Returning home from an exhausting trip into town, I'm struck by a bout of painful contractions the moment I step through my front door. Thankfully I'm with my friend, who quickly sits me down and begins trying to calm me. She has me practice the breathing techniques I've learned and coaches me as she comfortingly rubs my back. "I think you better take off your jacket," she says, having gone through her own pregnancy and knowing how constricted these excruciating contractions can make you feel. I do as instructed, unzipping my jacket and groaning in agony as I rub my bare belly. "Breath, bre... Show more