Zeke's Birth Story

It all began at 3:00 AM on January 19, 2010. I woke up with contractions that were more painful than I had ever felt. I'd been experiencing contractions for 3 weeks, but quickly realized they were minor, "warm up" contractions! I tried to continue to sleep, but the pain got worse, and they were closer together. I finally woke up Gregg and told him I thought it was time. We called my doctor and she said to go ahead and go to the hospital. We got there around 6:30am. After assessing me in triage for an hour, they decided to admit me. Although I had been unsure about whether to get an epidural, I decided early on that I wanted one as soon as possible!!!

It has always been difficult to get an IV in my arm, but Gregg took charge. He insisted that they put a heat pack on my arm, and the nurse was able to get it in one try. This was the start of a labor I could not have imagined. It was full of blessings! Next, I met our labor and delivery nurse, Page Boyd, who was wonderful. Then, we found out Kim Long was the midwife on call. We had been praying that she would be on call because she is a Christian. When I told her this, she offered to pray for us. Yes, our midwife prayed for Zeke's health, a safe delivery, and healing for my diabetes...it was amazing!

Let's just say, I am a huge fan of the epidural! After I received it, I could not get out of bed, but it was worth it. The pain was gone. My mom, Jami, Teresa, and our doula, Joy, came to be with us during the hours that followed. We visited, I rested, and we waited for Zeke to come. I was dilating nicely and labor was progressing. Kim came to check on me sometime after 5:00 PM. She took one look and said it was time!



We did one practice push, and she had me stop because Zeke's head was crowning. They set up for me to push. I pushed through three contractions and Zeke was born. It was 5:44 PM on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. I got to hold him on my bare chest, then they took him to clear the mucus from his lungs. Gregg went with him, and was wonderful. After Zeke was breathing well, they brought him back to me, and I was able to breastfeed him. He was a perfect little angel. He weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces, was 20 and 3/4 inches long, and had a lot of dark brown hair. Gregg and I were overwhelmed by the love we felt for Zeke. We realized our lives had forever changed and God had blessed us beyond belief. We are humbled to be parents to our precious son, and can't wait to watch him grow.