Worth the Wait

This is a terrible picture, but since it's as pregnant as I ever have or ever will be, I thought we'd better document. This is me on Thursday night - yes . . . Thursday! Just a warning - what follows is a birth story. Monday we went to the Dr. and after he checked me (dilated to a big fat nothing) I started contracting, about every 15 minutes strong enough to get my attention no matter how busy I was. This continued until Saturday night. Yep, 5 days of impatience.Saturday (my due date) night I started having them closer together, I got excited and told Tyler I was pretty sure we'd have a baby by morning.

Then they stopped. And a very disappointed and weary Mommy went to bed. I woke up at 3:00. They were stronger, but only every 10 minutes and I just knew that wasn't close enough to be 'real'. I took a shower and went back to bed, watching the clock until I got up at 6:00 and showered again. They were still 10 minutes apart until I got up, but once moving they kept getting closer together. At this point she was still really high - I figured we were probably entering the realm of delivery, but didn't want to cry wolf. We got the kids up, started getting them ready for church and Tyler made us breakfast. Half way through my smoothie I felt a lot of pressure. I told him we should probably go and he put his shoes on and went to scrape the inch of ice off the car. I still thought we had some time and went downstairs to put my shoes on. Once shoed I headed to the door telling the kids to behave and hugging them all goodbye. When I got the car I couldn't get in. I was sure if I bent over then she would come out and fall in the snow. Tyler waited patiently with a distressed look on his face. I could tell he was remembering the experience with Darla wherein I offered to push half-way to the hospital.

We got in the car and he offered a word of prayer that we would make it to the hospital before the baby evacuated her safe space. When he said, "amen" I said, "drive fast". The roads were very icy. We ran a red light. We arrived at the hospital and while I waddled to the ER door he ran to get a wheelchair and proceeded to run me down the hall to labor and delivery. I was still very controlled. The Dr. had been called thanks to my sister giving a heads up on the phone that we were on the way. I pretty much stood still breathing deep while Tyler changed me into my gown and I got onto the bed. The nurse checked me and I heard the word, "complete". She asked me to please avoid pushing until the Dr. got there. What followed was 10 minutes of very focused breathing as I willed the baby to not descend. At this point let me admit that my repeated SMT sessions really kicked in and I felt control - it was amazing! Yes, there was pressure and pain, but so much control.
Finally the Dr. arrived (ok, really it had only been about 10 minutes) and I knew it was ok for me to just let it happen. He said I could push with the next contraction and so I did. Then I relaxed and waited for the next contraction which brought her down. Dr. Heath (the same on-call Dr. that caught Darla) broke my water so it wouldn't splash everyone and out she came on the second push. Massive relief and gratitude were felt by this Mama who finally had the controlled birth experience I've always wanted. There was no moaning, no crying, no begging - just breathing and a perfect little person when it was over. We arrived at the hospital at 9:24 and she was born at 9:42. Unintentionally our record was broken.
The Daddy was fantastic through the whole thing, having adjusted me 3 times in the last 36 hours and really giving amazing TLC. I know a major factor in such a great delivery was his tender loving care. He was so calm and patient knew just what to say to give me confidence.
So here she is - she is pink and perfect and cries like a little sheep. She latched on and ate like a champ and is a great cuddler already. She looks and feels so tiny but weighed in at 7 lbs 3 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long (I knew she was long because she could kick the top and bottom of me at the same time). She has very big hands and quite a pronounced cleft in her chin. She also has the greatest double chin I've ever seen on a newborn and just enough hair to look quite feminine.

I'm always taken back by how much you can love a little person that you have just met but already I feel like our family is complete, and I'm so grateful that the Lord would send her to us - our own little piece of heaven right here on earth. No name yet, although Daddy and I worked on it all day . . . that will have to wait until morning.