The one we weren't sure if we were going to have. The one we never knew we always needed. Baby #3. This is Asher Augusts' birth story - his journey to the world.

Our girls both have their own unique birth story, especially Berkley {hers is quite comical involving denial, margaritas, broken toes & pads}. But with both Berkley and Sawyer, I didn't get to the hospital until I was 8 cm dilated. Because of that, the delivery was a little chaotic.

Things were different with Asher.

The girls were both a week or so early and I was past that point with Asher. I was anxious for his arrival, but also wanting him to stay in longer so I could enjoy our last moments as a family of 4.

Because he was our third and I went in so late with the first two, my doctor told me to head to the hospital as soon as the contractions started.

The day before his due date, February 3rd, contractions started...

They weren't super intense, but they weren't with Sawyer either.

[Quick back up to the girls' birth story....with Berkley, I was in complete denial that I was in labor. However, with Sawyer, I honestly thought I was only 4, maybe 5 cm, when I got to the hospital. Stubborn...I think stubborn is what I am :P]

We decided to just head to the hospital.

Because of rush hour traffic in Southern California and the hospital being 25 minutes away without traffic, we decided to head to the hospital. When we got there, my contractions still weren't super consistent and pretty far apart so we waited in the car.

It took awhile, but they got closer together, so we decided to head in.

This is when I found out the reason why I went in so late with our girls.

We went in, I got checked, and I was only 3 cm. The kept me for an hour to see if I progressed...nothing. They were very busy that night and wanted me out of there. So they had to send me home.

Defeat. Failure. Feelings that I let my kid down...I felt all the things. It was at this moment where I realized I subconsciously waited with the girls so I wouldn't have these feelings.

But it was all meant to happen this way...

I had an appointment with my OB the next morning (my due date, February 4th) and she checked me again. I was now at 4 cm. At that point, I didn't have any contractions. She could see the defeat in my face so she called over to labor and delivery to see if I could come in. They were still super busy, so they said to come back at 5 pm to be induced.

At this point, I was exhausted and still felt defeated. We went home and tried to relax. I cleaned the house {because duhhh :P}, took a shower, and spent time with my family. Looking back, I am so grateful for that day.

The time came to head to hospital...again

We went to the hospital , got checked in and into the room. They were very slow at this point and the nurse was extremely friendly. I got all hooked up and they started me on Pitocin. At this point, I don't know how far along I was. They didn't check me since I was already at 4 cm that morning and I wasn't having active contractions.

It was interesting for both my husband and myself to see everything happen in what felt like slow motion. We didn't get that with our girls.

The nurse stayed in our room the whole time. We told her the girls' birth story so she wanted to be there if things progressed quickly. She was hands down, the best nurse I've ever had. She was extremely friendly and personable.

The Pitocin kicked in quickly and I was at 6 cm. At this point, I hadn't had my epidural. The nurse kept offering and I kept saying I wasn't ready {I had to be stubborn about something with this birth :P}. But once I hit 6, she strongly suggested I don't wait any longer. And she was right.

I got the epidural and it was downhill from there.

Once I had the epidural, things happened fast. My water broke and I felt Asher whoosh down. He did not like losing his cushion and his heart rate dropped so the midwife and other nurses came in. Every single one of them was amazing.

Once his heart rate picked up, I was able to rest for a bit.

Then Asher said he was ready.

Because of how slow they were, the rest of the nurses came in to help make sure everything was all ready. My midwife was already sitting in position. It was very surreal for Ron and I to watch this all happen. It was time to start pushing.

3 rounds of pushing then Asher August was here, with a full head of hair.

The umbilical chord was shorter so they placed him on my stomach and I got to watch the most perfect moment. Ron stuck his hand out and Asher reached out and immediately grabbed his finger. It was magical.

The whole birth experience was perfect and exactly what was meant to be. I was meant to get sent home the night before when it was chaos in order to have the best nurse and midwife, and to truly enjoy the whole process.

As soon as Asher came out, we just knew. We knew that our family was complete.

And that is Ashers birth story. As always, thank you for being here.

with love, andi