We were so overjoyed to welcome our second baby boy into our family on Friday, May 29th at 9:12am. Boone Daniel (Daniel after his daddy’s and great-grandfather’s middle name) was born at home weighing 8 lbs 12 oz and measuring 22 inches long, after only about 6 hours of labor and 12 minutes of pushing! A much faster, easier birth than my first!
Here’s the story if you’re interested. :) I started having contractions around 3am and couldn’t sleep well that night – I had already been up since about 1:30am. I laid in bed and attempted to get some rest until about 5am when I just couldn’t lay there bored any longer! I got up and took a shower and did my hair – haha! Once I finished that (priorities, people!) I awoke Deven at around 6:15am and told him that it was time to make some phone calls. We notified our midwife Gerri, called my sister Heather (who took all of these wonderful photos) and my mom, who was going to come and watch Colt for the birth. About a half hour later, I told Deven that they all needed to get here quickly! I could tell that this birth was going to be more intense and much quicker. Our midwives arrived shortly after 7am and by 9am I was fully dilated and ready to push! I don’t remember how many pushes it took, but about 12 minutes later I felt the relief of holding my baby in my arms. We did not find out the gender this time around, so after a few minutes of holding him to my chest we lifted him up and saw that he was a BOY! It was very exciting, although both Deven and I had a feeling it was going to be a boy all along. :)
Giving birth to my baby boys was the most physically difficult thing I have ever done – but having them both at home was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. It is so exhilarating to have a natural birth, so peaceful to be in the comfort and quiet of your own home, so beautiful to be surrounded by family – my hubby, my sister, my mom, my sweet son Colt, and so empowering to conquer the momentous task of giving birth without any intervention. I am so grateful for the birthing experiences I’ve had. I couldn’t have done this without my incredible birthing coach, husband, partner and best friend. Deven did an amazing job of coaching me through contractions and helping me relax to minimize the pain and allow my body to do the work it needed to. He is my rock during birth and I never wanted him more than a few inches from my side. Our midwife Gerri is an incredible and extremely capable midwife and I’m so thankful for her wisdom, expertise and skill in helping us bring our little one into the world. So thankful for my sister Heather who took these wonderful photos for us. Not only did she preserve these memories for us, she was the first person to arrive on the morning of the birth and the very last person to leave after tucking us into bed that night; she then came back the next three days in a row and helped cook, clean, play with Colt and just serve us so humbly – you are amazing and we love you, Heath! Thank you, God, for giving us our two beautiful, strong, healthy sons and for allowing us to experience birth as you designed. It is a miracle.
Enjoy the photos. :)
IT’S A BOY!