Birth Story - Part 1
After 29 doctors visits, 8 months, lots of tears + prayers, conversations with our doctor, the maternal-fetal specialist, our families, we scheduled an induction. We would check in to the hospital the night of June 30th with the hope that Liam would be born the next day.
When our doctor threw out the date, I was so anxious and scared honestly. How would I pick my baby’s birth day, the day he would probably meet Jesus? How does one find peace? Keith and I took the week to pray, to really pray and think hard. There was so much to think through and battle with. The reality being we would never be ‘ready’ for delivery. We had to think about Liam’s safety, my safety, and so many logistics. Thankfully, we have a doctor that we love and trust whole heartedly. A doctor that believes in Jesus and can see the whole picture. He wanted the day to be as special as it could be under the circumstances. He told me that at any point, we could change directions, but that he thought this was best.
The week leading up to the hospital, we stayed with my family. It was the greatest blessing to have them love on us and keep us company during those long, hard, anxiety-filled days. We spent the week playing with our puppy Moose, swimming at the pool, eating yummy dinners, talking about Liam + every memory of pregnancy, and praying hard for delivery. We didn’t know what to expect, we just wanted God’s will to be done. That would give us the ultimate peace and comfort.
The day finally came after that long week. It was June 30th and I was packing a hospital bag that I never thought I would pack. There was no car seat. There wasn’t a diaper bag or a stroller. There was just a suitcase filled with every thing possible I could think of to have as a keepsake of Liam’s. Thankfully, I had connected with some sweet mamas during my pregnancy that would help me prepare. My baby deserved no less than any other baby. He needed a day gown, a onesie, swaddles, his first bible, a silver hairbrush with his name, a lovey. My mama heart needed to know that we gave him a lifetime of love and care in those few hospital days.
We were scheduled to check in at 8:30 pm. In the middle of getting ready to leave and packing a basket of things for our sweet nurses, Keith’s family came over to love on us before we left for the hospital. We were all visiting and I looked down and thought “there’s no way….did that really just happen?” I ran to the bathroom to confirm before I returned to everyone and bursted into tears. Yes, my water broke. Just hours before leaving for the hospital. Liam told me he was ready in the sweetest way possible. Only 10- 15% of women’s water breaks naturally. Much less before 40 weeks. That overwhelming peace carried me through the next 16 hours. Jesus showed up and he would continue to do so. Only Jesus. Thank you Lord.
To be continued…
