A Normal Birth

It seems hardly just to say “normal” because everything turned out so perfectly, but normal is exactly what we were praying for…

Joshua had to return to school on the 10th of August and I stayed here with Rosalind. Within 24 hours I realized that I would make an awful military wife. Grouchiness was always lurking around the corner and it was a constant struggle to enjoy the precious days with family rather than pine to be with Joshua.

At my check up the morning after he left, William, who had been head down for months, was completely transverse. I hadn’t felt him move, so it came as quite a surprise. But that night, I watched as he moved into the breech position. My next appointment was the following Monday and in the mean time I made the mistake of looking online for ideas to flip a breech baby and came across enough horror stories to make me even more emotional. But God answered prayers and on Monday the doctor pronounced him head down again.

The plan was for Joshua to make the ten hour drive back to Missouri as soon as I went into labor and hope that he made it. But by the 27th we were both missing each other so much that he decided to come see us and just hope that William would come while he was here. One of my dearest friends was getting married on Friday, and that way he would make it to the wedding too.

He left Thursday as soon as class was over and pulled up at my family’s house the next morning at five. After catching a few hours of sleep, we spent a very happy day together talking, going on a long walk and taking Rosalind down to the creek to feed the fish.

The wedding was absolutely gorgeous. Aneysa looked like an angelic Southern belle and the reception, which was held on her parents’ lawn, was a picture perfect Southern country wedding.

I had been dosing up on red raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil and numerous other things that I’d heard might bring on labor. But even the rather strong Braxton hicks that I’d been having all week had pretty much died down. I was beginning to loose any hope that labor would begin while Joshua was there, but we decided to join in a few of the country dances and see if that might induce William to come. Still no contractions. We were both tired and headed to bed for a good night’s sleep…

After sleeping in Saturday morning, the contractions began. When we first learned that we couldn’t have him at the birthing clinic like we had hoped, my dear midwife Robyn offered to still come to the birth with us. We found a wonderful doctor who was very supportive of laboring naturally. He told us that we could do the early labor at home and come in when I hit transition. Especially since my labor was over thirty hours last time and I threw up repeatedly I didn’t think my low blood sugar would handle another long labor on nothing but a 4 ounce IV and ice chips.

my wonderful labor team :)

Robyn came around 11:00 that morning. I was dilated to a four and William was doing great. Labor progressed rather slowly for the next few hours, and I was so glad to be “home”. (Well, at my parent’s house, my dad had cleared the house of all the kiddos.)

By about 4:00 I was only at a six, but the contractions picked up in intensity. Robyn had been checking William’s heart rate all along, and he had been doing great, but then I tried to lay down. Through the next contraction his heart rate dropped precipitously. I started panicking, but Robyn told me to sit up and then he did great.

About twelve hours after labor began, I had dilated to an eight and we decided it was time to head to the hospital. After the initial bumpy dirt road, the car ride nearly put me to sleep.

We arrived at the hospital and the nicest nurse took charge. She was surprised when she realized that I was at an eight (even though I told her I’d been in labor all day) and quickly introduced us to the doctor on call—who we also really liked. Normally they only let two people stay, but Joshua, Robyn and both moms got to be there (on the condition that they would clear out if there were serious complications again this time). What a blessing to get to have all of their support and love, and especially that Joshua got to be there!

The time passed slowly until it came time to push, and then the doctor almost didn’t have his gloves on in time to catch the baby. William arrived at 12: 36 with a gusty cry, but soon settled down into alert contentedness.

For the next twenty minutes, there was a silent tension in the room as the doctor quickly and carefully delivered the placenta: which was intact and came easily. What an answer to prayer! And what an amazing difference from last time! With Rosalind, the bad part was just beginning.

After venting his hearty disapprobation of hospital scales, William roomed in with us and was so sweet and calm… and I actually got to hold him! What a difference not hemorrhaging terribly makes.

From that point on laughed numerous times just comparing the two births. I felt the glee of a two year old when I laid down on the hospital bed and could actually reach over and push the button to raise it. That was such an accomplishment last time! Even hospital food tastes great when you’re not on a restricted diet.

My wonderful husband stayed with us ‘til Tuesday when we were released from the hospital and then headed back home…with us to follow him in a few days.

From beginning to end, we were so abundantly blessed by how perfectly God worked out each detail. Truly He “welcomed William with the blessings of goodness.” Psalm 21:3