The Birth of Piper Josephine.

We were all ready to welcome you early. Your adjusted due date was 1/29/2021 and we were all ready for you to come around then. Although, we kept your 2/4/2021 guess date on the books; the guesses came in, all ending on or before 2/4/2021. Mama had 2/7/2021 in her head as the absolute last day... and woke up pregnant still on 2/8/2021.

Why weren't you here yet?! I was ready. Daddy was ready. Your big brothers had been ready for weeks... but we all still needed to wait for you. But, not much longer... (PS - major shout out to my friends that held my hand and stroked my head metaphorically the last few weeks... y'all allowing me to complain to you helped my marriage survive LOL Poor Paul...)

On 2/9/2021, around 12am, I woke up to a wave. Not very uncommon since I had been experiencing prodormal about for about a month now. I used the bathroom and laid back down. Still not asleep and feeling some light waves happening, I got up around 1am and sat on the ball to try and get gravity to move you down. I knew you were right there at 0 station. We knew my body was ready with a 4cm dilated, 90% effaced cervix. I had been that way for a little over two weeks... Just a little gravity needed. Nope. The second I started to focus on it, they disappeared. Back to bed I went.

At 6am, after tossing and turning all night, we decided to have everyone stay home and have a family breakfast. It just felt like the day... even though waves weren't strong and were infrequent- which is pretty much the same exact thing I had been experiencing for weeks - this felt like something else was brewing.
Around 8am, I checked in with my midwife, Rebekah.  She let me know she was at another birth and I might need to call my amazing backup, Samm, if things picked up. I also called my birth photographer, Jaimie, who because of my history of 0-baby births, she decided to come closer and be ready. So happy she did!

At 11am, waves were noticeably different than before. Much like your brother's, Kinnan's labor, I was walking, talking, and smiling through them but they were suddenly coming every 2-3ish minutes. Connor and Killian were downstairs while Colin and Kinnan went down for a nap and at 12pmish I called Samm and Jaimie and let them know they were picking up quickly and by 12:45pm, both were here at the house.

I wandered around the house, laboring with Daddy's support. Waves were close at 2 minutes apart, they varied in intensity. The more intense ones were short and the less intense ones were longer. I would labor leaning on the bed, using the ball, sitting on the toilet... everything felt good but when I started lifting my right leg instinctively on a stool and then using Daddy as a prop, it felt... right. On the short video that Jaimie created, you can hear Mommy tell Daddy, "I like you here." The position seemed to be what you needed to rotate that last little bit.
Colin woke up around 2pm and came in to see what was happening. Killian and Connor rotated in and out, checking in to see if their sister had been born yet. Then, at 2:10pm, I went to sit back on the toilet because I could feel you moving down each time I sat there and, as I said before, I was READY for you to join us. Whatever I needed to do to get you here was what I would do!

Then, Boom. It got real, real fast.

I motioned for Daddy who was right outside the open door and he came in. I remembered saying "They are intense now. You should tell them." Daddy called Samm and Jaimie in. Samm got the doppler on my belly. You sounded great. At 2:15pm, my waters released as I was standing and feeling you come down. Then, I felt what felt like a pile of bricks slam into my back. Push. You had maneuvered your way down and were coming out to join us Earth side but something was different. It wasn't the gliding sensation I was used to with you brothers. Push. Your head was out before I knew it but then I didn't feel the urge to move you out further. I felt you half out and started to get nervous that you had gotten stuck. Then I heard Samm say "Her little hand is there." With that statement, she gently released your hand and there was the sensation I was used to. Push. There you were!

Our sweet daughter, Piper Josephine Cara, was born at 2:22pm. After three pushes and a passing moment of fear, you cried before I could even get you into my arms. Her sweet self was here. I was relieved. Her brothers, who were standing outside witnessing her journey Earth side, quickly joined Daddy, Piper J and I in the bathroom to get a peek at the sister they've been waiting for for so long.

Kinnan woke up shortly after and we spent the next two hours together in the bed, snuggling, checking Piper J out, making sure I was okay, and enjoying her first couple hours outside together as a family. It's by far the best post partum experience I've ever had. Having all my children there at the birth was the one of the most love filled and joyous moments of my life. ​

Welcome Piper Josephine Cara LaPlante! I cannot wait to see what amazing and beautiful moments your life will hold!

Little Bear Birth Services photo credit. TX is so lucky to get you!!!!