They say second babies often come early. However, that was not the case this time. More than anything, this birth was a mental journey. We were taught to have patience and trust in the Lord.

The morning our daughter was born started in the least dramatic way possible: with a prenatal massage appointment. But as I stood in the chiropractor’s office getting ready for my massage, I suddenly felt a trickle run down one leg… and then the other. I froze. Was that my water breaking? Within minutes I was texting my mom, fielding calls from my midwife, and trying to decide whether I should cancel the massage—or go ahead with it while possibly in labor. Spoiler: I got the

1. I ate raw oysters, fish, runny egg yolks, and drank wine 2. We chose a freestanding birth center instead of a hospital 3. I declined routine gestational diabetes & GBS testing 4. No routine labor interventions (no dilation checks, epidural, IV, etc.) 5. I gave birth in water 6. We delayed cord clamping and declined immediate newborn procedures 7. 30-day postpartum confinement 8. Prenatal, postpartum, and newborn chiropractic care 9. Co-sleeping and responsive rhythms 10. S