A New Life Welcomed To The World!

My youngest brother and his wife had their 1st baby yesterday. It sounds so simple, but its never simple when its your 1st baby. It is a whole world of unknowns when its your 1st baby. To top off the unknowns of a 1st baby, they also had a home birth. Well, not quite, it wasn't at their house, it was at my mom's house. In the same bedroom I've had my last 3 babies. My 1st 2 children were born in an Omaha hospital, but I was tired of the IV's, the needles, the pressure to use drugs (all 5 of my births were totally natural) and people I didn't know hovering, poking and prodding ALL the time! So the last 3 were born at my mom's house, in my old bedroom. Kind of cool and very wonderful. I've never been so relaxed and in control. Of course my pattern of labor and delivery is that once I start having contractions, I usually have a baby within an hour and a half - so I know that I am very blessed. Back to my brother and sister-in-law... I thought it was very courageous to have their 1st baby at home. It's one thing when you have been though it before and you know what's gonna happen and how everything is kind of gonna go and then to have a home birth, but all the unknowns - wow! I really have a new level of respect for both of them. Michelle was an absolute pro, she handled the contractions incredibly well and though it was much longer than any of my births, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl at 1:02 in the afternoon. I think what makes this birth so special to me is being a part of it in a way unique to this birth alone. Sure, I've been in on 5 other births, but they were mine so I was in a different state of mine (VERY different :-) I look forward to knowing Lailani Rae as she grows because I feel a bond with her that is special. Welcome to our world Lailani Rae!