The Birth

Familiar Birth Scenes:

Eating donuts and other yummy food (welcome to Allison's birth and potluck party).

Laughing at jokes.

Hanging onto the "birth post" John so thoughtfully built into the middle of the room.

Using every pot in the house to heat water on the cookstove for the tub when the water heater gave out.

Unique to Arveragus' birth:

Doing "washing machine" spins and synchronized swimming moves in the very big Aqua-Doula tub.

7-9 PAINFUL contractions, instead of the usual 3.

During the painful contractions saying unheard of things like:

"This is not fun. This is usually fun!"

"SHIT! HOLLY!" (my midwife)

"The baby's not coming."

"I don't believe you!" (on being assured that baby was coming--of course he was born minutes later.)