The Beautiful Gift of Birth

Today I am thankful for God's incredible, creative, fascinating, perfect design for birth - and that he allowed me the awesome blessing of being able to experience it!

These last few weeks I've been thinking a whole lot about "this time last year". Because, this time last year I was over 40 weeks pregnant and exploding with excited anticipation! I loved every second of being pregnant! Being blessed with a healthy, easy pregnancy probably contributed to much of my enjoyment, but I would like to think even if I had been sick, tired and miserable, that I would have at least still appreciated the process just as much.

I loved feeling that tiny life move inside of me. I was totally fascinated with how he was developing each week. It is a supernatural miracle that a human being can develop inside another human in 40 short weeks. And if you can somehow wrap your brain around all of that, THEN there is the whole birthing process - another fascinating, complex and perfectly designed phenomena.

If you have ever wondered if there was a God, just study how life forms and develops.... and what the mother's body does as it prepares to give birth to new life. Simply A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. And I was blessed to experience it ALL first hand! I am so thankful that God chose for me to be a woman, and that He gave me the awesome privilege of experiencing the miraculous process of childbirth!

(Note: This post is specifically about how I'm thankful for God's extraordinary design for childbirth! I will post my thankfulness for the precious life I gave birth to in the coming days - I'm planning on sharing that "Attitude Gratitude" on the little one's birthday!)

I never posted about the day Holston was born - so today seems like a perfect opportunity to do that! Holston's birthday was one of the greatest days of my life! Since I chose to have a natural childbirth, I didn't talk to many people about it. Very early in my pregnancy I discovered people's reactions to natural childbirth were ...well, lets just say... less than encouraging. I didn't want to hear people's discouragement. I didn't want people to try to talk me out of it. I didn't want to hear people's sarcastic comments. And I didn't want to defend my reasons for choosing natural childbirth. It was a very personal decision for me, and I knew deep in my spirit that it was the right one for me.

There were many reasons I chose natural childbirth. One being, I was more scared to stick that 6-inch needle in my back than I was to go through labor! :) The other reasons were (based on my research) its safer and healthier for the baby (more responsive after birth), recovery time for me would be faster and easier (no waiting for medicine to wear off), the labor process would not be stalled/hindered by medication, and... because I just plain ole wanted to experience everything that God designed for the delivery process. In the labor and delivery classes Scott and I took we learned all about the three stages of labor, what exactly was happening in the body during each stage, and how each felt different. I wanted to experience it all. Call me crazy! I know. But if God designed it - I wanted to experience it! If He designed it, how could I be scared of it??

Oh, and did I mention, that even my DOCTOR thought I was crazy for wanting a natural childbirth? I'm pretty sure that she thought I would eventually change my mind as the due date drew near. She did her best to talk me out of it, but there was no changing my mind!

My due date was November 1. My doctor wanted to induce me the week before my due date, but I wanted to wait and see if I would go into labor on my own. I REALLY wanted to go into labor on my own. I had big plans of staying at home throughout "Stage 1" of my labor.....timing my contractions....you know, like you see on the videos in childbirth class! ;)

Well, my due date came and went. Dr. Johnson agreed to let me wait it out one more week, but she definitely was not going to let me go longer than that. We scheduled an induction for Monday, November 8. Every day leading up to the 8th, I prayed that I would go into labor on my own. That didn't happen, but it turned out to be an answered prayer in disguise. I had also been praying that I would be able to have a "private transition" - which means that after the baby is born, he never leaves my side. At the time, I didn't know that a private transition is very difficult to get unless you are "scheduled", because they have to line up extra staff for each private transition baby. God is good - He knows what He is doing even when you don't!

The final week went by fast - and not the first labor pain! Before I knew it, it was November 8th! We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m. I had no trouble getting out of bed at 3:45 to get ready! I wasn't the least bit nervous. I had a peace that I can't explain. Honestly, I was surprised at how NOT nervous I was. The drive to the hospital that morning was surreal. I couldn't believe the day had finally come!

The rest of the day went down like this:

5:30 - Arrive at the hospital, sign all our admission papers (even though we already filled out "pre-admission" papers so that I wouldn't have to do this if I came in already in labor)...another good reason I wasn't already in labor! :)

5:50 - They direct us to our labor and delivery room (Room #2)

6:10 - Got my IV

7:00 - Nurse prepares everything for the doctor to break my water

7:30 - My doctor arrives

7:40 - I'm measuring 1.5 cm, 80% effaced

7:45 - Doctor breaks my water

8:00 - Nurse starts my Pitocin

8:11 - My brother calls to wish me luck - he's on the way to Iowa to go hunting

8:30 - Contractions every 2 mins, still pretty mild

9:30 - Contractions starting to get rough

10:00 - My doula arrives, still 1.5 cm, but now 100% effaced

11:30 - 4 cm

12:15 - 7 cm, labor really getting intense

12:40 - Feeling the urge to push, call the nurse to check me again

12:45 - 10 cm!!!!

1:00 - Doctor arrives (its her birthday too, by the way!) - she tells me to sit through 2 contractions before I start to push

1:06 - I push for three sets of 10 seconds, wait for another contraction and push for another three sets of 10 seconds - his head is out!

1:14 - Push one more time and Baby Holston is BORN!

His APGAR score was a perfect 10! My doctor said that only happens for Pediatrician's babies! :)

His first picture....

He was a healthy 8 pounds, 10 ounces....

I couldn't believe I was finally looking at my baby boy!!!


My great nurse, Tina....

Our happy family with my awesome doula, Mrs. Carol Ann...

Ready to take our beautiful bundle of joy home!


I could go on and on about all the fascinating things about labor... but I will spare you less enthusiastic readers those exciting details. But one thing I will say, after studying about each stage of labor - and actually being able to feel my body - I was able to tell the nurse what stage of labor I was in before she would even check me. Even though it was my first experience with childbirth, I could tell exactly what was happening with my body. Knowing that God designed each stage of labor specifically to move the baby safely through the mother's body, I understood that every pain I felt was my body working to do just what God created it to do. For me, there was so much comfort in that.

I have many friends that had tough deliveries and whose stories are much different than mine - so I DO NOT take it for granted that I had such a smooth, uncomplicated labor and delivery - and a perfectly healthy baby boy! I thank God often for blessing me with such a great experience. Childbirth changed my life! I will never be the same! God willing, I pray I get the opportunity to do it again! :)

I have seriously thought about changing my career ever since Holston was born! I now want to be a Labor and Delivery nurse!! :) Scott thinks I'm crazy! We'll see..... with God ALL things are possible.... and ALL things work together for good....to those who Love the LORD and are called according to HIS purpose! :)