Reflections on the birth

Sunday night was a pretty eventful night.  At about 9:00 PM we got our first and only (so far) offer on our house, which had been on the market since March.  We went back and forth and finally agreed on a price.  The next day we were scheduled to go into the hospital for the induction.  So Jennifer on Monday being a very 9 months pregnant hoofed it with our real estate agent to look at 12 houses to buy.  I think this was important.  The hospital finally called us at 9:00 pm to tell us that a bed had opened up.  So we got our bags and headed off.  We got admitted right away.  Jennifer was already dilated to one centimeter and was experiencing contractions already.  She was going to try to have the baby naturally.  I think all the walking helped.  We were trying to do whatever we could to avoid a C-section.  That was the plan if the inducing didn’t work.  For Jennifer’s health, we had to get this baby out as soon as safely possible. 

They put something in her, I think it was cervidil, which was the precursor to the Pitocin.  They wanted her to have a good night sleep before they attempted to induce.  They brought in a cot for me.  I was out.  I can sleep pretty much anywhere, anytime. (I thank Evangel College for that skill I learned. Its probably the most valuable skill I left with.  Having to chapel every day at 10:00 am, I learned to sleep sitting up so the chapel checkers wouldn’t mark me absent.  So now Im almost a professional sleeper no matter what the locale or time change).   They started the Pitocin for Jennifer that morning of the 19^th at 5:45 am through her IV.  I slept through all of it.  I awoke at 8:00 am.  The doctor said Jennifer was dilated at 4 and 70% effaced.  I really have no idea what 70% effaced means, but apparently that is a good thing.  So the doctor broke her water.  About an hour or so later, the contractions started to get more intense.  Those of you who know Jennifer well, know that her vocabulary can sometimes get colorful.  That is something we are working on.  I am told by other women in labor that all sorts of language comes out in the midst of contractions.  So the contractions were coming about 2 minutes a part and Jennifer was in a lot of pain. It was building.    Being an athlete she had a goal to have this baby delivered without an epidural.  Since her mom did it, she wanted to at least give it a try.    But Im told going natural while being induced with Pitocin is extremely difficult because the Pitocin speeds up the contractions and makes them more intense.  Jennifer was such a trooper not wanting to give up.  I should mention that she had to be induced because of the concerns of her pre-eclampsia and the resulting high blood pressure.  So they did it the day the baby went full term.  Full Term is anywhere from 37 to 41 weeks, so Monday was the first day of 37 weeks.  She was full term but just barely.  Around 10:30 the contractions were really hitting Jennifer and she was crying out in excruciating pain.  Her blood pressure was also starting to rise.  She mentioned she thought the baby was coming down but the doctor and the nurse didn’t give her claims much credence.  Her doula, the nurse, and the doctor, noting her blood pressure and preeclampsia all recommended her to get an epidural.  So with gritted teeth she finally relented.  Our goal throughout this whole process was to have a healthy baby and a healthy mom.  So we took the doctor’s advice and got the epidural.  About 30 minutes later Jennifer was calmly having a conversation.  It was such a polar opposite of what we were experiencing earlier.  Controlled chaos to calm serenity in 30 minutes or less.  The doctor came in about 12:00 noon to check on Jennifer.  It was so peaceful then nobody thought anything of it.  But the doctor exclaimed she was fully dilated and ready to have the baby.  So the doctor went out to get ready and Jennifer got placed in the stirrups.  She mentioned to the nurse that she thought the baby was on its way down.  The nurse blew her off saying, it could take hours. (Im sure under her breath she was thinking, she’s a first time mom, what does she know?) Then as soon as Jennifer got in the stirrups we could see the baby’s head.  The nurse quickly called the doctor in.  It only took Jennifer four pushes/contractions to get Sloan out and into this world.  I was amazed how emotional I got during this whole experience.  I have experienced birth before but nothing quite like this.  Because we had a doula, she was focusing on Jennifer’s comfort, I didn’t have to do a thing really except enjoy the whole process.  I think as the tears were streaming down my face it was the culmination of the baby and fulfillment of the promises of God. I have a new addition to my new family.  That doesn’t mean I love my children any less at all.  This is just a wonderful chance to experience it all over again, the way that God intended with a mother and father staying together “til death do us part.”  It was just a great feeling.  The book of JOB, in fact, here it is.  Those of you readers know that I felt like I had everything that I held dear stolen from me.  Now with Jennifer and Baby Sloan, It is true redemption.

 Job 42:10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver[a] and a gold ring.

 12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

 16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

Now I don’t think Im going to live to 140 years or have a thousand yoke of oxen, but God has indeed promised me a long full life.  But I do believe that all the blessings bestowed on Job will also be bestowed on me because I was faithful just like Job was.  Again the big difference is that Im not totally blameless and I have had moments where I haven’t been upright but for the last 10 years, I’ve been really really close even whilst going through midst of my personal hell. 

So as Sloan Violet Beeman was getting cleaned she grasped onto my finger as tightly as she could and didn’t want to let go.  We were afraid that she might have to go to ICU because of the early delivery, but her temperature at birth was barely past the cutoff, so we made it. 

I was just amazed at the outpouring of love and support both Jennifer and I got through facebook.  Between us we had hundreds of congratulations and well wishes from friends all over the globe.   Most of my close friends and readers of this blog know what I’ve been through recently.  I think it encourages us all that good guys really can win in the end as long as they stay faithful.  I feel like my life has been a riveting movie full of dramatic ups and downs.  This is the ending has the audience cheering at the end.  It is a great great feeling. 

A little later in the day I was holding Sloan on my lap.  Being just a few hours old she really isn’t able to open up her eyes.  But as I was talking to her she was struggling so much to open her eyes to see whose voice was cooing the sweet words to her.  First the left, then struggling to open the right, she finally got a first look at her Daddy who adores her.  All is right in my world.