i had more support than i could've imagined during the labor and birth of arrow...

- zachary was undoubtedly my #1.

- our doula, lisa, was invaluable. she gave me so much confidence and strength during those 4 days. without her, i probably would've freaked out from the start. but instead, i kept it together. lisa was by our sides the entire time, and we couldn't have done this without her.

- the staff at mediflower was AMAZING! we had a doctor, a midwife, nurses, and a doula-in-training who took such good care of us. they allowed the birthing process to take its natural course. 4 days was a long time. but the fact that we were allowed those days to have the birthing experience we had worked for was incredible.

- 2 more doulas helped out in the final stretch of the labor and birth....karen and annette. i wasn't their client. but they became a part of the team because they saw that i needed the support. i thank them immensely for their help (and all the photos)!

so much happened within those days. but highlights include: taking walks around the neighborhood, slow-dancing with lisa on the streets of seoul, having zachary and lisa pull on a scarf with a rock knotted into it to get rid of a nerve-pain in my back, and eventually dancing this baby out. the music was so hot even dr. chung was booty dancing!

we tried to have a relaxing birth, but arrow clearly wanted a dance party with a crew of people present. and that's what he got. 8 people in the room, as i was pushing out the baby & dancing like a fool in front of all of them. i would say it was quite the party.

everyone that was a part of this process amazed me. we were surrounded by the most patient, supportive professionals who made sure arrow and i were always ok. it's refreshing to be amongst so many people that, not only are good at what they do, but also whole-heartedly love what they do. as cheesy as it sounds, we felt that love every step of the way.