Bonnie Carolan

My next pregnancy was similar in the fact that I was healthy and strong albeit four years older. Again, I read everything I could get my hands on and used my sister Lorraine as a resource. When I began labor- I called my sister who lived five hours north of me and she got in her car and was soon at my door. This labor was so different. As I look back I laugh-my labor with my son is much like life with him has been. Jesse does things at his own pace-you can not rush him. So, my slow labor continued with my sister, John and I quietly and harmoniously working together. Lorraine, monitoring my progress during the course of the day. We had never discussed it prior to this day but I asked if she felt we could have this birth at home. She said absolutely-we could do this. The rest of the day labor progressed slowly until 10:44pm. It was like an alarm in my body shook me and hard labor began. John, Lorraine and I began our journey together. I went into active labor fairly quickly-for some reason I spent most of the time on all fours-I became a bear. I remember John and Lorraine talking around me-I wasn't able to respond. At one point John asked Lorraine how will we know when she is in transition-I think I made some sort of growling noise and Lorraine very calming said she's there. I then began an out of body experience-something I never felt before or ever again. I was above watching myself go through contraction after contraction-it was very cool. Lorraine and John were there the whole time rubbing my back when I was almost fully dialated we needed to call my other sister, Joanne to come over and bring our four year old Annie. Neither Lorraine nor John could remember Joanne's number- I came into my body and rattled off the number. Joanne and Annie arrived just as the baby's head crowned and and at 12:58 Jesse Michael was born. It was a magical birth- John-Lorraine-Annie-Joanne and I shared in a unique experience-this baby arrived in a room overflowing with love-no hospital lights- no machines-no strangers-just a family together celebrating a new life