Sophie's Birth Story

Sophie Joye

My sweet Sophie Joye turned 7 last month. As a result, I thought it would be fun to share her birth story with all of you. I hope you enjoy this precious birth story!!

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Sophie’s Birth Story

Written: Wednesday, February 19, 2014

 

Before I get into the details of Sophie’s birth, I would like to make it very clear that the Lord was determined to be glorified in and through this story. At first it was hard for me to see, because certain things didn't go according to my plan. However, slowly and gently, like any good Father would, the Lord shed light on this circumstance and revealed Himself to be faithful every step of the way.

 

Life’s circumstances were extremely challenging the entire time I was pregnant with Sophie. I’m not going to go into all the details now, but there were extremely difficult things that we faced as a family while I was pregnant. I believe that the Lord gave me Sophie to be a constant source of joy and an ever present reminder that I am never alone.

 

God knew about all the bad things that we had to face throughout the year of 2013. With all my heart, I believe that Sophie was born to redeem 2013 and to continue to be a reminder of God’s faithfulness to my family. How can I remember it as a bad year when it was the same year that my baby was born?

 

Sophie’s due date was Tuesday, December 31st, 2013, the very last day of the year. Personally, I loved being pregnant during the Christmas holiday season. The whole point of Christmas is to remember the birth of baby Jesus. Being pregnant during Christmas time, gave me a whole different perspective on the Christmas story and what Mary really went through.

 

Little did I know, Sophie would be born four days earlier than her due date. 

Monday, December 23rd, 2013 ended up being my last doctor’s appointment with Dr. Doerrfeld before I went into labor. Even though everything went well at my doctor’s appointment, Monday was a very stressful day, because I didn’t think Olivia was breathing and almost had to take her to the emergency room. As it turned out she was just too cold and needed to be warmed up, but it really was the last thing that I needed being a really pregnant Mama about ready to give birth.

 

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Grandad, Grandma, and Auntie Hannah had arrived in Longview, Texas the weekend of Saturday, December 21st, 2013, so while my husband was at work they helped me get everything ready for Christmas. We baked cookies and all kinds of goodies in preparation for Christmas day. We were especially excited to find out that Jon would be home the evening of Christmas day! Our plan was to get everything ready, so that we could have Christmas dinner and open presents with Jon after he got home on Christmas day.

 

Olivia and I drove out to the airport to go get Jon and bring him home. As soon as Jon arrived it became apparent that he was very sick. He had flu like symptoms. However, he still joined us for Christmas dinner, reading the Nativity story, and opening presents. That night neither of us slept very well, because he was so sick.

 

Thursday, December 26, 2013

The next morning, I woke up and felt sick too! I had diarrhea all morning long. I was not sure if I was going into labor or if I had somehow caught the same flu, Jon still had. We didn’t go anywhere all morning, because we were both so sick. I finally started feeling better by the afternoon and went with Grandma Newsham to go get a few things from the store to help Jon while he was sick with the flu.

 

Keep in mind that I had been having Braxton Hicks for weeks. I had also been having all kinds of cramping, but I did not think anything of it. Olivia was two days late and even though I wanted Sophie to come around Christmas time, I was pretty sure that she would be late like Olivia.

 

Right before bed time, Grandad made Jon a hot toddy, which was supposed to help his fever. It was also supposed to help him sleep through the night. After dinner, Grandad, Grandma Newsham, Auntie Hannah, and Uncle Josh left to go sleep at their own places. Jon and I watched a CSI: New York before we decided to go to bed.

 

As soon as we tried to go to sleep, Olivia started screaming and part of me thinks that she knew that I was going to go into labor. For whatever reason, she was awake and did not want to go back to sleep. Even though Jon was sick, he went and slept on the floor next to Olivia’s crib in an effort to help her sleep and to let me get some sleep as well.

 

Friday, December 27th, 2013

As it turned out, it ended up being a sleepless night for me too! As soon as I laid down, I had period like cramping and my back really hurt. No matter what I did I could not get comfortable. I had noticed that the pain would go away when I was sitting upright, so around 1:30am I decided to go sleep in the recliner chair out in the living room.

 

Almost immediately, I began to notice that I was having contractions. For the next hour or so I tried to sleep and track my contractions to see if they were consistent. As I sat in the chair, they were coming consistently and did not seem to be going away anytime soon. Despite this fact, I felt like this was false labor, so I decided to change positions to see if my contractions would continue to come or stop.

 

My to-do list kept running through my mind. I decided that just in case I was in labor, I needed to get these things done now before it was too late. I got up out of my chair to get some things done. I cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, packed Olivia’s overnight bag, and made sure that my own hospital bag had everything I needed inside. I also began to pull out snacks and drinks that I would need as I labored at home.

 

The entire time I was up and moving around, I continued to have contractions. I knew that they were getting stronger and coming more and more consistently. Before I sat back down in the recliner, I also made sure, Jon got back in our bed. If I was in labor, he was going to need more sleep to help me through the rest of the day.

 

By 4:00am, I had finished my to-do list and decided to begin to track my contractions for the next hour. Over that next hour, my contractions were coming every six minutes and lasting for almost a minute. All throughout the night, I had text Grandma Newsham to let her know that I was having contractions. However, by 5:00am I knew I needed to have her come over to begin to help me evaluate whether or not I was really in labor.

 

Grandma came over for the next few hours she helped me track my contractions. We were convinced that I was actually in labor. So I called our friends, Michael and Becky, because they were going to watch Olivia while I was in labor and at the hospital. However, I couldn’t get a hold of them.

 

Olivia woke up around 8:00am, I feel like at that point, I went into Mommy mode. My primary focus was not on letting myself relax, but on making sure that Olivia got where she needed to go. So for the next hour or so my labor slowed down a lot. Finally, Becky came over around 9:30am to pick up Olivia. I was so emotional that I just started crying, because I knew I wouldn’t see Olivia again until after I had Sophie.

 

Grandma let me try to sleep for an hour and said that by 11:00am we would start doing things to help get my labor going again. About the same time, Auntie Hannah came over to take pictures while I was in labor. This was the best decision we made all day long! You see Jon was still sick and spent most of the day asleep in bed. Auntie Hannah stepped in and helped me labor when Jon could not.

Daddy, Mommy, and Grandma on a walk

 

After the hour was up, Grandma, Auntie Hannah, Jon, and I went for a walk on campus at LeTourneau University. We walked for over an hour. Thankfully, being up and walking around, helped to get my labor going again. While we walked, I would have to stop and focus on breathing through my contractions.

 

We went back to the house, where we were going to have lunch. I really wanted a break, so I sat down in the recliner and again my labor stalled. This ended up being the theme of the day. Each and every time I was up and moving around my contractions would start coming every few minutes. However, as soon as I sat down, my contractions would stall. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to my contractions.

 

With Grandma and Auntie Hannah’s help, I labored all afternoon while Jon slept. My labor was not unbearable and the three of us girls actually had a lot of fun! We laughed as Grandma accidentally told me to swaddle the chair when she actually meant straddle. Auntie Hannah tried to help me with my breathing and when she said the wrong thing, so did I. Afterwards we just giggled like little girls that we just could not seem to get it right.

 

I never expected that labor could be fun. However, that is exactly how I would describe that afternoon!

 

By 5:00pm, my labor had stalled again. My contractions were not coming very often at all and I was convinced that I probably would not have Sophie for another few days. Auntie Hannah suggested that we try waddling. She explained that it was something that Auntie Eva did with her laboring mothers in the Philippines and it was supposed to help get labor going.

 

Waddling sounded silly and embarrassing, but I tried to have a good attitude anyway. We began to waddle around my little yellow house making up songs as we went, because we felt so silly! 

“Waddle, waddle, waddle till the baby’s out!” 

 

To our delight my contractions began to come back with a vengeance!

 

Grandma called Grandad to let him know that I was in fact in labor and we would probably have this baby tonight. That was such an encouragement to me and made me determined to do whatever was necessary to get Sophie out.

 

The next time I went to the bathroom, I could really begin to feel Sophie’s head, because it was so low! We waited too long to go to the hospital with Olivia and I did not want that to happen again. So, I told Grandma Newsham what I felt and that it was about time to go to the hospital.

Really in labor now!!

 

We needed to get everything together and wait for Grandad to pick us up. So, I sat down in the recliner where again, my labor stalled. Like I had said, it was the theme of the day. However, I am thankful for this, because it gave us time to get to the hospital and get settled before Sophie was born.

 

When Grandad arrived, around 8:00pm, Daddy, Auntie Hannah, Grandma, and I all piled into the car and made our way to the hospital.

 

At the hospital we checked in with the woman in the Emergency Room and signed all of the appropriate papers. Uncle Josh ended up showing up at the hospital right about the same time we did, so he got to be there too!

 

They got me upstairs where I changed into a hospital gown. I answered all of their registration questions and signed all of the necessary forms. They checked me and discovered that I was already at an 8! Finally, they got us into a labor and delivery room which I had not been able to see when I had Olivia. All the while, I was still having contractions pretty frequently. By this time, Jon was up and took Auntie Hannah’s place to help me labor.

 

Dr. Doerrfeld was out of town, so I opted to have the midwife on call named, Mary Beth Smith.This was the best decision I made all day! All throughout my pregnancy I had been going back and forth about a home birth vs. a hospital birth. In the end, God made the decision for me, because my doctor was out of town.

 

After monitoring Sophie’s heart beat the midwife said that I could get up and walk around for thirty minutes. I got up went to the bathroom and walked around. My contractions were becoming unbearable as they came one right after the other. I did my best to breathe through them, but I was not sure how much more of this I could take!

 

At 9:30pm, I got back in bed, so that they could monitor Sophie for another thirty minutes. This was the one time, all day that when I laid down my contractions did not stop! I told Grandma I was tired and she said that I could lay in bed until 10:00pm, but that then we would get up to move around.

 

In that thirty minute period I went through transition. My contractions hurt so much as they forced my hips to open up and give way for the baby that was about to be born. I had kept my cool all day and with every contraction I felt like I was going to lose it.

 

I looked up at the clock which read 10:00pm and knew that there was no way I could get up and walk around. I hoped that Grandma would not make me get up out of bed, because I was in so much pain!

 

With the very next contraction, my water broke. As soon as my water broke I felt the need to push. I knew that it was just about time for me to have my baby girl. With Jon and Grandma’s help I did my best to not push until the midwife and nurses arrived.

 

The nurse checked me and I was complete. They sent someone to get the midwife and I could finally try a practice push. As the midwife came in, she threw on her hospital gowns and asked if Jon would like to catch Sophie and cut the cord.

 

Two contractions and three pushes later, Sophie was out! They put my precious baby on my chest, which was a new experience for me, because they didn’t do that with Olivia. I could not believe that my baby girl was finally here.

So excited to meet our baby girl!!

Over the next hour, they stitched me up, took care of Sophie, and just let us bond with our newest baby girl. There were so many babies born on December 27th, 2013 that they did not have enough room for us in the mother/baby wing of the hospital, so they kept us in labor and delivery.

 

Grandad, Grandma, Uncle Josh, and Auntie Hannah had all been in the waiting room and got to come see Sophie as soon as we were ready. They fell in love with Sophie at first sight!

 

Over the next few days Sophie met her big sister Olivia and many other people that love her. We brought Sophie home and since then, each day, we have been learning more about her and how to be a family of four. Sophie brings so much joy to our lives and we are thankful that the Lord has put her in our family!

 

We continue to be thankful for the many ways that the Lord has provided for our family and will continue to provide on Sophie’s behalf!

Sophie Joye 
8lbs 2oz; 19 inches long

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MY OTHER BIRTH STORIES

When I was a kid, my Mom would always share our birth stories with us!! As a result, I really love birth stories. 

Please click the links below to check out my other birth stories.

Olivia’s Birth Story 

Sophie’s Birth Story

Matilda’s Home Birth Story 

Evelyn and Zoey’s Home Birth Story

Matilda turns 3!!

Last week, we had such a fun time celebrating Matilda's birthday. We're so thankful, because even Jon got to be home with us on her birthday.

We kicked off Matilda's birthday by watching old videos from when she was a baby! We got so excited that we spent a lot of time snuggling in our bed as we watched most of the videos on Jon’s phone. Then, we headed downstairs for breakfast. Auntie Hannah sent us some Dyno-Bites, so we opened that cereal and had some on this special occasion.

Matilda loves to ride the bus!! She really wanted to ride the bus on her birthday, so we decided to take the bus all the way downtown to the Hong Kong Library. As we walked to the bus terminus, Olivia sang, “make way for the birthday girl!!” It was wonderful!! Honestly, I think whenever it is someone’s birthday you can hire someone like Olivia to announce the presence of the said birthday girl or boy.

We all got on the E11A bus and rode it downtown. The design on the seat covers remind Matilda of sprinkles. So, she was very excited to get to ride “The Sprinkle Bus” all the way to the library.

We spent several hours at the library and everyone got to pick out one book to bring home. AT the library, they had a whole floor of just children’s books. They have Chinese and English books. Matilda's favorite book was one with Chinese poems in it. She won’t put it down, so that what we checked out for her to read.

After the library we ate lunch at McDonald’s, which is currently Matilda's favorite. Then we headed to the MTR station to come home. On the way, we found a rainbow birthday cake for Matilda. They even gave us candles and a birthday sign. This was such a blessing, because I don’t have an oven to bake in. God provided just what we needed!

 Once we got home, we at dinner and then invited our friends over for cake and games. We sang Happy Birthday and discovered that the inside of your cake had different colors too. How fun!! Right before bedtime, while I was helping Matilda put on her pajamas, she told me that she wanted me to call her “Birthday Girl”, every day for the rest of her life.

Matilda is so cute!!

I feel like I blinked and Matilda are already three. She is smart and willing to help no matter what needs to get done. She has graciously taken on the role as big sister, loving the babies so well. Matilda love to sing, dance, and have fun. I couldn’t imagine life without you, Matilda Kate.

Click the link below to read

Matilda's Birth Story

Matilda's Home Birth Story

My deepest desire that the Lord would receive all the glory for His incredible faithfulness throughout my labor and delivery. There were so many details that we were praying would come together. It was amazing to watch the Lord bring everything together in His perfect timing.

Our precious Matilda Kate

To be completely honest, we all thought that Matilda would come early, just like Sophie. One of my biggest fears is that I would be all by myself with the girls when I went into labor. Each night as I went to bed, fear would rise up within me, hoping that I would wait a few more days until everyone arrived. To my delight, I did not go into labor until after Jon’s Mom, Lisa, and Jon arrived!

With Jon and Lisa at the house, I was all ready to go into labor. However, Matilda had other plans. As the days passed, we tried to fill our days with fun things to do while we waited for Matilda to arrive. We couldn’t believe it when I finally reached and then surpassed my due date!! Again not knowing when I would go into labor, continued to fill me with fear.

Thursday, October 29th, 2015
Thursday was one of our busiest days of the week. We started the day out with a special donut breakfast. We also had errands to run so we went to several stores. One of the last things we did on Thursday was go to the library. They were having a Lego building night, so we took the girls to get books and build Legos. It really was a wonderful day.

All day long, I had been experiencing period-like cramps in my lower abdomen. I was not having contractions, just cramping.

Lisa had rented, “The Vow” from the library. After we got the girls to bed, we decided to relax and watch a movie. Halfway through the movie, I was feeling really tired. I decided to head to bed, but not before I spent sometime reading my Bible and praying to the Lord.

I was able to pour out my heart before the Lord. I asked Him to help remove any fear and doubt in my heart that might be keeping me from going into labor. I read verses that the Lord had given to me all throughout the year. He knew I would need these verses to help get me through my labor and delivery. Even as I went to sleep, I had my notecards in hand with some of my favorite verses on them. As I tired to sleep I kept repeating one verse over and over in my mind Psalm 73:26.

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” – ‭Psalm‬ ‭73:26‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

Friday, October 30th, 2015At 12:30am, I felt like I had to go potty, so I got up out of bed and headed for the bathroom. On my way to the bathroom, I felt some liquid gush into my pants. Once on the potty, I called for Jon and Lisa to help me. Lisa told us that she believed my water had begun to leak. She went on to explain that labor might begin right away or it could be a few days before I started having contractions.

We also called my midwife, Lincey, to give her an update and tell her that may water was leaking. Lincey said that we would wait to see if I started having contractions. She also encouraged me to go back to bed and get some sleep. I told her that I would do my best, but it’s hard to sleep not knowing when my labor would really begin. So, we all went back to bed to try to get more sleep before my labor began.

I tried my best to relax and sleep, but it was almost impossible. My period-like cramps only got more and more intense as the night went on. The pains, which began in my abdomen, began to spread to my hips. They got so bad that I was having a hard time breathing through each cramp.

Finally, at 3:00am, I got up and asked Lisa if she could massage my hips. I was hoping that it would help relieve the pain and allow me to sleep the rest of the night. To my surprise, even while I was standing up, the cramping kept coming and would not let up. In an effort to let Jon sleep, I lay down on the couch in the living room, so that Lisa could help me.

While laying down, Lisa quickly noticed that my cramping was becoming more and more intense. At this point, I was not having traditional contractions. However, Lisa decided to track my cramping for a little while to see how frequently they were coming. It did not take long for Lisa to realize that my cramping was coming every 3-4 minutes and lasting for almost 1 minute.

About 3:40am, Lisa called Lincey to give her an update. Knowing that Lincey had a 2 hour drive from Dallas, we asked her to get in her car and begin driving to us. Lincey also said that I should not be up and moving around, because gravity would help the baby come more quickly.

Each time my stomach would cramp, my hips felt like they were on fire. Laying down only made it worse, so after I went potty, I decided to try laboring on my birth ball. However, sitting up only made my contractions come more frequently. During one contraction, I tried to lean forward and rest on Lisa, but it hurt so much. It took my breathe away.

After one really strong contraction, I asked Lisa if she wanted me to move back to the couch. To which she quickly responded, yes! Lincey was still an hour and a half away, so we tried everything we could to stall my labor. Which included me laying down on the couch. My labor was coming and coming fast!

By 4:00am, I wanted Jon, so Lisa went to wake him up. She was honest with him and explained that our baby would probably be born in the next hour or two. Jon had no idea that I was even in labor, because we had tried to let him sleep. However, as soon as he got up, he was ready to help me breathe through my contractions.

Jon and Lisa helped me breathe through each  and every contraction. They spoke words of encouragement over me and rubbed my hips, to help relieve the pain. They told me how well I was laboring and that soon I would get to meet my little girl, Matilda Kate.

By 4:39am, Lisa called Lincey again to see where she was and give her an update about my contractions. My contractions were coming almost on top of each other and lasting for up to 2 1/2 minutes. Lincey told us that we would probably have a baby within the hour and maybe even before she arrived at our house.

Quickly, Lisa began to prepare for Matilda delivery. She went to prepare our room for this upcoming birth. However, as my contractions continued to come, Lisa realized that we just might end up delivering Matilda on the couch. Lisa didn’t want to move me to the bed, because she was afraid that as soon as I stood up, we would have a baby. Lisa brought supplies from our room to the living room, so that as soon as Lincey arrived, she could deliver Matilda.

Meanwhile at 4:46 am, Jon called our friend Colleen to ask her to come and pick up our girls. I didn’t want to the girls to wake up while I was in labor, which would mean that Lisa or Jon would have to leave to go help them. I needed Lisa and Jon to focus on helping me, so we thought it best for the girls to leave before I delivered Matilda.

Our friends arrived to get the girls, as soon as they left and Jon walked back in the door, I was screaming that I needed to push. I had been feeling the urge to push for a while, but again we were trying to wait for Lincey to arrive. With Lincey still 20 minutes away, Lisa knew that it was going to be up to her to delivery Matilda.

At 5:19am, all I needed to do was push Matilda out. Lisa called Lincey to let her know what was happening and have her on hand to help walk her through the delivery. Lisa helped me to focus on my breathing and control my pushing, so that I would not tear.

On our couch, in the living room, Matilda was born at 5:21am. She was 19 3/4 inches long and weighed 8 pound 0 ounces. Lisa put Matilda on my chest and we waited for Lincey. All I could say was, “Thank you Jesus!“

Matilda Kate

While waiting I called my Mom to share the good news about Matilda’s birth!! Lincey finally arrived and immediately began caring for myself and Matilda. Lisa explained to Lincey that Matilda was born face up, which explains why I had such painful contractions. Typically, it’s hard to deliver a baby face up, but Matilda came without any problems at all. Thankfully, we were both healthy and doing very well after labor and delivery.

Daddy and Lincey weighing Matilda

From the time my contractions started to when Matilda was born, was less than 2 hours!! Because my labor was so fast, it took a while for the shock to wear off and for us to begin to process the fact that we just had a new baby.

In the first few hours and days with Matilda were wonderful! We had her at home, so I could sleep in my own bed and not have to worry about who was going to come into our room at all hours of the night.

My dream team!! I could not have done this without them.

We are so thankful to the Lord for His faithfulness to us during Matilda’s labor and delivery. He was faithful to answer my prayers and bring together all the details of Matilda’s brith for His glory! We are also thankful to Lisa for being with us throughout my labor and for delivering Matilda!!

Newsham family of five!!

I’m thankful to the Lord for helping us to be obedient to what He had called us to do, even if it didn’t make sense to us or our friends. I’m thankful that we delivered at home, because otherwise we might have had Matilda in the car on the way to the hospital.

Matilda

I cannot wait to see how the Lord will continue to use Matilda’s life for His glory!!

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MY OTHER BIRTH STORIES

When I was a kid, my Mom would always share our birth stories with us!! As a result, I really love birth stories. 

Please click the links below to check out my other birth stories.

Olivia’s Birth Story 

Sophie’s Birth Story

Matilda’s Home Birth Story 

Evelyn and Zoey’s Home Birth Story

Home vs. Hospital Birth

Today, I am 31 weeks pregnant that means I only have 9 weeks left until I get to meet my baby girl, Sophie Joye!!

Earlier this week, I shared this blog post on my family blog. I wanted to re-share this post with all of you, because someone might need encouragement from the Lord this week on this particular topic.

For months I’ve been going back and forth between a home birth and a hospital birth. I’ve been praying that the Lord would show me which one He wants me to do. What would be best for our family? What would bring the Lord the most glory?

Last night, God gently whispered in my ear, “I am with you.”

I thought to myself that this was very nice, but what I really needed to know from the Lord is whether or not I should have Sophie at home or in the hospital.

Again, the Lord said to me, “I am with you.”

Even as I read the story of Noah to Olivia out of her, “The Jesus Storybook Bible“, the Lord reminded me that He will always be with me.

This really seemed to be the theme of the evening, but I’m not sure that I was connecting the dots to understand what the Lord was really trying to teach me. However, with the Lord’s help, the verse below came to mind to share with you in connection with the lesson that I’ve been learning. Are you ready for the cool part? Keep reading.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”- Matthew 1:23 ESV

 

Did you see it!? The Lord is trying to teach me that He is with me and this verse specifically tells us that Jesus’s name was Immanuel – God with us!!

God is with me, I mean He is really with me!! Wow, what a perfect time of year to learn this lesson!!
All along I’ve been seeking the “right” answer from the Lord about Sophie’s birth and in this situation, I believe that God will bless us no matter where we deliver our new baby girl. God’s decided to leave this choice up to us. However, no matter what we decide God wants me to always remember that He is with me!!

For now, my plan is to have Sophie in the hospital, just like I did with Olivia. However, in the coming weeks, I cannot wait to see how Sophie’s birth story unfolds!!

Olivia's Birth Story

First and foremost, I am writing this story so that others will see God’s faithfulness throughout my labor and delivery. God has been so faithful to Jon and I throughout this entire process and we want Him to receive all the honor and glory that He is due! Next, I want to make sure that I tell Olivia’s story in the most complete and accurate way that I can. This is Olivia’s birth story and it is important to me that I write out all the details, so that we can remember them for many more years to come.

Almost 40 weeks pregnant

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 was a very important day in my pregnancy, because it was my due date. After nine long months of waiting my due date had finally arrived! I had been looking forward to this day since I first found out that I was pregnant. I spent the entire day wondering if I would go into labor. It was so hard to focus on my work, but I did my best while I worked from home.

After I finished working, I thought it would be fun to bake Labor Inducing Ginger Cookies. My friend, Meagan, had told me about these cookies weeks ago, but I had not made them yet. I knew that they would not really send me into labor, but I thought it would be fun to make them anyway. I ate three of these cookies before going to bed. During the middle of the night, I started having cramps that felt very similar to my monthly menstrual cramps.

At 12:15 am, the morning of August 29, 2012, I got up to go to the bathroom like I had been doing for weeks, only this time, I experienced my “Bloody Show”. I got back in bed and told Jon what had happened. He assured me that everything was fine and I needed to try and sleep. We called Jon’s Mom, Lisa, our doula to let her know what had happened. Lisa also encouraged me to get as much sleep as possible and explained that it still could be another week before I went into labor.

Needless to say, after my bloody show, sleep proved to be next to impossible! It was a very sleepless night for both Jon and me. Not only was I still experiencing cramps in my back and lower abdomen, but I was also anxious to know when my labor would actually begin!

Around 5:00 am I finally decided to get up, because I was not sleeping. I took my Bible and journal into the living room, so that I could spend time with the Lord before my day began. Looking back, it was so sweet to be able to spend time with the Lord this way, because this was the last time I would have set apart like this before Olivia’s arrival.

I went off to work like it was any other day. I had an early meeting to attend and projects at work that I needed to finish before going into labor. I just had this feeling that I was going to go into labor with Olivia before the end of the weekend. I was exhausted from my lack of sleep the night before, so I asked if I could leave work early to go home and rest.

That evening Jon’s family came over to hangout. We ate dinner, played games, and just enjoyed one another’s company. Jon, Josh, Hannah, and I even played the push up game, except I didn’t do push ups, I did pelvic rocks instead, and played Settlers of Catan! It was a great way to distract me from the menstrual like cramps that I had been having all day and night.

Jon and Hannah enjoying Settlers of Catan

Jon’s family left that night sometime around between 10:00 and 11:00 pm. Again, Jon’s Mom encouraged us to try to get as much sleep as possible and to call her if anything changed. Jon and I both needed some down time before going to bed, so we decided to watch an episode of CSI.

As Jon and I watched our episode of CSI, my menstrual like cramps become more and more intense. Jon asked if I wanted to go lie down in bed and try to get some sleep. I declined Jon’s offer to go to bed, because I wasn’t sure that I would be able to sleep. I told Jon that he should go to bed and I would stay up for a while. Jon refused to go to bed and said that he would stay up with me.

Thursday, August 30th, 2012
 My contractions became more and more regular. Sometime around 1:00 am, I decided to start tracking my contractions. I had an app on my iPhone that allowed me to track my contractions. By this time, Jon had fallen asleep on the couch next time me. I knew that Jon needed his rest, so I wasn’t going to wake him up unless I really thought I was in labor.

After an hour of tracking my contractions, they were coming every 5 minutes and were lasting for 30-45 seconds. Everything that I learned in my childbirth class had told me that I was in early labor. Not only that, but my contractions were becoming more intense. Reluctantly, I woke up Jon to let him know what was happening. We called Lisa to let her know that we thought I was in labor. Lisa told us to try to sleep and call her back when we wanted her to come over to our apartment.

The last thing I felt like doing was curling up in bed to sleep. Jon and I tried watching another episode of CSI, but I was too restless. I decided to take a shower, because if I really was in labor, I did not want to have greasy hair all day long. After my shower we decided to go for a walk. My cramps were really starting to hurt and it was even hard to walk.

Jon was exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before. As a result, I agreed to lie down in bed and try to sleep. However, my contractions seemed to be coming more frequently and with every passing contraction they got more intense. Jon was supposed to be helping me through these contractions, but he was so tired that he could not stay awake.

It was at this point that I seriously considered throwing our Birth Plan out the window. I was in pain and Jon was too tired to help me. I tried to explain to Jon that I could not do this on my own. I needed his help and if he couldn’t stay awake then it was time to call in reinforcements. Around 6:00 am we finally called Lisa to ask her to come to our apartment and help us. It took her about an hour before she arrived.

After Lisa arrived Jon had gotten his second wind. However, I am so thankful that we called Lisa when we did! Lisa was such an answer to my prayers. She came with her midwife bag that was full of wonderful tools to help me through labor. She also came with apple juice and other snacks to help me keep up my energy. She was also an outside voice that could observe what was going on and encourage us on how we could do it better.

In Lisa’s professional opinion I was still in the early stage of labor. I couldn’t believe it! These contractions were really hurting and both Jon and I had been convinced that I was already in active labor. I decided that it was important for me to accurately communicate when my contractions started and stopped. My contraction would begin and I would tell Jon to start the timer. We would breathe through the contraction and I would tell them when I was done.

I labored all day long.

Me in labor

There were several things that were important for me to do while I labored. First, I needed to stay hydrated. I drank water, Gatorade, and apple juice to accomplish this goal. Next, I needed energy, so I tried to eat but I was not hungry. It was also important that my bladder was empty, so I went to the bathroom every hour. Finally, I changed laboring position every half hour.

Gradually, my attitude changed and I began focus and concentrate more than I had all day. It helped to have counter pressure, so Lisa used a rolling pin to rub my back during each contraction. I was exhausted from my lack of sleep, so in between contractions I tried to sleep.

At lunchtime, Lisa left to go to Chick-fil-a to get something for all of us to eat. Jon tried to get me to eat chicken strips, but again I wasn’t hungry.

I had been cold all morning, so I was wearing Jon’s sweatshirt. I would get warm and then cold, so the sweatshirt was on and off all throughout the day. It also became so hard to go to the bathroom so Lisa put peppermint oil in the toilet to help me pee and empty my bladder.

Lisa explained that we would labor at home until my water broke. After, my water broke we would pack everything up and head to the hospital. That seemed reasonable, because with most people, their water breaks during active labor…at least, that is what I thought.

As time went by my contractions became more intense and were lasting for a longer amount of time. We continued to cycle through our same pattern: contraction, breathe, finish, change positions, drink water, go to the bathroom, and repeat. If it weren’t for the clock on the wall, I would have completely lost track of time, because I was so focused on controlling my pain.

That afternoon, Lisa decided that Jon needed to go take a nap. She said that she would labor with me while Jon rested. I know it sounds strange, but my two favorite labor positions were on the couch and on the toilet. However, while I labored with Lisa she encouraged me to continue to change positions to help Olivia move down the birth canal.

 Around 4:30 or 5:00 pm, during one of my contractions on the toilet my legs started shaking. Lisa asked if I was cold, but I told her, “No.” As soon as my contraction was over Lisa woke Jon up and told him that it was time for us to start getting ready to go to the hospital.

I didn’t know it, but Lisa also went outside to call her midwife friend. Lisa explained to her friend that she wasn’t sure about what stage of labor I was in, because I had been doing such a good job controlling my pain. Lisa’s friend told said that I was probably pretty close to a 10, so we should go to the hospital now.

Lisa came back and told me that we were going to go to the hospital. She told me that we would go and have them check me to see how far along I was in labor. She warned me that I might only be at a 6 or 7, but that it was okay. Lisa encouraged me that we had gotten this far and would finish this together. That was not what I wanted to hear! I was in so much pain and my contractions were so close together, how could I only be a 6 or 7? I prayed that God would give me the strength I needed to finish this labor and delivery process strong.

 Jon got everything ready to take to the hospital while Lisa helped me through my contractions and left our apartment around 6:00 pm. My contractions were coming every two minutes and I was not sure how I was going to make it to the car. I had a contraction upstairs in our apartment and I told Lisa that it felt like I needed to push. Lisa told me not to push and that we needed to make sure I was a 10 before I started pushing.

As soon as my contraction was over we walked out the door and down the stairs. I had just made it to the bottom of the stairs when I had another contraction. We stopped and breathed through my contraction, before getting in the car.

Our apartment is less than ten minutes away from the hospital. However, we had to stop at every red light between our home and the hospital. I was trying my best to continue to breathe through each contraction. Thankfully, Lisa was sitting behind me and helped me breathe through those contractions while we made our way to the hospital.

Jon parked the car and we began the long walk to the ER entrance. We had to stop at least once maybe twice before we made it to the desk in the ER where laboring Moms are supposed to check in. We arrived at the desk and no one was there!

Up until this point, I had done a great job controlling my pain and emotions. However, our experience at this desk sent me over the edge.

A woman finally came back to her desk and asked if we needed anything. Jon explained that I was in labor and that we needed to go up to labor and delivery. The woman behind the desk told us that I needed to stay there and sign forms, before I could go up. As she was saying this I had another contraction and I told Lisa that I needed to push. I could feel Olivia’s head right there ready to come out! Lisa told me not to push and helped me breathe. The woman behind the desk said that Jon could sign the forms and that she would call to have someone bring me to labor and delivery.

A few minutes later, a man came with a wheelchair to take me to labor and delivery. Lisa came with me while Jon stayed to sign the forms. On our way to labor and delivery I focused on my breathing, “he, he, he…” and I also tried panting to keep myself from pushing Olivia out.

Upon our arrival, we were taken into a small labor and delivery room. It was a room that they keep you in to get your information and check your medical history before taking you into an actual labor and delivery room. The nurses began their normal procedures and told me that they needed me to give them a urine sample. However, with every contraction I told anyone who would listen that I needed to push.

After a minute or two of trying to pee in the cup without success, the nurse let me get on the hospital bed where she began to strap me up to the fetal monitor.

“Is anyone listening to me?” I thought. “How many times would I have to tell them that I needed to push?”

Jon arrived in my room while I was screaming through a contraction, trying my best not to push our daughter out. At this point, I lost control, because no one was listening to me. Both Jon and Lisa begged the nurses to just check me to see whether or not I was complete and ready to push. The nurse finally checked me and explained that I was complete and my bag of waters was bulging. With my next contraction, my water broke!

The nurses told us that they did not have any labor and delivery room available and that I couldn’t give birth to Olivia in this tiny room, because it wasn’t sterile. Their solution was to take me into the operating room, so that I could give birth to Olivia. The nurses started to wheel me in, but they did not want Lisa and Jon to join me. After a while the doctor on call that was going to deliver Olivia agreed that they could come back into the O.R. to be with me.

I was so happy to see Jon and Lisa come into my room! I knew that I could not do this by myself! After what seemed like a very long time the doctor came in and I was finally able to push, which is what I had been my desire for over an hour.

Three contractions and six pushes later, Olivia was born at 7:22 pm!!

Olivia Jane 7 lbs 0 oz and 19 1/2 inches long

All of that hard work was worth it the moment I laid eyes on my baby girl. I could not take my eyes off of Olivia as the nurse cleaned her up and checked to make sure she was okay. I tore a little, so while the doctor stitched me back up I kept my eyes focused on my sweet baby girl. A rush of emotions swept through my body as I watched Olivia; peace, joy, happiness, thankfulness, and more!

I had been given the honor of carrying Olivia for the last nine months and it was important to me that Jon got to hold Olivia first. When it was my turn, I did not get to hold Olivia for very long, but those first moments with her felt like time had slowed down to let me drink in and savor this moment forever.

Jon and Olivia

Me and Olivia

In the hours and days ahead, we had Jon’s family and other friends come to see Olivia! It was such a joyful time! I am so thankful that God answered our prayers and brought Olivia into this world safely. Even now, I cannot help but look at her and praise God for His amazing faithfulness in our lives!!

Our family

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MY OTHER BIRTH STORIES

When I was a kid, my Mom would always share our birth stories with us!! As a result, I really love birth stories. 

Please click the links below to check out my other birth stories.

Olivia’s Birth Story 

Sophie’s Birth Story

Matilda’s Home Birth Story 

Evelyn and Zoey’s Home Birth Story