Birth announcements

Naoh David Hastings
Born to Ryan and D.J. Hastings
August 21, 2008 at 8:30 pm
6lbs. 13 oz. ~ 20 inches

Newborn Noah holding his Daddy's hand
 

Little Noah David has an adorable story to tell.  He was laying newly born on his Mommy's chest.  After a while his birth helpers were ready to cut his cord.  The doctor handed the scissors to Ryan, Noah's Daddy.  They were going to help him but didn't need to as Noah put his little feet up and grabbed his cord between his feet and moved it toward his Daddy's waiting hands.  Elizabeth Lugmayer, their Doula, and everyone else there, loved watching!

Audrea Hope Williams
Born to Mark and Kristin Williams
October 18, 2008 at 3:35 am
7 lbs. 10 oz. and ~ 19.5 inches

The excitement began on the evening of Wednesday, October 15th, as I felt pre-labor contractions all through the night. Just as I was starting to get concerned, they stopped at 5:00 Thursday morning. Thursday afternoon, at my routine appointment with my midwife, Leslie Fehan, she discovered that I was 3 cm dilated. After I told her about my night of contractions, she predicted that I would probably have my baby on Friday, but definitely by Monday. I called my doula, Rachel Thompson, so that she and Kate McKinney would be on alert in case things progressed quickly.

On Thursday night, the real contractions began at home. I tried to rest between contractions, anticipating a long night ahead. Little did I know, it would be a long couple of days. My husband, Mark, and I timed contractions Friday morning and afternoon as I labored throughout our home. I used a birth ball, walked up and down the stairs, labored on the toilet, took a shower, etc. We kept in touch with Rachel and Leslie the whole time, and decided to meet at St. Francis Hospital at 6:00 p.m.

I felt very fortunate to have my chance at a natural birth since it was discovered at 36 weeks in my pregnancy that Audrea was breech. Dr. Miller performed a manual version to turn her in the right direction, which remained successful through her birth.

Once at the hospital, Leslie found that I was 5 cm dilated. Mark, Rachel and Kate helped me labor in different positions, and walking up and down the hallway. They were wonderful, soothing me with words of encouragement, warm compresses, and massage as the contractions increased in length and strength. At about 9: 30, Rachel suggested continuing labor in the bathtub, which turned out to be perfect timing. I progressed through transition with the strength and positive energy of my team surrounding me as the warm water eased the pain. After about an hour and a half in the tub, Leslie suggested getting out to check my cervix. She said I was at 10 cm and it was time to push.

My bag of waters was still intact and Leslie had me try some different positions in which to push to try to break it. While I was lying on the bed pushing, it finally broke, all over Leslie, the bed, and the floor. After everything was cleaned up and Leslie had changed her pants, I felt like my pushes were making more progress. I pushed for a total of about 4 hours in various positions, squatting, using the birth stool, and side lying. For much of the time, Audrea’s head would emerge and at the end of the contraction, retract very quickly back inside of me. I began to get discouraged and feel doubt in my own capabilities. As the exhaustion set in, I kept looking at my team around me, waiting for someone else to doubt me as well to confirm my feelings. They patiently waited for the contractions to come with words of encouragement, motivation and comfort. Silently, I prayed for strength, and repeated to myself “God is my strength. He will l see me through this.” I verbally affirmed to myself, “I can do this. I have to do this.”

There was so much joy and excitement when her head finally completely emerged, and before I knew it, I had a gorgeous, wriggling baby girl testing out her lungs, lying on my chest. I can’t put my feelings into words of how it felt when I finally got to see her sweet face and hold her close to me, gazing into her big blue eyes, but now I know what love at first sight feels like. I frequently look at her and think about what a miracle it is that God created and grew her inside me from a tiny little cell.

Mark loves to cuddle with her, play with her, and takes wonderful care of her, just as he took care of me on that day that we brought her into this world. He is so supportive and provides me with great love and encouragement. Our marriage has been strengthened in a whole new way by this little tiny person to love and care for.