Our Natural Childbirth

it's time to close this fund - Paloma is here and she's amazing! as you may have heard, we wound up in the hospital anyway, but we still gave it a shot at home first - thank goddess for backup plans, and thank YOU for helping us out. I may not be a homebirthing champ, but I've got a beautiful, healthy baby girl to show for the intense experience of her birth, and that's what counts. Thank you!

thanks to everyone who has contributed prayers or donations to our birth - Paloma's official due date was yesterday, but she'll arrive when she feels like it (though quite honestly, I hope it's soon - I can't wait to meet her, and I'm looking forward to wearing my favorite lace-up boots again - without having to have someone else put them on me!). Thanks to you we've been able to prepare ourselves as best we can for her arrival - and she's going to be one of the best-dressed babies around. like her mom, it appears she really, really enjoys clothes - and not just new ones! We've loved all your hand-me-downs, too, and what doesn't work out we'll be taking to the clinic to donate to other new mamas - there are a lot where I go who aren't as fortunate as I am. They don't have the kind of amazing support that I have. I'm sure she knows I'm talking about her as I write this, as a foot has just lodged itself under the right side of my rib cage. I'd call it an unpleasant sensation since it kind of hurts, but knowing she's happy, healthy and alive in there makes up for any of that. Thank you again! Attached is a picture of her face in-utero. As you can see, she's got mama's big kissers.

on our way! we've had some major changes of plans but we're on our way - we met with yet another midwife today, and this one we're sticking with. Paloma will still be born at home, right here on my family's property in Greensboro, NC where i've been living since September - not my ideal situation, but whatever... so it goes. it's what we can afford and what makes sense. We'll figure out our next steps later, but for now, doing it this way gives us a bit more financial security and stability.

Our new midwife's costs are offset, partially, by NC Medicaid! This is wonderful, but we've still got quite a sum of money to come up with. Staying put here in Greensboro, on our family property, will help us offset some of our living expenses so we can dedicate more of what we have to paying this amazing woman, but if know anyone who'd like to help, well, we could still use it.

Paloma's definitely getting ready to make her way - she's moving pretty constantly at this point, and some of her kicks are taking my breath away! I'm so excited to get to meet her soon, face to face.

Love,
Dori