From the moment we first heard a heartbeat, I daydreamed about Baby Two’s arrival. September 21, 2016 turned out better than I could have imagined. Here’s our story of Cora’s birth…

Although I know there’s no scientific reason to believe that second babies come earlier than first ones, I was surely convinced that Baby Two would be here before her due date. Adding this hunch to the fact that I was already 3 cm dilated, I decided to take my maternity leave a week early so I could relax a bit, spend extra quality time with Claire, and not be mid-project when labor began.

Starting September 12th, I was a free woman! But looking back, the extra time off perhaps made me even more impatient. We’d been dreaming of Baby Two since January, and the final days of waiting seemed to drag on and on — especially when her due date, September 18th, came and went.

Eventually, at 1:44 a.m. on Wednesday, September 21, we got the action we were hoping for as — just as it had with Claire — my water began to break while I was sleeping. I say “began to break” because I never got the dramatic gush you see in the movies with either daughter. Rather, just a trickle. (We learned later that this was called the forebag and since both girls were well-engaged at the end of my pregnancies, the babies were essentially trapping the rest of the amniotic fluid with their sweet heads.) I called the nurse, who had me rest on my side for 30 minutes to see if more water would drip.

During this time we began our family phone calls so the Winston folks could start making their way to town. Although no additional amniotic fluid came, when the nurse called back, she agreed that we should start heading to the hospital. We spent the next hour or so showering, cleaning the house, and packing. Soon Mari-Jo arrived to care for Claire (thank you!), and Adam and I hit the road.

We arrived around 4 a.m., said a prayer in the parking lot, and headed in. The experience, in many ways, was a wild deja vu: I checked in, changed into the lovely hospital gown, and waited for the fun (ha!) to start. Contractions were steady at this point, but certainly bearable. Our nurse measured me at nearly 6 cm, and I let her know that I wanted to attempt an unmedicated birth. 

Soon after, my cheering squad arrived! My precious Mom, sisters, and Mary Kay were a fabulous distraction from the pain. We listened to music, bounced on the labor ball, and kept lively conversation going for hours. At one point, the nursing staff (who loved our crew!) brought everyone blankets to help them warm up. They were even exceedingly forgiving when (in the midst of particularly awful contractions) I barked orders for silence.

Around 7:30 a.m. we received a very special video from home: 

(If you have trouble viewing the video, try clicking here.)

Talk about motivation! By that point we’d had a shift change, and we found out that our delivery OB would be Dr. Gorsuch, the same doctor that delivered Claire three years earlier. For that delivery, Dr. Gorsuch’s no nonsense, get-it-done demeanor ended up being exactly what I needed to end the two hours of pushing. This time around, she was even more encouraging — and extremely supportive of my desire for a natural delivery.

When she checked me around 9 a.m., she confirmed our suspicion that only the forebag of the amniotic sac broke in the night. Despite hours of contractions, I was stuck at 8 cm, so (just as with Claire) the doctor whipped out her hook and popped the rest of the bag.

At that point my contractions took off exponentially. We said farewell to the family, and I labored for another hour in bed, largely with my eyes closed as I focused on deep breathing. At 10:20 a.m., I was ready to push. The nurse called in Dr. Gorsuch and her team, and Adam was — once again — the greatest support I could have asked for. A mere 13 minutes later, Cora Katherine joined the world. 

She snuggled on my chest, and y’all, it was love at first sight. Adam cut the umbilical cord, and soon we were left alone — just the three of us — for special bonding time with our newest baby girl. Tears and smiles and kisses all around.

Soon, Adam sent a text to let the family know that the baby was here, and we had Nana Beth, Nana Kay, Papa Bob, and my sisters come meet the new little miss. It was so much fun to share her name and tell about her wonderful delivery.

After that, I had the joy of calling my Dad and Margie to share our good news (they arrived Thursday evening and spent the weekend with us!), and then Adam called Uncle Michael and his sweet grandparents, too. Soon the nurses returned to give Cora her first bath (a success!) and finally weighed and measured her. We were delighted to discover that although she was a little lighter than Claire (7 pounds, 8 ounces), Cora was born the exact same length (20 1/2 inches).

A few hours later we were moved to our room, where we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of snuggling, nursing, and soaking in all the new Cora love we could.

In the afternoon, JoJo brought Claire to meet her sister — a moment I’d anticipated since we saw the positive pregnancy test. In true 3-year-old fashion, Claire wanted to wear her “Cinderella” dress for the occasion, and arrived with a heart-shaped pink balloon for her little sister. Claire was instantly smitten, and warmed all our hearts with her gentle inspection of Cora. Claire counted Cora’s tiny fingers…”10!” and then she counted Cora’s tiny toes…”11!” Mommy and Daddy laughed — and double-checked to confirm it was just a miscount.

The next two days passed in a blur of happy baby bliss. Cora cluster-fed both nights in the hospital, but I was more than happy to oblige. More than happy to finally meet this twisty, turning girl. More than happy to be holding another miracle. Happy. So very, very happy.