Every birth story is beautiful, and they’re all unique in their own way. My first childbirth experience was a very long hospital labor and delivery. My second was born via water birth at a midwife-run birth center; it was absolutely everything I’d hoped it could be! I hope you’ll enjoy reading this birth story for what it is: a beautiful way (one of many ways!) a baby comes into this world. I’m not here to shame medicated deliveries, hospital births, or C-sections — they just aren’t part of my story.

The pictures were taken by my talented friend, Teodora. You can find more of her work here.

If you know me, then you may already know my deep-seated and longtime desire to be a mother. I lost my first pregnancy to a miscarriage in March of 2014. I was almost 11 weeks along, and for the last 5 weeks we had several ultrasounds as we heard our baby’s heartbeat slow down and eventually stop. I knew knew the odds of having a miscarriage, yet still did not fully grasp the gravity of the situation even as it happened. I desperately wanted to be a mother, and put much of my identity and value into fulfilling that desire.

Potty training: two words that make any parent cringe. I admit, I was dreading it too. However, when I least expected it, my toddler decided she was ready. If you knew her at all, this wouldn’t surprise you! It happened about a month after we had our second child (she was about 2 months shy of 2 1/2).

As World Breastfeeding Week 2017 draws to a close, I want to continue telling Part 2 of my breastfeeding journey (click here for Part 1). It’s amazing how just the act of breastfeeding can vary so differently between two kids from the same mother. Personalities, latch, schedules, pattern of weight gain, sleeping habits, you name it. This was something I had heard, of course, but it wasn’t something I could really relate to until Nora was born!