Elisha shares Part II of Arcadia's birth today, on his fifth birthday. Read Part I here.

Sleeping and waking through every contraction; somehow I felt rested when I got up at 4:30am to go pee. I had my bloody show; I went upstairs to tell Taylor he should probably get up. The contractions were closer; about five minutes apart, not too close. Still, they had definitely picked up in strength and there was no sleeping now!

I wasn't sure if I should get in the bath, I didn't want to de-sensitize myself; I decided I needed lots of warm water! Taylor ran a bath and prepared the pull out couch for me, with the extra sheets and shower curtain. He called our midwife who didn't answer until the second try, with her on her way we felt ready for the hours to come... or so we thought.

In and out of the bath I kept needing to pee and poop; my contractions were mostly still around five minutes apart and some four minutes apart, then all of a sudden some were one minute apart. I realized on one of the trips out of the water while sitting on the toilet that it wasn't that I needed to poop, but that I needed to push! This wasn't supposed to be happening now! Oh shit, my midwife isn't even here; I began to panic! Taylor called our midwife (I'm in the living room on the bed at this point) he tells her I'm crowning. I (still panicking) ask if I should try to hold back...then a contraction comes and fills my body with overwhelming feelings to push and get this baby out! I then realize that there would be no way to hold back and that this is happening, midwife or NOT!

I decide that I need to get back in the water and to breath and calm down, anxiety isn't going to help... relax and breathe, accepting that this is it, it is time and our baby is almost here and ready! Taylor has our midwife on the phone. With the next contraction and my again found calmness I begin to push, and push! After three good pushes out gushes our baby boy. Born in our claw foot tub in the peace of an empty house and our midwife on the phone checking the time!

I lay there in complete amazement, holding our perfect little boy!

6:15am Arcadia Cereus Immanuel Applegarth came into the world! 7lb 8oz 20 1⁄2” long.