It all began on Tuesday morning, June 6th 2017. Around 5 in the morning I woke up with contractions – my first time ever feeling them. They first felt like mild cramps and were totally bearable but throughout the day, the contractions got increasingly stronger. I worked through and kept track of each one of them while holding my phone, taking deep breaths, and saying prayers in my heart. I couldn’t do anything except focus on my contractions. At 10:30am, I was having contracti
ons every 6-10 minutes. I called the doctor then to let her know that my contractions were coming harder and faster. I remember making myself a veggie burger, which took me a long time to make and eat! Things escalated quickly. Around noon, they were coming about every 5 minutes. I called Seth around 12:30pm saying that the contractions were occurring every 3 and 5 minutes apart. Seth drove his manager back to the Springfield office and then headed home to pick me up. We had our bags ready to go to the hospital and it was pouring rain. When we arrived at the hospital, we checked in with a receptionist. We verified some insurance information and then they took us back to their evaluation room. I was already feeling tired and a little overwhelmed. I was greeted by the kindest and most caring nurse and she made me feel like everything was going to be okay and that this was supposed to be a happy day. About after an hour of standard tests (blood work, monitors, IV hooked), a midwife was brought in to measure how I was. I was dilated to a 7 and 100% effaced so they transferred me to the room where Luke was to be delivered. I had been dilated 3cm and 80% effaced for a couple of days. Given how calm I was, no one could believe it. I had a blood test done so they could check my platelet count that had been low last time it was checked. The nurses asked me if I wanted the epidural and I said I would try as long I could go without it and I also had to wait until the test results came back. If my platelets had been lower than 100, I could not have gotten it. Seth offered me a blessing to calm me down and so that the birth could go smoothly without any complications. I’m so thankful for him to live in such a way to offer me that blessing. My heart was filled with peace. I tried to relax as much as I could and things moved quicker than I could have imagined!
Around 4:30pm I was starving and the nurses gave me some crackers and apple juice. I was also given an exercise ball to sit on as the pain kept getting increasingly stronger. Seth worked through this with me during the entire labor, holding my hands, massaging my back, especially my lower back. After each contraction was over, I knew how much space I’d get in between. Wow, I started to feel so exhausted and in so much pain and felt like I couldn’t take another breathe or go through this anymore. I finally made the decision that I wanted the epidural after all but I had to wait until the doctor had finished a surgery and another epidural. Finally, at 7pm I received the epidural. I barely felt anything. No later than fifteen minutes, it started to get its effects and it was night and day. The pain became milder and even though I could still feel the contractions, I could more easily handle them. It was so worth it. However, I had to wait to push until I had received the full dose of antibiotics since I was GBS positive. At 9pm, the two doctors (one being a resident) and the nurses came in to the delivery room and we were ready to welcome this baby boy to the world. A group of pediatricians also came in because there was meconium in my amniotic fluid and the inhaled meconium can partially or completely block the baby’s airways.
At this point, I was dilated to a 10 and ready to push. I was about to really have a baby! The nurses taught me how to push, breathing deeply, holding air and pushing with all my strength every time
a new contraction came. While pushing, my water finally broke which was a true miracle since it would be more risky having the water break at home while being GBS positive. In between pushing, we would chat about life, where we are from, and it was my favorite part about it all because although I was exhausted at this point and nervous to see how that phase would be, their encouraging words were more powerful than I could have imagined. Every time I pushed, the nurses and doctor would say, “go Julia! You are doing amazing! Oh my goodness you are so good. That’s exactly what you are supposed to do!” I pushed with all the strength that I had. And sometimes they would tell me to do something different that would help. They were so caring, thoughtful, patient, and knowledgeable. I knew God was there with me and sent them to take good care of me. I remember them saying, “wow, look at all that dark hair!” and I knew my baby was half way through. I was almost sure he would come blonde but when I saw that dark hair, my heart just melted.
At 9:39pm, our precious Luke Seth was born and they laid him on my chest and did skin to skin right away. I remember seeing him for the first time and the immense love I already had for him. When I looked at Seth and our cute boy, nothing else mattered to me. His crying was the sweetest and I could not believe he was ours. He came with the strength and peace that he carried with him during my pregnancy. What a blessing to have a healthy boy.
Every sacrifice was worth it to bring this spirit into the world and into our family. He was a handsome newborn. They measured his height and weight: 7 pounds 0.6 ounces and 20 inches. Long and skinny. No complications whatsoever and such a smooth delivery. I feel incredibly blessed – a true gift from our Heavenly Father. Seth announced the birth to our families to share the great news.
There is nothing sweeter, more intense and more rewarding than giving birth. The veil was so thin and life takes on a whole new meaning. The doctors stitched me up and, after 2 hours, the sweetest nurse helped me get cleaned up and I was already able to walk then. They transferred us to another room and she showed
It was precious in every sense of the word. Becoming a mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I knew I would love my baby, but I just didn’t know I could love him like this. It is the greatest love I have ever felt. I’ve heard one time that when you have a baby you truly understand why you are born and I could not agree more. Sometimes I wish nothing bad or painful would happen to Luke but I know he is destined to a beautiful life. My heart is bursting to know little Luke is ours. He has brought heaven into our home.
