on the toilet, so we eventually moved back there. Somewhere in the past couple of hours we talked with Brandie's mother, and she eventually came over. We were all hanging out upstairs in the bathroom, taking the contractions one step at a time.

Between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., the contractions were getting stronger, but still were only 30 to 40 seconds and two minutes apart. I rifled through our books and workbook from class, and NOWHERE did they say that contractions could be as short as 30 seconds. Were we in serious labor or was this just early stuff?

By 10 a.m., it was serious business, and Joy finally arrived. She did a quick examination of Brandie and said that she was at 4 centimeters dilation. Sigh. I was really hoping we'd gotten somewhere. Joy said we had to try some more positions, and so we got up and slowly walked down the stairs and sat on a step stool in the kitchen for about 15 minutes. Then slowly we made our way back up the stairs. We then proceeded to the bathroom where we tried getting down on all fours. That lasted all of one contraction. Wow! She said that made it hurt way more. She decided to go sit back on the toilet quickly.

After getting back on the toilet, she had another where her mood changed drastically. She said that she was starting to push! Oh my. Joy was downstairs in the kitchen doing some paperwork, and I ran to the loft balcony and said, She's starting to PUSH! Joy rushed up the stairs and came to Brandie and decided we needed to get her over to the bed to see what was going on. Through the commotion, we got Brandie to the bed, and Joy started to give her an exam, but it was evident the baby was coming soon. I glanced at the clock, and it was just after 11 a.m. Wow, that was fast! Joy had me rush out to her car to get her baby delivery gear while she used the cordless phone to call the other midwife, Penny.

I got back upstairs, and Brandie gave another push. We could see the top of the head! Oh my! After that, Joy had Brandie's mom go grab a bowl of hot water and toss some washcloths into it. They were going to use them for hot compresses. Joy told her to drop the bottle of almond oil into the bowl to heat it up. About 15 seconds after that, she wanted it open, and so Brandie's mom grabbed it, gave one cloth to Joy and tried to open the bottle. She got the cap off, but the safety seal never got taken off. At that moment Brandie had one more contraction and WHOOOSH! Baby girl Téa was born! That was 11:09 a.m. Holy cow!