We left the birth center at around 10:30 this morning, so about 8 hours after Josiah was born. They did a wonderful job preparing us to take care of him and getting us started with breast feeding, so it wasn’t quite as scary to take him home as we thought it might feel.
Mom and baby are both healthy, though obviously we’re all worn out from last night.
As much as you know that it will be crazy to go from having a pregnant belly to holding an infant human being in your arms… well, honestly I can’t express what it feels like. It is entirely incomprehensible. I continue to look at Caryn and think, how did he come out of you? I saw the process from start to finish, and yet it is a mystery.
And the greatest mystery of all to me is that this is no mere animal infant, but a living soul. That is an incomparable mystery.
Anyway, enough philosophizing. Here are some pics (don’t worry guys, nothing too scary).
Our midwife Robin places Josiah in mom's arms in the birth tub
Caryn did most of her early and active labor either in bed, sqatting on a birth ball, or stretching to help him turn around and get positioned correctly. Once transition kicked in (guys, that’s the most difficult part with the most intense and frequent contractions), she moved to a birthing tub filled half way with hot water. That relieved a lot of her back and leg pain as well as reduced the pressure as he moved down the birth canal.
The midwives let me catch him… once his head was clear, I reached down and helped pull him out, and lifted the squirmy messy baby out of the water. What a memory! Caryn did all the hard work, but I got to participate in some really neat ways.
This picture is immediately after I have cut the umbilical cord, and he’s been wrapped and given to Caryn. He was a deep purple color for a few minutes (that’s normal) then quickly turned a deep pink.
Around 5am, Scott & Josiah finally get a chance to rest. We were all exhausted!
And… this is when you totally fall in love with your baby, when they settle down and fall asleep on your chest. He has a lot of hair, mostly blonde. He’s surprisingly strong with big shoulders and firm kicks. He can even just about hold his neck up on his own and fights back if you try to move his head.
Mom and Josiah connect
If you’ve never visited a natural birthing center, it’s hard to describe. Best I can do is say it’s a cross between a doctor’s office and a nice bed & breakfast. Our room was cute, very comfortable and homey. We made a wreck of the room, but it looked great when we arrived! In the previous picture, Caryn is recovering with Josiah in our room at The Birth Place.
Josiah sleeping
That’s all for now. I’m sure Caryn will have a lot to say when she’s up for sitting at the computer 
[Announcement on BirthPlace website]
oh my, to the birthing center and back in 15 hours? craziness
LOL. Yeah, and it was actually only 12 hours from the time we got there to the time we left. Caryn felt very ready to go home about seven hours after the birth. Took an additional hour to finish up some paperwork and get in another feeding, then on home.
We were blessed with a great labor and wonderful midwives helping us through it. If we hadn’t taken the time to prepare well and then had them helping us, we definitely couldn’t have made it through with the same outcome. They have a lot of knowledge of how to help birthing take its natural course as quickly and (relatively) painless as possible.
Congratulations! At 9 pounds with strong shoulders and kicks, it seems like wolf-shield is a great middle name
I enjoyed the update! Praise the Lord for a healthy mom and baby and a short labor!
thanks for posting such great pictures, guys. congratulations to you! may God’s grace surround you in the coming days and months!
::: sniffle ::: That’s … ::: sniffle ::: That’s beautiful. Y’all are beautiful. ::: big grin :::
Praise God! I am so excited for your family!
The pics are beautiful. A mere glimpse of the joy you have experienced! He is so cute w/those cheeks! Reminds me of our boy (our biggest!) who was close to Josiah’s size. You’ll be surprised at how strong he is…babies birthed the old-fashioned way usually are! Love you both, or wait…all three! XOXO
We are so happy for you guys! A really big congratulations from the Sidell clan. We’re really excited for the entire Davis family and all the wonderful additions that have come along.
Love,
Bear & Audrey
He’s so precious! Congratulations!
Beautiful! So proud of you, Caryn!
We are so happy for you and what a fantastic and beautiful experience with which you were blessed! Cannot wait to meet our new cousin!!!
WOO HOO! I’m so excited for ya’ll. I can’t believe Josiah was so big! It sounds like the Birth Center is really wonderful – I’m glad the process was made as smooth as possible. Love you, tina
Congratulations on this beautiful boy! I’m surprised at how blond he is- even his eyebrows! Looking forward to holding him before he gets too heavy to pick up. LOL
Grandma loves this little cutie!
He’s just beautiful, you two. What a tremendous blessing from the Lord. Good work, Caryn!!
Congratulations Caryn and Scott! I am so impressed with you Caryn!! And we greatly look forward to meeting him and maybe holding him…but not right now – our whole family has a cold. bleh! Way too germy for a newborn!
BTW, Josiah was on our list of names too, but we had other family names first.
Hey you guys! Kim gave me this link – you all did an amazing job! If we had stayed in FL I was going to birth there. Glad you had a great experience.
We had a home birth with a great CNM at our house with the first – and I’m 26 wks with the second and planning on the same. I’m so glad your labor was relatively short!
Congrats to you both, what a healthy boy. I trust the nursing will go peacefully. If it starts to hurt too much, don’t hesitate to contact some one you trust or even look up La Leche contacts there. They helped me tremendously.
Best wishes for lots of rest. =-)
Thanks Beth! It’s wonderful to hear from you. Thanks for the encouragement and congratulations on your second!
Congratulations Team Davis! He is beautiful! What a wonderful blessing! Thank you for sharing with all of us!
Wow, what a beautiful little boy! Congrats to all three of you. Sounds like the natural birth was a positive experience for everyone–that is so fantastic.
What a gorgeous baby!
)
Welcome, Josiah!
Caryn and Scott, these are wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing you’re most precious moments with us. It’s great to hear what you’ve experienced and how felt during a special time in life. It’s amazing how every little detail of this day will be embedded into your memory for a lifetime. Welcome to the wonderful world of parenthood! He’s just beautiful.
Leya
He’s so cute. We can’t wait to meet him!
Hugs and kisses for you both, I’ll leave you two to be the huggers of beautiful Josiah. I know you are in total awe of the miracle of life!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful baby boy with us all. The pics are great. What a blessing the birthing centers are.
Can’t wait to get a glimpse of him sometime, maybe Chicago.
Congratulations to all three of you!! You guys are incredible. Caryn, sounds like you did an amazing job!! He’s adorable. Isn’t it just indiscribable the feeling of holding your little baby that was just a “bump” a few minutes ago and now he is a little living miracle right before your eyes……the most life changing event you will ever experience, huh? It will change you forever and ever. God bless and enjoy!! I can’t wait to see him and the glow on both of your faces….or is that “glassy-eyed exhaustion??” Ha!! That too!!!
Love you guys,
Denise
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