I was beginning to think my due date would never arrive. It was the middle of May as I stared at my calendar, thinking about all the things the Lord had brought me through over the past 9 months.
Early contractions, shingles(that left me with a nice scar on my forehead), 9 months of nausea... I just didn't know pregnancy could be like this. But here I was, finally due...
...and thinking of any and every way I could help jump start this thing! Let's do this! So I tried Zumba! (Had to have been hilarious to watch this big belly shake her thang;) Annnd...nothing. Spicy food, eggplant parm, daily walks, "running" stairs... I watched the days tick by. After two weeks of this, the doctor said those beautiful words, "No matter what, you're having a baby tomorrow!" Thank goodness. It was Thursday morning, May 30. I went back to work after the doctor because, well, why not. Our bags were packed. We were as ready as we'd ever be. Finished out the work day, went home, turned on Parks and Recreation(love that show!), and waited. Finally 8pm and time to check into the hospital. They monitored me overnight to see if I'd start labor on my own. Silly doctors, of course not. Between me and Hank, our baby is waaay to chill to come on her own;) 7am Friday morning May 31, a seriously angelic nurse comes in and starts me on pitocin. And labor starts.
I now have to give a shout out to my most amazing coach ever, Hank. Walking with me, rubbing my back, best foot massages of all time!, breathing with me, running and getting me water, ice chips, yoga ball(which I stayed on until...), epidural. Now y'all, seriously, I believe epidurals are the Lord's greatest gift to modern woman! Holy night! If you haven't been through this, imagine the most intense pain coming in and out every minute, and then all of a sudden it starts coming in less and less. My eyes opened, cold washcloth on the face, Hank brushed my hair(I guess I'd been grabbing at it, and it looked like a bird's nest. Literally.), laughter coming from me, and then the most peaceful sleep. Doctor comes in, I'm almost there. Baby's heart rate starts to drop a little, nurses turn me on my side, heart rate comes back up and is just fine. Hank holds my hand and reads me scripture. Sleep. Doctor comes in, time to push. Say what?? Hank's eyes get huge and a smile creeps on his face. I tell him, "It's time for the "Push It" mix!" I think he's a little embarrassed, but I made this CD myself just for this moment.(Thank you to everyone who suggested songs on Facebook:) First song, Push It by Salt 'n Pepa. My doctor and the nurses start laughing and continue to laugh at my extremely diverse choice of songs. But it was doing its job, keeping me awake and as energized as possible. After 12 hours of labor, with one hour of pushing, it was time to meet our baby girl. This is where I take a more serious note. Baby girl came into this world perfectly, with 10 fingers and 10 toes and a head full of beautiful dark hair. They laid her on my stomach to let Hank cut the umbilical cord. Silence. Our wonderful doctor quickly cuts the umbilical cord and rushes her to the side table. What? I look at Hank and look over at the table. I can't see past the nurses surrounding her. I hear one nurse start counting the minutes while another starts giving oxygen. I can't tell what's happening. "Why isn't she crying?" No answer. My heart stops. "Is she okay?" Still no answer. Hank tells me it's okay, but his eyes are questioning right along with me. 2 minutes. I grab Hank's hand and start praying, "Lord, help our baby girl cry. Give me a scream. Anything." 3 minutes, and I reached a point I thought I'd never reach. Praying, trembling, I remember saying, "Lord, she's Yours and not ours. You gave her to us. You give and You take away, may Your name be praised." I cry just thinking about that moment. 4 minutes. . . A little whimper. The tiniest most beautiful sound I've ever heard in my life. Then another and another. Still so quiet and so incredibly beautiful. Praise Jesus, maker of all things. I used to ask people what was one thing they wish they'd known before they got pregnant. Well, this is mine. Sometimes it takes some babies a little longer to take that first breath. Even 4 minutes longer. As long as they're moving, their PH levels are good, the oxygen in their blood never drops... they are just fine. Yes it's scary and the medical staff won't talk to you because they're focused on getting the baby breathing, but the baby is just fine. I had gotten to the point of thinking she'd be brain dead when there was absolutely nothing wrong. Sooo, yeah. I wish I'd known that. So our cute little thing quickly got pink and started singing a beautiful cry, and then I finally got to hold her. Talk about surreal and singing endless praises to the Lord in my head.
God is good. All the time. Even when things seem darkest, He's in control. And now we have the most healthy, smiley, bright eyed baby girl. We named her Sadie Ann after her great great grandmother. She is 7 weeks old and growing up so quickly. She brings unspeakable joy to our hearts on a daily basis. The Lord brought me through a hell of a pregnancy and gave me the most healthy and beautiful baby girl, and I will forever be grateful.
Here are some more pictures:)
See how Sadie has grown. From the size of a lentil...
to this beautiful baby girl.
"Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God." Job 37:14
