Amelia's Birth-Part 2

You can read Part 1 here.

Our baby was finally here.  We didn't know whether we were having a boy or girl, so the added excitement of meeting our baby girl was wonderful.  Greg went to wake up all the kids to meet their new sister.

I remained in the tub, snuggling this precious life while we waited for the cord to stop pulsing.  Once it did, Daddy cut the cord and I passed off baby Amelia so that I could get out of the tub.  Amelia had her newborn check up in the meantime.  All was going well and my bleeding was minimal.

I am a bleeder, so the midwives were prepared with Pitocin and Methergine just in case I needed it.  I was so relieved that everything was going well.

But as soon as I stood up to get out of the tub....GUSH!  Janet and I looked at each other with the look of "uh oh", and I quickly jumped out of the tub and ran for my bed.  After what had happened the last time, I did not want to be stuck in the tub.  I felt that as long as I made it to my bed, I would be fine.

I wasn't.

My uterus did not want to cooperate.  I was immediately given the first shot of Pitocin to help my uterus contract.  Janet worked diligently to massage my lower abdomen to help my uterus to stay firm.  It would firm up, and then get boggy.  Meanwhile, my blood pressure was dropping quickly and everyone was beginning to get nervous.  I was given a second shot of Pitocin, but it still wasn't helping.  This cycle continued on for some time.

I could feel myself slipping away.  I knew instinctively to lie as still as possible as to not exert any energy to allow my body all it needed to work.  I began praying.  I couldn't believe this was happening again!  I kept praying that I would not pass out like I did after Genevieve's birth.  I felt that as long as I stayed conscious, I would be okay. 

While Janet continued checking my blood pressure and massaging my belly, Robin tried to start an IV line.  I was already on oxygen by then, but needed fluids.  Robin could not get a vein.  Suddenly, she darted out of my room and I began to get scared.  I didn't know where she was going in such a hurry.

She came back quickly and gave me a shot of Methergine.  Methergine helps to coagulate the blood.  I've had it before in other births, and it's helped.

I could feel myself getting closer and closer to losing consciousness.  I kept praying.  I was thinking about my mom and older girls, and how scared they must be to see me go through this again!  Thankfully, my husband had a hunch that things were going to get bad, and had already ushered the little ones back to bed.

As I laid there, and things kept spiraling downward,  I heard Janet say my blood pressure was 50 over 30.  I looked at my friends and family, who all stood at the foot of my bed watching this unfold, gather in a circle to pray.  Let me just say here, that as much as I appreciated the prayer, this really scared me!  I felt that my life was on the line and that if I lost consciousness, I would not wake up.  I prayed that God would keep me awake!

Right at that moment, after the blood pressure reading, Janet very calmly told everyone that she was going to call 911 as a precaution.  My uterus would not stay firm and I was losing a lot of blood.  My husband's fingers were already on the buttons, and he called for an ambulance.

My mom stood at the foot of my bed and mouthed the words "I love you, Candace". 

Meanwhile, baby Amelia was being held by the people who surrounded me.  I was so thankful that she was safe and with the people I loved while all of this was happening. 

The ambulance arrived and they worked quickly to get me onto their gurney.  They asked if the baby was going too.  This is where it got really hard for me.  I wanted my baby to come.  I hadn't even been able to nurse her yet and I just wanted her near me.  But, if she went with me, she would have to be admitted as a patient along with me too.  A quick discussion ensued.  How would I leave my newborn?  But once I realized that I didn't want her to go through all the hospital checks, which would have been more involved coming from a home birth, I knew she had to stay home.

My heart was broken! 

I didn't know how long it would be before I would get to see her and nurse her.  I asked if someone would bring her to the hospital soon.  Janet said that as soon as she was finished with her full check up, someone would bring her.  The midwives spent at least an hour trying to stabilize me, that Amelia had not been weighed and measured yet.

I was comforted to know that she would be with me soon.  As the paramedics were wheeling me out, I heard friends discussing who could come and feed Amelia.  They mentioned my friend, Shannon, because she had just had a baby a couple of months before.  As much as I wanted to nurse my sweet baby, I was glad they were planning to call Shannon to bring some of her breast milk.  And she lived nearby.

Once in the ambulance, the paramedic tried to get an IV in me.  He had trouble, so I was stuck multiple times.  Janet remained with me, right by my side, still massaging my lower abdomen.  My husband followed behind the ambulance.  Finally, my uterus was staying firm and my blood pressure was rising.  Of course, the whole time I was thinking, "See, if we had just waited TEN more minutes, all would have been well!"  But I know Janet was doing what she needed to do and wasn't going to risk anything!  I love Janet! 

We arrived at the hospital about 4:30 am.  I had to endure a very uncomfortable exam in the ER, and then was sent up to L & D.  Thankfully, the paramedics were able to take me to my hospital, so I felt at home in a sense.  But I still worried about how I would be treated as a home birth transport.  The doctor in the ER was not nice....and even scolded me for delivering at home.  But the rest of the staff was wonderful.  Everyone treated me with kindness and respect!

As soon as I was taken upstairs, I immediately began asking when Amelia would get here.  I was told in the ambulance that she was a little cold, and couldn't leave the house until her temperature came up.  Robin, the assisting midwife who stayed with Amelia, gave her to my mom for skin to skin contact to regulate her temp.  Amelia had also had all of her newborn checks by then.

A bit later, after Janet called home to get another update, she informed me that my friend Shannon had just nursed my baby.  I guess the look on my face said it all because Janet asked if I was okay with that.  I told her that I didn't really have a choice at that point.

Honestly....I was crushed!  Another woman nursed my baby.  That was a hard one for me to grasp.  When I heard the discussion about calling Shannon to help, I had envisioned her bringing extra milk from her freezer and bottle feeding Amelia.  Not actually breastfeeding her.

But once I had a chance to process everything, I eventually saw it as a blessing.  I realized how sweet and precious it was for Shannon to come and nurse her friend's baby!  And in the middle of the night too!  Poor Amelia was hungry!

I think most moms can relate to how I felt.  I was physically exhausted.  And I was emotionally fragile since I had to leave my newborn.  I just needed some time to see the beauty and God's provision in all of it.  And when I heard that sweet Shannon saw it as a privilege, I was so grateful!  I will be forever thankful for Shannon's loving heart! 

At last!  Robin and Cheyenne (my oldest daughter) finally brought Amelia to me.  I was SO happy to hold her and to get a good look at her!  She was so beautiful!  From that point on, she was able to stay with me in the hospital.  The staff brought me a baby bed for her and she never left my side!  The staff was phenomenal.  They welcomed me and Amelia and took very good care of me!  Later that morning, I was able to see my own doctor.  He ordered a couple of tests just to make sure everything was okay.  All the test were good, so I was able to go home later that evening! 

It was so wonderful to be back home with my whole family.  My poor younger kids went to bed with me still in the tub.....but woke up to find me, and the new baby gone! 

I am so thankful for God's protection over me that night.  I'm thankful for the midwives knowledge, how prepared they were, and for their calm, sweet spirits!  Unfortunately, this means I will not be able to birth at home again.   Due to my bleeding history, it's best that I deliver at the hospital in the future.

Just in case anyone is asking either of these two questions, I'll just go ahead and answer them here. 

*If you had an emergency situation after your first home birth, why did you feel it was safe to have another home birth?

So glad you asked!  The cause of my bleeding after my first home birth was due to a tiny piece of placenta that did not fully detach.  So my body continued to feed a placenta that was not there.  Once the midwife did a manual D & C (lots of fun!) to remove the tissue, the bleeding stopped.  That had never happened before and it was something we wouldn't expect to happen again.  This time, it was a result of my uncooperative uterus!

*If you have a history of bleeding, why would you consider having more children?

Great question!  Well, I thought the same thing!  After what had happened, I really thought that I should not have more children...that I would be risking my life.  But when I spoke with my beloved doctor at my 6 week post-partum visit....I asked him this very question.  I was prepared to heed his warning about future children.  But he reminded me that I did NOT have to have a blood transfusion.  And that if we did decide to have another baby, that he would start pitocin immediately after the baby was born, instead of waiting to see how my bleeding does, like he's done in the past.  He would take every precautionary measure necessary.  Janet and Robin came prepared.  I just needed more than what they had on hand..

So that's my story....and why I've been reluctant to relive it through writing it.  I am still a huge advocate for home birth!  I feel that if a woman is a good candidate, home is the best place to be.  But I'm also thankful that I have a great doctor, and feel comfortable at the hospital where I've delivered five of my babies in the past!

God is good!

Amelia's Birth-Part 1

I know, I know!  Poor Amelia is a year old, and I'm just now sharing the birth story.  Somewhere in my mind, I've been hesitant to write it because it was quite traumatic and I haven't been all too eager to relive it.  But it's time now, and I want to share the joy of her coming into our lives.


I was so excited to be having my second home birth.  Though I have had seven positive hospital births, there's just no place like home! 

That's quite a belly!

My mom had flown in about two weeks before my due date.  She had a limited time frame in which she could come, so we opted for her to come earlier rather than later, potentially missing the birth.  After all, this was my ninth baby, so it was reasonable to believe that I would deliver before my due date of March 15th.  I've never gone past my due date.  Don't hate me!

Upon my mom's arrival, we had some time to just hang out and do fun things with the kids.  But as the days went by, I was getting antsy to get things going.  Not only did I want Mom to be present for the birth, I also wanted her to be able to spend time with the new baby. 

I was so torn.  On one hand, I wanted baby to come when she was ready.  On the other hand, I was determined to have her before my mom left.

Tuesday, March 8th, I had an appointment with my midwife and discussed the situation with her.  She agreed that if I hadn't gone into labor by the next day, she would get me started on herbs.  I didn't,  so Janet came by and gave me herbs to help get things going. 

The herbs got contractions going, but they would eventually fizzle out.  I tried this for two days with no real success.  I knew baby just wasn't ready to come. 

Thursday, I wanted to take a break and just do something fun with the family.  So we decided to take the kids to meet Daddy for lunch, and then take them to the park.  We had a great time and I continued to contract regularly, but with no increase in intensity.

When we returned home, I rested a while, and then started up the herbs again.  This time, the contractions really picked up.  They were getting closer together, but not fully relaxing in between.  This concerned me because if my uterus wasn't fully relaxing between contractions, then the baby wasn't getting a chance to recover in between either. 

At this point I stopped the herbs and decided to get into the tub in hopes of slowing them down, allowing my uterus to fully relax.  I called Janet to ask her thoughts, and she agreed that I should stop the herbs and get into the tub.  As much as I didn't want to slow things down, my first priority was to protect my baby.  Janet also said that she was on her way. 


Janet and Robin, the assisting midwife, arrived about 6:30 pm.  The bath helped and my uterus was completely relaxing between contractions.  I was checked and dilated to seven.  So even though the contractions weren't very strong, they were making progress.  I knew baby was on her way.  YAY!

It was a party in the house.  Mom had set out a buffet of food for everyone, coffee was on, and I was drinking high doses of Vitamin C in between contractions.  The anticipation was building and we were making final preparations. 

Sustenance

Final preparations

But then...

Contractions. Fizzled. OUT!

What?  Seven cm and my body quits?

Janet checked me again, and despite another couple hours of contractions, I was still a seven.  By this time, we had put the children to bed and we were all getting tired.  Janet asked me what I wanted to do.  I could either call it a night and go to bed, have her break my water, or keep doing what we were doing...meaning, continue on with herbs. 

I didn't like any of the choices!  I didn't want to go to bed and start all over, I didn't want my water broken, and I definitely didn't want any more herbs!  I was ready to have this baby, but couldn't make a decision.  And no one could make it for me.  I sat on the edge of my bed for about 30 minutes, exhausted and unsure, trying to decide what to do. 

Janet came back in to check on me.  It was about 1:30 am.  Since I couldn't decide, Janet suggested that she check me again, and depending on any change, possibly breaking my water.  I was still a seven, but very stretchy.  The baby's head was in a twisted posterior position, which is why I was making slow progress.  She just needed to tilt her head to drop comfortably into position, putting better pressure on my cervix.  As Janet was checking me, she was trying to manipulate baby's head into position.  She was able to move her head a bit.  Fun times!

Fortunately, the manipulation put me at an eight.  So Janet said, "Let's go ahead and break your water!"  As much as I wanted to get this show on the road, I was scared.  Remember, my contractions had fizzled out, which meant I was in no pain, which meant there was no mental working up to the intense pain of transition.  What this meant was that as soon as she broke my water, I would begin labor IN TRANSITION!  Moms, are you feelin' my pain here?  I was tired, and afraid that I wouldn't be able to handle going straight to transition. 

But, it was time to get the show on the road.  I prayed for strength, endurance, and mental ability.  With my loving and supportive husband by my side, Janet broke my water at about 2:10am.

 

As soon as I stood up, the first contraction hit with a vengeance.  I stood, leaning into my husband as he coached me through.  After the fourth contraction, I requested to get into the tub.  I needed the warm water to ease some of the intense pain.  Plus, I knew it wouldn't be long until baby arrived and I wanted to give birth in the water again. 

I got into the tub and had a very intense contraction.  I knew at that point I was close to pushing.  I had a second contraction in the tub and was on the edge of losing control.  It was hard, and I felt that the next contraction would produce the urge to push.  The third one came, and sure enough, I began to grunt and push. 

Typically, once I begin pushing, it's a release of the pain.  It's very controlled and I know mentally that I am almost done!  This time was different.  It was very difficult to maintain control.  I was able to ease her head out, which usually offers slight relief.  But the baby never did quite get into a good position, so the pain was different.  I couldn't maintain my focus.  I lost it.  I yelled to get the baby out!

I'm usually a quiet laborer, even during transition and pushing.  But when her head came out, I couldn't handle the pain.  Janet wanted to pause for a moment to check for a cord, but I couldn't.  I reached down and pulled my baby girl out at 2:22am!  It was finally over!  I was exhausted!  But she was here, our precious Amelia June!

Come on back to find out what happened after the birth in Part 2....and why my husband had to call 911.

Encouraging VBAC

Encouraging VBAC

This is a beautiful slideshow of a mom having a homebirth after a previous C-section (because her baby was "too big" at 9 lbs). This VBAC baby was over 11 lbs! WOW!

Birth Slideshow

You GO, girl!

Part 2: After the Birth

Read Part 1 here.

The details of what happened after the birth may be a bit sketchy, so I'll do my best to remember.

After our sweet Genevieve was born, all was well and we were elated. I remained in the tub, with Genevieve resting on my belly, while we waited for the cord to stop pulsing. Once the cord had been cut, we then had to wait on the placenta to deliver. The bleeding at this point was minimal so there were no concerns. Once the placenta was delivered, Genevieve was passed over to Daddy so that I could begin cleaning up. By this time, it had been about 20 minutes since the birth . Just as Janet was helping me to get out of the tub, I suddenly felt strange. My arms felt extremely tingly, so much so that it was quite uncomfortable, then my ears clogged up. The next thing I knew, Janet had her hands on my face and she was yelling, "Candace, Candace!" I had passed out.

At this point, everyone began working quickly to try to get me out of the tub. My midwife determined that my placenta had only partially detached, so I was bleeding heavily! Time was of the essence, so my husband came to my side to assist in getting me out of the tub. As Greg and Janet lifted me to the edge of the tub, I felt that tingly feeling again and my ears began to clog. I yelled, "I have to sit back down!" I lunged myself back into the tub and, again, the next thing I knew, Janet was yelling my name again. I had passed out for a second time.

Once I came to, they couldn't wait any longer trying to get me out of the tub. I remember the other midwife, Holly, getting into the tub and explaining to me that she had to "go in" and pull out those leftover bits of placenta that were causing all the bleeding. I had no idea what that would be like, but I quickly found out. This was the most excruciating procedure I had ever been through in my life....a manual D & C....with no drugs!  After labor, passing out twice, and loosing blood, I had nothing left in me to handle the pain. I am normally a quiet laborer. But at this, I screamed at the top of my lungs, begging her to stop. It took three times for her to get everything out, but once she did, the bleeding stopped almost immediately!

Now that the bleeding was under control, they could get me out of the tub and transfer me to my bed. I was very weak, but it was good to finally be out of the cold, hard tub and into my soft, comfy bed. Over the next couple of hours, the midwives worked tirelessly to stabilize my blood pressure. I would feel fine one moment and then very ill the next, vomiting several times. They kept me on oxygen and tried intermittently to get me to eat and drink. In the meantime, Janet had sent a friend out on a mission to track down liquid chlorophyll. It seemed as if everyone was out of it, so she pretty much drove all over town trying to hunt this stuff down. Thankfully, her mission was successful, because as soon as I began to consume this rather large bottle of green plant cell pigment, I began to feel better almost instantly! Hooray for chlorophyll! It should be a must at every birth.

Finally, I was well on the road to recovery. I was able to sit up and nurse little Genevieve for the first time....two hours after she was born.   She latched on and nursed like a pro! All was well and the midwives stayed by my side for several hours to make sure I remained stable.

This was the first time I had ever experienced a partial placental detachment. All of my previous births had been smooth and uneventful. Of course, this would happen at my first home birth. But God, in His grace and sovereignty, had His hand on the situation and it was certainly no surprise to Him! He gave the midwives all that they needed to handle this emergency. He gave my family and friends strength in the midst of worry and fright. And He gave me the comfort of knowing I was in capable hands and surrounded by loved ones. I also felt a huge peace in knowing that our new baby was near at all times, and in the loving care of family and friends.

With that being said, I understand that this was a very alarming situation, quite traumatic for my husband, my older girls and my mom. From their perspective, seeing me pass out, turn ghost white, and convulsing, was extremely frightening! I'm sure there was a moment when everyone in the room wanted to call 911. Thankfully, the midwives were equipped to handle this type of emergency and would have called 911 if necessary.

My overall assessment of my first home birth: Wonderful! I do not regret in any way having Genevieve at home. Some people have assumed I wouldn't do it again. Why? My placenta didn't know whether I was at home or in the hospital.  Midwives know their craft and I trusted mine to do what was necessary!  And she did!

So this is my story and I'm sticking to it! ;-)

God is good and we give Him the glory for the entire birth! Feel free to ask me any questions regarding the birth, or, if you were here during the birth, to chime in where I may have left something out!

Today, our sweet Genevieve is one month old! My, how time flies!

Our Home Birth Story

Part I: Labor and Birth

It all began Sunday, January 6th, late afternoon. While visiting with friends, I noticed I was having regular contractions. At first, I didn't pay much attention the them, but once my friends left, I realized that I was still having regular contractions. They continued and seemed to steadily be four minutes apart. Unsure if this was the start of labor, I decided to take a warm bath to see if this would cause the contractions to fizzle out. While in the tub, they did spread out to about five to six minutes apart. But, as soon as I got out, they returned to about every four minutes. I felt this was indeed early labor, but knew the contractions weren't strong enough to be active labor.

After several hours of wondering if this was labor, I was tired of timing and just tired in general, so I went to bed around 10:30pm. I was so tired, in fact, that part of me hoped labor wouldn't intensify during the night, but rather "pick up where we left off in the morning", after a full night's rest. I had always wished that I could wake up in the morning and go into labor. I've had all my babies late at night, after a long day, and feeling very tired, so I desired a morning labor.

Well, I got half of my wish. I did officially go into labor in the morning, but I certainly didn't get that full night's rest I had hoped for. I guess my mind was just too focused on the possibility of labor, because I was up constantly during the night. I did maintain regular contractions through the night, although only a couple of them were a bit stronger than the rest.
The alarm clock went off at 5:30 am the next morning because I had planned to take my friends to the airport. Well, with having not gotten much sleep AND knowing I was possibly in labor, I awoke Greg and asked him to take them to the airport. The thought of being stuck in morning traffic and having my water break in the car was an unnerving thought.

Before Greg left, I had already experienced a few harder contractions and started to get nervous about something happening while he was gone. I sat down to post on my blog, and as soon as I stood up, I had a very strong contraction, hard enough to have to breathe through. At this point, I KNEW I was in active labor! I told Greg to get to that airport FAST! I also told him to call me every thirty minutes to check on my progress. As soon as he left, I went into labor preparation mode and finished up last minute things in my room and bathroom. In no time, Greg was home and we called the midwife. I think it was about 8:30am when we called her. She said she would go ahead and come because it was going to take her an hour to get here.

At this point, I pretty much stayed in my room as labor intensified. I tried various positions to find what was comfortable. I was almost overwhelmed with choices! In the hospital, I always did the same thing....I walked and stayed on my feet until it was time to push. Ahh, but here at home, I had choices! Almost too many choices. I couldn't decide WHAT I wanted to do! I walked, I stood, I layed in bed.......I was trying to hold out as long as possible before getting into the tub. I wanted to hold out for that much anticipated relief for transition. It wasn't long before the contractions became doozies, so Greg drew the bath......it was time. I had a couple of contractions in the bathroom so I held onto the counter and had Greg rub vigorously on my lower back. This helped tremendously to ease some of the pain. Tub time!

I had only been in the tub about 10 minutes when Janet, my midwife, arrived. While in the tub, I tried to relax and find a comfortable position. The water WAS a great relief, but I couldn't seem to find the right position during a contraction. I wanted to be upright so that Greg could have access to my back, but I felt like I was having to hold myself up which just exerted extra energy that needed to be reserved for the contraction itself.

Just as I was trying to decide if being in the tub was working for me, I had a HUGE contration and suddenly felt "pushy"! To everyone's surprise, including mine, I began grunting and pushing. Usually pushing affords me some relief, but I wasn't feeling any. But, with the next push, I felt a pop and then MAJOR relief. My bag of water had ruptured. Labor had advanced so quickly that it hadn't even occured to me that my water bag was still in tact.

By this time, my small bathroom had filled up with lots of people: My mom, the kids, my friends, and my midwife. Greg left my back to get into the "catcher's position". In one push, I felt the baby go from high up in my pelvis to crowning. I instictively put my hand on the baby's head to ease her out to prevent tearing. Once her head was out, Janet instructed Greg to check for any cord around the neck. No cord! Before my next push I remember yelling, "I hate the shoulders!" and bracing myself for the next push. The head is not what bothers me, it's those shoulders! Ouch! So, with one final push, Greg pulled our sweet baby girl out and placed her on my belly. She was perfect and breathing well! Our baby was finally here!

I can't tell you what a blessing it was to be surrounded by loved ones to share this miracle with us! I always love the sounds of all the people around me after giving birth. The shouts of joy, the praising, and the laughter. It's priceless!

Genevieve Julee was born January 7th at 9:52am. She was milky white (with vernix) and absolutley beautiful! The birth was amazing and Genevieve was strong and healthy! Best of all, Greg finally got to deliver one of our babies! God is good!

Part Two

The Business of Being Born

The Business of Being Born

Greg and I (and Genevieve) attended a private screening last night to view this AMAZING documentary about birth and how women's view of birth has changed over the decades. We were floored by many of the statistics, both nationwide and local, concerning infant mortality rate (in hospitals) and the C-section rate in the U.S. We learned, that in Bexar County alone, the C-section rate is 50% for those on Medicaid!

The Synopsis of the Film:

Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies.
The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal.
Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?

My disclaimer to the film is that it is NOT a Christian film by any means. There are about five bad words in the film and a lot of birth related nudity, so the film is certainly not for everyone. If you're interested in viewing the film, there is another screening here in San Antonio Jan. 29th. For more details, zip an email to this address: info@texasbirth.org . This film is also available on Netflix, and will be available on DVD in March.

And on this birth note, I've been working on our birth story and should have it posted soon!

Stop the Time

Someone please stop time......

It's hard to believe it's been one whole week since Genevieve was born! I know children are supposed to grow and all, but time is going by WAY too quickly! We are enjoying this sweet baby so much! We're also enjoying our visit with my mom. All the kids have attached themselves to her, and I always love any chance to spend time with my mom. She is so much fun to be around and always a trememdous help! I'm not ready for her to leave this Friday......although, I'd never be ready for her to leave! I wish time could just stand still.....just for a little while!

Well, here are a few more pictures of our sweet girl. The little ones love to hold her and love on her........

And here's our precious little girl at one week......

The birth story and more pics soon to come............

All is Well

All is well and we're singing praises........

Hello to all of our precious friends and family who shared in our joy and our slight scare via the blog! I read each and every comment and so much appreciate your love and concern. All is well now and we are very much enjoying our sweet baby girl. She is a gift!

I will be posting the birth story along with many more pictures very soon, but for now I just wanted to take the time to thank you for your prayers, emails, and calls. I'm so sorry to those of you who were supposed to be present at the birth but did not make it, and thank those of you who were there. Everyone played such a vital role in the birth and we thank you for being apart of our miraculous day!

Thank you to Aubrey for running all over town to hunt down Liquid Chlorophyll, which made all the difference. Thank you to Shannon for the wonderful pot of Chicken Soup and all the goodies you brought. Thank you to Stacey, Shannon, and Tiffany for taking pictures. And thank you to everyone else for helping where help was needed! I love you all and was so glad you were there! I also want to sing the praises of Janet and Holly, the two midwives, and their apprentices, for their quick actions, their professionalism and their sweet spirits in the midst of a difficult situation. They were AMAZING!

In the end, God was faithful with His protection and gracious in His blessing of a new baby who was delivered into the arms of her Daddy! Stay tuned........more to come soon!

Finally Nursing

Mama and Baby G are both doing fine. Candace is very stable and her BP hasn't taken any big dips in awhile. She is now eating chicken soup and sipping on a VERY large bottle of chlorophyll! Janet will continue to monitor her for a few hours.

G has nursed several times now like a pro. She likes to suck on those fingers when she's not nursing.

Thanks to all who have been checking in by blog, email, or phone. Your prayers have meant the world to Greg and Candace. Keep them coming!

This will be my last post for them. Hopefully Proud Daddy will be able to post some pics soon.

 -Aubrey for all here

Update

Baby Genevieve is 7lbs 14oz. 20 1/4in long.

Mama is better. She is sitting up and eating a few bites of egg and drinking some juice. BP is looking much better now. Janet is even smiling and joking now. She still has not been able to nurse yet but we are hopeful that will be very soon.

I wish you could smell this house! Shannon came over right after the birth and is making a huge pot of soup. The smell has reached Candace all the way upstairs and she cant wait to try it.

More later, Aubrey for all here

Please Pray...

Pray for Candace. Janet and Holly finally have her in the bed. She had a partially detached placenta and fainted quite a few times. Thank goodness for oxygen! Janet is now sure she has gotten it all but is being cautious. Candace just smiled at me and told me to post so that is a good sign! Baby G is sucking hard on her first finger and thumb, waiting patiently to nurse! Update again soon.

-Aubrey for all here

Genevieve Julee

Her name is Genevieve Julee. She is lovely and doing just fine. Mama is hanging in there after a little blood loss and a fainting spell. Janet is taking terrific care of her. Weight still to come when Mama is taken care of.

-Aubrey for all here

Its a GIRL!

9:52am

She went from a 6 to pushing in about 5 min. Baby girl is crying and Mama is happy and exhausted. Dad did get to deliver. Weight and name to come!

-Aubrey for all here

Update

It's Getting Closer

My mom is now 5cm!! The contractions are getting stronger, and they're still
about 3-4 min apart. I will post again in a little while.

Please pray!!!!

Long Night, No Baby Yet

It's 6 am, and I definitely had a long night! I continued to have contractions through the night, more spread out, but fairly consistent. This morning I feel more pressure and have already had a couple of stronger contractions just being up and on my feet.

Greg is getting ready to drive our friends to the airport, so I'm praying nothing happens while he's gone. He should be home by 8 am. I'll start timing contractions again in the meantime and pray that my water does not break while he's gone. 

At this point, I would be VERY surprised if this baby isn't born today! Please pray for us!

Not Much Change

Since out of the tub, I was having contactions every 3-4 minutes apart. In the last 30 minutes they seem to have spread out slightly. Since they're not getting any stronger, and I'm feeling really tired, I'm going to bed now just in case this is early labor. It will be interesting to see what happens during the night, if anything.

I wish I had more exciting news to report at this time......I'll definitley post again, or make phone calls if there are any changes. Otherwise, I'll talk to you tomorrow! Signing off.........

Still Not Sure

Well, I just got out of the tub. While in, my contractions were about 4-6 apart. I'm still not convinced this is actual labor so I still won't make any calls. I'll just continue timing and I'll post again if and when there's any change (to include fizzling out). I think it's gonna be a long night.........

Family Update

Just some updates.........

Can you believe I'm just FOUR days away from my due date? I can't believe it! The funny thing is.......I'm still in no rush to go into labor. I think it's because I REALLY want to hold out until my mom gets here on the 4th. Just rwo more days........I think I can hold on! ;-) Initially, she was only able to stay one week, but thankfully, she was able to extend her stay to TWO WEEKS! Yippee! Now I feel like we have time..........time to visit, time for the baby to come, and time to enjoy the baby once he/she arrives!

I have been SO lost without our digital camera! It broke some time ago and I've realized it's not as much fun posting on the blog without pictures to go along with some of the posts. I'm sure we'll replace it soon, but before the birth! We do have a video camera, and a stock pile of disposable cameras, but without a digital, I can't zip out pictures of the baby to friends and family right away! SOOOOO, if you're coming to my birth (and you know who you are), will you PLEASE bring your digital camera with you? At least that way you all can email me the pics and I can email those out! I would really appreciate it!

A few friends have asked about the latest on our house situation. Well, as you know, we have not sold our current home yet, so the possibility of moving is looking slim. Although the new house is still not completed, we received a phone call the other day from our sales rep telling us that the "head honchos" want to cancel our contract because we have not sold our house. Honestly, we couldn't help but just laugh about it! If they want to cancel before the house is even finished, so be it! Our sales rep is still trying to fight the big guys and convince them to hold onto the contract until the house is done (at least another month), so we'll see what happens. In the end, it really doesn't matter though. God in in control and He already has a plan for the Sabo family so we'll just sit back and watch what He does in this situation. In the meantime, we'll just focus on the arrival of this sweet baby and enjoy my mom being here. I guess the only thing we may do if the contract is canceled is take our house off the market so we can rest and enjoy the baby without the hassel of showings!

Please keep in prayer the Cambron family! Many of you know already that Charles is leaving for Iraq for the second time in a couple of days. He'll be gone for four months. Please pray for his safety while he's away and the peace of knowing his family will be taken care of. Pray for Stacey and the kids as they wait for his return. May God fill them with His peace and comfort and may those of us around them minister to them daily! We'll miss you Charles! Thank you for all that you do to protect your country!

I guess that's all for updates. Hopefully my next post will be labor and baby news! Happy New Year!

The Race

The Race for the Finish

I hope that you all had a wonderful celebration of our Lord's birth. We had a great time of celebration, reflection, and fun! Hopefully, the kids will stay busy for at least two minutes with the new things they received this year!

Now that Christmas is over, I have this overwhelming urge to REorganize EVERYHTING again! I think this even goes beyond my nesting phase last week. We are prepared and ready for the home birth and definitely ready to meet this precious baby. But, as I look around the house, I see many things that need to be accomplished. As many of you know, organizing in itself is an ongoing event, especially in a large family, or in a family where Mom hates clutter. So, thankfully I have the desire and energy to get these things done. So yesterday, I began with a complete overhaul on my bathroom, with the help of my wonderful husband. Now it is fit for a laboring mama, complete with candles and new towels!

Next, it was time for another round of haircuts! I wanted to get this done before the baby, otherwise it won't get done after baby, at least for a while. Just Ethan's hair to go. After haircuts and dinner, while the rest of family watched a movie, Celeste and I cleaned every crack and crevice of Seth's room and closet! It was a disaster in there, and being that my mom will be staying in his room, it was definitely a priority, one that cannot be entrusted to a six year old! No, this was a job for MOM! And finally, after we finished in there, I actually had enough energy to tackle the playroom too! I am so thankful for this energy, because prior to my nesting phase, I had ZERO energy and didn't think I'd get anything done before the baby. It amazing how God gives us this burst of energy and excitement near the end of pregnancy so that we can prepare for the baby. I just have to be careful and not over do it so that I'll have what I need to get through labor, right? ;-)

Today will be another day of the same. First on my list is making another menu and grocery list. Many of know already that I have menus premade with coordinating shopping lists, but we seem to go through the five menus quickly so I want at least one more. This will give me six, two week menus, giving us a total of three months worth of meals. At least I can do this task sitting down! Ahhhhh! Next on the list is the pantry! It's been a year or so since I last conquered it, so it's time to go through again and get rid of the old and make room for the new. I got two new small appliances for Christmas and have no where to store them, so this is a MUST DO project today!

My final "to do" will be getting a post out to family about what's happening with each family member these days. I've wanted to do this for quite some time, and even began the post on Christmas, but it will be fairly lengthy, so I'll eventually get to it. After all, this blog was mainly started for family and distant friends to be able to keep up with the happenings of our family! Stay tuned........

Okay.......time to get to work! Have a great day!

Nesting

We're down to the final two and a half weeks until my due date. I still can't believe I'm this close to delivery day. This pregnancy has zipped by so quickly, I almost feel like I need a bit more time. I said almost! We've been so preoccupied with house stuff and the possibility of moving, that it was hard to get into baby-readiness mode. Now that we know we'll be staying right here for at least another month or so, I've switched modes and have begun preparing for the arrival of our sweet baby.

Preparing this time around is quite different from our previous births. Rather than packing a bag and thinking through what I'll need to take to the hospital, I'm setting things up for our first home birth. Yesterday, we did some rearranging in our bedroom to accommodate the cradle and a table for birth supplies. I also washed all the baby linens and the car seat cover. I still need to pull out the neutral clothes and get those washed, but other than that, we're ready.....I think!

For those of you who may be interested in keeping up with the progress of my labor, I am going to try to live blog the event. I thought it was very cool to read the labor/births of Stephanie and Kim C while they were happening, so I'll do my best to post as much as possible, or at least have others post for me! This will be really great for family and friends who are far away. I'll zip out an email when I go into labor with the blog link. We'll see what happens.....

If you think of us, please keep us in prayer as we approach the big day. We thank God in advance for this gift and pray that He will allow us to have a safe and wonderful delivery at home!

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