I am a medical school wife. That pretty much sums it up. My husband's evenings are spent studying, and my evenings are spent alone. The Autumn after we were married he started to re-do his undergraduate degree in a 'med school approved' major, so I am used to him studying and being very diligent and busy. During all of undergrad he not only did extremely well in his Bio-Chem degree, but also worked close to full time. Sure, I am bragging on my husband a little, but there is also a point! I am used to having a decent amount of free time alone.
Lately it has really picked up. My husband is in his 3rd year of Med School and that means clinical rotations! It is both exciting and, well, lonely. He comes home with great stories of surgeries and procedures he was in on. But those 15 hour days can sure be intense... for both of us.
I have been trying to come up with a way to occupy my time in the evening. I mean, I COULD exercise or organize... and sometimes I do. but really, in the evening I want to do something fun and enjoyable.
My go to used to be quilting. The problem is that we moved to a house with lots of perks!... one of which is NOT a place for my sewing machine to be set up. I did some embroidery for a while and now have moved on to a gardening project. Can I just tell you that I am sore all over my poor body today? Seriously.
We are living in a rental house close to the hospital and the landscaping needs some goof old fashioned love. So much so, that 2 of the neighbors have mentioned it to me HA! Not really a top priority with a 3 month old and 2 year old, but slowly I have started. I didn't want to invest more than $40 on the project since we will only be here a total of 2 years and any added value is basically lost. But since I have some free time, I am willing to invest that!
My mom helped me clear out a bed behind the garage. Of COURSE I forgot to take a before picture.
I also put an ad on Freecycle for perennials that people didn't need anymore and I got a bunch of Hostas, Sedum, Ferns, and a Bleeding Heart from a wonderful lady near by. (Are you on Freecycle? Because you should be!)
I will update when the project is finished
I know it has been months since I updated Home Sweet Homery, but I feel like I should start again. You know, being a Med School Wife is tough, and maybe someone out there needs to know they aren't alone.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Story of My Life
My friend Katie over at Don't Call Me Kate is doing a blogging challenge. Every day in May there is a topic to write about if you so dare. I thought, 'what the heck. I can at least try!'
So- here it goes. Day 1 from Story Of My Life's Blog Challenge
The story of your life in 250 words or less
I was born and raised in Michigan to extremely loving, supportive parents. Growing up I was home schooled, which to most means I was sheltered, but what it really means is I was involved in way more activities than the normal high school kid. I married my first boyfriend and we have 1 son. I love Jesus. I attended Bible School in upstate NY for 1 year. I am now the wife of a medical student and a stay-at-home-mom. My dream job.
Alarmingly short :)
So- here it goes. Day 1 from Story Of My Life's Blog Challenge
The story of your life in 250 words or less
I was born and raised in Michigan to extremely loving, supportive parents. Growing up I was home schooled, which to most means I was sheltered, but what it really means is I was involved in way more activities than the normal high school kid. I married my first boyfriend and we have 1 son. I love Jesus. I attended Bible School in upstate NY for 1 year. I am now the wife of a medical student and a stay-at-home-mom. My dream job.
Alarmingly short :)
Sunday, March 17, 2013
You Want Me to Memorize WHAT?
I just started taking a Bible Study by Beth Moore called "Mercy Triumphs". It is a study on the book of James.
Now I have been a Christian all my life, but after 1 weekly video and 2 homework sessions I am already thinking about who James was, who Jesus was to James, and how that influenced his writings (hint- a LOT.)
This particular Bible Study is more involved that anything I have done before. Now, it has been quite a long time since I was involved in a legitimate 'Bible Study'. Years, in fact. This study has steps of involvement, and I have decided to shoot for the top, because why not?! That means that in addition to watching the weekly videos, doing homework, and writing the book of James out, I plan on trying to memorize the book.
Hold the Phone. A whole book?
I am not writing this to say 'go me' or to promote myself in any way. The fact is that I have never really set out to memorize large passages of scripture before. I have always admired those who did, but it just seemed to daunting. But then we watched a small session encouraging us to try memorizing it as well- because the worst that could come of it is that you are focusing on scripture over and over, and that cannot be bad.
At first I totally wrote it off. it is a BOOK for crying out loud. But then I thought about my theater days. I used to memorize whole page-long monologues. Heck! I basically memorized entire Shakespearean plays by the end of a production, and surely this was infanitly more important than 'The Comedy of Errors'.
So tonight I started. I only got through 4 verses, but that is 4 verses more than I knew by heart yesterday. And it gave me such a rush! What a huge burst of excitement! So exciting, in fact, that I dusted off my weeks-neglected blog just to tell you about it.
You should try it. My process isn't really complicated. In fact, it took me about 15 minutes for those first 4 verses. But you and I both know that the implications are life changing.
1) Read the Verse several times to yourself
2) Try it without looking. Peek if you need to
3) When you are proficient, add another.
4) Repeat!
I am not usually one to write on this kind of thing. I generally feel that there are many more people with more Biblical knowledge than I have out there. But this is exciting. I have always admired those who can spout off whole passages of Scripture at the drop of a hat and wanted to be like that. But without the work, I will never have the results. So here goes nothing!
I encourage you to try it. Just spend a few minutes after your kiddos go to bed, or in the morning before they wake up if that is your thing. If you do, I would love to know! Or, if you have a technique that works, or a story about how God used memorizing Scripture in your life, please share!
Now I have been a Christian all my life, but after 1 weekly video and 2 homework sessions I am already thinking about who James was, who Jesus was to James, and how that influenced his writings (hint- a LOT.)
This particular Bible Study is more involved that anything I have done before. Now, it has been quite a long time since I was involved in a legitimate 'Bible Study'. Years, in fact. This study has steps of involvement, and I have decided to shoot for the top, because why not?! That means that in addition to watching the weekly videos, doing homework, and writing the book of James out, I plan on trying to memorize the book.
Hold the Phone. A whole book?
I am not writing this to say 'go me' or to promote myself in any way. The fact is that I have never really set out to memorize large passages of scripture before. I have always admired those who did, but it just seemed to daunting. But then we watched a small session encouraging us to try memorizing it as well- because the worst that could come of it is that you are focusing on scripture over and over, and that cannot be bad.
At first I totally wrote it off. it is a BOOK for crying out loud. But then I thought about my theater days. I used to memorize whole page-long monologues. Heck! I basically memorized entire Shakespearean plays by the end of a production, and surely this was infanitly more important than 'The Comedy of Errors'.
So tonight I started. I only got through 4 verses, but that is 4 verses more than I knew by heart yesterday. And it gave me such a rush! What a huge burst of excitement! So exciting, in fact, that I dusted off my weeks-neglected blog just to tell you about it.
You should try it. My process isn't really complicated. In fact, it took me about 15 minutes for those first 4 verses. But you and I both know that the implications are life changing.
1) Read the Verse several times to yourself
2) Try it without looking. Peek if you need to
3) When you are proficient, add another.
4) Repeat!
I am not usually one to write on this kind of thing. I generally feel that there are many more people with more Biblical knowledge than I have out there. But this is exciting. I have always admired those who can spout off whole passages of Scripture at the drop of a hat and wanted to be like that. But without the work, I will never have the results. So here goes nothing!
I encourage you to try it. Just spend a few minutes after your kiddos go to bed, or in the morning before they wake up if that is your thing. If you do, I would love to know! Or, if you have a technique that works, or a story about how God used memorizing Scripture in your life, please share!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Tutorial : How I Make Baby Food
Mr. Sweet has always been very interested in how nutrition affects our bodies and the relationship between food and health. We have both been challenged with alternate views on food, health, and the 'norm' when it comes to the American way of eating. Because of this, neither of us wanted to take the traditional approach to starting our kiddo on solids without thoroughly researching how, why, and when certain foods are given to babies. We were more than open to starting baby on rice cereal and strained pears if that is what research told us was best.
I had already decided that I would be willing to make Levi's baby food at home. It didn't seem time consuming, and we both valued that fact that we would know exactly what our little one was eating. Aside from that, we didn't really know where to start.
I want to make a note that we did look into baby-led weaning, which is very popular right now. While I didn't want to start Levi on solids before 7 months (6 adjusted) because I don't see a reason to start before then (the WHO recommends 6 months), I think he was really ready for some substantial food intake at 7 months. I wanted to make sure enough food was actually making it into his belly, rather than just smeared on his cute face. While he is 100% healthy, he is a little peanut of a baby and I wanted to make sure he had every nutritional opportunity to grow.
One day I was researching Pediatricians in our area that both hold an MD, as well as a more natural, holistic approach to health care. I came across a particular Dr. and was excited by what I read. This particular Pediatrician worked in a typical practice for many years until she eventually left and started researching the link between diet and various conditions that seem to be problems in American children. The most exciting part, for me, was when I found she had written a book on the issue. Super Nutrition for Babies, by Dr. Katherine Erlich, and Kelly Genzlinger, is a guide on how to feed your baby in a way that is safest for their growing digestive systems.
We have adopted the principals in this book and are really enjoying the process of introducing baby to new foods in a safe order. I am not prepared to do a full review right now, but the ideas she presents (cutting out hidden sugars, alternatives to off-the-shelf dairy, when to introduce meat, to name a few) make a lot of sense. This book seemed to come at a time when I felt lost with too much information. I had some basic ideas of how I wanted to introduce baby to solid foods, but I couldn't find a 'timeline' that wasn't based on the mainstream viewpoints that we decided weren't for us. This book lined up with all of our research and laid it out in practical timelines and recipes.
So- what does all that mean?
Well- in addition to being exclusively breast fed, at 8 months (7 months adjusted- Levi was 4 weeks early), baby has eaten pears, peaches, sweet potatoes, egg yolk, green beans, peas, carrots, chicken broth, and a few other fruits. This week he will start having meat. He hasn't had any rice, oatmeal, or grains, and we don't plan on introducing those until at least 1 year old.
I think that is the longest introduction of all time, because what this post REALLY is is a tutorial on how I make baby food! I don't do anything fancy, and I don't own any fancy tools. I simply cook veggies and puree them, but sometimes it is nice to see step-by-step how someone approaches things.This is really too simple. In fact, I felt a little silly taking pictures of peeled carrots and my food processor, but I figured if someone, somewhere, might benefit, then it would be worth it.
Today carrots are on the menu! Yum! I only use organic produce for baby food in an effort to make sure Levi is eating as few chemicals/pesticides as possible.
I had already decided that I would be willing to make Levi's baby food at home. It didn't seem time consuming, and we both valued that fact that we would know exactly what our little one was eating. Aside from that, we didn't really know where to start.
I want to make a note that we did look into baby-led weaning, which is very popular right now. While I didn't want to start Levi on solids before 7 months (6 adjusted) because I don't see a reason to start before then (the WHO recommends 6 months), I think he was really ready for some substantial food intake at 7 months. I wanted to make sure enough food was actually making it into his belly, rather than just smeared on his cute face. While he is 100% healthy, he is a little peanut of a baby and I wanted to make sure he had every nutritional opportunity to grow.
One day I was researching Pediatricians in our area that both hold an MD, as well as a more natural, holistic approach to health care. I came across a particular Dr. and was excited by what I read. This particular Pediatrician worked in a typical practice for many years until she eventually left and started researching the link between diet and various conditions that seem to be problems in American children. The most exciting part, for me, was when I found she had written a book on the issue. Super Nutrition for Babies, by Dr. Katherine Erlich, and Kelly Genzlinger, is a guide on how to feed your baby in a way that is safest for their growing digestive systems.
We have adopted the principals in this book and are really enjoying the process of introducing baby to new foods in a safe order. I am not prepared to do a full review right now, but the ideas she presents (cutting out hidden sugars, alternatives to off-the-shelf dairy, when to introduce meat, to name a few) make a lot of sense. This book seemed to come at a time when I felt lost with too much information. I had some basic ideas of how I wanted to introduce baby to solid foods, but I couldn't find a 'timeline' that wasn't based on the mainstream viewpoints that we decided weren't for us. This book lined up with all of our research and laid it out in practical timelines and recipes.
So- what does all that mean?
Well- in addition to being exclusively breast fed, at 8 months (7 months adjusted- Levi was 4 weeks early), baby has eaten pears, peaches, sweet potatoes, egg yolk, green beans, peas, carrots, chicken broth, and a few other fruits. This week he will start having meat. He hasn't had any rice, oatmeal, or grains, and we don't plan on introducing those until at least 1 year old.
I think that is the longest introduction of all time, because what this post REALLY is is a tutorial on how I make baby food! I don't do anything fancy, and I don't own any fancy tools. I simply cook veggies and puree them, but sometimes it is nice to see step-by-step how someone approaches things.This is really too simple. In fact, I felt a little silly taking pictures of peeled carrots and my food processor, but I figured if someone, somewhere, might benefit, then it would be worth it.
Today carrots are on the menu! Yum! I only use organic produce for baby food in an effort to make sure Levi is eating as few chemicals/pesticides as possible.
Wash carrots well and peel
 |
Check on audience to make sure all is well
I use a regular old sauce pan. The only other ingredient I use, other than the carrots, is homemade, unsalted chicken stock ('recipe' in my last blog post!). Since I will be boiling the carrots, I would rather they be boiled in nutrient-rich chicken stock than plain ol' water (and yes, I realize my stock is cloudy. It is still perfectly good, I just let it get to a boil instead of keeping it below a simmer and it went all cloudy on me!)
Chop the carrots into equal sized pieces
Add carrots to stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of your carrot bits. You want the carrots to be very soft.
Strain your carrots over a bowl to save the stock. Honestly, using 1 qt. of stock, I barely had any left over. But what I did have I used to thin the carrots if they needed it, thus adding back any nutrients that 'escaped'!
Next, I put the soft carrots into my plain, boring, run-of-the-mill food processor. I DO have pictures of this step, but Blogger seemed to not want to have my image displayed vertically, so I opted for no picture in lieu of a sideways food processor with orange puree inside.
Puree until there are no chunks, adding stock if necessary, to thin
Puree until there are no chunks, adding stock if necessary, to thin
I tend to make my purees a little thicker as I would rather thin them on a meal-by-meal basis. Depending on the consistency of the puree, I do one of two things to store them. I either pour the puree into an ice cube tray (we bought a stainless steel one, like this, to avoid plastic), or, if it is thick enough, you can scoop the puree. I use a mini ice cream scoop- about 1" diameter, like this.
This picture also came out horizontal, but it is less obvious than a food processor!
Here are my neat little balls of carrot puree. I cover a small cutting board with foil, pop these in the freezer for an hour or so, and then put the individual balls into a gallon sized zip lock bag which I store in the freezer. I like the size of these because I can gague how much baby is eating this way. At 8 months, Levi eats about 4 'balls', 2 each of 2 different fruits/veg.
Here are my neat little balls of carrot puree. I cover a small cutting board with foil, pop these in the freezer for an hour or so, and then put the individual balls into a gallon sized zip lock bag which I store in the freezer. I like the size of these because I can gague how much baby is eating this way. At 8 months, Levi eats about 4 'balls', 2 each of 2 different fruits/veg.
Eat up, baby!
~ Do you make your own baby food? Why or why not?
~ Are there specific resources that helped you in your quest for baby nutrition?
~ Do you have any tips to make the process of keeping and storing baby food easier?
I would love to hear about them!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Stretching Chicken
Or- how I make a Chicken last for 3+ meals.
Right now, it is just Mr. Sweet and I eating 'real' food. The baby is still only really eating banana, avocado, sweet potato, carrots, etc..
It is really nice when I can make something that will allow for leftovers. The problem is that Mr. Sweet is not really a 'leftover' kind of guy in the traditional sense. BUT, if I can change up the leftovers into someone new and exciting, well then! Now we are talking!
Right now we don't have a farm-source for free range, organic chicken. We would love to, but for now Whole Foods is our go-to place. It is SO much cheaper to buy a whole chicken than chicken breasts, and I like the flavor so much better. Don't get me wrong- there really isn't anything 'cheap' about free-range, organic chicken, but they are raised sans GMO's, and in our house that is worth the extra expense.
Making a chicken last 3 meals is pretty easy, and goes something like this:
Meal 1) Roasted Chicken
Meal 2) Casserole/Tacos/ something with chicken as an ingredient
Meal 3) Chicken Soup
This might be common knowledge to you, but I am new to this game. In the past I could afford boneless, skinless chicken breasts for every meal because I was buying my chicken breast for $1.99 a pound. The free range chicken breast at Whole Foods, however, are about $9.00 a pound. Holy Hannah! So I had to change up my game plan.
In these recipes (more like guidelines) I think it is important to buy quality chicken because you are squeezing every last nutrient and mineral out of that sucker!
Day 1- Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
1 Free Range, Organic Chicken
1 Lemon
1 bunch Parsley
1 bulb Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
3 Baking Potatoes
1) Rinse and pat your chicken dry. I hate doing this- I think it is messy and gross, but you have to do what you have to do.
2) Rub Mrs. Chicken down, inside and out, with a good tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle her with salt
3) Cut the top and bottom off the bulb of garlic, exposing the ends of the cloves. Put that in the chicken's cavity, as well as the parsley. Squeeze the lemon into the cavity and put the rinds in there too.
4) Cut the potatoes lengthwise into about 8 sections. Drizzle with a tiny but of olive oil so they don't dry out.
5) Place Mrs. Chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up, and put the potatoes in a single layer around her.
6) Bake at 375 for about 1 hour and 15 minuets. This will all depend on the size of your chicken. A good test is when you cut between the breast and the thigh, the juices run clear.
7) Eat because you have just create chicken and potato magic! The potatoes get golden brown in the juices of the chicken, and the garlic, parsley, and lemon inside the cavity give the meat a wonderful flavor.
We both eat as much roasted chicken as we can and have plenty for 2 more meals. After dinner, pick all the rest of the meat of of the bones and divide into two portions. Set aside in the fridge about 1 cup for Meal 3, and the rest for Meal 2. Put the carcass into the fridge for the next day (or start the stock now!)
Day 2 - Chicken Casserole / Tacos / etc, and start the Chicken Stock
Day 2 is pretty much for any recipe that uses already cooked chicken. We usually use Day 2's chicken on top of a big salad for dinner. In addition to making dinner for this evening, I start my stock, which I make in a crock pot. You can also add in any chicken bones from other meals you may have had. I keep a gallon sized zip lock bag in my freezer and add to it when I can.
Crock Pot Stock:
1 Chicken, picked clean
2 Tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Water
1) Put the chicken in a crock pot. I usually start this around noon or so
2) Add the vinegar and cover with as much water as possible
3) Set on low and leave for 24 hours
EASY!
Day 3- Chicken Soup
Okay- so now you have a crock pot full of Chicken Stock all ready to go and using only leftovers! I strain it into a pot using a fine mesh sieve and throw away the bones. I have been told you can re-use these bones and make another pot of stock, but I haven't tried that before.
Because there is only 2 of us eating, I pour some stock into a large mason jar to keep in the fridge for other recipes, instead of making soup of all of the stock.
Chicken and Rice Soup:
3/4 recipe of Crock Pot Stock
1 cup reserved chicken
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
1) Boil rice in 2 cups of water until almost cooked. Drain
2) Boil the carrots and celery in the stock until tender
3) Add drained rice and chicken
4) Simmer another 5-10 minutes until rice is fully cooked
5) Season with salt and pepper. The original stock does not have any salt, so we usually use quite a bit to get the taste correct.
I like to serve this with homemade no-knead bread. I will post that recipe next week.
There you go! 3 days of different meals with 1 chicken! Next time I will have pictures... I swear!
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Exciting Beginning
The things I do everyday are a little monotonous for me. Don't get me wrong, I love staying at home. But I think every stay at home mom gets this way. I feel like I just wake up, play with baby, eat something, he takes a nap, rinse, repeat 2 more times. But I know that some of the activities that fill my day, and the reasons why we chose to do them, are not quite the norm.
I thought it was a good time to record my daily events and the things that keep me busy. I should have started doing this when baby was born because I know I will want to remember milestones and processes for my next baby, or to help answer others' questions. Unfortunately, I am just starting to feel like I could keep up with a blog.
I am really not a writer. In fact, I kind of hate it. I love the idea of sitting down at the computer, filling up pages of information and facts and tutorials... but the answer is that I only can stand it for a few minutes. What I LOVE doing, though, is answering questions. So I think I will try to ask myself some questions that I think others may be interested in knowing about (and myself in a few years!) and answer them. Maybe things like "Why do you cloth diaper", or "How do you make dairy free quiche" or "Why don't you feed your baby any grains". If you have any questions you would like me to answer, I would love to!
I thought it was a good time to record my daily events and the things that keep me busy. I should have started doing this when baby was born because I know I will want to remember milestones and processes for my next baby, or to help answer others' questions. Unfortunately, I am just starting to feel like I could keep up with a blog.
I am really not a writer. In fact, I kind of hate it. I love the idea of sitting down at the computer, filling up pages of information and facts and tutorials... but the answer is that I only can stand it for a few minutes. What I LOVE doing, though, is answering questions. So I think I will try to ask myself some questions that I think others may be interested in knowing about (and myself in a few years!) and answer them. Maybe things like "Why do you cloth diaper", or "How do you make dairy free quiche" or "Why don't you feed your baby any grains". If you have any questions you would like me to answer, I would love to!
I like to feel helpful :)
I chose the name Home Sweet Homery because, well, I stay at home and our last name is Sweet. I don't think that the word 'Homery' is technically a word at all. I would imagine that if it had a meaning it would be something like "the art of home," which is what I do. I create home for my family.
Okay- so a little about me. I live in Michigan and have been married to Mr. Awesome.. I mean Mr. Sweet, for almost 5 years. We have a little baby boy who will be 1 in June. Mr. Sweet is in medical school and he has a long way to go... like 3.5 years of school and at least 5 of residency. We have a long road ahead of us, but we are up to the challenge!
We have chosen to try to live a more simple, clean lifestyle for our son, and any babies to follow. We don't eat GMOs at home, we try to stick to organic, we don't watch much TV (and none in front of our son), we plan on homeschooling, etc.
Oh, and the most important thing- We love Jesus.
We have chosen to try to live a more simple, clean lifestyle for our son, and any babies to follow. We don't eat GMOs at home, we try to stick to organic, we don't watch much TV (and none in front of our son), we plan on homeschooling, etc.
Oh, and the most important thing- We love Jesus.
I think that's about it. The quintessential "why I blog" post. But you have to start somewhere.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Levi's Birth (Archive)
On Friday, June 23rd, Erik left for Mexico. We had talked about
whether he should go since I would be 36 weeks pregnant at the time.
Actually, I had initially said no because the thought of being so big
and uncomfortable while being alone was too much for me. But he had been
spending a lot of time in MI, trying to prepare for our upcoming move
for Med School, so I had gotten used to the idea. We prayed about
whether he should go- and so did our best friends, Bill and Amber. All
of us felt at peace with him going on the mission’s trip with our
church. So, he packed his bags and headed out on Friday night.
Erik and I had talked about what would happen if I went into labor, but hadn’t made any real plans because we knew the chances were so slim that it wouldn’t happen. The previous Sunday, though, I had asked my friend Genevieve if she would be on ‘Labor Call’ for me while Erik was away for a week. I think my exact words were “I know there is almost no chance that I will go into labor, but I should probably have someone.. just in case.” We were just SO sure nothing would happen.
I started taking Lamaze classes with Erik a few weeks prior. I wanted a natural birth with Erik as my birth partner. We had picked out a birthing center in Michigan that we both loved- they don’t even allow Pitocin or epidurals in the area; you have to go to the main hospital’s labor and delivery unit for that. We learned a lot from the class, and every once in a while the instructor would throw in something about how the local hospitals in Rochester, NY did things, with a side note of “but you won’t have to worry about that because you will be in that great birthing center in Michigan!”
The plan was that Erik would get back from Mexico on July 1st, and on July 4th we would move to Michigan where I would have the baby 3 weeks later- we assumed a few days after my July 21st due date. Oh, how wrong.
June 25th was a Monday morning. I had tossed and turned all night because of my uncomfortable pregnant belly. My alarm usually went off at 6:30am for work. I was glad to work this week- it would be my last week of work before my maternity leave would start. I rolled over in bed to look at the clock when I felt a wet, warm gush. My first thought was “Oh dear Lord- please let that be pee.” My heart rate got a little faster, but I didn’t move. It was 6:00am, and I knew that as soon as I stirred too much my dog would want to go outside. After I decided I had no choice but to make it to the bathroom, I sat up and felt more warm water- confirmation that I hadn’t had an accident in bed. God had mercy on me as I waddled to the bathroom because my dog was cool as a cucumber. Actually, I was also abnormally calm for something like that. I tried to clean myself up a little and called my mom in Michigan. I told her not to panic, but that my water had broken. I would either be on bed rest for a while, or have a baby very soon, but either way, it would probably be a good idea for her to head on over to NY if at all possible.
(What I didn’t know at the time was that my mom had been laid off the previous Friday- but only for 2 weeks as they called her after a few days and asked if she could come back. Basically, work had given her 2 weeks off to help me! God is awesome!)
After I knew my mom was on her way, I called my friend Katie. I knew Gen would be more than willing to take me to the hospital, but I felt bad- she had 2 little ones under 3 years old and it was before 6:30am! Katie didn’t answer, and I stupidly left a fairly cryptic voice mail about my water being broken. Next I called Amber who had recently moved to Virginia. She answered the phone and I said “Where were you when YOUR water broke?” You have to lighten the mood somehow! Amber convinced me that having my water break while my husband is in Mexico is considered an emergency worth ‘bothering’ Genevieve for (smart woman) so I called Gen.
All this time (now about 6:45am) I had been praying and hoping that I could go to the hospital, make sure that the baby was okay, and they would send me home to rest for a week or two, allowing Erik plenty of time to get home. I realize now how silly that is, but though I was only 36 weeks pregnant, I hadn’t felt any contractions at all, so I was hopeful.
Gen was more than willing to take me to the hospital, and was such a saint about it. She didn’t have a sitter, but she could bring her kids along. She asked me if I would want to wait a few hours, or go soon, reminding me that when I entered the hospital, I probably wouldn’t be leaving pregnant! Under normal circumstances, I would have wanted to stay home as long as possible, but given that I was pre-term (37 weeks is considered full) and I hadn’t felt the baby kicking, I wanted to go sooner rather than later. She said she could be at my apartment at 8:30am, giving me time to have my neighbor get the dog, and for me to pack a hospital bag (I was SO unprepared!!!).
We got to the hospital and I was brought to triage and put on a heart rate monitor for the baby. Baby was doing fine. I asked the nurse if I would be able to go home and be on bed rest and she laughed a little and said “no, you are having a baby today!” I was so disheartened. I wasn’t having contractions, so I knew that meant that I would be induced. The nurse said they were super concerned about the risk of infection so I would need to have the baby as soon as possible. Then the nurse and two resident doctors came to talk to me. One was very peppy and spoke to me like I was 5. She said “Now we need to check to make sure you broke your bag of waters!” I said “well, that is why I came in- I know I did.” She said “Yes, but the Gold Star Standard says that we need 3 forms of verification to confirm, so we will do an internal exam to test.” I said “I know my water broke, so why would you give me an internal exam? Isn’t that counterintuitive to keeping infection out?” She said “Well, we need to follow the gold star standard!” Then, in unison, the nurse and 2 residents said “Everything is VERY sterile!”
The resident confirmed that, “when you do something, you do it well! Looks like you broke your bag of waters!!” which I knew. But she also said that I was 2 cm dilated. I asked her what came next and she said that they would put me on a monitor, move me to a room, and give me Pitocin. I asked if they could hold off on the Pitocin and she said I would have to talk to the attending dr. in the labor room.
I got to the labor room and met my nurse for the day, Joanne. It turns out nurses can be saints- because Joanne was so reassuring and totally made me feel like she was on my side. I asked if, since the baby’s heart rate was steady , I could be put intermittently monitored, instead of having a heart rate monitor attached to me. She said that I could definitely be monitored every 30 min instead, but if the baby’s heart rate dropped, I would need constant monitoring. Sounded good to me. Joanne also told me that the Dr. from my practice that was on staff was Dr. Morningstar. Ugh. I had heard from 2 close sources that she was NOT the dr. to have. I hadn’t met her, but she was not in the hospital yet, only giving direction by phone.
Gen came in and brought me lunch. I had some mild random contractions. They were easily talked through and would come sporadically; every 5 min, 20 min, 8 min, 40 min. I was also trying to contact Erik at the same time. I emailed him with every update all day long. My biggest reassurance was a text I got from Sue, the Church administrator. She said she had gotten a hold of the head missionary at the base in Mexico and that Erik wouldn’t be able to be contacted until he got back at around 11pm. But that as soon as he was back Erik would know that my water broke and to come home. PHEW!
Around 2pm my mom got to the hospital and Gen was able to go home. It turns out my mom was so focused on getting to NY that she ordered coffee at Tim Hortons on her way, paid, and drove off without it. She didn’t even notice until 45 minutes later!
At 4pm Joanne came to talk to us. I hadn’t been checked again since they didn’t want to introduce infection. She said that since I hadn’t started contracting naturally in any sort of pattern, that Dr. Morningstar wanted to have me start Pitocin at 6pm. She said that if labor doesn’t start within 12 hours of your water being broken, then the chances are almost none that it would start on its own after that. I so desperately didn’t want medical intervention. We knew from the half-hourly temperature and heart rate checks that I didn’t have an infection, and the baby was doing perfectly fine. I asked Joanne if there was any way to wait – even until morning. That way, I could get a good night’s sleep and be rested (and Erik would have been contacted by then!). She said that sounded like a really fair compromise and she left to ask the Dr. about it.
She came back after about a half hour and said that Dr. Morningstar’s compromise was that we start Pitocin at 8pm. Ha! An extra 2 hours? My mom asked “respectfully speaking, what if we say no? what if she just refuses Pitocin?” Joanne laughed and said “well, the Dr. wouldn’t be happy.” My mom said , “Uh, so?. Haha. Joanne said that she agreed! As long as the baby was safe, it is MY body- and I shouldn’t do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. She then said that she had offered another compromise to Dr. Morningstar. Joanne had suggested Cervidil.
Cervidil is a drug that is used to ripen your cervix and get you started with dilation. She said it would be placed inside me and left there overnight. Here is the sneaky catch- since I was already 2cm as of that morning, Cervidil probably wouldn’t have any effect. The only thing it would do is keep the Dr.’s away from me until the morning since I couldn’t be checked for 12 hours. Very sneaky, Joanne!
The problem I had with that is that it was still medical intervention, which meant I would need to have a monitor on me constantly. That, mixed with my belief that medical intervention just leads to more medical intervention, still made me Leary. Joanne said we could wait until 8pm to decide. The thing I also had trouble with is that as soon as I got to the hospital I had decided that since Erik wasn’t there as my birth partner, any medical intervention I needed, like REALLY needed mentally, I would allow myself. I just wasn’t there quite yet. I still wanted to do things as naturally as possible- both so I could even talk to Erik on the phone before things progressed too far, and because I didn’t like the possible effects on the baby.
8pm came and I had talked to my mom for hours about which choice to make. I still hadn’t decided when someone knocked on the door. It was a Dr. I hadn’t met, Dr. Amman, and my nurse Joanne. Dr. Amman came in and sat down at the end of the bed. I still hadn’t really had contractions and I was scared of the possible outcome of our conversation. Dr. Amman, it turns out was from Ghana. She started out by saying this (in her awesome Ghana accent),
“I hear your husband is in Mexico and you have a choice to make about drugs. I can imagine that you want him here more than anything. Let me tell you a story woman to woman, not dr. to woman. I was 36 weeks pregnant and was in Ghana. My husband was living in NYC. My water broke and I didn’t tell anyone- I booked a plan ticket that day and flew 11 hours to NYC to be with my husband! Looking back? That was stupid! But I know what it is like to face this without your husband. My recommendation is to take the Cervidil.”
And that was all I needed- just to know that while my baby is doing fine, there could be infection. There is a Dr. recommended path from this point. BUT we are all human and someone understood my position. Phew!
Dr. Amman came in to do the internal exam and administer the Cervidil, which is placed directly on the cervix. She went to put it in, looked up, looked at Joanne and laughed. “She is 5 cm dilated!” She gave Joanne a peace sign and said “She is like this!! This far!!” Then Dr. Amman stood up and threw the medicine in the trash. “There goes $200 in medicine that isn’t needed!” Because I was already progressing, that is all they needed. My body was doing what it was supposed to- only it was doing it sneakily and with almost no contractions!
From that point, 8pm, my contractions started to become more patterned and regular. They also intensified, but during the majority of the time I didn’t feel at all overwhelmed. I tried all the techniques that I learned in Lamaze class, but nothing I thought would help seemed to. My best way to cope was to tiptoe around the room with a ice cold cloth around my neck and listen to Worship music really loudly on Pandora. At around 10pm I had my mom run a cool bath. I had heard lots of women say that a bath with jets took the edge off the pain. I think in my mind it was the end-all-be-all of pain management before medicine. I never did get in that tub. It would have meant there were no other pain management options within my reach. It just sat there while I tiptoed around the room and the halls.
At about 10:30pm Dr. Amman asked if I wanted to be checked again. I hesitantly said yes as that would mean laying on my back on the bed while she examined me. I waited until the end of a contraction and jumped on the bed. She joyfully said I was 8cm!! I was shocked. While my contractions were bad, they weren’t unmanageable. Don’t get me wrong- they hurt a lot and took all my concentration, but I didn’t feel out of control of my body.
Well that was it- I think having Dr. Amman check me was the last thing my body needed to push me over the edge. The contractions got super intense. At one point I felt one coming on and knew it was going to be bad. I ran out of the room to the hall and used the bar in the hallway to hold myself up. I think I just needed to feel some control. If I couldn’t control this contraction, I could control my surroundings!! That is when I told Joanne that I needed to push. “Don’t push in the hall!!” she said. I told her I wanted to squat and push and she put a bar at the end of the bed for me to lean on and called the Dr.’s in. After a bit of confusion over how exactly I was supposed to get in that bed, and where the bar went (the bar was at the very end and I sat at the very edge of the end of the bed leaning on the bar for support) I got on. Dr. Amman walked in and over to me and told me to push. The pain was so intense- but it was also totally different than earlier. I had a mission. I pushed and groaned deep and loudly (I was actually a little concerned I was too loud for the hospital). Dr. Amman and Joanne yelled “STOP!!!!” Apparently my push had done its job! They weren’t expecting the baby to crown with one push! Dr. Morningstar was also in the room and Joanne, Dr. Amman, and Dr. Morningstar all ran to the corner of the room in a giddy excitement to put gloves and gowns on.
During that few seconds I had another contraction but knew I wasn’t supposed to push. To try to stop myself, I bit my hand to let out some of the stress my body was feeling. Joanne grabbed my hand and said “No! Don’t do that!” I felt totally out of control for about 10 seconds (10 REALLY long seconds). I felt like the room was spinning and I was on drugs. My head felt like it was bobbing around and I caught a hold of my arm and started to bite it too. I know is sounds so strange- but I totally understand the idea of giving someone something to bite when they are in pain. My mom grabbed my arm away, and I asked Joanne for something to bite down. I didn’t know how else to deal with the urge to push when I wasn’t allowed to push! Dr. Amman was back in place, though, and Joanne looked me in the eye about 5 inches from my face “Don’t bite- push now- push HARD!” I pushed as hard as I could and looked down and saw the baby fall into Dr. Amman’s hands.
He was perfect. I saw he was a boy before anyone needed to tell me. They put him on my stomach and All I could say was “he is beautiful! Oh my! He is so beautiful! Oh mom! Look how beautiful!” What an incredible thing. 4 weeks early and totally perfect. He needed nothing. In 2 pushes he came into the world at10:50pm on June25th weighing 5lbs 14oz and totally healthy.
40 minutes later I got a phone call from Mexico. Erik’s voice was the best thing I could have heard. “How are you feeling??” I said “Erik! You are a daddy!!”. ‘What?? What did you say!!??” he said. “you are a daddy!” I could hear him pause and get on the phone again all choked up. The last thing anyone in Mexico had heard was that at 6am I went into labor so he had no idea I had progressed beyond that. I asked him if he wanted to know if he had a boy or girl or if he wanted to wait. He wanted to wait to find out in person and meet his child.
For 2 days I kept the gender a secret from everyone but my mom while Erik journeyed. We hadn’t decided on a boy’s name so “baby Sweet” was unnamed until June 27th when Erik met his son.
Levi Daniel has stolen our hearts. Looking back, I truly feel my labor was so relatively easy because of all those praying for my peace and delivery while Erik was away. I was calm, cool, and collected in a way that is not in my nature. God is so good to us when we need Him.
Erik and I had talked about what would happen if I went into labor, but hadn’t made any real plans because we knew the chances were so slim that it wouldn’t happen. The previous Sunday, though, I had asked my friend Genevieve if she would be on ‘Labor Call’ for me while Erik was away for a week. I think my exact words were “I know there is almost no chance that I will go into labor, but I should probably have someone.. just in case.” We were just SO sure nothing would happen.
I started taking Lamaze classes with Erik a few weeks prior. I wanted a natural birth with Erik as my birth partner. We had picked out a birthing center in Michigan that we both loved- they don’t even allow Pitocin or epidurals in the area; you have to go to the main hospital’s labor and delivery unit for that. We learned a lot from the class, and every once in a while the instructor would throw in something about how the local hospitals in Rochester, NY did things, with a side note of “but you won’t have to worry about that because you will be in that great birthing center in Michigan!”
The plan was that Erik would get back from Mexico on July 1st, and on July 4th we would move to Michigan where I would have the baby 3 weeks later- we assumed a few days after my July 21st due date. Oh, how wrong.
June 25th was a Monday morning. I had tossed and turned all night because of my uncomfortable pregnant belly. My alarm usually went off at 6:30am for work. I was glad to work this week- it would be my last week of work before my maternity leave would start. I rolled over in bed to look at the clock when I felt a wet, warm gush. My first thought was “Oh dear Lord- please let that be pee.” My heart rate got a little faster, but I didn’t move. It was 6:00am, and I knew that as soon as I stirred too much my dog would want to go outside. After I decided I had no choice but to make it to the bathroom, I sat up and felt more warm water- confirmation that I hadn’t had an accident in bed. God had mercy on me as I waddled to the bathroom because my dog was cool as a cucumber. Actually, I was also abnormally calm for something like that. I tried to clean myself up a little and called my mom in Michigan. I told her not to panic, but that my water had broken. I would either be on bed rest for a while, or have a baby very soon, but either way, it would probably be a good idea for her to head on over to NY if at all possible.
(What I didn’t know at the time was that my mom had been laid off the previous Friday- but only for 2 weeks as they called her after a few days and asked if she could come back. Basically, work had given her 2 weeks off to help me! God is awesome!)
After I knew my mom was on her way, I called my friend Katie. I knew Gen would be more than willing to take me to the hospital, but I felt bad- she had 2 little ones under 3 years old and it was before 6:30am! Katie didn’t answer, and I stupidly left a fairly cryptic voice mail about my water being broken. Next I called Amber who had recently moved to Virginia. She answered the phone and I said “Where were you when YOUR water broke?” You have to lighten the mood somehow! Amber convinced me that having my water break while my husband is in Mexico is considered an emergency worth ‘bothering’ Genevieve for (smart woman) so I called Gen.
All this time (now about 6:45am) I had been praying and hoping that I could go to the hospital, make sure that the baby was okay, and they would send me home to rest for a week or two, allowing Erik plenty of time to get home. I realize now how silly that is, but though I was only 36 weeks pregnant, I hadn’t felt any contractions at all, so I was hopeful.
Gen was more than willing to take me to the hospital, and was such a saint about it. She didn’t have a sitter, but she could bring her kids along. She asked me if I would want to wait a few hours, or go soon, reminding me that when I entered the hospital, I probably wouldn’t be leaving pregnant! Under normal circumstances, I would have wanted to stay home as long as possible, but given that I was pre-term (37 weeks is considered full) and I hadn’t felt the baby kicking, I wanted to go sooner rather than later. She said she could be at my apartment at 8:30am, giving me time to have my neighbor get the dog, and for me to pack a hospital bag (I was SO unprepared!!!).
We got to the hospital and I was brought to triage and put on a heart rate monitor for the baby. Baby was doing fine. I asked the nurse if I would be able to go home and be on bed rest and she laughed a little and said “no, you are having a baby today!” I was so disheartened. I wasn’t having contractions, so I knew that meant that I would be induced. The nurse said they were super concerned about the risk of infection so I would need to have the baby as soon as possible. Then the nurse and two resident doctors came to talk to me. One was very peppy and spoke to me like I was 5. She said “Now we need to check to make sure you broke your bag of waters!” I said “well, that is why I came in- I know I did.” She said “Yes, but the Gold Star Standard says that we need 3 forms of verification to confirm, so we will do an internal exam to test.” I said “I know my water broke, so why would you give me an internal exam? Isn’t that counterintuitive to keeping infection out?” She said “Well, we need to follow the gold star standard!” Then, in unison, the nurse and 2 residents said “Everything is VERY sterile!”
The resident confirmed that, “when you do something, you do it well! Looks like you broke your bag of waters!!” which I knew. But she also said that I was 2 cm dilated. I asked her what came next and she said that they would put me on a monitor, move me to a room, and give me Pitocin. I asked if they could hold off on the Pitocin and she said I would have to talk to the attending dr. in the labor room.
I got to the labor room and met my nurse for the day, Joanne. It turns out nurses can be saints- because Joanne was so reassuring and totally made me feel like she was on my side. I asked if, since the baby’s heart rate was steady , I could be put intermittently monitored, instead of having a heart rate monitor attached to me. She said that I could definitely be monitored every 30 min instead, but if the baby’s heart rate dropped, I would need constant monitoring. Sounded good to me. Joanne also told me that the Dr. from my practice that was on staff was Dr. Morningstar. Ugh. I had heard from 2 close sources that she was NOT the dr. to have. I hadn’t met her, but she was not in the hospital yet, only giving direction by phone.
Gen came in and brought me lunch. I had some mild random contractions. They were easily talked through and would come sporadically; every 5 min, 20 min, 8 min, 40 min. I was also trying to contact Erik at the same time. I emailed him with every update all day long. My biggest reassurance was a text I got from Sue, the Church administrator. She said she had gotten a hold of the head missionary at the base in Mexico and that Erik wouldn’t be able to be contacted until he got back at around 11pm. But that as soon as he was back Erik would know that my water broke and to come home. PHEW!
Around 2pm my mom got to the hospital and Gen was able to go home. It turns out my mom was so focused on getting to NY that she ordered coffee at Tim Hortons on her way, paid, and drove off without it. She didn’t even notice until 45 minutes later!
At 4pm Joanne came to talk to us. I hadn’t been checked again since they didn’t want to introduce infection. She said that since I hadn’t started contracting naturally in any sort of pattern, that Dr. Morningstar wanted to have me start Pitocin at 6pm. She said that if labor doesn’t start within 12 hours of your water being broken, then the chances are almost none that it would start on its own after that. I so desperately didn’t want medical intervention. We knew from the half-hourly temperature and heart rate checks that I didn’t have an infection, and the baby was doing perfectly fine. I asked Joanne if there was any way to wait – even until morning. That way, I could get a good night’s sleep and be rested (and Erik would have been contacted by then!). She said that sounded like a really fair compromise and she left to ask the Dr. about it.
She came back after about a half hour and said that Dr. Morningstar’s compromise was that we start Pitocin at 8pm. Ha! An extra 2 hours? My mom asked “respectfully speaking, what if we say no? what if she just refuses Pitocin?” Joanne laughed and said “well, the Dr. wouldn’t be happy.” My mom said , “Uh, so?. Haha. Joanne said that she agreed! As long as the baby was safe, it is MY body- and I shouldn’t do anything I wasn’t comfortable with. She then said that she had offered another compromise to Dr. Morningstar. Joanne had suggested Cervidil.
Cervidil is a drug that is used to ripen your cervix and get you started with dilation. She said it would be placed inside me and left there overnight. Here is the sneaky catch- since I was already 2cm as of that morning, Cervidil probably wouldn’t have any effect. The only thing it would do is keep the Dr.’s away from me until the morning since I couldn’t be checked for 12 hours. Very sneaky, Joanne!
The problem I had with that is that it was still medical intervention, which meant I would need to have a monitor on me constantly. That, mixed with my belief that medical intervention just leads to more medical intervention, still made me Leary. Joanne said we could wait until 8pm to decide. The thing I also had trouble with is that as soon as I got to the hospital I had decided that since Erik wasn’t there as my birth partner, any medical intervention I needed, like REALLY needed mentally, I would allow myself. I just wasn’t there quite yet. I still wanted to do things as naturally as possible- both so I could even talk to Erik on the phone before things progressed too far, and because I didn’t like the possible effects on the baby.
8pm came and I had talked to my mom for hours about which choice to make. I still hadn’t decided when someone knocked on the door. It was a Dr. I hadn’t met, Dr. Amman, and my nurse Joanne. Dr. Amman came in and sat down at the end of the bed. I still hadn’t really had contractions and I was scared of the possible outcome of our conversation. Dr. Amman, it turns out was from Ghana. She started out by saying this (in her awesome Ghana accent),
“I hear your husband is in Mexico and you have a choice to make about drugs. I can imagine that you want him here more than anything. Let me tell you a story woman to woman, not dr. to woman. I was 36 weeks pregnant and was in Ghana. My husband was living in NYC. My water broke and I didn’t tell anyone- I booked a plan ticket that day and flew 11 hours to NYC to be with my husband! Looking back? That was stupid! But I know what it is like to face this without your husband. My recommendation is to take the Cervidil.”
And that was all I needed- just to know that while my baby is doing fine, there could be infection. There is a Dr. recommended path from this point. BUT we are all human and someone understood my position. Phew!
Dr. Amman came in to do the internal exam and administer the Cervidil, which is placed directly on the cervix. She went to put it in, looked up, looked at Joanne and laughed. “She is 5 cm dilated!” She gave Joanne a peace sign and said “She is like this!! This far!!” Then Dr. Amman stood up and threw the medicine in the trash. “There goes $200 in medicine that isn’t needed!” Because I was already progressing, that is all they needed. My body was doing what it was supposed to- only it was doing it sneakily and with almost no contractions!
From that point, 8pm, my contractions started to become more patterned and regular. They also intensified, but during the majority of the time I didn’t feel at all overwhelmed. I tried all the techniques that I learned in Lamaze class, but nothing I thought would help seemed to. My best way to cope was to tiptoe around the room with a ice cold cloth around my neck and listen to Worship music really loudly on Pandora. At around 10pm I had my mom run a cool bath. I had heard lots of women say that a bath with jets took the edge off the pain. I think in my mind it was the end-all-be-all of pain management before medicine. I never did get in that tub. It would have meant there were no other pain management options within my reach. It just sat there while I tiptoed around the room and the halls.
At about 10:30pm Dr. Amman asked if I wanted to be checked again. I hesitantly said yes as that would mean laying on my back on the bed while she examined me. I waited until the end of a contraction and jumped on the bed. She joyfully said I was 8cm!! I was shocked. While my contractions were bad, they weren’t unmanageable. Don’t get me wrong- they hurt a lot and took all my concentration, but I didn’t feel out of control of my body.
Well that was it- I think having Dr. Amman check me was the last thing my body needed to push me over the edge. The contractions got super intense. At one point I felt one coming on and knew it was going to be bad. I ran out of the room to the hall and used the bar in the hallway to hold myself up. I think I just needed to feel some control. If I couldn’t control this contraction, I could control my surroundings!! That is when I told Joanne that I needed to push. “Don’t push in the hall!!” she said. I told her I wanted to squat and push and she put a bar at the end of the bed for me to lean on and called the Dr.’s in. After a bit of confusion over how exactly I was supposed to get in that bed, and where the bar went (the bar was at the very end and I sat at the very edge of the end of the bed leaning on the bar for support) I got on. Dr. Amman walked in and over to me and told me to push. The pain was so intense- but it was also totally different than earlier. I had a mission. I pushed and groaned deep and loudly (I was actually a little concerned I was too loud for the hospital). Dr. Amman and Joanne yelled “STOP!!!!” Apparently my push had done its job! They weren’t expecting the baby to crown with one push! Dr. Morningstar was also in the room and Joanne, Dr. Amman, and Dr. Morningstar all ran to the corner of the room in a giddy excitement to put gloves and gowns on.
During that few seconds I had another contraction but knew I wasn’t supposed to push. To try to stop myself, I bit my hand to let out some of the stress my body was feeling. Joanne grabbed my hand and said “No! Don’t do that!” I felt totally out of control for about 10 seconds (10 REALLY long seconds). I felt like the room was spinning and I was on drugs. My head felt like it was bobbing around and I caught a hold of my arm and started to bite it too. I know is sounds so strange- but I totally understand the idea of giving someone something to bite when they are in pain. My mom grabbed my arm away, and I asked Joanne for something to bite down. I didn’t know how else to deal with the urge to push when I wasn’t allowed to push! Dr. Amman was back in place, though, and Joanne looked me in the eye about 5 inches from my face “Don’t bite- push now- push HARD!” I pushed as hard as I could and looked down and saw the baby fall into Dr. Amman’s hands.
He was perfect. I saw he was a boy before anyone needed to tell me. They put him on my stomach and All I could say was “he is beautiful! Oh my! He is so beautiful! Oh mom! Look how beautiful!” What an incredible thing. 4 weeks early and totally perfect. He needed nothing. In 2 pushes he came into the world at10:50pm on June25th weighing 5lbs 14oz and totally healthy.
40 minutes later I got a phone call from Mexico. Erik’s voice was the best thing I could have heard. “How are you feeling??” I said “Erik! You are a daddy!!”. ‘What?? What did you say!!??” he said. “you are a daddy!” I could hear him pause and get on the phone again all choked up. The last thing anyone in Mexico had heard was that at 6am I went into labor so he had no idea I had progressed beyond that. I asked him if he wanted to know if he had a boy or girl or if he wanted to wait. He wanted to wait to find out in person and meet his child.
For 2 days I kept the gender a secret from everyone but my mom while Erik journeyed. We hadn’t decided on a boy’s name so “baby Sweet” was unnamed until June 27th when Erik met his son.
Levi Daniel has stolen our hearts. Looking back, I truly feel my labor was so relatively easy because of all those praying for my peace and delivery while Erik was away. I was calm, cool, and collected in a way that is not in my nature. God is so good to us when we need Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)