So, I'm a little late in posting a blog, but today is the first chance I have had to get to it. As many of you know already, Emmaline Grace Charlotta Farina was born Wednesday, November 7, 2007, around 9:43, give or take a minute. She weighed 6 pounds 13 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Labor lasted 42 hours, and by the end I was absolutely exhausted. David had been fighting off a gum infection around one of his wisdom teeth the weekend before. Unfortunately, he was not very good about trying not to wake me when he got up at night. Therefore, neither one of us got much sleep all weekend long.

Monday afternoon, right when the closing of our house was scheduled, I went into labor. However, I didn't realize it. I just thought I was having really bad gas pains. When I noticed that there was a pattern to when the pain came and went, it occurred to me that I might possibly be in labor. After the closing was done, around 5 o'clock, we drove to the house intending to clean it some. I never got to cleaning, though, since I was feelig a bit miserable and tired; David never got to cleaning, either, as he had struck up a conversation with one of our new neighbors.

I called Erin since my contractions were pretty regular and told her what was going on. She decided to go ahead and come over, not wanting to risk missing my delivery. It was really encouraging and reassuring to have her there. As much as I needed the strength and presence of David, it was just as important to have another woman with me, especially one who is my sister and has already gone through this. Anyhow, my contractions became stronger and closer together, and they kept me up all night. I spoke with my midwife and she encouraged me to get some sleep. Since my contractions were only in the lower part of my uterus, she wanted me to wait and see if this was truly the real thing. After going for a long walk around 3 o'clock in the morning, I was able to go to sleep; I didn't have anymore contractions after that.

I got up Tuesday morning and took a shower. After that my contractions came very randomly, so I just ignored them. Erin helped us move some things over to the house, we treated her to luch, then Erin headed home. Around 10:30 that night, I woke up having strong contractions. They started off about half an hour apart, but by 3 o'clock the following morning they were a minute or less apart and very painful. Amy my midwife told me to go ahead and come into the birthing center. I called Erin and told her what was going on, and she headed out the door for the second day in a row. David and I arrived at the birthing center around 4 o'clock that morning, and Erin made it there by 5:30 or 6.

Erin helped me walk around and deal with the contractions while David got some rest. Then David joined the party again in time for Emmaline to break my water around 8:45 or 9. After some really hard pushing, Emmaline joined the party around 9:43. Yay! It's over!

I gave birth to Emmaline in a birthing center called Blessed Births. It was a wonderful experience, and I could not have done it without the help of Amy. She was such an encouragement and help to me, especially in the hardest moments of my labor. David and I greatly enjoyed the atmosphere of the birthing center, as it was very calm, peaceful, and felt just like we were in our own home. We and our wonderful new daughter were left to rest and relax and just enjoy some time as a new family. We loved it, and I cannot imagine giving birth anywhere else now.

I will be 39 weeks pregnant this coming Sunday!! I weigh 144.5 pounds and my waist measures 40 inches around. How encouraging to think I started at 110 pounds with a 26 inch waist. The glories of pregnancy!!

I went for a follow up appointment this past Wednesday to get the results of the lab work they did at my last appointment. I have tested positive for Beta Strep, also known as Group B Strep (GBS). The doctor at my birthing center gave me some of the statistics regarding this bacteria, which made it seem to me that it really wasn't a huge deal. However, I have spent some time this morning looking up some information about the bacteria, and I have to admit that I am frightened by the things I have found. The doctor just kind of breezed over the consequences of a baby getting this bacteria; all she said was pretty much, "Well, the baby could get sick and may need hospitalization." That's it! She also said there is no threat to me as a carrier.

On the websites I have read Group B Strep can cause serious infection in those who carry the bacteria, who are also said to be "colonized", although this happens rarely. If a baby gets Group B Strep disease, it can cause meningitis, sepsis, and pneumonia, and, if the baby survives, he may have permanent mental and/or physical damage caused by the just listed problems. Slightly scary!!! Although the chances of Emmaline getting a GBS infection during delivery are small, the consequences can be HUGE! The CDC recommends but then doesn't recommend using antibiotics during labor. The thing is that so many bacteria are becoming antibiotic-resistant, and introducing antibiotics to a baby so early can create problems down the road. However, giving a laboring woman antibiotics can prevent most infections of babies, but not all. Also, the chances of the baby dying from an infection are not lessened by having been given antibiotics.

My midwife has me working on something right now that will hopefully eradicate the bacteria. I have managed to find online some suggestions for herbal remgimines that can be followed up until labor, and they supposedly also help get rid of the bacteria. The good thing about the herbal regimines, though, is that they prevent the bacteria from coming back until after the baby is born since you stay on them all the way up to going into labor. I plan on asking my midwife about those. The tricky thing about GBS is that it comes and goes. Some women can test positive for it and a day later, without having done anything to get rid of it, have a negative test result. That's why some women test negative for GBS. They still have it, they just don't know it.

David and I will be praying, and we ask anybody reading this to say a prayer for our little Emmaline; that God would protect her from this infection.