It was a bit difficult for me to write this particular birth story. It was a time of great joy while being a bit traumatic. Usually natural/no-medication birth, although being hard, is a fairly simple experience for mama. The pain increases as time goes on and then it is time for you to push your beautiful baby out. This time it wasn't as simple.

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I began labor a few days before I had him. When I began to actually have labor pains, my mom and sister were with me. We got some tacos and I wanted to head to Ulta to get some lipstick (to be cute after I had my baby of course). The pains kept coming so hard and fast that I decided I had to concede and go home. I was in constant communication with my midwife and she told me she was on her way because based on how my labor went with my now one year old, this one was most likely coming fast and NOW.

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"Things were smooth until my water broke.''

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Her student midwife Kim arrived first, checking my vitals and the baby, everything was great! Bethany, my midwife, arrived and checked on everything as well. Things were smooth until my water broke. I have noticed that when my water breaks, nurses and midwives tend to check to make sure the baby is fine and now I have a better understanding of why this is the case.

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Water breaking shifts things in the uterus which might cause an undesirable position for the baby. This is normally not the case, but in my situation it was. The umbilical cord came down first in the birth canal then the baby came down head first on top of the cord. This created an emergency situation for him because he lost his source of oxygen.

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My midwife checked to see if his heart rate would return to normal but his heart rate was too slow, meaning he was not getting enough air. I was in my tub sitting upright, moved to the birthing tub, laid back and got on my knees and there was no change in his heart rate. Bethany asked me to move to the bed and it wasn't until I laid on my back on my bed that there it was; a healthy, strong heartbeat.

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After moving on my knees, I was having a contraction and I felt the need to push. I did. The umbilical cord came out first creating a prolapsed cord situation. Nothing should come out before the baby... At that moment, she told me that I had to push him out immediately and told my husband to call 911 emergency.

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"The midwives began doing chest compression and rescue breaths on my baby''

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I was only around 7 cm dilated but I was able to push out the baby in one contraction with Bethany's help. I was relieved, but my relief was short-lived because my baby was white and floppy. He wasn't breathing at all on his own.

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The midwives began doing chest compression and rescue breaths on my baby. But it seemed to take forever! I mean forever! While he laid there and I watched them work on him attempting to save my baby's life there were so many things that went through my head."Is this real?""Oh no he'll be fine...he'll breathe any moment now.""Wait why is this taking so long?!""Jesus is my baby gonna die?""No he will be fine. Just talk to him. He's still there."So I began to talk to him. "Mickey come on baby. Wake up. You can do this."

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By the time the emergency team came in, one angelic one began listening for his heartbeat and he was so amazed and excited to hear it! "He has a strong heartbeat! It's 150 something per minute!'' (Y'all I love him and I will forever!)

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We were then taken in the ambulance and all I could do was cry. Tears of joy and tears of "I can't believe this just happened!". In the hospital we both looked great although Mickey's body was trying to recover too quickly. They decided to keep him for a bit longer in the infant intensive care unit. The time that he was in the hospital he did nothing but flourish.

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Although it was an emotional birth, it was my most freeing birth. I was able to have my baby at my home, surrounded by my family, with the help of my midwives even though everything did not go as it normally does.

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If I was an advocate for natural birth at your home before, now is no comparison to then. I am an advocate even when complications arise. My story shows just how professional and trained midwives are to deal with issues that could potentially come up. My midwife acted quickly and knew exactly what to do in this situation. She saved my baby's life with CPR and helped him breathe. I have given birth at the hospital before and I believe nothing more would have happened at the hospital. A midwife only has you as her focus, whereas the nurse and OB have multiple patients to attend to. A few minutes delay would have meant brain damage to my baby but he has no damage and is perfectly healthy.

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I am an advocate because it is your choice. It is your choice to create a child and it your choice to give birth to them however it is that you desire. Because you are woman and the world should hear you roar.