Once again, Daddy K tells a birth story.

That Bryce Canyon sunset, when rustic hoodoo spires fired slow in burnished twilight, and her unborn spirit swept across our hearts' expanse. ~In reference to our May 2007 Southwest road trip

Do you remember watching one of those farm birth documentaries on PBS when you were younger, and the miracle of the foal being born was so amazing and crazy strange?

Well, it's got nothing on a live human birth. At home. In your own bed. With your own Mama wife and newborn.

After getting second and third opinions on the blood clot fights, the plan was to stay home and not go to the hospital. (We had researched and planned all this the first time as well.)

As my dad says, "God willin' and the creek don't rise."

This time God was and the creek didn't rise.

Saturday, August 21, 2010, 2:15 a.m.

I'm standing over the crib stroking Bea's arms to soothe here and I know I have to go.

Beatrice had been up since 1:00, primarily because of her cold and snotty nose, but also because she knew something was up.

Because our midwives had everything under control with Mama, it was up to me to tend to Bea if she needed it.

She did. Lots of it. She just couldn't go back to sleep and I had to stay in there so she wouldn't wail. She couldn't hear anything coming from our room; we keep a fan going in their for white noise and have been doing it since before she was born. (We dig it too.)

But she was obviously unsettled and aware of what's coming.

Mama had been in active labor since around 12:30 and the motion of the womb ocean was climaxing to a category 5 hurricane.

Things were moving fast and I was missing it.

I stroke Bea's arm one more time and whisper:

"I love you, baby, but I have to go help Mama."

As soon as I'm in our room, Bryce is entering the earth's atmosphere for the first time.

Of course I can't share the intimate details, but I can tell you that earlier she found her baby Zen center as contraction after contraction rolled through her.

Now I'm standing behind Mama on the side of the bed. She grabs my hand with the power of a 10,000 volts, pulls me down towards her on the bed and shrieks:

"Get it out of me!"

That's the final reality of birth, my friends. Guys, we have no idea. Nada. Zip. Imagine passing a hot bowling ball through your urethra.

Mother Mary of God, I think. There's a Bryce coming out of my wife.

You see, the first time with Bea I didn't see. That plan was to be at home as well. If you're interested you can relive Bea's birth story here.

But this one I am seeing, the visual annealing that softens my Y chromosome for an ultimately stronger bond.

Saturday, August 21, 2010, 2:24 a.m.

And then it's done. We're in the moment of tearful Mama holding wet newborn to her breast, the universe expanding the heart and soul ad infinitum.

All 7 pounds, 8 1/2 ounces, and 20.5 inches of her.

Welcome to the world, Baby Bryce.

No one gets to their heaven without a fight. ~Neil Peart

Bumpin' Baby B

Waiting and waiting and waiting. Only 1 day left on the Baby B Ticker. Maybe the baby is having a dance party in there and doesn't want to come out 'cause it's havin' too much fun. We already sent our midwife in and B said, "Talk to the hand, lady." (Actually it was the midwife's hand talking to the baby.)

So maybe if we call the cops to break the party up, B will come on out?

What do you think?

Baby B is between two worlds

I know a woman's body is only flesh and bone

A woman's body is only flesh and bone

How come I can't let go?

I'm between two worlds

I said oh yeah, I'm out of my mind

I'm between two worlds

--Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

I have no idea what Tom was really thinking of when he wrote those lyrics back in the early 80s. Probably not about pregnancy. But when I heard it in my mix last week when I was running, it got me thinking about where we've been and where we're at.

This is one of my favorite pictures from our wedding almost five years ago now. Amy's father, Carl, lovingly delivered the ceremony and married us. We wrote our own vows as well, and every October 11 we go down to the place where we met on the beach almost 11 years ago and read those vows to one another.

But what were we thinking in that picture? It certainly wasn't about having children. No, that would take another four years to evolve.

And here we are. Thirty-eight weeks pregnant. Amy started maternity leave a few days early last week, because when she woke up Wednesday morning, she said to me, "I don't want anybody touching me and I don't want to touch anyone." That's difficult not to do when you work in physical therapy.

No worries, my dear. It's time to relax with the relaxin and chill out. It could be anytime now. We set up the birthing tub in Baby B's room and our midwife gave me home birth kit just in case something happened and I had to birth the baby.

Are you kidding me? Well, I'm not cutting the nails. I told you that. (Don't worry, folks. Kathe will be here.)

Baby B is between two worlds. In fact, next to death, I believe being in the womb is the closet we ever get to heaven. In that ethereal place where stars collide and worlds are born, the spark of human life is tethered to mother and the heart of the universe, the very heart of God.

It's exciting that someday we can tell B he/she was born at home in his/her very room. So come out right and on time, you little honey B.

Giving birth: the most natural phenomena on earth

To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

Genesis 3:16

I don't believe God really did that as punishment for Eve's sin, but the men who wrote it wished God had. The part about ruling over women was definitely an earthly, manly mandate. That's been pretty evident for a long, long time.

This post isn't to argue original sin; it's to talk about giving birth, one of the most natural phenomena on earth.

Prior to the early 1900s, giving birth at home was the normal thing to do (yes, mortality rates were higher, I know, but still). In the early 1900s, women began going to the hospital because modern health care at the time made huge strides in reducing the mortality rate and improving the likelihood that mom and baby would live to see another day. However, the medical community consisted of men who in turn wanted to increase the ease of functional delivery for themselves – things like complete sedation for the woman, strapped down in a bed with restraints with feet hiked up and locked into stirrups.

Today, if most births are normal, vaginal births due to the advances of prenatal care, then why is the cesarean rate in America upwards of 40%?

Most of you know we've planned a home water birth with our very capable midwife Kathe (who by the way corrected me about her visual aids not being from the 1970s – just kidding Kathe!), but I can't tell you how many times people go right to the horror stories when I tell them we're having a home birth.

"Oh my God, my niece had a home birth and it ripped a hole in the space-time continuum, along with tearing her perineum and her neighbor's as well, and the amount of blood and evil inter-dimensional beings was horrific..."

Really?

I even received a response of late that we're more concerned about our feelings, and not Baby B's health, because we wanted a home birth.

What the – ?

We're not having a home birth to burn incense, sing kumbaya and pat ourselves on the back. No, we're having a home birth solely to have a more natural and safe experience for mom and baby (with a certified midwife) the way God and millions of years of evolution intended (yes, I can reconcile both and do).

But just in case, we do have a plan B. No worries there. And you can have great prenatal care with a midwife instead of an OB – and we did both. We're also in a community that embraces midwifery including the local medical profession. A qualified midwife can identify breech well before early labor even starts and if they can't adjust the little bugger, plan B starts early.

Our midwife has attended over 1,200 births and only a small percentage has had to go to the hospital for whatever reason.

We watched a water birthing video the other night with our doula called Birth into Being (definitely not for everyone). A Russian spiritual midwife recorded five water births, some of which were women giving birth in the Black Sea. (Yes, I had visions of Jean Auel's books, The Mammoth Hunters, but no, we're not running down to the water to birth by the lighthouse where we met to be spiritually romantic in 55 degree water.) Water birth can help soothe the mother's labor and the baby comes right out of the water once it's born. And if all goes as planned, Baby B will be born in its very own room.

For those of you keeping score at home, here is more information from a great mainstream site – the American Pregnancy Association:

Home birth might be an option for you if:

1. You are having a healthy, low-risk pregnancy

2. You want to avoid episiotomy, cesarean section, epidural and other interventions

3. You want to be surrounded by family and friends

4. You want to be free to move around, change positions, take a shower, and eat or drink freely during labor

5. You want to enjoy the comforts of home and familiar surroundings

Home birth is not for you if:

1. You are diabetic

2. You have chronic high blood pressure, or toxemia (also known as preeclampsia)

3. You have experienced preterm labor in the past, or may be at risk for preterm labor now

4. Your partner does not fully support your decision to give birth at home

Most midwives will bring the following with them the day of delivery:

1. Oxygen for the baby if needed

2. IV's for mom if she becomes dehydrated or needs additional nutrients

3. Sterile gloves, gauze pads, cotton hat for the baby, drop cloths, waterproof covers for the bed, a thermometer, a pan for sitz baths after birth

4. Fetoscopes or ultrasonic stethoscopes

5. Medications to slow or stop a hemorrhage

6. Special herbal preparations, homeopathic remedies, massage supplies/techniques and even acupuncture needles

7. Items for suturing tears

In what situations would transfer to the hospital occur:

1. Mom decides to go because she feels exhausted and does not want to continue

2. Premature rupture of membranes

3. High blood pressure

4. No progress

5. Fetal distress

6. Cord prolapse

7. Hemorrhage

Some pointers when considering a home birth:

1. Compile a health care team by hiring a midwife and obstetrician

2. Interview several midwives to discuss their birth philosophy; you may be more comfortable with a midwife who shares your view of birth

3. Write out a Plan B in case a hospital transfer is necessary

4. Hire a doula

5. Ask your midwife if she works with a backup OB/GYN

6. Choose a pediatrician to see the baby within 24 hours of the birth

Home birth perks:

1. Home birth may be significantly easier on your pocket book. An average uncomplicated vaginal birth costs about 60% less in a home than in a hospital.

2. Home birth provides immediate bonding and breastfeeding. Early breastfeeding helps mom stop bleeding, clear mucus from the baby's nose and mouth, and transfer disease-fighting antibodies in the milk from mother to baby.

3. Home birth allows you to be surrounded with those you love. When you include children, family, and friends in the birth process, it provides you with many helpers and allows a very intimate bonding experience for everyone involved.

Daddy K asks – what the???

So I'm cruising through some of the blogs and news feeds I subscribe and there it was on HappyNews.com:

California Mom Gives Birth on Front Lawn by Herself

Jessica Higgins was at the mall in Fullerton with her 2-year-old son when she went into labor. She drove home, called 911 and had the baby in her front yard.

"She was just standing in the driveway rocking the newborn, who was still attached to the placenta," Officer Manny Ramos said.

Although her daughter came six weeks early, both mom and baby are doing well.

We'll stick to the birthing tub. Or the bed. Or the futon in the baby's room. Or the couch downstairs. Or the cuddle chair downstairs.

Less than a month to go.