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
Oh my word – what an amazing birth story!! Congrats on your sweet Christmas gift!!
Jenny,
As I blink away my tears. Sister, you had the birth that I had with my third. Quick and commanding.
She is just beautiful. Congratulations on the Christmas eve miracle babe.
And your dad?? He delivered your little one?
xxMarybeth from Texas
what an amazing story! congratulations
oh, Jenny, what a wonderful story. So many congratulations to you and your family. May you recover quickly; may she be one of those miracle babies who sleep through the night from the second week; may none of your girls experience even a twinge of jealousy or regression (I speak from rueful experience on this…); may you all have a fabulous Christmas, New Year's, and 2010 (and beyond). So glad you shared this.
Holy COW! That's the most amazing birth story I've ever heard! I was hoping that my third baby would be a quick delivery…but no luck!
Love your blog and I'm so thankful God was watching over you and your sweet Evie!
Oh my goodness! How amazing! Blessings to you and your family! I cried reading your birthing story, so touching. =)
oh my goodness, jenny! what an incredible story!!! congratulations to you for being so brave and amazing, and your daughter is absolutely gorgeous. what a wonderful story!!! xo joanna
Congratulations!!!
A-MAZING! what a sweet blessing for your entire family…and one you won't soon(or ever) forget. congratulations!(i'm christine frandsen's sis.-in-law:)thanks for sharing your beautiful story:)
That is amazing and so wonderful! Congratulations on little Evie what a great gift. Merry Christmas.
Wowee! What an amazing birth story! Congrats on your new little girl, she is just beautiful! Those cheeks!
Wow what a story…i was at the hospital with my cousin on 12/23..she had her baby at 11:45 almost made 12/24…i walked out for 10-15 mins, and came back to a baby…i missed it all and was MAD! Congrats on the baby and your family of love. Glad everyone is doing great.
Oh how amazing! She is beautiful. I cried reading the story, and am so glad you shared! Merry merry Christmas =)
Hi,
First of all I would like to congratulate you for the baby and the blog. I've been following for a while but never made any comment until now.
I already read your birth story over and over again and everytime I do it I cry. It's an absolutely lovely story and something to remember for life. You couldn't have chosen a better name for her. best wishes for you and all your family.
Kisses,
Anabela from Portugal
So amazing! I can't stop crying! Congratulations!
I'm laughing through tears; such joy! Congratulations – and welcome, Evie!
Hi. Another recent discoverer of your blog that has not yet commented. Congratulations. Thank you for sharing your story. And the name Evie — love it. How perfect.
Jared and are very happy for you and Mike. I hope you will make it home in 2010 so we can meet her.
I am so glad that everyone was OK! Such a beautiful girl! Congratulations! *hugs*
What a beautiful story. I'm so glad God kept you and little Evie safe. Congrats
Wow! what a story! Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl!
Congratulations! She is the best Christmas present, anyone could ask for! :)
I have to say the best part was when you yelled "water!" your husband ran and got a water bottle. That part is absolutely hilarious!
Blessings to you and your family.
What a great story! She is beautiful, and how sweet that you didn't have to spend Christmas or Christmas Eve in the hospital, AND you got your natural childbirth. :) Congratulations, and enjoy this very precious time!
So magical! She's absolutely gorgeous, congratulations! What an amazing Christmas present! And well done for being so brave! It must have been a bit of a shock!
xx
You couldn't have planned that any better. So glad to hear that mom and baby Evie are doing well. God bless you and your entire family.
-Cathy
What a great story! That is just AMAZING! Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl! Thank you for sharing such a special story with your readers!
Amazing story and my family and I are so happy for your special little Christmas blessing! Wow!
I am SO happy for you!! Congrats!!
What a great birth story , well done , what a Christmas ever miracle .
Chris
That is such an amazing story! Having your baby in your own home sounds so heart warming. Congratulations to you all..she is BEAUTIFUL!!!
Oh my GOD. I'm totally bawling! I don't even know you–I just popped over here from mommyblogyay expecting a went-to-hospital, contractions-hurt, got-epidural kind of birth story but WOW. I'm glad it happened this way for you though. Wow.
What a beautiful story! Congratulations!
God's blessings to you & your family!
Congratulations! What a beautiful baby. That is an amazing story!
Is the ottoman okay?????
Your story truly brought me to tears. I don't know how you delivered a 9 lb baby without an epidural and lived to tell the tale, but I am in awe of you.
Best of wishes to you and the happy family. What a wonderful new year it will be.
Congratulations!! I had three at home, and there's nothing like it. Isn't she the best Christmas present ever? :-)
That is an amazing, beautiful story! What a special way to usher in a new life…and at Christmas time too. Blessings to you and your family.
She is beautiful!! You're family is blessed! Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Beautiful and amazing!!! CONGRATULATIONS!! Such a wonderful story! Blessings to you, sweet baby girl, and your family!
Are you going to read this far down? Just wanted to say congrats. What an AMAZING and beautiful story. I'm so glad you shared the play by play. Good luck, God Speed and Merry Christmas.
Congratulations to you and your family. Amazing story.
Wow! I can't believe what a trooper you are. Having a home birth and leave the hospital after only a few hours! You're amazing! Congrats and I love the name Evelyn. One of my favorites :)
Oh, WOW!! Congratulations!!
In Christ,
Sallie
Wow!! God was watching over you!! Congratulations on your new little girl–she's beautiful! So glad your dad knew what he was doing, lol! I can see your family still in their pajamas in the background of your picture–hilarious!!! I love it! :)
Amazing. Congratulations on this Christmas Eve present! Not that it was of major concern, but I do hope your lovely ottoman was not ruined in the process! :)
Take care!
congratulations!
all the very best.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful and amazing story ~ and, a big heartfelt Congratulations to you!
wow! what a story. I was born on christmas eve and my mom got me in a stocking too! blessings for your new christmas eve baby – its a great bday.
Congratulations, what a special experience for all of you!!!
Xoxo,
Marianne
What an amazing event! Wonderful that you're all healthy. Congrats!!!
Thank you for sharing this with us. What a blessing!