“Ooh … ouch.”
I bent over the kitchen counter and sucked in a deep breath as the pain coursed through my abdomen. The big moment had come marking the beginning of the first stage of labor.
My contractions were a steady thirty minutes apart. The time was 10:30 a.m. A cramping sensation in my lower abdomen joined the back pain that had pulsed since early morning. They were getting stronger, but not to the point that I needed my breathing exercises.
Preparations for the birth kept me busy all morning, following the instructions written out in January. Going through the motions, enforcing only positive thoughts, gave me a feeling of confidence and a sense of purpose.
Stacks of firewood filled a third of the cabin. I knew it was imperative to keep the stove fire going, and easy access to th
