Birth Is A Journey
When you have never birthed a baby before, the idea of labor and the unknown can feel overwhelming. You make a plan, make a different plan, make more plans, and then when labor starts, your baby makes a whole new plan. This mama was so strong, brave, and graceful during her long and arduous labor. During her plan-making stage of pregnancy, she said to me, "whenever this baby decides to come, I just hope it's not Valentine's Day". So, naturally, he made his beautiful debut smack dab in the middle of Valentine's Day.
Every birth is full of unknowns, but when you've never experienced the waves of contractions, or the beat of a hospital room, it can be an overwhelming experience. Mama entered the hospital Sunday evening, and didn't meet her son until mid-morning Tuesday - Valentine's Day! As the hours ticked past, it was clear that this sweet boy was perfectly cozy with his mama and not prepared for his eviction notice. There were moments of calm, moments of intensity, and moments of despair as labor progressed from the first night into the second. A constant pillar of support, her husband was the biggest champion I have ever witnessed. There was so much love and support between them, and it was a bond like none I have seen before.
After more than twenty-four hours of intense waves, Mama opted for an epidural to rest her body and restore her energy. As the sun rose the next morning, the anticipation buzzed as Baby was showing signs of an imminent arrival, though Mama's contractions were picking up in intensity again. Though her labor had been long and intense, once her sweet boy decided he was ready, he made quick work of his arrival. Mama pushed for only thirty minutes and she had her son in her arms. He was bright-eyed and alert from the moment he met his mama, and gazed curiously at his daddy. A miracle to behold.
As is often the case, all the intensity, struggle, and uncertainty of the past forty hours washed away in mere moments as they tucked in to each other and began their journey as a family of three (five, if you count their fur family!).
