When I found out I was pregnant I knew immediately that I wanted a home birth. I did research, watched videos and read other women's stories.

My labor started at about 4 a.m. on September 20, 2008. I started out a little bit uncomfortable but the contractions were still far apart and pretty easy to get through.

By about 9 a.m. I was in serious labor. I sat in the shower for a while and rolled around on the bed.

Finally, around 11 a.m. my midwife decided it would be a good idea to start pushing. I decided to push in a sitting up position. As I started to push, things seemed to be going well. The baby was moving down and I was making a lot of progress with each contraction.

As her head started to appear I felt an intense burning sensation and figured the baby was crowning but I would soon be through it. Boy, was I wrong! The pain was getting worse. I was screaming and really hysterical and each time I pushed it would hurt so badly I would let the baby slip back a little bit.

Finally after what seemed like forever, her head was finally out. I was so excited and ready to see her! After a few more pushes (shoulders were tough for me too) my baby Danielle Rose was born. She weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces. I had a very painful birthing experience but I wouldn't change a thing!