It’s taken me almost three and a half weeks to write this post (not bad, I think) and I still cannot believe that our baby is here. I’ll dedicate this post to talking about her birth, and talk more about her growing personality in posts to come.
Harper Miriam Greene was born early in the morning (1:53am) on March 25th, weighing in at 8 pounds 12 ounces, and measuring 21 inches long. I knew that I loved her even when I was pregnant, but there is no way I can describe how much love I felt for her in the moments after her birth. My labor really was an amazing experience, and while I wouldn’t say it was “enjoyable,” I don’t have any negative associations with any part of the process and I consider her birth to be an incredible accomplishment. I am full of thanksgiving for so many things about her birth — that she is healthy; that we were able to deliver without medical intervention; that I was in the comfort of my home; that Aaron was so involved and supportive; that we chose such a wonderful midwife; that my mom made it in time for the birth; that my wonderful neighbors kept us company…the list goes on. I will never forget the first moments that we held her and she gave a single cry before opening her eyes wide and looking right at us. She is such a bright-eyed, alert baby. Although I know it is risky to assess her at such an early age, we are incredibly thankful for her gentle spirit and mild temperament. As corny as it sounds, we love to just sit and watch her.
In the days after her birth, Aaron and I both wrote down her birth story from our own perspectives. Mine was three pages, and Aaron’s version was seven pages! Instead of writing all of that here, I decided to just post a timeline version here (using Aaron’s amazing timekeeping and memory). I know this is still a long and detailed account, but someday I hope Harper can read this and know how excited we are that she is here.
March 23rd:
- 7:30pm: Acupuncturist comes to our house for a natural induction appointment.
- 9:00pm: I walk the stairs in our building with my neighbor Shanon in hopes of getting things moving.
- 10:00pm: Aaron and I go to bed.
March 24th:
- 1:30am: I wake up, rush to the bathroom, and realize my water has broken.
- 1:33am: Aaron pages Geraldine, our midwife.
- 1:35am: Geraldine calls back, asks us a series of questions (which we answer) and tells us to try to go back to bed and get some sleep if we can.
- 1:38am: I call my mom and let her know my water broke. She tells me she’ll be out the door soon and will try to catch an 8am flight out here. We try (unsuccessfully) to go back to sleep.
- ~3:00am: I start feeling mild contractions, but they aren’t very regular or very painful.
- 8:52am: After I page them, the Labor tub arrives and the ladies set it up in the kitchen while giving Aaron instructions. At this point my contractions are still irregular, but averaging every 8 or 9 minutes.
- 9:50am: Geraldine calls to check in. We give her an update, she asks a few more questions, and tells us to keep her posted if anything picks up significantly.
- 10:30am: Aaron heads to the grocery store with a long list of my requested labor food/drinks.
- 12:03pm: My mom arrives at our place (after taking the light rail and the bus – go mom— from the airport). I take a shower while she makes us lunch. My contractions are picking up a little bit, but are still irregular.
- ~1:00pm: After my mom takes a quick nap (she stayed down the hall at our neighbor’s place while he was on vacation) we head outside for a short walk. It’s a beautiful day and my contractions had slowed to about 15 minutes apart, so we thought some exercise would be good.
- ~2:00pm: My wonderful neighbors start to stop by, as word that I am in labor spreads. We all hang out in the living room and talk, and when I have a contraction I slow down and breathe through it. My contractions are still about 8 or 9 minutes apart, and aren’t that painful.
- 3:00pm: Geraldine calls to check in. She gives me some encouragement and reminds me that we’ll have a baby soon!
- 4:45pm: Mel stops by on her way back from work, and we officially had a full house (Jennifer, Kristian, Alissa, Andrew, and Jubilee were keeping me company). At some point the guys decide to leave, and after a few sets of stairs with my mom, my contractions become closer together and more intense.
- 5:30pm: Shanon comes by after a long day at work. As my unofficial doula, she immediately starts massaging my back and pulling up on my hips during contractions. At this point I was sitting on the couch, but as a contraction came I moved to the living room floor and got on my hands and knees to breathe through the contractions.
- 6:00pm: Geraldine checks in again and reminds me I can do this!
- 8:00pm: Contractions have picked up, but are still irregular. At the advice of my mom and Shanon, Aaron takes a nap so he won’t be wiped out for the birth.
- ~9:30pm: Aaron wakes up and by this point everyone has left except for Shanon and my mom. My contractions are between 5 and 7 minutes apart and are getting significantly more painful. Aaron and I sway (standing) back and forth during contractions and he reminds me to breathe. Shanon and my mom continue to be a huge help with pain relief and encouragement as well. Everyone reminds me to take one contraction at a time, which I do, and I start to get in a real rhythm and ”zone” with my labor.
- 10:37pm: Aaron pages Geraldine to let her know that my contractions are stronger, hovering around 5 or 6 minutes apart, but still not regular. Geraldine says she’ll likely come in a half hour to an hour, but to call her if anything changes.
- 11:03pm: Aaron calls Geraldine – my contractions picked up almost immediately after their last conversation and are now 2 to 3 minutes apart. Shanon heads home (across the hall) to get some sleep before another big day at work. At this point I’ve developed a very clear rhythm with each contraction, walking from the couch to the bathroom and back, swaying with Aaron during the pain, and yelling out “start” and “stop” with each contraction so they can continue to time them.
- 11:20pm: Geraldine arrives (I was SO happy to see her) and checks me. To everyone’s surprise I am almost 9 cm dilated! At her suggestion I get in the tub and am shocked by what relief it offers. My contractions continue to be more intense and close together, and Aaron kneels by the side of the tub to help me breathe through each one.
March 25th:
- ~12:15am: My contractions take a break (this is common after the transition period) and I fall asleep for about 15 minutes in the tub (Aaron and my mom filled me in on this, since I have very little recollection of my labor from this point until the birth). Tracy, Geraldine’s assistant arrives.
- ~12:45am: I wake up, have a few more contractions, and let Geraldine know that I have an urge to push (!). She tells me to push whenever I have a contraction and continues to check the baby’s heartbeat by placing the doppler on my abdomen.
- ~1:20am: I’m continuing to push every 4 to 5 minutes, and Geraldine suggests getting out of the tub and sitting on a birthing stool to see if it helps things progress. I get out of the tub and sit on the stool with Aaron sitting in a chair behind me. I’m able to lean back on his chest and prop myself up on his legs when I push, which is a huge help. After five or six more pushes, Geraldine helps me reach down and feel the baby’s head, and her assistant uses a mirror to show Aaron and me how close we are to the end. I start crying and pushing with a whole new level of intensity.
- 1:53am: After two or three more (intense) pushes, Harper arrives! Geraldine placed her immediately on my stomach and Aaron and I both wrapped our arms around her and cried for a few minutes until we remembered to ask what sex the baby was. Geraldine gently lifted her off my chest and Aaron announced, “it’s a girl!!” My mom, who had been standing next to me throughout labor, screamed “Yes!” at the top of her lungs. 
After waiting for the cord to stop pulsing, Aaron reached around my shoulders and cut her cord.
The rest of the day we mostly stayed in bed, taking turns napping and watching Harper sleep. We were also very excited to learn that Aaron sister (Becca) had a baby girl just 12 hours after Harper was born. She and Mia will share a birthday and hopefully lots of good memories in the years to come.
Lord, we praise you for new life, and we pray that Harper (and Mia) will grow into strong women with a heart to serve you and others. We are so filled with thanksgiving for our daughter!
I really enjoyed reading the birth timeline…it sounds like such a spiritual and peace experience although I know there was lots of work involved by all parties. It brought tears to my eyes more than once! Thanks for sharing and we are so excited for Harper’s life!!
Beautiful, beautiful birth story. I love it. Though my time frames were shorter, it’s so similar. Ah! I love it! I’m so glad your midwife was wonderful, that your mom was there, that Aaron was a huge support. Praise God for this miraculously normal part of life!
Wow, even though I’d heard this from you in person, it still made me tear up. You made the whole birth process seem like a very positive experience (unlike a lot of other friends I’ve heard from!).
Makes me look forward to – rather than dread – being able to hopefully experience that myself one day… So happy for you guys and Harper. 