Jeramy and I became pregnant with Moriah on our honeymoon, probably the third day of our marriage! We had decided before our wedding to accept whatever the Lord gives, whenever and however many He may give - all accepted, on my part, by faith! :-) My pregnancy with Moriah was very easy physically because I remained as much physically active as when I wasn't pregnant, exercising 5 to 6 days a week by walking, kickboxing, strength training, swimming and other cardiovascular workouts. However, I struggled up until labor with nausea and vomiting daily. As a result, I gained only 28 pounds with Moriah.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 25, 2007, Jeramy and I attended church as usual and nothing was out of the ordinary all day. That night, after engaging in *normal marital activities* (hint, hint), about 5 minutes later, at 11 p.m., my water broke accompanied immediately by mild contractions roughly 6 to 7 minutes apart. However I thought that it was unusual bladder leakage and not my water because it trickled out with every contraction - not a big gush and not like a constant flow, like a faucet. When I tried to lay down to sleep, I could not because the contractions prevented me.
After lying there for about 60 minutes, I got up to walk around, testing whether or not they were real. For the next 30 minutes I paced the floor and the contractions got closer together. Then Jeramy and I waited 30 more minutes and they became more painful, but I could still walk and talk normally. I kept putting off going to the hospital because I wasn't completely sure I was in labor, being the first time and all. But by 2 a.m. we left for the hospital in Statesboro, GA.
We arrived at the hospital at 2:30 a.m. and the nursing staff didn't take me seriously because of our activities* over the previous hours. It took quite a while for me to check in, signing all the paperwork. Once I got to the LDR, the nurse left me and Jeramy and we were all alone in the room for about 20 minutes. The nurse would come in, here and there, checking me and getting me to get undressed. At one point before 3 a.m. they checked my cervix and I was 7 cm and they took a sample of the fluid to see if it was, in fact, amniotic fluid.
After more time than we would have liked, more nurses entered the room and got me on the bed and the contractions were so over bearing by that time, my hopes of survival were fading fast. I had never experienced pain of that magnitude ever in my life! Previously I had wanted a natural childbirth, but in that moment - I screamed for drugs! I literally thought I was not going to live through this experience! I began to feel the need to push, but I resisted because I didn't want to wear myself out if I was going to end up pushing a long time. I wanted someone to tell me that it was okay to push.
The nurse with the lab results finally returned; yes, it was my water that was broken. They checked my cervix again and I was fully dilated. I assumed the labor position and screamed with all my might as I pushed Moriah's head out. I pushed about 3 or 4 times and she was born at 3:19 a.m. delivered by the nurses. Immediately they took her to the side to clean her off. Moriah cried just for a few minutes and was looking all around. I was so infinitely relieved that I had survived that intense pain without drugs. I came to find out that the anesthesiologist was standing in the hallway waiting until my work-up was complete. He never entered the room! :-)
My O.B. doctor arrived about 3 minutes too late and missed the birth. But she was there to deliver the afterbirth and sew me up. I got to see Moriah but I didn't get to hold her after the delivery. They were concerned about her breathing rapidly and took her to be observed and get tests. In hindsight, I wish I would have been more insistent about holding her, but I can't go back. As a result, I didn't get to attempt breastfeeding until about 6 hours later.
I thank God so much for Moriah! She has been an incredible source of sanctification for me! Through her, God has exposed so much selfishness, self-centeredness, discontentment and foolishness and weeded it out of me so that I am able to have so much more joy I would have never known if I hadn't become a mother. Now I can have more patience, contentment, grace and kindness. She has been a wonderful blessing to both Jeramy and me and I could never imagine what it would be like to be married without her. Moriah is our honeymoon baby!
1 comment:
It is counterintuitive to the flesh to have children so early in a marriage, though that was normative before the birth control revolution. In God's design, children help to expose sin and thus God uses that to strengthen a marriage from the very beginning. Just when we think God is not looking out for our best interest, His glory shines through all the greater! Amen!
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