Welcome Kaitlyn Brooke Johnson
Born August 4th, 2007 at 8:01 PM
8 Lbs 0 oz ~ 20.5 inches long


Chris Johnson beholding little Kaitlyn, his newest blessing

Heather’s Birth Story ~ written and  shared by her husband, Chris:

By the middle of the day on Saturday, August 4th, Heather had been in slow labor for about 24 hours. We had already visited the midwife once and she had said to go home and labor for a while. Our dear friend Nanette met us at our midwife’s house and picked up our kids since we were sure at this point that this was going to be the night. Our oldest son Drew was very excited about meeting the new baby we’d been talking so much about as was our daughter Ashlyn. Heather began real labor in the bathroom of her home in a warm bath. She and I, her husband of nine years, had been debating back and forth about whether or not this was the final stage of the process and if we should do something more proactive about it if so. At this point the waves of contractions washing over her would preclude all other activity as she focused on letting the pain do its job in preparing her body for the arrival of Kaitlyn Brooke.

I finally decided it had to be time to call the midwife who would be attending the birth to get an idea of when would be the right time to ask her to begin her trip over. Once I had briefed the midwife on the specifics, Heather was able to relax in the knowledge that she was going to be on her way over, and her body really kicked in to active labor. Heather’s sister-in-law, Jennifer arrived about 15 minutes later giddy with the anticipation of participating in another of her sister’s births.

Heather would quietly endure each contraction until it became more than she could bear in silence. As they became more intense, Heather began to verbalize her discomfort in the form of soft moaning. Jennifer was very supportive in her affectionate touch and encouraging words. Heather was in good spirits and would joke with us in between the contractions that were coming regularly ever couple of minutes. After about fifteen minutes of additional labor, the midwife arrived She talked with Heather and prepared the environment while I scrambled to finalize the room set up in which she was going to be giving birth, which mainly consisted of hiding anything in disarray in the closet.

The midwife was ready to check on Heather’s progress and she made her way out of the bathtub. She was delighted to see the mood of the room with soft lighting and soft music and all of the mess hidden out of sight. Upon checking Heather, the midwife found that she was already at nine centimeters! Heather had been very concerned that once she was checked that she would find after all the time and effort she would only be nearer to the beginning than to the end, so this news brought much joy to her. The midwife told Heather that she could push whenever she felt the urge. Heather moved from the bed but as soon as her feet hit the floor, she had to lean over the bed to deal with another heavy contraction. She started saying, “pressure, pressure…” so being the good birth partner, I started pushing on her back. She then clarified that she was actually indicating that she felt pressure to push and asked me very kindly to stop. Heather got on her knees at the foot of the bed and continued to labor in that position for only moments before she felt a real urge to push. Kristin, our doula, applied a hot washcloth to Heather’s lower back which brought immense relief from the pain and anxiety of the final preparations her body was going through. Before I knew what was happening, the midwife asked me if I wanted to see the head. I was shocked. That was already an option!? So I got my first look at our little girl as she began to crown. Of course, at that point, I had no idea it was a girl. Heather was feeling overwhelmed and I was elated to share the news that I could see our little child already. She was close. The midwife asked me if I was going to catch the child, to which I quickly responded that I wasn’t as I’m generally clumsy. In a blur, little Kaitlyn’s head was out. She was very gray. I wasn’t as concerned as I would have expected to be especially considering the umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around her neck. I can only attribute that peace to the Holy Spirit, because I’m fairly sure it resides nowhere within myself. The midwife was unable to slip the cord from around her neck, but in the next moment, Kaitlyn did a nice little summersault as she emerged and flipped right out of it. At that moment, I saw that she was a girl and with tears in my eyes reported to Heather that we had a new baby daughter. From when Heather had first felt the urge to push to the time Kaitlyn tumbled out six minutes had elapsed. Kaitlyn was actually out and nursing before the placenta was birthed, although that in and of itself was a much longer process than Kaitlyn herself. Heather seemed almost immediately to be back to her normal self and within the hour was chatting with Kristin about recipes for sugar snaps. Kristin made Heather a delicious stir fry dinner to celebrate. The midwife inspected all that she was supposed to and announced that everything seemed to be well in order.

With each of our three children, I’ve experienced such a joy at their arrival and such a respect for Heather that I believe it will never be eclipsed only to find that it is by the next one. Heather has always been one to bear suffering with a gentle and calm spirit and this was no exception as she exemplified a woman’s design to bear children. I, in no way, ever want to downplay the difficulty and challenge of giving birth, but rather want to raise up a woman whose character allows her to make it look as if it’s more of an inconvenience than anything else.

We wholeheartedly thank the Lord for His blessing on this birth and dedicate even now our child to His service in the hopes they Kaitlyn Brooke will know early His love and His purpose for her.

Happy Mommy and Baby


Heather nuzzling Kaitlyn
 

Ashlyn and Drew affectionately meeting their little sister
 

Kristin holding Kaitlyn
 

Heather holding Kaitlyn with Jennifer, her sister-in-law
 

Jennifer and Kaitlyn