Our birth story

After long months of anticipation, the day finally arrived - Kaiya decided it was time to make her grand entrance on November 29!

Her vitals
Kaiya Noel Knodel
Born November 29, 2006
8:10 a.m.
7 lbs., 4 oz.
19.5 inches
Cute as can be

Our very own A Baby Story
11/28/06: Kaiya's due date
9 a.m. I talk with my doula, Amy, about my progress, which appears to be close to nothing. She is surprised I am on my way into work. "I keep making jokes that my water is going to break at the office. Maybe I just need to go into the office to get labor going."

5:30 p.m. I get home from work and my contractions are still very irregular. Chris leaves for a finance committee meeting at church.

11:30 p.m. Chris and I go to bed. Still no regular contractions.

11/29/06: Kaiya's big day
1:30 a.m. I wake up needing to go to the bathroom (for a change). I notice some contractions and try not to get my hopes up. With early labor expected to last for hours and hours, I follow the books' advice to try to rest as much as possible.

3:30 a.m. After waking up about every half hour, I finally get Chris up: "Hey, honey, I don't think you will be going into the office today. I think we need to start timing my contractions."
My midwife said that once my contractions were consistently 3-5 minutes apart for an hour, I should give a call and get ready to head to the hospital.

4:30 a.m. After timing the contractions, which are all about 3 minutes apart and last about 1 minute, we call the after-hours number for my practice and are told to wait for a doctor's call.

5 a.m. No return call yet, and the contractions are getting stronger and longer. Chris calls the hospital to let them know I'm in labor and waiting for the doctor to call us back. They say they will page him again. We also let them know that I am delivering at the birthing center, not the regular maternity ward, so they can make sure a nurse is available.

5:20 a.m. Still no call, and my contractions are coming very quickly. Chris calls the hospital: "We still haven't heard back from the doctor. I am bringing my wife to the hospital now."

5:40 a.m. We get to the hospital, and they try to take me to labor and delivery. We tell them I'm there for the birthing center (which is part of the maternity ward). Guess what... they never let a Family Beginnings nurse know we are coming. Thankfully, there is a nurse on duty, someone delivered a baby the day before.
Realizing I'm fighting the urge to push, the nurses begin to franticly page the doctor.

6:10 a.m. The doctor finally shows up to check me and confirm what we already know - I am completely dilated and can begin pushing. He will let my midwife know to come to the hospital.
My doula and her apprentice arrive and get right to work helping me work through the contractions and my horrible back labor.

6:30 a.m. We move me to the tub. Chris joins me to help support me for pushing and to give counter pressure to my back.

8:10 a.m. Kaiya emerges into the world, and Chris cuts the umbilical cord. She's absolutely beautiful, and I cry like a baby. God has given us such an unbelievable, undeserved gift. (And, yes, Chris cries, too!)

The Finale
Believe it or not, this is the abbreviated version of our story. There are lots of fun little details to share, but I'm sure not everyone wants to hear that. If you do, please just ask. We hope you all enjoy reading this post and admiring our daughter - we just love gazing at her all day long!

View pictures of our first day here.