Promise's Birth Story Part One

The IV marks have healed on my hand. Justin scrubbed the sticky spots off my back from the epidural. If you saw my tummy you could tell I was just pregnant, with the angry red tiger marks stretching from north to south. But other outward evidence is gone so quickly this time around, I marvel at the way my body is rebounding in comparison to Isaac's birth.

And in our bedroom, my baby girl sleeps soundly. It was two weeks ago tonight that Promise Hannah was born. We are so blessed to have her in our family, and thank God every day for this precious gift.

I had prayed throughout my pregnancy that this baby would be allowed to come in his or her own time. Isaac wasn't ready to be born when he was forced from my womb, and I wanted this baby to have the chance to come when this baby was ready to come.

So up until 40 weeks, I really wasn't anxious. I was thankful, grateful that God was keeping this little one safe and secure inside of me up until the end. But then the realization hit me that I might have to deliver with a stranger and I got very anxious. The day before my due date of Oct. 18 I had an appointment with Hayley and I was feeling frantic that I wouldn't deliver before the 26th. She tried to do a membrane sweep but the baby's head was so low, she couldn't access my cervix to do the sweep to try to help baby along. So even when I tried to intervene and speed things up for my own timing instead of trusting in God, it didn't work!

Cheryl and Joy were headed off to a midwife conference on Oct. 26. Hayley was filling in a lot of the time, plus two midwives from another office. As nice as Hayley is, she isn't who I wanted to have deliver my baby. And even Cheryl, who I love and who will always hold a special place in my life story, wasn't the one I wanted to be there with me. I desperately wanted Joy to be there with me. She is reassuring, comforting, encouraging and truly is a joy to be around. I knew she would be able to help me through labour and I trust her judgement 100%, something that turned out to be a very big deal in this birth experience.

After my due date came and went, I did start to relax again about when I would deliver. I knew I had to just trust in God and His timing, which is always perfect. Justin and I simply prayed that whoever would be the best midwife for me, regardless of what I thought beforehand, would be the midwife who would deliver our baby. And regardless of who delivered, at the end of the day we would still have our baby and we would get through it together.

So October 18 came and went, and we waited. One day, two days, three days. Then Sunday morning, we were getting ready for church and I had my "show." It means labour is coming sometime soon. For some women it can be within hours that labour starts, for others it can still be days and days away. But the point is, my body was actually doing something that leads to labour. It was a thrilling moment for me, and I worshipped whole-heartedly in church that morning, excitedly thinking about my baby ready and waiting inside of me.

We went to the park Sunday afternoon to enjoy the non-rainy day. Our last family outing as a family of three!