Ottawa ? Cristyn Dieckmann wanted a natural birth.

She got what she wanted and even more: a 21-minute labor and delivery on her bathroom floor.

“It was an amazing experience,” her husband, Therron Dieckmann, who helped deliver his daughter, said.

Clara Faye Dieckmann was born Nov. 9 at 10:21 p.m. She weighed 8 pounds and was 20 inches long.

Cristyn Dieckmann said she had been having contractions that afternoon, but they weren’t close enough together or lasting long enough to warrant a trip just yet to the Birth & Women’s Center in Topeka, where she planned to have the baby.

At 10 p.m., her water broke.

The family swung into action. Therron Dieckmann packed their bags and backed the car out of the garage. He said he called their midwife and arranged for friends to baby-sit their 2-year-old daughter, Audrey. But at 10:17 p.m., he said, his wife told him to call 911.

The Dieckmanns received instructions from 911 dispatcher Emily Wood, who talked them through the birth via speakerphone.

Wood said she began as a dispatcher in February. “That was my first delivery,” she said.

Wood said Therron Dieckmann remained calm and under control while assisting. Dieckmann said it was “divine intervention and two calm women” who helped him get through the birth.

After a few contractions, Clara was born on a pillow on the bathroom floor. EMTs arrived four minutes later.

Clara and her mother were taken to Ransom Memorial Hospital, where they stayed for about a day. Neither developed complications.

Now at home, the family is settling into their routine. Despite her rush to join the world, Clara is a pretty laid-back baby, her father said. And Audrey, who slept through the entire birth, loves her new baby sister, he said.

Therron Dieckmann said he’s never been so scared in his life, but at the same time, it was the best experience he’s ever had.