It was the most magical day of my life. My mucus plug released around 8 A.M. as we headed out the door for our morning walk to the health-food store. Every morning of my pregnancy, I visualized that upcoming dawn when my newborn would be tucked in a sling instead of inside me.

My contractions were five minutes apart and extremely pleasurable. They reminded me of that "opening" feeling that accompanies an orgasm. I didn't sit down and focus until early evening, as my children prepared for bed. Once alone, feelings of sexual pleasure surrounded me and I felt the desire to create climaxes, with clitoral stimulation, to accompany the inner rhythmic orgasms produced by my baby's gentle touch.

All of a sudden I felt drawn to a hot bathtub. Just as I settled in, my organic grape juice by my side (truly the only necessary tool in the birthing process!), I experienced one intense expansion that basically let me know that I had moments - not minutes - to prepare. Where did I want to birth? Did I want my children awake? Was I really following through with this unassisted homebirth? After all, my first was a C-section, and my second was a homebirth resulting in bossy friends, hemorrhoids, lots of pain, and ripping to boot. Would the advice of Laura Shanley in her book, Unassisted Childbirth, work for me? Did I have the courage to cross the finish-line?

I stood up from the warm water and my water bag broke. As a homeschooling mother, I felt responsible to share this experience with my daughters. I grabbed them up and literally flew into the livingroom where I threw a plastic sheet on the carpet, got down on all fours, and felt the next push made by my descending child. My nine-year-old daughter, Sarah Lee, ran behind me as the next "in-house" push sent Matthew's head out into the world. Sarah Lee checked that the cord wasn't around his neck, so I could release him fully and confidently. She caught him while her toddler sister blared out, "Oh, yuck! Blood and poop! I'll get a rag to clean him up."

Moments later, we all hopped back in the tub and waited for the cutting of his umbilical cord. I simply snipped it with a pair of non-sterilized scissors, didn't clamp off the ends...I have yet to observe a cat or dog doing so.

Soon we got out of the tub and the girls sat in the rocker while I wrapped Matthew up for them to hold. As I was passing him over I felt a swoosh and reached down just in time to catch my placenta before it splattered all over the carpet.

After a while, he showed interest in nursing. When I went to the bathroom I was elated to learn I had not torn at all. There had been no pain throughout labor, during birth, or after. My dream had come true because I created its reality, thanks to the loving guidance of Unassisted Childbirth..

A few hours later, we all crawled into our family bed and slept peacefully until awakening for our usual morning walk to the health-food store, where Matthew was placed on the scales to register a beautifully compact 6 pounds, 9 ounces.

There were lots of rainbows that morning -- or were there? Maybe they resided in me, thus that was all I could see. It was the most magical day of my life.