The Birth of Norah Jo Flower
After the birth of my second baby I had this deep knowing that there was another baby meant to be in my life one day. A couple years later our oldest child looked to my husband and said “daddy, I want to have a baby sister.” After me already bugging him about another baby he agreed to opening our hearts once more for another little person.
At our 20 week ultrasound I walked in with confidence that this little person would be a girl and I’d name her after my Grandma. The ultrasound confirmed my intuition and off I went with dreaming more about who this little person would be.
The weeks leading up to my due date were emotionally and physically draining. I had experienced birth trauma with my first birth and those unhealed areas were beginning to get louder as I approached my upcoming birth. As well as being a tired mom of two carrying her third baby and just barely surviving the daily tasks of life. At nine days past my due date I made an informed choice to be medically induced with cervidil, knowing it was safe for me to birth at home.
At 6pm that evening my husband and I went into triage to begin the induction. After some monitoring and confirming baby and I were healthy and safe we left to go home and sleep. By 11pm I was starting to get crampy and restless, and by 12pm I was in my bathtub going through the motions that my body remembered from my second birth.
Fully relax my body
Let everything gooo
I feel the beginnings of the contraction
Sit up and deeeep breathe in
Blow it all out
Ride the wave
Become the wave
As it passes I fully relax my body again and rest until the next one.
2am I asked my husband to call my doula. She promptly arrived and sat with me for every contraction. Being that constant safe person to hold me when I needed it.
Time becomes a blur at this point but I know I was in my tub for hours. Breathing and staying connected to myself and my baby.
The next thing I remember is being in my birth pool, my bedroom window is open with the brightest morning sunlight. My birth team including my oldest child and my dog surrounding me as I pushed my baby into this world. Oh my word I still remember that excruciating back pain, like I was going to break in two.
Struggling to make it count with every push.
Keep going.
She’ll be here any moment.
And then it’ll be over.
I speak to her in between contractions.
“You are safe baby girl. I want you baby girl. I can’t wait to see you baby girl.”
Ohhh the instant relief when your baby is born is indescribable.
I now look back at these moments with pictures and see how happy I am. I am just glowing. I am smiling, beaming. Just so in love with my baby.
That first week I remember lounging in my chair in the living room as visitors would come and my family would do life around me. I said things like “isn’t she divine? Isn’t she just perfect? I can’t get enough of her”. Well three years later and I’m still saying the same things. She completes our family in such a beautiful way and I will forever be grateful for listening to that little knowing that there was something more waiting for me….
Happy Birthday Norah Jo Flower
photos captured by Candace Stock Photography