A Birth Story

Once upon a time, there was a mom of four beautiful children, who decided that her family just didn't quite feel complete. Bible verses about large families kept appearing in her daily devotionals (yes, larger than her own). She had dreams of nursing another infant; of little arms tucked tightly around her neck as she carried a sleeping child through a darkened house. Her children were getting older and she missed those days where they still depended on her for everything.

She discussed this longing with her husband. It wasn't difficult to bring him on board--he always loved the baby stage. And besides, they made really adorable children--it would be a shame to deprive the world of such magnificence. His only concern was her health. With her previous pregnancies, the mom had suffered from high blood pressure and there was a real concern for a stroke. The husband and wife decided to pray and allow God to determine if another child was in their future or not.

They waited.

A year went by and the mother found herself pregnant. Her husband was overjoyed and couldn't wait to tell everyone, including their four children--who DID tell everyone. But that baby wouldn't be held in her arms. Nine weeks into the pregnancy, the baby was taken to Heaven via a miscarriage.

The mom was more devastated than she thought she would be; after all, she already had four blessings to call her own. She felt greedy, which only added to the grief. Her children comforted her as they knew best: thanking God that they had a little brother or sister in Heaven waiting for them. And she was comforted.

Three months later, her sister-in-law called with some wonderful news: she was pregnant. What a blessing! They had been trying for another little one for three years and God had responded in the affirmative. Prayers for safety for that little one immediately began. 

A week later, the mother of four found out she too was pregnant.  Her due date was only two days after that of her sister-in-law.  They would get to share this joyous experience together. What a blessing!

Nine months went by in the slow blur that only an expectant mother would understand. It seemed like the end would never come, and yet it came all too soon.  Two weeks before their due date, the sister-in-law gave birth to a handsome, healthy baby boy.

And the waiting game began.

The mom of four could not make a phone call without the responder asking "is it time?" Thankfully her health was much improved for this pregnancy and aside from the normal swelling and aches, she was fairly comfortable. Which worked out in her favor as the baby was late.

Five days late, to be exact.

After repeated visits to the OB, it was determined that it would be in both of their best interests to be induced. The mom's blood pressure was finally increasing and they did not want to risk it getting any higher. The mom was scared of an induction. She had been induced with her first child and remembered how painful the contractions were--how she couldn't breathe until they placed in an epidural that she hadn't originally wanted. She worried about how the strong contractions would affect her baby that she had grown to love already within her womb. She prayed that God would make it go as smoothly as possible.

One of her concerns was the epidural itself. The mom had resigned herself to needing it if she was going to be induced, but she didn't want to have to hold still while she was in pain. She wanted it ready to go beforehand and prayed for that.  The nurse said that was not typical procedure, but the anesthesiologist said it wouldn't be a problem to put the port in prior to the induction and wait to put in the medicine until she needed it. They also wouldn't put in much--only what she needed. Another answered prayer.

The anesthesiologist said the reason they typically waited until later was because most moms complained that the epidural hurt a lot. They reasoned that they wouldn't think it hurt as much when they were in the throws of contractions. The mom barely flinched when she put the port in. At one point the mom was asked if it hurt. She truthfully responded that she felt it, but that it didn't hurt.  Should it?  The anesthesiologist commented that she was probably tougher than the average bear. The mom felt proud.

They began the induction at a level of 2. The contractions started. She was informed that they would be increasing it by 2 every 30 minutes until the contractions began opening the cervix. By the time they got to 6, the mom was calling for an epidural. It took the anesthesiologist 10 minutes to get there, during which the mom was in a lot of pain. Her husband gently held her hand and stroked her hair, trying his best to take away what little pain he could--wishing there was more that he could do. Finally the epidural began working.  The nurse told them that they reduced the levels back down to 2 since at a 6 the contractions were coming right on top of each other.  Another answer to prayer.

The mom's blood pressure had begun to rise significantly at this point. She was forced to lie on her side. But as her blood pressure rose, her heart rate decreased.  It was puzzling to the nurse on duty to see a heart rate of only 50 bpm.  At one point, the anesthesiologist returned to the room and asked the mom if she was a runner. She tried not to laugh too hard as she responded no.  She was told not to worry about her low heart rate--she was fairly active and some people just have low heart rates.

Less than 30 minutes later, the mom was telling the nurses that she thought it was time.  She was right.  The doctor was called in and they prepped for the pushing. The nurse asked the mom if she would like to practice pushing before the doctor arrived since sometimes it is difficult to push while being numbed by the epidural. The mom declined, worried that she would push the baby out immediately before the doctor arrived. The nurse didn't think she would, but didn't argue.

When the doctor arrived, she asked the mom if she would like to practice pushing. The mom repeated that she didn't think that was a good idea, but went ahead and pushed.  Much to the doctor's surprise, the baby's head crowned. The doctor quickly dressed in preparation, and the pushing commenced.  Two contractions later, the baby was born. The husband cut the cord and the baby was handed to his mother--who was terrified by his appearance. He hadn't cried yet and he was bruised from head to toe by his quick delivery. The mom almost started crying, scared that he was still born.  But seconds later, her newest son let forth a battle cry. Color returned to his limbs immediately and the nurses took him to clean him up. 

The baby boy surprised everyone by being almost 2 pounds larger than the ultrasounds had predicted. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 6 oz and was 21 1/2 inches long. He was immediately pronounced healthy and returned to his mother's waiting arms.

The newly official mom of five clung to her baby that she had waited to meet for nine long months and as she nursed her little child, the mom felt like her family was complete.


...for now.

Waiting...

I should be going in to the hospital any time now to be induced to give birth to my little Conan.  I'm not a huge fan of induction, but my blood pressure is starting to go up and my feet are swollen 90% of the time making it at times painful to just sit. Not to mention the carpel tunnel that has been there for a few months that I am ready to be rid of...

Anyway...

The hospital has been busy today so the induction has been pushed back, which is an answer to prayer as I asked God to push it back if my body wasn't ready.  We'll see what happens.

In the meantime, this song has been running through my head:





This verse in particular has special meaning for me today:

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.