by: Laura Morganti 
 On November 27th, my due date, I was SO ready to have my baby, as are most women at the end of their pregnancy. I was very uncomfortable and it was getting difficult to take care of and be patient with my other three young children who are ages 5, 3 and 2.

    
    
   Also, I thought I was carrying a 10 pounder because my last baby was 9 lb, 10 oz. and each one had been bigger than the last! That morning I was happy to wake up with contractions that seemed stronger and more “real”, so I told my husband that oddly enough, it looked like baby might come on the due date. We did not know if we were having a boy or girl, as we had waited to find out with every pregnancy. We love surprises!
  I was discouraged when the contractions seemed to get less intense and were only coming about every 15 minutes. I already had an appointment scheduled that afternoon, so thankfully a friend came over to watch our girls and my husband drove me to my appointment. I was 4 cm dilated, but was told I should schedule an ultrasound and a non-stress test just in case I was still pregnant in a week. That was not what I wanted to hear, but what could I do? I told my husband we should go to the grocery store before heading home because our cupboards were quite bare. 
  Remember, this was the day before Thanksgiving, so this store was crowded to say the least. Much to my surprise, I started having contractions VERY close together while walking through the store, all while trying to breathe deeply and maintain a fake smile for the sake of the swarms of concerned looking people around me. By the time we were checking out in the grocery store, I was gripping onto the cart so tightly that my hands were turning white. Now THESE were real contractions. I whispered to my husband (get a mental picture of the grimace on my face) “I’m dying. We need to go NOW.” I called the birth center and God bless Maureen, she told me to come back and they would get me set up in a room. When we came back less than an hour after leaving my appointment, I was 6 cm dilated!
  Wow, talk about labor picking up speed quickly! Thankful that we hadn’t driven all the way home, I walked around and labored for about a half hour, then asked to get in the tub. About a half hour and 1 very, very, fast push later, our fourth mermaid, Anna Gabriella, was born in the water!



   
  She was caught by Allison, who had also caught my first and second girls! I was so happy and felt so blessed to have my fourth smooth water birth. I was surprised she was so “small” at 8 lbs 6 oz, but didn’t mind as I was able to push her out so easily. She was born at 5:38 pm, and we left to go home at 9:30 pm! I love the birth center’s 4 hour policy if mommy and baby are doing well, as I like to sleep in my own bed. 
  I just adore the WBWC and the people who work there, but I especially have a special bond with our CNM, Allison, who delivered three of my babies! I’m always sad after my 6 week appointment as I know I won’t be able to go back as often and will miss everyone. But, as Allison said after catching my fourth, “come back next time”. 🙂
Maybe we will be shocked and our fifth will be a boy!