Birth of my second son in Okinawa, Japan

Because I knew what to expect to some extent, the second pregnancy and labor went so much quicker than the first! The first labor experience at the clinic out in town was amazing, so we decided to have the second baby there as well. (And since we’re no longer stationed in Okinawa, we joke that we can’t have any more children unless we fly back to be at the same clinic.)

We hired a doula again for this birth, but we decided to try placenta encapsulation and to focus on the postpartum experience. My first baby was a perfect labor and delivery, but an extremely difficult infancy wrought with colic, acid reflux, and postpartum depression. I wanted to mitigate the difficulties so we hired Laura, who specializes in postpartum health.

My mother-in-law had retired just a few months before this baby’s EDD, so she was able to fly out to be with us for the birth. Her role was to stay with our 2-year-old, whom I worried about an awful lot. My little boy was such a mama’s boy, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to “give him up” as an only child. Once my mother-in-law arrived, my worries subsided and I knew my oldest boy would be in good hands…