The birth of Lorelei B.

Dusting off the blog! It's been a busy summer, capped off with my third birth! Melissa and I had been chatting on and off throughout the evening and we each kept saying that we should go get some sleep, as she was in labor and we both needed our rest! Of course, it's hard to sleep when you're anticipating a phone call, which came about 30 min. after I finally fell asleep at 2:30am!

Melissa and Brian had chosen to deliver at a hospital down close to the city, so I was actually quite thankful to make the trip in the wee hours of the morning rather than during rush hour! We were treated to some gorgeous views of the sunrise over the Chicago skyline - what a way to labor!

Melissa's midwife was off shift at 9am, and she was really hoping to be there for the grand arrival. As the hours ticked by, it was looking like she'd be cutting it very close! But around 8:40am, Melissa was pronounced complete, and it was go time!

This was my first midwife-attended birth (besides my own, of course!) and the differences were amazing! There was no frantic rushing around, preparing the room. No gowns and masks, just a pair of sterile gloves for the midwife. And Melissa, being the rock star that she is, wasted no time in bringing her beautiful baby girl into the world!

Lorelei entered the world at 8:57am, after (literally!) 2 pushes! She weighed in at 7 lbs. 6.9 oz. and was 19" long. And what an adorable little girl! She was wide awake and taking in her world very calmly. So cute!

Congratulations to Melissa, Brian, and big brother Nikolaus! Thank you for allowing me to be present to welcome your beautiful girl into the world!

(For some reason this video doesn't display properly for everyone - if you only see half of it, please click here to view it properly.)