The birth of a Chilean Part 3

The birth of a Chilean Part 3
I started walking up the stairs and looked back at the familiar living areas downstairs. It would be 3 days before I came down those stairs again, but then everything would be different.
It was time for the serious labor music. Zuriel started playing the Cd's of Marshall McLean and Serene and Pearl. I took a very long shower and the contractions started coming every 4 minutes.
  Leon called the midwives and said, "We need you to come now".
 Near the end of my shower I prayed, "Oh Lord, please make this birth fearless and easy". I had prayed this prayer hundreds of times over the last months. The next three contractions were easier.
After I got out of the shower I didn't know what to do, but decided to get in bed. It felt so good and luxurious to lay in my cool white sheets completely tired and worn out.
  I had another easy contraction and realized that I had to choose whether I wanted to have this baby or rest. I knew that the delivery would be fearless, but I didn't think that God was going to let it be easy. It only took me a moment to decide.
 I prayed, "okay Lord, I'm ready, bring this baby forth".
I ended my prayer and got hit with my first transition contraction.
Everything was different now. Leon, Havilah and Zuriel didn't leave my side again. The tears rolled down my face in between contractions, washing it away forever and keeping my body and mind surrendered. I loved those tears.
 In between, I would tell my birth team the kinds of things to say to me and what I needed them to do. I clung to them, cried with them and pleaded with God.
 Zuriel reminded me, "keep thanking Him. Keep smiling". I did.
Havilah said, "low groans, Mama".
This was the first birth that I had ever had in which I did not really feel the urge to push. I just tried it and it felt better so I kept it up. I had about 13 contractions laying in bed alternating sides and then on my knees leaning on a stack of pillows. Then I thought I needed to feel solid ground beneath my feet. I sat on the edge of the bed with my girls leaning in on either side of me and Leon standing in front of me. I put my arms around his neck as the contractions would come.
All three were constantly speaking words of encouragement. Once in the middle of one, they fell silent and I cried out, "TALK TO ME!"
Every once in a while someone would go to the window to see if the midwives were there yet. The last time that Leon called them I noticed that he was having a hard time communicating because they don't speak any English and I think that he was nervous.
 I said, "la bebe es vengo mas rapido". I thought that it was very funny that I could formulate a Spanish sentence at a time like that. No one else seemed impressed. (Maybe it's because I didn't conjugate the verbs correctly).
Leon helped me to stand as my labor song got louder until I said, "baby's crowning".
Leon felt the baby's head and then got down on his knees and got soaked by the water breaking as he  caught her whole slippery body. I don't know how I became seated back on the edge of the bed but there I was and Leon was laying her all warm and clean and wet on my lap. We cried and cried, "thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus!!!"
When we could speak anything besides our praises to God, Leon finally told us, "We have a little girl!"



It was half an hour before the midwives arrived. I never asked why they were so late. I was glad about the way it worked out. Leon was amazing, I always knew that he would be.
If this was our last birth, it was definitely the 'grand finale'.