Hello RPW! I have been away for a whole week, but I have a good excuse! As some of you have heard, I gave birth to my son last Friday. What an unbelievable experience! He was 3 weeks early so I was very surprised when my water broke Wednesday night. My husband and I planned a home birth with midwives present so all we had to do was sit back and wait.

30 hours later, my son was born, 7 pounds 4 ounces, 19 3/4". My husband was a champion birthing coach. Unexpectedly, I had a postpartum hemorrhage and was transported to the hospital a half hour after giving birth. I was transported out of my home while my in-laws watched. I left my husband standing in the kitchen, holding our new son in a bath towel. I didn't realize at the time how serious my condition was, but all told, I lost almost 3 liters of blood (that's half of my total blood volume). Bleeding to death was a very real possibility.

I was out of it for about 12 hours, I had emergency surgery, and was transported to a better hospital. My husband scheduled our son's pediatric visit, managed to pack for an overnight stay for the three of us and made medical decisions for me while I was out of it.

2 years ago, let me tell you, the thought of all this resting on his shoulders would have made him and I very stressed out. RPW and practicing it's theories have transformed my husband and I. Of course, there was nothing for him to do but step up, and nothing for me to do but relinquish control, but I feel that the last few years of my RPW journey have prepared both of us for this emergency situation.

At any rate, we are all back home and doing fine, a baby is always a treasure to have in the home! I look forward to being a more active member again after my short hiatus. I have missed our community dearly.

~ Sadie