MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Our little family is feeling so incredibly blessed this Christmas! Daughter #3, Evelyn Jane, was born yesterday morning and I will never, ever forget the experience. Here’s the play-by-play, for those of you who are interested (and not squeamish about terms like “dilation” and “afterbirth”):
{Keep in mind that, as of Christmas Eve, I was a whole week overdue and extremely frustrated with my OB doctors. I had been in and out of early labor contraction patterns for almost two weeks and was dilated to a 3.5 as of Sunday the 20th. I was so DONE with being pregnant and I was feeling guilty about my mom, dad, and sister, who had come to Delaware to meet the baby a week earlier. We all wanted this baby to come out!!}
7:15 a.m. – I wake up. My husband, Michael, is getting dressed for work. We had been up talking and praying (and me crying) until the wee hours of the morning. He looks at me, surprised, when I whisper that I think today’s going to be the day.
7:20 a.m. – Still laying in bed, I have my first contraction, but I’ve grown skeptical over the past two weeks. I have a doctor’s appointment at 8:30 and I’m worried they’ll make me wait longer if I’m not yet in active labor. The hospital does not schedule inductions on holidays or weekends, and my family was leaving on Sunday. I’m feeling anxious, but decide to get up and get ready for my appointment, hoping that I have another good contraction soon.
7:27 a.m. – The second contraction comes seven minutes after the first. My hopes for real labor without an induction are increasing.
7:50 a.m. – I get out of the shower and the contractions are coming pretty strong. They are increasingly painful but I figure that I’ve got some time because my water hasn’t broken yet. (This was my first experience with back labor – not fun.) Michael and I decide that this is the real deal and we should probably just go straight to the hospital. He calls my doctor to advise them that I won’t be making my appointment. The plan is to get ready for the day, drop off some stuff at Michael’s work, and head down to the hospital.
8:00 a.m. – I put on some make up and start to blow dry my hair, chatting with my family in between contractions. My mom wants my 20 year-old sister to see my labor pains and we all joke about how this is the ultimate birth control! Everyone gets excited that the baby is finally coming! We all hope together that she will arrive sometime before that evening so that I have a chance of spending at least some of Christmas Day with my other girls at home.
8:15 a.m. – Contractions are really starting to hurt and they are coming faster. It takes all my focus to manage the pain. I try as hard as I can to relax and breathe low. There is less chatting and joking with my family – it was game time. New plan: Michael calls a co-worker and asks him to swing by our house to pick up some paperwork because we need to head to the hospital right away. I’m still convinced there is time though because my water had not yet broken. I brush my teeth and pack my toiletries bag for the hospital.
8:35 a.m. – It feels like there is no break between my contractions. They come one after another. Somehow, using all my willpower, and with Michael and my dad on each arm, we make it down the stairs and out the front door. My water breaks during a particularly hard contraction on the front porch and all I can manage to yell is “Water!!” Michael runs inside to grab my water bottle and suddenly realizes that I am talking about a different water.
8:36 a.m. – I’m absolutely frozen in pain on the porch. Even though our hospital is about two blocks away, it felt like it might as well have been in another state. My legs start to shake and give and I blurt out “I need to push – NOW!” My dad (a family doctor in Arizona who also does OB) says, “Looks like we’re having this baby right here.” Thank goodness he was with us!
8:40 a.m. – We get back in the house and head for the living room. Michael and my dad lay me down on my ottoman (you remember my ottoman…). The baby is crowning. I start pushing, with my sister holding my back up and Michael and my mom holding my legs.
8:54 a.m. – Baby Evie is born in my living room, two feet from our Christmas tree. There is not a dry eye in the place. We tie the cord with dental floss (no clean shoelaces available) and Michael cuts it with my trusty pair of sewing scissors (sanitized with Purell, of course). All of the clean towels have been used already, so we wrap her in a beach towel. Evelyn is absolute perfection and I am so in love.
8:56 a.m. – The doorbell rings! Its Michael’s co-worker, coming to pick up the paperwork. My mom and sister quickly hold up a sheet to block the view before the front door is opened. The conversation is very brief and sort of awkward, I’m sure, for Michael’s co-worker. He becomes the first person to find out the baby has just been born.
8:58 a.m. – A rustle at the top of the stairs. Thankfully, both of my girls had stayed up late the night before and had slept through all the commotion of the morning. Claire (my two-year old) is awake now and shouts from the landing “Hey guys! What’s goin’ on?!” We direct Claire’s attention to the baby as she rounds the corner, so that she doesn’t notice the afterbirth just then being caught in my (formerly) favorite casserole dish. Grace (my four-year old) comes downstairs shortly thereafter. The girls begin presenting Evie with pacifiers, blankets, toys, and presents from under the tree. We decide that we should probably still go to hospital to have everyone checked out.
9:45 a.m. – We arrive at the hospital and there are no wheelchairs so we walk up to the labor and delivery wing and announce, “I just had a baby. Where should I go?”
10:00 a.m – We are checked out by the doctors and nurses and the results all come back great. Evie weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs even!! We recount our story about 20 times. A guy comes in and takes my picture with Evie in a giant Christmas stocking ((awesome)) for the Dover newspaper. After a few short hours at the hospital, we are cleared to head back home happily to spend Christmas as a family. Hooray!
The rest of Christmas Eve is full of BBC chick flicks, my mom’s famous Swedish meatballs and collective head-shaking. I am SO not a home birth kind of gal, but the experience was nothing short of life-changing and completely spiritual for me and my family.
The birth of any baby is amazing and miraculous, but we’re all feeling a special connection to sweet Evelyn Jane, our little Christmas Evie.
Thank you for all your love and support. I have the best readers and I truly appreciate each and every one of you!!
Lots of love and Merry Christmas,
jenny
I JUST started following your blog (a friend told me about it yesterday) and this is a beautiful story! I'm so impressed with the entire story and how great that you got to go home and have Christmas with everyone.
Your work is beautiful (decor and babies!).
Jenny, Can I just start by saying how *awesome* you look in both of those just-gave-birth-to-baby shots! You are amazing!
Thanks for sharing your "Christmas Miracle" with us.
So happy for you! Congrats!
P.S. Now that you've had an "unintentional" home birth, do you think you'd go with an "intentional" one next time around? Just curious…
stephanie@metropolitanmama.net
Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl.
Also, thank you for such a positive birth story, there need to be more out there.
WOW! Your story is amazing. My daughter was born in late October — 1 week late. Her name is Evelyn too, and she was also a whopping 9 lbs!!!
Congratulations to your beautiful family.
oh. my. goodness. i got all teary eyed after reading this. wow, what an amazing amazing story. an event not to forget. so sweet your family and father were there to help out. congrats!!
what a cute supermom you are!
OH my! What a wonderful wonderful birth story! Love and light to you and your family always!
Wow! What a great birth! Congrats!
If you ever decide to have another baby you should just get a midwife and do a great waterbirth or something!
This is one of the most precious birth stories I have ever heard. Beautiful!
Jenny – I came back today just to read this story again. It's still amazing (and beautiful) to me. All the best to you and the family!
Ooh!! I LOVE your story! What a beautiful memory to have — my daughter was born at home too :D
Wow! I'm a little late reading this – but this is an amazing birth story! I think I came here via A Cup of Jo. Anyway, your experience is beautiful, and I'm sure your family will be telling the story for generations! I'll admit, I teared up a bit. Thanks for sharing your wonderful story.
-Megan
This blog is absolutely amazing, i really like the way how it was written. I must to say it catch my attention since the first time that i read this whole information.Wonderful.
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oh my GOODNESS! i'm a new-comer to your awesp,e blog. this is INCREDIBLE!! good thing you have photos- who would believe this!? i love it! happy birthday little evie!
p.s. – how do you look so nice after having a baby (naturally might i add)? really!? i'm so jealous.
mikeandmandypetersen.blogspot.com
I have been reading your blog for the past couple of months. I love your posts. I just saw this one for the first time. It is a wonderful story and it made me tear up just reading it. It's so sweet.
This is the first time I've read Evie's birthday story…and I am so teary!!! PRECIOUSNESS!!!
I am a total newcomer to your blog- and it is of course- wonderful! I couldnt help but leave a comment on your birth story- I am a total sucker for a good birth story- and I was tickled to read such a beautiful, natural- albiet unplanned home birth- SO wonderful!I had baby #2 at home with family surrounding us- and it was such a magical experience!
Just read this and cried, cried cried…how beautiful!
WOW!
What a beautiful birth story.
Very cool.
Congrats, even though Evie is almost 3 now!
Awww just read this beautiful story while rocking my baby to sleep. *tears all around*
I can't believe I never read this. What a miracle! What a story!
I just read this now- three years after it happened. Amazing! I am crying! You are such a beautiful and strong mama!!
I am just reading this now, as well. And if I didn't need another reason to love Jenny Komenda, this is it! I hope your sweet girl had a great 3rd birthday. Thank you for sharing your courageous story with us all. You are amazing, inside & out! Natalie
Just for the record, reading this for the first time four years late, over a mug of coffe, and there still isn't a dry eye! :)
I was looking on your blog about pillow placement. Decided to see what other subjects were available. I heard about Evie’s story, years ago, but read it just now. I too reared up. I love ❤️ Your daughters SO much. You and Michael have done a wonderful job in raising them. Look forward to seeing them again.
Oops! Spell check.
Tested up!
Ugh! Teared up.