Overall, I had a stress-free pregnancy with Siena. Sure, there were about 2 months early on of what I'd label great physical challenge (exhaustion, gagging, dry-reaching...), but from a mental/emotional standpoint I had never been happier or more relaxed. And once that cleared it was smooth sailing. I had a delicious 2nd trimester - eating joyfully, heading back to dance classes, and generally enjoying life. At the beginning of the 3rd trimester I started to feel tired again and assumed I was heading into the heavy, exhausting trimester that everyone talks about. Fortunately, at my next obstetrician's appointment he said my iron levels were slightly low, put me on an iron supplement, and I was flying high again. From that point I never had any energy issues to the point that two nights before I hit 40 weeks I was out 10-pin bowling with my family (and with a bit of coaching, do my best bowling ever - not that that says much O).

There was one area of the pregnancy however that sent me on my own personal rollercoaster ride. At about 34-36 weeks, my doctor started noting casually that the baby's head (though in the correct position) was still sitting quite high. He wasn't concerned, but did say it was something we'd want to see progress over the coming weeks.

Each week, with a bit more concern in his voice, he'd give me the status update which for the most part was

"no change". In the last few weeks, as is his responsibility, he started educating me about the possible outcomes if the head didn't start to drop down into the pelvis. In essence, there was increased likelihood of needing to be induced as well as the possibility of needing a c-section.

Now neither of these things is the end of the world, but they were totally absent from the vision my husband, Ben, and I had created for the birth of our first child (or any of our children for that matter).

Each week I would walk out of my appointment with a brave face and then nearly burst into tears as I walked down the hallway. For a few days it would play on mind creating great anxiety (as well as great personal growth) and then I'd speak with the "right" person or have the "right" thought and I'd come back to center and recreate in my mind how I planned to have the experience go.

By weeks 40 and 41 I was going through life with a dark cloud around me nearly all the time. I couldn't believe it had come to this after such an easy and joyful pregnancy!

Then, just a few days before I was scheduled to be induced, a miraculous thing happened. My stepfather, an anaesthesiologist who had specialized in obstetrics for many years, explained to me so effectively exactly how a c-section works and the actual advantages of it that for a night I actually walked around with the though, "if there's a good chance I'm going to labor for 14 hours and end up with a c-section anyway, maybe I'Il just go elective!"

And just like that, my anxieties melted away. At the end of the day, all that mattered was that I was going to have a baby (!!!) - hopefully healthy - and, in the long run, how he or she got out really wouldn't matter that much.

And then another miraculous thing happened. I was already 7 days "overdue" and I was scheduled to go into the hospital on the 9th night to be induced. My family and I went to my cousin Miriam's house for dinner.

Miriam is an extraordinary energetic and psychic healer, and very often I've found that I have some sort of physical reaction simply to being in her home. That night was no exception.

Within about 3 minutes of walking through the front door, I started having fairly intense sensations in my pelvis. It literally felt like someone was forcing my pelvis open. allowed myself to breathe through the sensations (in between bites of pizza as I stood next to the table - too uncomfortable to sit), and Miriam, my husband Ben and I agreed that after dinner we would go to her healing space to further encourage the baby to come.

I don't remember the exact details of our time downstairs, but here's the gist: Miriam started by giving me some lovely massage with the oils she felt were needed. I know one of them was called Magnify Your Purpose as she sensed the baby had gotten a little too comfortable in the womb and needed a bit of a reminder as to why he or she was here!

She then helped us to connect with and invite the baby to come out and join us. In the process of reminding the baby why it had chosen to come here, she had us all place our hands on my belly - yum! After a bit more talking, Miriam looked seriously at my belly and said, "Start digging for the light baby, start digging for the light!"

AND SHE DID!

Suddenly the baby started pushing and pushing her way down. The movement was nearly constant (and very determined). Miriam helped me feel the subtle Braxton-Hicks contractions that had started, and then gave us the instruction to go home and make love ("doctor's" orders... •).

We fell asleep at about 11:30pm. At 12:04am I awoke to a rush of warm liquid releasing - my waters had broken!

To cut a long story short we were admitted into hospital at about 8am at which point I was 4cm dilated. Our Doula, Emma, helped us get set up and find the position and place in which I was most comfortable having contractions. To relieve the tension around my lower back I was happiest standing in the shower. As I felt each contraction coming on I would throw my arms around Ben's neck, drop my head on his chest and sway, breathing out as hard as I could, over and over, until that contraction had passed (at which point | would crouch down or bend over and stretch a bit).

At 11:30am, my doctor came in, peaked his head around to see me and asked how I was doing. With a smile and a relaxed voice I said, "It's a bit more challenging than I'd expected, but we're getting through it!"

Apparently to him my demeanor and comment meant I was a long way off still. As he was leaving, he said,

"Ok, I'll see you in a few hours!" and when he ran into my parents in the hallway they were told that I'd probably be delivering at about 6:30 or 7 that night.

I didn't say it aloud at the time but when I heard him say 'a few hours' I though, "You've gotta be kidding me!

I came in here at 4cm and I've already been doing this for at least a few hours - I must be practically there by now!"

Well, interestingly enough, I WAS! Just minutes later I heard the midwife yell, "Get the doctor!" because I was fully dilated!

I had had no idea of what position I'd want to be in to actually give birth, but when the time came, I felt I just needed to keep standing (although my legs were exhausted and trembling by now ®). I placed both hands on the bed in front of me and simply kept breathing. The doctor came flying in and set up a soft mat underneath me and talked me through pushing the baby out. About halfway through, I asked if he could lift the baby up to me to hold as soon as he or she was born.

Well, Siena Grace Bradley literally dropped out of me (fortunately Dr. van der Griend very gracefully caught her!) at 12:16pm. He immediately handed her through my legs and back up to me to hold and connect with as Ben stepped over and rejoined us.

While I still believe that however Siena came out would have been perfect, I feel so blessed that I was able to deliver her naturally. It allowed me to be so present and such an active participant in the process, and I know it's a memory that I will always cherish!

— Siena Grace