Michelle's birth was about as easy as they get. On a Sunday morning at about 7 A.M. I began feeling contractions. My husband David got up and went out on the couch to read the paper. I didn't tell him I was in labor. As with Joy's birth, I wanted solitude. As I lay in bed I said belief suggestions that I was totally cooperating with my body. "I'm not fighting this in any way," I told myself. I felt myself slip into a state of complete relaxation. There was not a tense muscle in my entire body.

At 8:15 I got up and walked across the hall to the bathroom. "You taking a bath?" David asked. "Yes," I answered, still not informing him that I was in labor. I turned on the bath water, sat down on the toilet and noticed the water bag between my legs. It popped and seconds later a head appeared. I gave a little push and Michelle slid into my hands. The cord was wrapped loosely around her neck and I unwound it. She gave a little cry and immediately began nursing.

"David," I called out, "will you come here a minute?" David had heard the cry but thought there was a cat in the bathroom. He came down the hall, looked in the bathroom and saw me sitting there nursing a newborn. Needless to say, he was surprised! A few minutes later he washed a pair of scissors and cut the cord. This time we didn't bother to tie it and it healed just fine. Shortly thereafter, the placenta slipped into the toilet.

That afternoon, Joy, Michelle and I went to a baby shower some friends of mine had unknowingly scheduled for that afternoon. I had thought my due date was towards the middle of the month, so I hadn't objected when they wanted to have the shower on the 5th. Everyone was amazed to see Michelle on the outside of my body!

Michelle

Michelle is now a college student in Durango, Colorado.
Click here to see more photos of Michelle.