Friday evening began like all of the others for the last two weeks. It seemed that around 5 every night contractions would begin and continue on until midnight or so. I wrongly assumed at 38 weeks this meant that surely babies were only hours...at the very most, days....away. But as two weeks passed and this became a very established pattern it didn't take long to assess that each night as prodromal labor...or "preparatory" labor....continued on that I would wake up still pregnant the next morning.
Friday morning and afternoon came with no signs of this day being any different than the others. Body seemed completely content to continue pregnancy quite infinitely. Kitchen loving husband fixed an elaborate meal while I went through the evening routine with children. Not many contractions through this time. At 9 after kids were in bed the familiar "false labor" routine started. While it usually began around 4-6 pm or so this night it started a little later. I just figured the day had been a little thrown off by activity and the familiar prodromal routine had been delayed by the activity a bit. Not once did I ever even consider it being the real thing or that we'd even come close to having babies that night. Contractions were inconsistent and uncomfortable but far from painful....the usual. They continued on in that pattern from 9:00 to 11:00. It most definitely was not even remotely close to real labor so we talked, laughed and watched a movie knowing this night was no different than any other. At 11:00 or so I began to notice that contractions were becoming much more consistent...though I never did bother to time them or mess with how patterned they were....or were not....since I had no desire to depress myself. There was some mild discomfort involved by this point, now 11, but I still was very far from being convinced this was anywhere near producing babies. By 11:30 or so the movie wasn't so funny anymore and I was becoming a bit down, having convinced myself this was not the real deal either. I left the movie party to head for the shower and see if I could get the heat of the water to relax it all enough to stop and provide relief until it all quit. It took forever to even make it to the shower due to the discomfort that was still far from real labor....just achy-ness. Somehow I had assessed that I was somewhere around the 2 cm mark, due to the intensity....or lack thereof......of contractions and still had a very long way to go. So, I relaxed in the shower and prayed that the night would just continue to get me closer so that when real labor finally did kick in I'd only have around 5 or so cm to go.
By the end of the shower I was still convinced this was not anywhere near the real thing since there was nothing that was overwhelming or labor like. I told Brad, who was also thinking this would go nowhere, to go ahead and inflate the pool since I was tired of cramping and so tired of doing this every night. I figured if I was going to be massively uncomfortable I might as well do it in the pool and then it'd be already blown up and ready for the day I finally did have babies, since we were looking at probably a week at the most. He busied himself blowing it up....neither of us really thinking this was it. I just kept thinking that it wasn't nearly painful enough to go anywhere. And in dealing with the contractions I had somehow convinced him it wasn't going anywhere by the fact I was just more restless than in pain. With the pool only 1/4 of the way filled I clamoured in over the side of it in my whale like state. It was much softer and much deeper than the bathtub so I figured the relief it provided was worth it all......at the same time trying to keep my mind from wandering to what an expensive "bath" I was taking or the painstaking efforts Brad was going to for my nightly discomfort. It was now about 12:30 am though I had no real grasp on time at that point and was not clock watching in order to keep from being entirely disheartened by it all. I just knew prodromal labor was becoming more and more unfun as each night just progressively made it worse but never produced any babies. After about 3 contractions in the tub I finally told him to call my mom and tell her I might be in labor but we weren't sure. There was no need to come get children since they were all sleeping peacefully and this probably would not go anywhere......but, just in case it did, to stay within ear shot of her phone. Due to my uncertainty and the fact I felt I had cried wolf no less than 5 times already in this pregnancy I told him to hold off on calling anyone else to let them know. He stepped outside of the room to make the call and I had 2 more contractions alone. I prayed aloud through them and discovered I was still very much able to talk very well through contractions. The hope of babies that night seemed to fade.
A 3rd surprisingly overwhelming contraction began to form out of nothingness while I was still alone and suddenly the urge to push came with it. A little panicked I called out for him and almost instantly he appeared in room. I pushed with it expecting a baby's head since the pressure was so great but instead Baby A's water exploded into the pool. It was more pressure than it ever was pain. That was an entirely new thing to experience in birth. The relief that came with it was amazing. So, I knelt somewhat comfortably and relieved after that knowing babies would surely not be very far behind. Evye was awakened and brought to the room once we all realized we would indeed have babies this night. The next contraction resulted in one massive push and Graham slid peacefully out into the water in just one contraction. At this point I had been in the pool only 30 minutes. And 30 minutes ago we were not even sure I was really in labor. 5 minutes ago we were still doubting! Husband's big hands lifted baby from water at 1:02 am. He handed Baby Graham to Evye as he clamped and cut the cord. Sweet Baby A was toweled off and held by Evye while we awaited Baby B's arrival. Brad busied himself tending to me and monitoring the situation while Evye stayed occupied with Baby Graham, who quickly cried upon his arrival and had already hushed and was looking around with huge blue eyes at his sister above him. A few mild contractions tried to build but they would die away before ever peaking so we just waited. Ten minutes after Baby A's arrival the next huge contraction hit and, just as with Baby A, I pushed expecting head but Baby B's water exploded into the water. The next contraction resulted in 2 massive pushes, unlike A's arrival that only required one push. With one push his head was born and the 2nd resulted in his little body....torso, arms and legs....peacefully welcomed into a watery world. Brad brought him up out of the water and welcomed Gatlin into the world at 1:14 a.m. And the same routine we had just gone through with Baby A was repeated with sweet Baby B. They were tended to and I made the decision just to wait in the pool to finish the whole birth process, as I could move easily within it and it provided some comfort for the cramps that were working on delivering the afterbirth. After the arrival of both babies I went ahead and took Angelica (Don Quai) during this time as a preventative for any bleeding and to help facilitate the delivery of the placenta. A short 15 or 20 minutes later one massive, fused placenta came forth and the birth process was complete. After its delivery I took Shepherd's Purse as planned to help with any excessive bleeding after the delivery of the placenta. Bleeding was kept to a minimum and was actually much less than with my last 6 births. Amazing husband, who stayed calm and together the entire time, helped me to the shower once more....only 45 minutes after I'd gotten out of the shower very pregnant and was now getting back in shockingly unpregnant. I was absolutely amazed and in awe and chatted happily about the whirlwind that had just taken place. It had been a mere two hours since contractions had even become somewhat consistent. I think I'd had maybe 9 entirely manageable contractions in the water before babies started coming. With no time to call anyone babies arrived in the privacy of our own home with just us present. The supernatural peace that accompanied getting our babies here was absolutely breathtaking.
Having finally experienced a water birth vs a dry birth I now know why so many women prefer water over land. I could move freely and was never once "paralyzed" in pain. The dreaded pushing phase was intense but the gripping fear of pain and the burning so long associated with it all in my mind was so minimal this time that it was pretty shocking. There seemed to never be any real unmanageable pain...just lots of pressure.
It still is all just so surreal to me. Words do not ever seem to adequately convey the experience of giving birth. To have just delivered twins at home seems so entirely natural and makes me a little sad for what we missed in Garrison's and Grant's pregnancy and birth. But how amazing it is to have been given the ability to do this and once again experience a twin birth...so drastically different than the first. How grateful I am for Dr C and his willingness to get Garrison and Grant here naturally with a breech Baby B but how absolutely phenomenal it is to have just welcomed two babies into the warmth of our home without the invasiveness and loss of privacy that has been experienced in every hospital and birthing home birth we have had....and so fast we were left with no time to call anyone!
Nothing really seems to do the whole experience justice. It was a deeply Spiritual experience in which the Lord moved so mightily that it seemed to pause all of life. I stand in absolute awe of the Creator of life itself....the One who gives life, births it and enables that tiny person to take his very first breath. To witness the amazing miracle of a newly born baby take his very first breath and then watch yet another sharing the very same womb emerge and take his first breath is something so life changing that it can never be rivaled. His presence could literally be felt within the room. As we wrapped them up and laid in bed with two babies so fresh and new to the world the depth and reality that the Lord chose us and used the two of us to create these two new people seemed overwhelming. Life is forever altered and one can never be the same after giving birth and watching a new life take its place in the world. There just are no words.
New pictures to come. It seems they are never awake at the same time right now, along with having their days and nights a little confused. We're working on that. But, for now, with everybody gone, I sleep when they sleep so picture taking is not a exactly a priority at this point.
Note: Having studied midwifery and apprenticed for 7 years before marriage I have a passion for homebirth and a woman's ability to birth her baby without the invasiveness of standard cookie cutter care that hospitals provide. I have had severe gestational Thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) the last 4 pregnancies but with the care and under the supervision of capable care providers I have successfully had homebirths with levels as low as 74,000, 68,000 and 84,000....levels the medical profession consider extremely high risk and for which a c-section is mandated. After tons of research and hours spent educating myself I am so grateful to have people that know a c-section is not the only answer and a woman's ability to birth is amazing. I delivered this set of twins with a level of 110,000. It can be safely done with research, education, and the correct precautionary measures.
My other birth stories:
The Arrival of Gavin Quint
The Arrival of Ivye Elise
The Arrival of Lincoln Gates
I have found that birth is almost a high and coming down off of it is always a bit emotional as you step into the next phase of life with a newborn. It has proven to be no different this time...maybe even perhaps multiplied by two. 
More tears as life adjusts to a new normal. Completely lonely as dearest friend in all the world is returned to airport to resume life with her own husband and 9 children 4 states away. Hormones and emotions combine into a torrent of falling tears as I realize it will be months before we see each other again and of my gratefulness for our relationship and the relationships our children have with each other. How much a mere 96 hours can change so much within a person's life, strengthen the ties that keep you bonded and open your eyes to see what you have been blessed with in the people which surround you. Never before has my heart occupied 2 different places like it does now. How amazing friendship can be and how blessed I am to have her in my life. 
