Katherine Grace's Birth Story

Katherine Grace.  November 19, 2012. 

Katherine's big brothers: David and Jonah

They already adore her:)

Our family of  FIVE!

Snuggle time:)

Proud Daddy...he likes her a lot!

Isn't she precious?!!

November 19, 2012 we were blessed and surprised to have a baby girl added to our family!!:)  Katherine Grace!!  What fun it was to hear Peter say, "It's a girl!", about 30 minutes after we arrived at the hospital!

Since she is 6 months old already, the details of her birth are slipping away quickly so I must write what I remember now before more gets lost!!  (I actually started this post in December!) My pregnancy and birth journey with Jonah had shown me what an intimately spiritual event giving birth can be.  I was both looking forward to labor and delivery of Katherine but also felt more fearful this time around, because I now knew what giving birth felt like!!  I also loathe giving birth in a hospital.  Hospitals to me are places where you are sick, where something is wrong with you.  The Lord has used hospitals and doctor's skills and wisdom 4 times to save my life (pre-eclampsia and HELLP Syndrom while pregnant with David --C-section delivery at 33 weeks, operation following Jonah's birth to stop post-delivery hemorrhage, appendectomy while 14 weeks pregnant with Kate), David's life (3 lbs., 1 oz. at birth, growth restricted), and Kate's life (she was 14 weeks gestation when I had appendicitis) , so I'm not slandering them.  They just make me feel sick and I don't view birthing as a "sick" thing!  I can relax completely at home, then get cold, clammy, and tense at the hospital and can never seem to settle down and relax again.  I am, thankful, however, for awesome medical care and a hospital a hop, skip and jump away!!  Though I went before the Lord with my fear, I feel like I didn't completely lay it at His feet.  I simply kept putting it off, and before I knew it, she was here!  I was still confident, however, that He would work out Katherine's birth for our good, no matter what our own thoughts/plans were about it!  Because God is always good.  And he promises that childbirth will be painful, so we don't have to wonder or be afraid of it!  Because at the end is our blessing...and we are never the same for it!

November 19th was a Sunday.  My thoughtful mother-in-law had called earlier in the week asking if Peter could take the boys so she could take me on an outing of my choice before I would be house-bound with a newborn and winter coming on.  For a reason I couldn't explain then, I really didn't want to go anywhere.  I just wanted to go to her house and sew.  So that's what I did!  It was wonderful!  With her help I made some jammie pants for my boys and husband and even learned to use her serger!!  I was having painless contractions all the while I was sewing, but didn't particularly think anything of them as the same thing had happened the day and weekend previous.  

The contractions intensified after Peter and I put the boys to bed.  We watched a movie and my contractions were getting closer together, although I wasn't timing them and they still rarely hurt.  By the time we were ready to go to bed, I told Peter we would probably end up going to the hospital that night so to be alert.  He was really tired and asked what we should do.  I told him we could try going to bed, but that we might be leaving in the middle of the night.  He promptly fell asleep and I lay in bed breathing through contractions, but couldn't sleep.  By about midnight or so, I was sweating so I knew this was the real deal.  I got up to shower, woke Peter up (or thought I did:) and told him I was going to shower and after that we needed to go.  When I got out of the shower, Peter was sound asleep!  I decided to time a couple of contractions to see if I could still labor for a while before waking him again.  Don't remember how close they were because they were getting intense quick!  I woke Peter up, which was hard:), and he got up and got the boys ready to go, called his parents and said we were on our way with the boys.  By this time, I was in transition and felt like I was waking up the whole neighborhood;)  Pretty sure you couldn't have paid me a million bucks to sit still in a seat in the van.  I crawled in the back and kneeled against David and Jonah's seat backs.  By the time we got to Peter's parent's house, I told Peter that this baby was coming like NOW!  My father-in-law came out to help get the boys out of the van.  He poked his head in to ask how I was doing.  Couldn't have paid me 2 million bucks to talk at the moment so I didn't say anything....but David piped up and said, "GOOD!"  Peter broke every speed limit and ran some lights to get me to the hospital by about 2:15 am.  By this time I was ready to push.  I kept trying to kneel, my position of comfort and relaxation through contractions, while Peter and the nurse kept saying I had to stand and get into a wheelchair.  Between contractions, I sort of lay-sat in a wheelchair while they brought me up to labor and delivery.  The doctor wasn't in the room yet, so the nurses told me not to push yet.  I didn't obey.  Not because I was defying them, but because Kate was ready to make her appearance:)  So, it was a great relief when the doctor was able to come and the nurses helped with encouraging words to push through the pain.  I didn't experience pain during the pushing stage with Jonah, but with Kate, I knew just what the phrase "ring of fire" was all about!  I remember thinking that pain brings life, Jesus died to bring life, and found it comforting and relieving to push "through the pain."  About 3 or 4 strong pushes and our baby girl was here!  Peter announced to me that she was a girl and then there she was on my chest!  It was 2:45 am.  Whew!  We enjoyed looking at our darling baby girl while Peter and I spoke with our parents to announce the news!  We love our baby Kate!!  Thank you, Lord, for creating her and giving her to us!