Anyone who knows the least bit about me knows that I LOVE being pregnant. It is the most miraculous, life changing event to ever be a part of. There is no comparison in life to growing a tiny human for nine months and then experiencing the anticipation of the baby’s birth. I’m so blessed to have been able to carry two pregnancies full term (and beyond) resulting in two healthy, sweet baby girls.

Birth isn’t always beautiful and it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. Birth doesn’t always go as planned and sharing the details of a birth experience isn’t for everyone, but I’m so excited to share Samantha’s birth story! I didn’t dread giving birth with either of my pregnancies. The idea of not knowing when the baby would be born or how it would happen was thrilling for me. I prayed every day that my babies would be healthy of course, but also that they wouldn’t come too early and that birth would be spontaneous.

Before I share Samantha’s birth story, I need to show my gratitude to a few people. First and foremost to my husband, Joshua. Thank you for loving me so much and trusting in me and our birth plan. I never could have imagined how much I would need you in order to bring a baby into this world. Thank you for loving me enough to give me a child to carry in the first place and for being such an integral part of her birth. I had so many visions of how I wanted things to go and I’m so grateful to you for being such a rock when I needed you and for making all of the hard decisions when I couldn’t and didn’t want to. You’re an amazing partner day in and day out, but you stood by me in ways I never imagined during Samantha’s birth. I gained a new perspective on the strength you have and I love you even more because of it.

My sweet girl, Alicia. I can’t imagine not having you in my life. The absolute best part of my pregnancy was you. There’s not a person in this world including me, who was more happy to touch my belly for 9 months. In your short 2 years of life, you somehow were able to grasp the concept of a baby growing in my belly and not only understand the process, but fall in love with this baby without ever seeing her. Your blind faith, love, and devotion to your sister from day one of my pregnancy was awe inspiring. Thank you for hugging and kissing my belly every single day and not letting a single night go by without telling my belly goodnight. I hope the love you have for your sister continues to grow throughout your life and that you always have her as your best friend.

To my sisters, Erica and Jamie, thank you for being prepared for weeks on end and willing to hastily drive 2.5 hours in order to be at the hospital in time for Samantha’s birth. You happily dealt with my “This is only a test, I’M IN LABOR, are you ready?!” text messages. When the day finally came, you both communicated with me with no hesitation starting at 4:45am. I’m so blessed to have sisters I’m close enough with to call my best friends and to have you there to support me on one of the biggest, most intimate days of my life. You never fail me. Thank you for never leaving my side and being there for all of the big moments and not just the perfect and beautiful ones.

Mom, I love you so much. Thank you for coming to stay with me 4 weeks before Samantha was actually born and keeping me company when Samantha did not want to come early nor on time like everyone thought she would. I count my blessings every day that we get to spend so much time together. You never once complained when you thought we were done with my to do lists and then I would come down the stairs with a brand new list for the day. Your help around the house was much appreciated and provided me with some much needed rest in those final days of pregnancy. Above all, thank you for loving Alicia so much to give her your undivided attention while you’re here. The memories you two made together are irreplaceable and she’s so lucky to have you.

Jo, you’re an amazing mother-in-law. I’m eternally grateful to you for raising Josh to be the man he is today. I can’t imagine having a better husband for myself and father to my girls and Zane. I’m so lucky to be a part of your family and to have you and John so close by. Thank you for all of the days you spent at my house helping to get it ready for us to come home from Germany so that I wouldn’t have to deal with anything while pregnant. Thank you for helping me get the nursery together and for playing with Alicia on all the days when I had errands to run. Your love for Alicia is unmatched and she loves you so much.

Lastly, thank you to my Connected Birth team, Mandy and Lacy. Many people questioned why Josh and I attended a birth refresher course when we already had a child, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it was 100% worth it. While I already knew a lot about the process of giving birth, you both affirmed in me the confidence in my body to labor naturally and gave Josh and I the tools we needed for a successful birth. Lacy, my sweet friend, thank you so much for all of the additional support you gave me. You were such a knowledgeable cheerleader for me and I appreciate all of the love, time, and prayers you gave us. I’m forever grateful to you.

While giving birth is kind of a solo experience, it takes a birth team to make it happen. Being surrounded by those I love and trust most in life was important to me while in labor and giving birth. It was comforting to me to have my husband and sisters by my side the entire time as well as having my mom, Josh’s parents, and my nieces and nephews in the waiting room close by. I loved being surrounded by family and I’m so glad so many could be there to welcome Samantha into this world.

In order to get to Samantha's birth, we should probably take a quick journey though my pregnancy!