Happy Birthday Chase!

Chase is 11 today!

Of my three children, Chase was my easiest birth. I spent the entire morning trying to figure out if I was in labor or not. When I finally decided to call my midwife about it, she went through the usual questions. Did my water break? No. Bloody show? No. I didn't have a yes until she asked if I could time the twinges I was feeling. Well, yes, they were about five minutes apart. Okay, then, I think you ought to come in! I called my hubby since he had the car and gathered my things and Marina's things and by the time I was ready to go I could hear rapid footsteps outside. The door flew open and there was my husband, all in a panic. "I'm fine!" I assured him, "no need to rush!"
We drove to the midwife's office. Chase was going to be born at a birthing center. If you are keeping track, I've had one at the hospital, one in a birth center and one at home. The birth center was hands down my favorite. I'll explain why in a minute. I was not very dilated when I got to the midwife's office. She suggested I go out and walk around and meet her at the birth cottage later. The only place we could find to walk around was a shopping center. Did I mention that the day he was born was THE hottest day of that year? It was 97 degrees, a triple H day. By now, the contractions were starting to feel like contractions. We roamed around for about an hour, then headed back to the birth center. Joanne was my favorite midwife. If the hospital hadn't closed the birth cottage, I would have used it and Joanne again. I still see her for annual gyn checkups. The first time she heard me muster up a scream from a contraction, she touched my arm, smiled and said, "Moan. It will open you up." The birth cottage had so many useful things to lean against and use, like a whirlpool bath, and there even was a playground for Marina. And air conditioning. Did I mention it was hot?
When I finally started bearing down I opted for the birth stool. At that point, my father asked Marina if she wanted to catch the baby. She said yes and started getting ready. My mother carried her from the room crying because Buelo was kidding. As the head crowned, Joanne told me to reach down and take my baby. My first thought was, what if I drop him? But I did as she directed and took him right to my chest. It's a boy! As a consolation for missing the big moment, Marina got to be the third person to hold her little brother. Daddy was second. Marina and Chase have been close ever since.