My Beautiful Freebirth of
EVANGELINE ROSE PERKINS
Born at home and into her Mommy's hand's
on June 12, 2013 at 5:05pm
10 pounds 8 ounces, 20.5 inches long, 15 inch head
Evangeline's birth was different than my other 5 births. All of my other natural births my body baked baby to 42-44 weeks, but with Evangeline she decided to make here arrival 3 days before my due date. Three ultrasounds determined a EDD of June 15th, so we were expecting birth some time before the end of June.
For weeks my body had been preparing with tons of prodromal labor. Contractions that hurt and were regular, but then would fizzle out. At 4 am the morning before her birth I woke to go pee and saw pink on the tissue! I was so excited and of course couldn't get back to sleep due to the exciting news. I had been loosing mucus for about a week prior to this, but none streaked pink. This was progress. Throughout that day I had a few contractions and more bloody show, but nothing to bring about labor. Nesting went full throttle and I was cleaning like crazy! lol. The next day, hubby went to run some errands and I remembered I needed to sew the cloth that she would be weighed in using the fish scale. As I sat there around 9:30 am I had two good contractions that started in my back and came around to my front. Nothing insane and they didn't last long, but they did feel different. I stood up and went to make my bed. As I made my bed I felt this little push from inside my body. Never felt that before. I had this urge to go ahead and set up my birthing nest at the floor of my bed. Again, I wasn't having regular contractions or anything. I just had a feeling I should, so I did. Within a few minutes of setting it up hubby walked in and asked me why I was setting it up and I said I just felt like I should and then GUSH my water broke. It made me jump onto the plastic. Hubby asked me what happened and I squealed with JOY, " My water just broke!" He honestly didn't believe me because in five births I have never had my water brake prior to pushing a head out. However, a second continuous GUSH proved him wrong. lol. Her amniotic fluid was straw colored with lots of specs f white vernix floating in it. All healthy and normal. My daughter Layla, 6, was there when my water broke and continued to flow. She just kept saying, "That's a lot of water!" We talked about how baby was floating in it all 9 months, etc.. Contractions started but wern't very strong or regular. I chose not to time them because I didn't want the pressure that I needed to preform every so many minutes, etc..like I had felt with timing them during all the pre-labor I had had.
The date was June 12th and it was my son Gideon's 9th birthday! We had plans of a pool party with friends and lots of cake. However, we celebrated in my bedroom with me in my birthing nest. lol. Gideon was a bit down at first of sharing his birthday with his little sister, but soon as he saw her for the first time thinks it is the greatest present and yes, he will get his party soon.
Throughout my early labor my kiddos came in and out of my room..reading to me, talking to me, playing their games and being kids waiting for the arrival of one more sibling. Lincoln my 3 year old would come in and say, "Mommy, I thought you were gonna push the baby out???" Apparently, the whole process wasn't going fast enough for him. 
Throughout the day I did laundry and cleaned like a mad woman. I walked around in my night gown through contractions eating a mango, peach, coconut smoothie that my oldest brought me home from his work. Mmmmm..Delicious. Where else can you pace around through contractions pant-less while sipping on a smoothie---no where but HOME. I talked with my good friends on the phone and facebook and then came to a point when I could no longer talk and needed to concentrate. Things became serious. I was trying to relax my body and allow baby to move down and out, but these contractions were so strog and hurt! I needed privacy and asked to be alone for a while. I squatted......
I walked.....
I swayed......
I got on my hands and knees.....
I bounced on the birthing ball.....
I sat on it.....
I laid back....
I couldn't get into a position that I wanted and that felt right.
I asked hubby to come back in and held onto his hands as I leaned back into intense contractions. At this point I told him I couldn't do it. What was I thinking? This hurt!!! He reminded me that I could and I've done it before and I was almost there. How did he know? He was just a man. I wanted to kill him...but only for a second. lol. Oh, I hurt so bad.
I felt the urge to go potty, so I got up and waddled to the toilet. While sitting on the toilet I had another intense contraction and felt to see if I could feel her head. The contraction was pushing her down through me. What an incredible and INTENSE feeling. I realized that the toilet was where I wanted to stay. The support from squatting and the ability to feel her coming down was exactly what I needed. I called for hubby to bring in the extra shower curtain and laid it on the floor. I had another contraction and could feel her shoulders pushing down through my cervix. I had a brief moment of thinking how during my first two hospital births i never remember being so in tune with my body and what I was feeling. Her head was about to crown with the next contraction. I yanked the towels down off the rack and onto the plastic. Hubby asked me what I was doing???....guess he thought it was odd to have a baby next to the toilet. I told him her head was coming and I was going to push her out right there and to go get the camera. With the next contraction I dropped to my knees on the ground. INTENSITY hit. 
At this point I could feel her head pushing through and crowning. She was so big. I could feel how large she was. I wanted to push so bad, but knew that if I did I would tear. So I began chanting, " I'm not gonna push. I'm not gonna push. My body will push." Oh my how it hurt. I will not lie. I would love to say that I didn't feel pain or was at peace and had this quiet gentle birth, but NO it hurt and I thought I was going to split open! So I grunted and I moaned and I repeated "I will not PUSH!"
My daughter had begged my entire pregnancy to be there when the baby was born, so I yelled out to her to come now. Apparently Littlest Pet Shop was on TV and that was more interesting. lol. Infact, this whole time during transition in the bathroom all of the kids were watching TV in the living room and playing Mindcraft - just 15 ft away. lol. Layla came in and saw and squealed out, "The baby is coming!!! The baby is coming !! I see its head!!!" That made all the kids come running.
Her head emerged and I felt her move inside of me. She turned a complete turn and
and at the point, my body pushed Evangeline into the world!
Layla watching the miricle of birth.
Sooooo much vernix. My little clay baby!
My two gorgeous girls! 
Evangeline's cord was shorter than my other babies. 18 inches where Lincoln's was 22". I couldn't pull her to my breast, so we settled for tummy. She was beautiful and perfect and a blessing from my Creator above.
Welcome baby girl!
I wrapped her in a pink towel and laid her between my legs. She cried and her cry was music to my ears. We have waited for so long for this moment. an eternty to see you...to hold you.... Thank you my Jesus for this gift. 
About 30 minutes after pushing her out I felt an urge to gently push and out came her placenta: whole.
About 2 hours later we cut her cord. No need to tie. Her cord was yellow and limp and clotted.
We weighed her and measured her. We used a digital fishing scale with my homemade baby holder. Here is Daddy weighing her: 10 pounds 8 ounces. I knew she was big. My biggest baby yet. My last baby was 10 lbs 5 oz., so she beat her big brother by a few ounces. BUT, at only 20.5 inches long, she was my shortest baby.
About three hours after her arrival. <3 nbsp="" p="">
God is such an amazing God. He created our bodies to do incredible things. Growing a baby from a tiny sperm and egg into a perfect human and then, without me doing anything, He created it so that my body would know how to get her out. I am one blessed and empowered Mommy.
What an Intense and amazing experience once again. Thank you Lord for your strength and endurance to bring our blessing into the world.
