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
What a beautiful story, and a beautiful little miracle baby.
It sounds like such a special time. Enjoy your baby gazing. I bet you can't take you r eyes off her. x
You look so beautiful and little Evie is gorgeous! Congratulations!
WOW! What an amazing Christmas present. :) She is very sweet and I love the name Evelyn.
That is an amazing story and a really beautiful memory to have of Evelyn. Congrats!
Congrats! Isn't there something so cozy about having a Christmas baby? I had one last year. How lucky that your family was there with you! Still trying to figure out how you had a nine-pounder naturally and lived to tell about it :) Best of luck to little Evie!
Absolutely amazing! I am balling with a smile on and have goosebumps at the same time. This is my first time on your site, so i guess I'm kind of like your hubby's co-worker getting TMI but I enjoyed reading your story very much! I'll be back. Many congrats and Baby Evie is perfect!
I am usually a lurker as well but as a mom of three little girls I feel a kinship to you and I just had to comment. What a true Christmas miracle you all experienced. Something tells me she may be called Christmas Eve once or twice in her lifetime! Congrats to you and your family!
Saw this post linked from A Cup of Jo- what an amazing story! Congrats on your beautiful baby! You are simply glowing in these photos too :)
Jaime
laviejaime.blogspot.com
Congrats, congrats, congrats. What a story..So glad that baby and mom are healthy and happy.
She is completely beautiful and amazing! And 9 lbs!!!at home!!! You are such a rockstar! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful story! I'm praying that these days leading into the new year continue to bring an abundance of blessings for you and your sweet Evelyn.
love love love that name. What an amazing story to tell her when she gets older; much better than being "born on the fourth of july."
best Christmas story ever! Congratulations!
Truly truly unbelievable! I am so happy for you and your family. This will be a story you all will tell forever! Welcome to the world, sweet baby Evie :)
I am in SHOCK reading this… and it really freaks me out because I dialate early but deliver late (with my second I was dialated to a 5 for 3 weeks before Claire was born) This is EXACTLY what I feared would happen to me. HOW amazing and scary! Congrats!! HOpe all is well.
love,
Katy
I cracked up and was covered in goosebumps as I read your story. I am still flabbergasted that the whole thing is true! Once again…you are amazing! Congrats on a beautiful and healthy baby girl. Can't wait for the post script on the ottoman. Was it covered in plastic or will you recover? Incidental details compared to your bundle of Christmas joy.
Wowzers! Exciting!
uhmmm yeahhh… best story ever!
XO.
Congratulations! What a wonderful, touching story. Of course she's "Evie".
now if that is not an answered prayer I don't know what is!! big, big congratulations to you and your family!
Amazing! What a blessing! Congratulations to you and your family. She is a beautiful baby.
oh my. what a story. so glad everyone is well. she is adorable. what a special time to bring a new one into the world. congratulations. i'm a big fan of yours and really enjoy your blog. keep it up (when you have time ;)
Wow! What an amazing birth story! Congratulations! Hope you and Evie are doing well.
That has to be the best Christmas and birth story I've ever heard. I am stunned! Congratulations!
oh my goodness jenny!!!!!! what an amazing story and i'm so shocked!!! she's just beautiful and what a perfect Christmas gift!!!! (you look beautiful too!!! go mommy!!) CONGRATULATIONS and enjoy this special time!!!!
xoxo,
lauren
Congratulations! I'm so happy you and Evie are healthy what an amazing story!
Holy cow!! I take a few days off from blogging and I miss all the good stuff! Congratulations and what a story. And you still look good! How is your ottoman?
Incredible – you are a warrior! Plus it's a good excuse to get a new ottoman and casserole dish. Congratulations!!!
oh my god.. so amazing! brought a tear to my eye :)
What an amazing story. I got a little misty-eyed over it. I've told so many people about you and your Christmas surprise (Evie). I hope you have a wonderful rest of the holiday with that sweet baby.
That was an amazing, amazing story! Congratulations!!
I love that you and your husband were talking and praying together. God answers prayers!!
Oh my gosh! What an amazing story. Congrats on your new little one!!
Oh my goodness, the Lord is so good. I can only imagine how amazing this experience was for your whole family. I'm in tears! Congratulations! And, I LOVE her name.
Super cute baby + story! Congratulations! :)
I read this story aloud to my family – so amazing! Congratulations to you and your newest addition!
That has to be the best birth story I have ever heard. What a blessing she must be to your family. Congrats!
An amazing story. Mom and baby look stunning!
I am misty-eyed and smiling. Blessings to your dear family!
that is quite a story! She is absolutely beautiful and a perfect Christmas {Eve} blessing!!
Oh. My! That is the most amazing birth story I think I've ever heard! Thank God for your beautiful new baby girl and for a safe and speedy delivery. What a blessing, indeed.
Congrats!!
Sara
As a new mom, myself, I think this really hit home for me! What an amazing story. Congratulations on little Evie. You are a trooper!!
WOW!! Beautiful baby girl. Congrats!
June
I just found your blog and I'm so glad I did. What a beautiful story and gorgeous baby. Enjoy your family, what a Merry Christmas you had!
~Michelle
Speechless! Congrats!
Just happened upon your blog – WOW!! What a Christmas gift! How could you ever top this story?
MANY blessings to your family and little Christmas angel.
I have chills! What a beautiful story and even more beautiful baby girl. Congrats!
Congrats :) YAY! Healthy baby, healthy mama!
OMGosh, I don't even know you, but I'm crying during that story! What a cutie and congrats to you!
Your story is so beautiful! What a wonderful and miraculous surprise for your family. I was a Christmas eve baby too, actually, and my name is Jane! So I definitely approve of your middle name choice. :) Love and blessings to you and your family, your holiday season will always have that special spark.
joiedejane.blogspot.com
I haven't commented before, but I've been reading your blog for a while and now was as good a time as any to say something– considering I'm all misty eyed and amazed :) A million congratulations and happinesses for you all! What a wonderful, serendipitous series of events!
Omigodness, that is wild. Congratulations on the baby, she absolutely beautiful, and you seemed to deal with the change in plans so well. Wow! Again, congratulations to you and the entire family.