My due date by my period was November 27, but by ovulation it was December 2. So I figured mid-December, since Noah was so late. Well, on November 27 I started having irregularly-spaced contractions that were actually a bit painful. I'd been having contractions for weeks but they were just Braxton-Hicks -- nothing that hurt. I had a midwife appointment that day and she measured me to be 1-2 centimeters. We joked about me not making it to next week's appointment. I had more contractions as the day went on and I told Doug I wanted to go out to eat one last time as a family of 3. We went to Home Depot and bought Doug a John Deere tractor and then went to Outback. I had contractions every 7 minutes or so during dinner and when we got home. I called my midwife to tell her to go to bed as early as possible. I also called my mother to tell her I might be in labor and to be ready for a call in the middle of the night.

We went to bed around 10pm and at about 3am I woke up with more contractions. I woke Doug up around 4 and I called my midwife and my mom at 5:30. I told my mom to head on over (she is 4 hours away) and told my midwife not to go to church (it was Sunday morning). I wasn't totally sure this was it as the contractions weren't all that long or painful, but they were pretty consistent. We got up and Doug started inflating the kiddie pool and I laid on the couch and relaxed through the contractions. At one point my back started to hurt and I got really scared. I did NOT want back labor like I had with Noah. So I got down on the floor and leaned back over the couch, arching my back and wiggling my hips. I felt the baby move in a funny way and my back stopped hurting. Noah woke up around 8:30. We told him it was time for the baby to be "all done Mama's belly". Around 9 Doug wanted me to call the midwife and tell her to come. Since my contractions still didn't hurt that bad I thought it would be a waste of time for her to come, but I submitted and called. She came over and checked me -- I was at 6 centimeters! Wow! My mom got there pretty soon after that and we spent the next couple hours talking. My sister-in-law, Laura, would not be able to come until 1pm, so it was just Doug, Mama, midwife, the Noah, and I. I kept waiting for my contractions to get really painful. Why weren't they hurting very much? I had to stop talking and relax with them, but it was nothing compared to my labor with Noah. I was laboring in the pool. Doug took Noah outside to play during this time since I didn't really need him to coach me.

Around 1 pm I was at 10 centimeters. I didn't feel like pushing at all but I was ready to have the baby out! I reached up and felt her head and I could also tug at the amniotic sac. That was pretty cool! My midwife asked if I could break my water myself, but it was too slippery and I couldn't get a hold of it to break it. So she did it for me. There was no meconium in the water, which was a relief. Noah was very interested in what was going on.

I started pushing but felt very weak and dizzy. My blood pressure is always low and was especially so during my labor, thus the weakness/lightheadedness. I wasn't able to push very effectively because of my dizziness. My arms and legs felt very tingly, and I felt very out of control. I kept looking at my hands expecting to see them shaking uncontrollably but they were still. And it was finally starting to REALLY hurt! I hate pushing! My midwife wanted to give me oxygen to help with my dizziness, but her assistant had gotten lost coming to the house and she had the oxygen tank. She finally got there around 1:15 pm and they put the mask on me. Ahhh! That helped so much! I was afraid that would upset Noah since I'm sure I looked very strange with the mask on, but he was fine. I asked how the baby was and my midwife used the Doppler to check the heartbeat. It was strong. I was able to push better with the oxygen mask on and Claire Elizabeth Schneider was born at 1:20 pm underwater. Noah was fine until the very end when everyone started shouting, "Push! Push! The baby's almost out!" That scared him and he started crying. But he was fine after a few minutes when he could see I was OK and "had a happy heart". Claire was very purple but started pinking up after we rubbed her. I could tell she was not as big as Noah had been (11 pounds). Doug was to announce the sex, and he said, "It's a boy, I think. Yes, it's a boy!" I reached down to her crotch to lift her out of the water more and said, "Wait a minute!" I didn't feel any little boy parts! The cord had been in the way and her genitals were swollen so I can see how he could make that mistake! It was a girl!

Claire nursed pretty soon after I got out of the water. It took the placenta a good 20 or 30 minutes to come out. I sustained a 1st degree tear. Doug put Noah down for his usual afternoon nap at 2pm while my midwife stitched me up in our bedroom and we weighed Claire. She was 9 lbs. 10 oz. -- less than Noah by a pound and a half! I was so glad that Noah was there for his sister's birth. The timing had been perfect. Praise God for another safe birth at home!