Birth Story

A lot of blogs have been swirling through my head since I was put on bed rest. Right now I think the birth story is the most important one to get down, before I forget. I also don't think many people even know the story b/c it was so up and down and quickly changing. It is NOTHING like I had hoped my last story to be, but God is still good and all is well. So, here goes:

On Halloween evening I was put on bed rest b/c my cervix had begun dilating to 2cm. I received the steroid shot for the baby's lungs. I did not get this with Beau. I loved bed rest. It was a beautiful thing to watch. As one friend put it "the body of Christ was functioning as it should". Our church and friends completely embraced us. We love that church! We quickly worked out a schedule for the boys and Brian so I could rest. It was awesome, way way too short. Brian was a super hero during this time. He exceeded my expectations and probably gained a better perspective on my responsibilities. He asked me if I wanted to get a job... if I was happy doing all these things for the family. I assured him home was the best place for me and work was the best place for him. We have learned to embrace our fifferent roles.

Wednesday 11/2 saw Dr. Arnold and my cervix remained at 2cm. Bed rest was working. This was the day that Beau would have come. I was ecstatic to make it to this day!

Friday evening I started to think something was wrong. I knew how much pain it was to be fully dilated but I couldn't remember what it felt like in the beginning stages of labor. I thought things might be changing b/c my braxton hicks were becoming painful. It was hard b/c I was half full of hope that I would go to term and then there was still half of me that knew my body had no chance. I rested in the power of prayer. There were just way way too many righteous prayers being lifted up for them to avail anything less than "much". Literally, there were people all over North America praying for us (I do have a friend in Canada).

Well, we timed the contractions and they weren't to the point of calling the doctor yet so I tried sleeping. At 1:30am I said, no- this isn't right and I called the hospital. They said to come in immediately. At that point I thought I would go in, get a shot to stop labor and come home. I hadn't brought myself to pack a hospital bag for fear that it would go against any hope I had. A friend came over to sleep with the boys, thanks Sarah!

Well... when I got to the hospital I had dilated to 4cm and they said I will be transported via ambulance to Bismarck. They gave me a shot and a pill to stop the contractions. They also verified that the baby was still breech. There was about a 5 min period here when fear set in. I am not going to lie. It sounded awful to get cut open and get in an ambulance and all the while our family was so far away. It just us and the Lord. All I could do to comfort myself was say that "God is good, no matter what the circumstances". He had a plan for us and He is sovereign and I had to rest in that. Or I suppose I could have just had a major breakdown, but I guess that is part of growing up!

Oh I wish you all had been there to see us though. I had watched several birth videos to help with breathing techniques and Brian and I were doing so well compared to our other 2 birth experiences. I was managing pain and he was being a great bedside helper. We were holding it together, for the first time.

Anyways, about 2:30am I was put in the ambulance to be driven the 100 miles due East to the capital city. I did ask the EMT to take my picture, since no one was there to see this happening. Brian tried to follow the ambulance but apparently we were flying! I only had 3 contractions on the way so I was glad that my uterus had settled down.

Immediately upon arriving at MedCenter One Hospital in Bismarck I felt a huge relief. This is an amazing hospital and as soon as they wheeled me into the birth center I could see that at once I felt better. I mean.... you have to remember, not only are we not in Oklahoma, not near family, I am not even going to see my doctor or pick a doctor. This is 100% strangers! I felt like Mary in Bethlehem, except there was room at the inn for me. None the less I saw her story from a new perspective and couldn't help but wonder if she had similar emotions.

Since my contractions had subsided they told me they would allow me to stay pregnant as long as possibly- even up to my due date. You can't imagine the relief we felt. (Brian made it to the hospital about 5 min after I arrived). I think it was probably a very scary drive for him. Thankfully he was able to talk with his parents and my mom and I think that probably calmed him. it was prob 6:30am now.

So... we slept a little maybe and then the contractions were back. I absolutely loved my nurses and they basically didn't leave my room for quite a while. So, what would happen is when I would contract... and they were painful by now... the baby's heart rate would dive. They were very concerned and had me do some different positions to stop this. It worked but the baby was still breech. The dr ordered them to check me again. At that point, maybe 8:30am I was 6cm and my water bag was bulging. They said I would be taken back immediately for a c-section. I even bumped some girl who was about to go back. I guess the fear was that if my water broke that the baby's butt would fall right out!

So, Brian ran out to call our parents and then they took me back. I can't tell you how much I was not looking forward to this part. I wanted to push my baby out and I was so not ready to find out the sex. Oh well!

I don't have anything positive to say about the c-section except that it worked and I we learned more about my issues during it. Apparently instead of the top of my uterus being flat like most, mine has a sort of septum at the top, almost making it heart shaped. Dr. Perkerwicz says when she sees this it tells her that those patients are much more likely to have breech or pre-term babies. Lets review
baby #1- breech
baby #2- pre-term
baby #3- breech and pre term

I think she was right. I was very glad to know some answers too. This is planned to be our last child, especially now. Nonetheless I really appreciated knowing that.

I won't say much else about the surgery b/c it would mostly be complaining. It hurt and it took a while and it just hurt! Baby was a boy. We were shocked. No tears or anger, just shock. It took a while for it to set in. Of course, I had prayed for a girl and a vbac and those things didn't come true but all the prayers were fulfilled in Benton's health. We didn't see him at all for a long time or hear him or know his weight. That was hard. Then, when we heard he was breathing on his own and he was 4lb5oz we were again stunned. I didn't know it was an option for him to breath on his own. My expectations were exceeded. I can't say much about it not being a girl. It hit me later when I saw the headbands and gowns I had packed, that I would never use them. It was hard to tell people b/c you know that they wanted a girl for me too but I don't know, I wasn't really sad at all. God gave me grace. I needed that!!!!

So, healing has been slow but good. Today I feel the best yet and I am getting some milk out. Benton is.... phenomenal. Doing so well. Still breathing on his own and eating through his nose tube. They may even remove his IV- wow. God is taking care of him.

Hope you enjoyed the story. Our last story, but still ours. We love Benton, our baby. I am trying to soak him in and enjoy it all. My mom will arrive tomorrow and I am so grateful. I need her physically, logistically, and emotionally. Bobby and Courtney have been watching the boys. This all would be impossible without them and I am so grateful that they stepped up for us. It is just a natural overflow of their hearts and I think that is the coolest part to watch. They are in the process of adopting a girl from Ethiopia and it has been a blessing to walk through the process with them. The Lord has been shaping their hearts and He has provided for them so much. Here is their blog if you are interested.
http://waitingonsix.blogspot.com/
She is a great writer. They also brought the boys up last night to surprise us. I cried. I miss those fart faces. They are ornery but they are mine too. Baker really misses us and he is concerned for his brother. I have a good family. Then Brian's mom will be up the week of Thanksgiving. We are going to make it! Then, my sister will be up in December and Brian's whole family over Christmas. I am excited to see so many people.

Love you guys, thanks for reading!

Becky